This work describes the instrumental status, performance and result of the satellite laser rangefinder at the Metsaehovi Space Geodetic Station of the Finnish Geodetic Institute at the end of 1981. The system has been in operation since September 1978 and has so far produced about 6000 range observations to various satellites. In the transmitter an electro-optically Q-switched ruby laser with a peak power of about 50 MW, pulse length of 25 ns, energy of 1 J, collimated beam divergence of about 1 mrad and repetition rate of 4 pulses per minute is used. The return energy is collected using a 630 mm diameter telescope, detected with a sensitive RCA C 31034 photomultiplier in night operation and with an RCA 8852 photomultiplier in daylight, filtered and used to stop a high resolution 0,1 ns time interval counter. In the start and stop channels approximated matched filtering is used. The duration and shape of the impulse response of the detection electronics are set approximately equal to those of the laser pulse using low-pass amplifier stages. Timing is done at the 50 % peak level. This filtering method proved to be especially effective in daylight ranging.


    Access

    Access via TIB

    Check availability in my library


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Studies on the Metsaehovi satellite laser ranging system


    Additional title:

    Untersuchungen zu dem Metsaehovi Satellitenentfernungsmesssystem mit Laser


    Contributors:

    Published in:

    Din. TU Helsinki ; 503 ; 1-47


    Publication date :

    1982


    Size :

    47 Seiten, 60 Bilder, 6 Tabellen, 127 Quellen


    Type of media :

    Theses


    Type of material :

    Print


    Language :

    English




    Satellite Laser Ranging Operations

    Pearlman, M. R. / Goddard Space Flight Center; Laboratory for Terrestrial Physics | British Library Conference Proceedings | 1994



    NASA Satellite Laser Ranging Network

    Carter, David L. | NTRS | 2004



    Optical metrology terminal for satellite-to-satellite laser ranging

    Mandel, Oliver / Chwalla, Michael / Schuldt, Thilo et al. | British Library Conference Proceedings | 2019