Position and Velocity Estimation Via Bearing Observations

The problem of performing target motion analysis using noisy bearing measurements derived from multiple observation platforms or from a single moving observer is addressed. For the latter case, the properties of an estimator based on a Cartesian model of the process are detailed. Methods of providing estimates both before an observer maneuver, when the process is unobservable, and following an observer maneuver are developed. The results of an experimental study are presented.     

Ultraviolet spectrometer experiment for the Voyager mission

The Voyager Ultraviolet Spectrometer (UVS) is an objective grating spectrometer covering the wavelength range of 500–1700 Å with 10 Å resolution. Its primary goal is the determination of the composition and structure of the atmospheres of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and several of their satellites. The capability for two very different observational modes have been combined in a single instrument. Observations in the airglow mode measure radiation from the atmosphere due to resonant scattering of the solar flux or energetic particle bombardment, and the occultation mode provides measurements of the atmospheric extinction of solar or stellar radiation as the spacecraft enters the shadow zone behind the target. In addition to the primary goal of the solar system atmospheric measurements, the UVS is expected to make valuable contributions to stellar astronomy at wavelengths below 1000 Å.     

Third-Order Loop Filter Design for Acceleration-Rate Tracking

A perfect third-order loop filter design that can be implemented as a digital filter is obtained which minimizes the noiseless steady-state acceleration rate (jerk) error for a fixed loop noise bandwidth. Simulations were performed to obtain transient responses of the third-order loop plus a sample fourth-order loop under a jerk input. The results enable one to obtain a loop design that minimizes the loop noise bandwidth required for a given steady-state jerk error and thus obtain better noise jitter performance.     

Design of the HEAO Main Bus Shunt Regulator

The High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO) main bus regulator contains a redundant error amplifier (REA) and a 12-section sequenced shunt transconductance amplifier (STA) in which not more than three and not less than one shunt section are in an active control mode regardless of a failure in any one of the twelve sections. The part of the work concerned with the shaping of the frequency response of the REA and STA minor feedback loops and of the teolator major feedback loop is described. Emphasis is on the application of a general design technique embodying a "design-analyze-measure iteration loop," in which a first-cut design and analysis is corrected ard improved after experimental observation of discrepancies and deficiencies. In particular, an incipient high-frequency oscillation was thereby reliably eliminated. It is demonstrated that analysis techniques involving a minimum of algebra can provide full quantitative information on an efficient and reliable system design.     

Properties of Staggered PRF Radar Spectral Components

Expressions for moving target indicator (MTI) improvement factor limitation due to pulse repetition frequency (PRF) staggering and loss of target detectability for various values of Doppler frequency in the passband are presented. It is also shown that the product of variance of stagger periods and clutter variance is an important parameter determining the performance of a staggered PRF MTI radar.     

ATC Beacon Interference Characteristics in the New York Area

An experimental program is described that had the objective of measuring the effects of the time-dependent structure of downlink (air craft to ground) interference generated by the Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon System (ATCRBS) in an active air traffic terminal area that are relevant to system and ground controller response time. The results of this program indicate a number of interesting details concerning the correlation of the level of the downlink interference with changes in the arrival and departure rates of aircraft at the local terminal sites.     

ATS-6 Energetic Particle Radiation Measurement at Synchronous Altitude

The Aerospace Corporation energetic electron-proton spectrometer operating on Applications Technology Satellite-6 (ATS-6) detects energetic electrons in four channels between 140 keV and greater than 32 MeV, and measures energetic protons in five energy channels between 2.3 and 80 MeV and energetic alpha particles in three channels between 9.4 and 94 MeV. After more than a year of operation in orbit, the experiment continues to return excellent data on the behavior of energetic magnetospheric electrons as well as information regarding the fluxes of solar protons and alpha particles.     

Identifications of some highly-ionized iron and nickel lines in the 200–400 Å region of the solar spectrum

A number of previously unclassified multiplets of Fexiv, xiii, xii, and xi produced by transitions of the type 3s ²3p ⁿ -3s3p ⁿ⁺¹ are identified in the XUV spectrum of the Sun. The iron lines account for most of the previously unidentified strong lines between 330 and 370 Å. Solar observations of especial value for the investigation of the 300–400 Å region were the slitless spectroheliograms of September 22, 1968 (Purcell and Tousey, 1969) and November 4, 1969 (Tousey, 1971) — on which the image of a flare was recorded. Other solar identifications in the same spectral region include the resonance lines of Nixvii and Nixviii, and one 3p-3d multiplet of Fexiii. The solar blend at 417 Å involving the Fexv inter-combination line and Sxiv is resolved.     

Adaptive cancellation method for geometry-induced nonstationary bistatic clutter environments

This paper describes and characterizes a new bistatic space-time adaptive processing (STAP) clutter mitigation method. The approach involves estimating and compensating aspects of the spatially varying bistatic clutter response in both angle and Doppler prior to adaptive clutter suppression. An important feature of the proposed method is its ability to extract requisite implementation information from the data itself, rather than rely on ancillary - and possibly erroneous or missing - system measurements. We justify the essence of the proposed method by showing its ability to align the dominant clutter subspaces of each range realization relative to a suitably chosen reference point as a means of homogenizing the space-time data set. Moreover, we numerically characterize performance using synthetic bistatic clutter data. For the examples considered herein, the proposed bistatic STAP method leads to maximum performance improvements between 17.25 dB and 20.75 dB relative to traditional STAP application, with average improvements of 6 dB to 10 dB.