Citation
Abstract
Critical to the success of the Ground/Orbiter Lasercomm Demonstration (GOLD) was the ability of the two telescopes at the Table Mountain Facility (TMF) to track the Japanese Engineering Test Satellite (ETS-VI). This article describes the process of generating pointing predictions from the satellite’s orbital elements, experiments to determine the inherent pointing accuracy of the TMF telescopes, and the strategies developed for overcoming errors in the satellite’s ephemeris. The combination of ephemeris precision, telescope-pointing precision, and low satellite contrast against the bright sky made daytime satellite acquisition a serious challenge. Inherent telescope-pointing error in right ascension, end play in the declination axis worm gear, and pointing error induced by the statistical errors in the ephemeris were thought to be the main sources of error in the telescope pointing.
Details
- Volume
- 42-128
- Published
- February 15, 1997
- Pages
- 1–11
- File Size
- 290.9 KB