Angular Accuracy of a Scanning Radar Employing a Two-Pole Filter

A two-pole filter is proposed as a detector for a scanning radar. The optimum values of the filter coefficients are found and are approximated by a simple expression. The optimum two-pole filter requires a 0.15-dB increase in signal-to-noise ratio in order to provide the same detection capability as the optimum detector, and yields azimuth estimates whose standard deviation are within 15 percent of the Cramér-Rao lower bound. The estimator is simple to implement, avoiding the storage requirements of the moving window detector and the bias complications of the feedback integrator.     

An exact expression for resolution cell area in special case ofbistatic radar systems

An exact expression for the bistatic resolution-cell area (A _B) is developed for the special case in which either the transmit or receive antenna has a broad azimuth beamwidth or is omnidirectional. Quantitative examples are presented to illustrate the variation of A_B with location. A comparison is made with the performance of a commonly used approximation formula     

The plasma mantle: Composition and other characteristics observed by means of the PROGNOZ-7 satellite

A brief summary of the main results of magnetospheric ion composition measurements in general is first presented. PROGNOZ-7 measurements in the nightside plasma mantle are then described and analyzed. Some of the results are the following: In the nightside mantle not too far from midnight the properties of the mantle are sometimes consistent with the open magnetosphere model. However during most magnetic storm situations O⁺ ions appear in the mantle in large proportions and with high energies. The acceleration process affecting the ions has been found in several cases to give equal amounts of energy to all ions independent of mass. Along the flanks of the magnetosphere the flow of the plasma is often low or absent. The O⁺ content is high (up to 20%) and the energy spectrum of both ions and electrons may be very hot, even up to the level of the ring current plasma in the keV range.The O⁺ content in the plasma mantle is positively correlated with the magnetospheric activity level. The mantle, however, does not appear to be the dominating source for the storm time ring current. Direct acceleration of ionospheric ions onto the closed field lines of the plasma sheet and ring current is most likely the main source. The magnetopause on the nightside and along the flanks of the magnetosphere appears to be a fairly solid boundary for mantle ions of ionospheric origin. This is especially evident during periods with high geomagnetic activity, when the mantle is associated with fairly strong fluxes of O⁺ ions.An interesting observation in most of the mantle passages during geomagnetically disturbed periods is the occurrence of intense, magnetosheath like, regions deep inside the mantle. In some cases these regions with strong antisunward flow and with predominant magnetosheath ion composition was observed in the innermost part of the mantle, i.e. marking a boundary region between the lobe and the mantle. These magnetosheath penetration events are usually associated with strong fluxes of accelerated ionospheric ions in nearby parts of the mantle. Evanescent penetration regions with much reduced flow properties are frequently observed in the flank mantle.     

Automated Tracking for Aircraft Surveillance Radar Systems

An improved moving target detector (MTD) (a digital signal processor) has been designed, constructed, and tested which successfully rejects all forms of radar clutter while providing reliable detection of all aircraft within the coverage of the radar. The MTD is being tested on both terminal and enroute surveillance radars for the FAA. This processor has been integrated with automatic tracking algorithms to give complete rejection of ground clutter, heavy precipitation, and angels (birds).     

Magnetic Position and Orientation Tracking System

Three-axis generation and sensing of quasi-static magneticdipole fields provide information sufficient to determine both the position and orientation of the sensor relative to the source. Linear rotation transformations based upon the previous measurements are applied to both the source excitation and sensor output vectors, yielding quantities that are linearly propotional to small changes in the position and orientation. Changes are separated using linear combinations of sensor output vectors, transformed to the desired coordinate frame, and used to update the previous measurements. Practical considerations for a head-tracking application are discussed.     

An Approach to Built-In Testing

The archiitecture and justification for an approach to built-in testing (BIT) in electronic circuits and systems is presented. The proposed system is capable of on-line fault detection and prediction up to the shop replaceable assembly (SRA) level and is designed to interface with external automatic test equipment (ATE) for off-line fault diagnosis within the SRA. The constituent parts of the BIT system have been extensively simulated and the approach appears to be suitable for hardware implementation both with respect to computational and economic considerations.     

Atomic and molecular hydrogen in interstellar space

This paper reviews the present state of knowledge of the abundances and physical state of interstellar atomic and molecular hydrogen. Much new data in this area have been obtained in recent rocket observations. There have also been new developments as a result of ground-based infrared and 21-cm observations, and theoretical research.Rocket observations of the Lyman- interstellar absorption line of atomic hydrogen indicate that, in many directions in the sky, atomic hydrogen is up to a factor of 10 less abundant than previously indicated by 21-cm emission measurements. In the direction of the Orion Nebula, most of the absorbing gas appears to be concentrated in the near vicinity of the nebula and to have a temperature considerably lower than the average of 100 K obtained from 21-cm emission measurements. Molecular hydrogen appears essentially absent from the general interstellar medium, as confirmed by theoretical studies of photodissociation processes. However, ground-based infrared and 21-cm studies indicate that the hydrogen in dark dust clouds is mostly molecular.     

The Tactical Communications Satellite

Early in 1969 the U. S. Air Force placed into synchronous orbit the largest communications satellite built to date. This vehicle, the tactical communications satellite (TACSAT), together with a variety of ground terminals, is designed to test experimentally and develop tactical communications concepts for all military services. This paper describes the spacecraft design focusing on the communications repeater. Measured performance characteristics affecting communications utilization of the spacecraft are presented.