Height distribution of orbital objects observed by the MU radar
Abstract
The middle and upper (MU) atmosphere radar was erected at Sigaraki, Japan in 1984 to investigate atmospheric and plasma dynamics in the region from the troposphere to the ionosphere. This radar is a monostatic pulse Doppler radar operating at 46.5 MHz with an active phased array antenna, which consists of 475 Yagi antennas and an identical number of solid-state transmit/receive modules. An automatic data processing technique was developed to differentiate backscatter echoes from orbiting objects from those of meteors or other interferences. The height distribution of the debris demonstrated good agreement with that obtained from NORAD data utilizing microwave frequency tracking radars. It has shown that the number density of debris is already high enough to affect plans for future space stations.
- Publication:
-
Noise and Clutter Rejection in Radars and Imaging Sensors
- Pub Date:
- 1990
- Bibcode:
- 1990ncrr.symp..359S
- Keywords:
-
- Doppler Radar;
- Radar Echoes;
- Space Debris;
- Vertical Distribution;
- Very High Frequencies;
- Antenna Arrays;
- Middle Atmosphere;
- Spatial Distribution;
- Tracking Radar;
- Upper Atmosphere;
- Communications and Radar