A PROPOSED EXPERIMENT TO MEASURE IONOSPHERIC PLASMA DRIFT VECTORS.
Abstract
A tristatic Thomson scatter radar experiment is proposed to determine the velocity vector of large scale plasma drifts in the ionospheric F-region. A determination of the drift vector will require measurement of the resulting shifts in the received backscatter doppler spectra as seen from three widely-separated ground stations. The experiment is planned to be carried out jointly between the Naval Research Laboratory and the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratory. The Naval Research Laboratory's 150-foot antenna system located at Chesapeake Beach, Maryland is intended for both transmission and reception; similar 150-foot steerable antennas located at Sugar Grove, West Virginia and at the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratory's field site at Sagamore Hill, Hamilton, Massachusetts are to be used for reception. Measurement techniques, instrumentation requirements and objectives are discussed as well as limitations and a suggested time scale. A preliminary bistatic experiment between the Randle Cliff Radar and Sagamore Hill to determine feasibility and measure signal strength has been completed successfully. Thomson scatter power profiles were obtained at altitudes between 200 and 1000 km. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1969
- Accession Number
- AD0692387
Entities
People
- James B. Mead
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory