DOPPLER VELOCITY FOR SPACE NAVIGATION

Abstract

A study was made of doppler velocity measuring techniques for space navigation. The purpose was to investigate experimentally the feasibility of space velocity determination by measuring the doppler shifts in the 21-cm (hydrogen) absorption line. The work accomplished includes the design and construction of both a recorder-analyzer and a frequency tracker. The recorder-analyzer processes the hydrogen line signal and provides a down-converted version of this signal for recording on magnetic tape; the analyzer portion performs a spectrum analysis on either the direct or the recorded signal. The frequency tracker measures and follows the center frequency of the absorption line. The results described demonstrate in a qualitative manner the feasibility of utilizing the doppler shift in the 21-cm radiation for space velocity measurements. Some of the techniques developed are applicable to the entire field of radio astronomy. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1961
Accession Number
AD0259766

Entities

People

  • S. Benjamin

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Absorption
  • Analyzers
  • Astronomy
  • Doppler Effect
  • Frequency
  • Hydrogen
  • Magnetic Tape
  • Navigation
  • Radio Astronomy
  • Recording Systems
  • Space Navigation
  • Spectrum Analysis

Fields of Study

  • Engineering
  • Physics

Readers

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics.
  • Combustion and Flow Dynamics.
  • Radar Systems Engineering.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster