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SURCAL 1
The Surveillance Calibration (or SURCAL) satellites were a series of radar calibration satellites for the Naval Space Surveillance radar system. They were launched in the 1960s. Background The SURCAL series of satellites were produced by the Naval Research Laboratory to act as test and calibration targets for the Naval Space Surveillance radar. The first SURCAL satellite was intended to remain attached to the launch vehicle and was a 5.5 inch long, 5.5 inch diameter cylinder. The other four SURCAL satellites were box-shaped with solar panels, a transponder, and antennas. They transmitted a 216 MHz signal on command. Launches Other vehicles Astronautix The ''Encyclopedia Astronautica'' is a reference web site on space travel. The encyclopedia includes 79,433 articles with 13,741 illustrations, a comprehensive catalog of missiles, spacecraft, space technology, astronauts, and spaceflight from ... includes passive satellites such as the SURCAL 150B and SURCAL 160 targe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Radar Calibration Satellite
Radar calibration satellites are orbital satellites used to calibrate ground-based space surveillance radars. There are two types: active and passive. Passive satellites Passive calibration satellites are objects of known shape and size. Examples include the Lincoln Calibration Sphere 1 developed by the MIT Lincoln Laboratory. These are generally solid or hollow spheres, since that shape will have the same cross-section regardless of viewing angle, though later passive satellites used wire grid designs. A ground radar calculates the satellite's position using knowledge of the satellite's radar cross section, and this is compared with the satellite's known position and velocity. Active satellites Active calibration satellites are equipped with transponders that emit a signal on command. The ground radar station submits a transmit command and takes a measurement of the satellite's location. The transponder's signal is received by a radar receiver and combined with the satellite's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NAVSPASUR
The AN/FPS-133 Air Force Space Surveillance System, colloquially known as the Space Fence, was a U.S. government multistatic radar system built to detect orbital objects passing over America. It is a component of the U.S. space surveillance network, and according to the U.S. Navy was able to detect basketball sized () objects at heights up to . The system ceased operation in September 2013. Plans for a new space fence began with sites at the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, along with an option for another radar site in Western Australia. It became operational on March 28, 2020. The operation's headquarters were at Dahlgren, Virginia, and radar stations were spread out across the continental United States at roughly the level of the 33rd parallel north. Description There were three transmitter sites in the system: * 216.983 MHz at Lake Kickapoo, Texas () (Master transmitter) * 216.970 MHz at Gila River, Arizona () * 216.990 MHz at Jordan Lake, Alabama ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naval Research Laboratory
The United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is the corporate research laboratory for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. Located in Washington, DC, it was founded in 1923 and conducts basic scientific research, applied research, technological development and prototyping. The laboratory's specialties include plasma physics, space physics, materials science, and tactical electronic warfare. NRL is one of the first US government scientific R&D laboratories, having opened in 1923 at the instigation of Thomas Edison, and is currently under the Office of Naval Research. As of 2016, NRL was a United States Navy Working Capital Fund, Navy Working Capital Fund activity, which means it is not a line-item in the US Federal Budget. Instead of direct funding from Congress, all costs, including overhead, were recovered through sponsor-funded research projects. NRL's research expenditures were approximately $1 billion per year. Research The Naval Research L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hertz
The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or Cycle per second, cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base units is 1/s or sā1, meaning that one hertz is one per second or the Inverse second, reciprocal of one second. It is used only in the case of periodic events. It is named after Heinrich Hertz, Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (1857ā1894), the first person to provide conclusive proof of the existence of electromagnetic waves. For high frequencies, the unit is commonly expressed in metric prefix, multiples: kilohertz (kHz), megahertz (MHz), gigahertz (GHz), terahertz (THz). Some of the unit's most common uses are in the description of periodic waveforms and musical tones, particularly those used in radio- and audio-related applications. It is also used to describe the clock speeds at which computers and other electronics are driven. T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SURCAL I
The Surveillance Calibration (or SURCAL) satellites were a series of radar calibration satellites for the Naval Space Surveillance radar system. They were launched in the 1960s. Background The SURCAL series of satellites were produced by the Naval Research Laboratory to act as test and calibration targets for the Naval Space Surveillance radar. The first SURCAL satellite was intended to remain attached to the launch vehicle and was a 5.5 inch long, 5.5 inch diameter cylinder. The other four SURCAL satellites were box-shaped with solar panels, a transponder, and antennas. They transmitted a 216 MHz signal on command. Launches Other vehicles Astronautix The ''Encyclopedia Astronautica'' is a reference web site on space travel. The encyclopedia includes 79,433 articles with 13,741 illustrations, a comprehensive catalog of missiles, spacecraft, space technology, astronauts, and spaceflight from ... includes passive satellites such as the SURCAL 150B and SURCAL 160 targe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thor-Able-Star
The Thor-Ablestar, or Thor-Able-Star, also known as Thor-Epsilon was an early American expendable launch system consisting of a PGM-17 Thor missile, with an Ablestar upper stage. It was a member of the Thor family of rockets, and was derived from the Thor-Able. The Ablestar second stage was an enlarged version of the Able, which gave the Thor-Ablestar a greater payload capacity compared to the Thor-Able. It also incorporated restart capabilities, allowing a multiple-burn trajectory to be flown, further increasing payload, or allowing the rocket to reach different orbits. It was the first rocket to be developed with such a capability and development of the stage took a mere eight months. Two versions were built; the Thor-Ablestar 1, with a DM-21 Thor and an AJ-10-104 second stage engine, and the Thor-Ablestar 2, which had a DSV-2A Thor first stage, and an uprated AJ-10-104D engine on the second stage. Thor-Ablestar 1 launches occurred from LC-17 at Cape Canaveral, and Thor-Able ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thor-Agena-D
Thor-Agena was a series of orbital launch vehicles. The launch vehicles used the Douglas-built Thor first stage and the Lockheed-built Agena second stages. They are thus cousins of the more-famous Thor-Deltas, which founded the Delta rocket family. The first attempted launch of a Thor-Agena was in January 1959. The first successful launch was on 28 February 1959, launching ''Discoverer 1''. It was the first two-stage launch vehicle to place a satellite into orbit. Missions Among other uses, the clandestine CORONA program used Thor-Agena from June 1959 until January 1968 to launch United States military reconnaissance satellites operated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). During this program, Thor-Agena launch vehicles were used in 145 launch attempts, now known to have been part of satellite surveillance programs. Also, ''Alouette 1,'' Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
