TIMING SUBSYSTEM ANALYSIS. AN INVESTIGATION OF THE PROBLEM OF TIME COINCIDENCE AND METHODS FOR PRECISE SYNCHRONIZATION OF WIDELY SEPARATED CLOCKS.
Abstract
The requirement for a new order of magnitude of timing precision has arisen in many fields dealing with problems concerning the determination of orbits and ephemerides of satellites, as well as for exact navigation and tracking. For instance, the need has greatly increased for a more precise determination of the time of initiation and the confirmation of certain events at locations which are several thousand kilometers apart. At present, the time at a particular site cannot be synchronized accurately against a standard because of the lack of necessary measurements or survey data. Many station-location surveys are based on the available knowledge of exact time; and since this time has not been precisely established, these survey data may be questionable. In turn, navigation and tracking rely heavily on these references. For the location of bodies in space flight, as well as the impact point of re- entry vehicles, a precise determination of their transit time at known sites is of major importance. This report reviews existing time systems, discusses their limitations and explores means of solving the problem of a better time coincidence (time synchronization or simultaneity). The accuracies of various systems are described, along with methods of predicting time- deviation delays due to the variation of the ionosphere and other influences.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 20, 1962
- Accession Number
- AD0801187
Entities
Organizations
- Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space