Citation
Abstract
The planetary ranging assembly (PRA) determines the range, or distance, to spacecraft that are travelling at planetary distances from Earth by measuring the time required for a radio signal to travel to the spacecraft and back. The range data are used to improve the accuracy of the calculation of the spacecraft’s orbit and to provide information concerning the charged particle content of space. The PRA is able to operate at the reduced signal levels because of improvements in the method of maintaining coder lock and detecting the signal in the presence of space noise. It is capable of operation with either S-band or X-band carrier frequencies and offers selectable code types to enable each project to specify the operating mode best suited to its particular mission.
Details
- Volume
- XIX
- Published
- February 15, 1974
- Pages
- 165–168
- File Size
- 340.5 KB