Development of a Precise Geodetic Survey System

The development of a system to perform first-order airborne geodetic surveying is described. It is shown how existing distance measuring techniques were applied to solve the operational requirement for a system that can measure the length of lines up to 900 nautical miles long with a probable error of 0.0017 nautical miles, and determine the nadir points of aerial photographs within twenty-four feet for ninety percent of the measurements. The implementation of the Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) using a CW carrier phase modulated by four ranging tones is described at the block diagram level, it is shown that modulation with a large index (twelve radians) reduces the ranging errors associated with multipath propagation which formerly were a significant source of error in DME systems. Results of a flight test program are presented.     

Nuclear waste disposal in space: Implications of advanced space transportation

Previous studies have shown that the disposal of nuclear waste in space is promising as a practical and economically plausible option, based on use of the first generation space shuttle. The promise brightens if we consider use of more effective second generation systems such as fully reusable single-stage-to-orbit transports. These vehicles, with simpler more reliable flight characteristics and with operational economics at least twenty times more favorable than the first shuttle, can become available in the early 1990s when the nuclear waste problem will have grown to truly serious proportions. This paper surveys both vertical and horizontal-takeoff vehicles as they could be used for the Earth-to-orbit phase of nuclear waste disposal mission. The international nature of the nuclear waste issue is emphasized, and the suggestion is made that an international equatorial launch site be established. This launch center, apart from its inherent safety features, would serve as a focus for an international solution of the truly worldwide problem of nuclear waste disposal.