Meteor Observations Using the 50 MHz (MegaHertz) Mentor Imaging Doppler Interferometer
Abstract
The MENTOR Imaging Doppler Interferometer radar operated at a frequency of approximately 50 MegaHertz with a 50 kilowatt peak power output. It was used to collect data from a field site near La Salle, Colorado on August 13, 1988. An algorithm was developed to detect meteor echoes in the Time Domain Averaged (TDA) data, separate these echoes from the rest of the data, and then determine which of these echoes were good enough to be included in wind calculations. The meteor detection rate for useable meteors in the approximately 9 minutes of data available in the study was 120 per hour. The meteors, after being located in three-dimensional space, were subjected to another algorithm which calculated the u, v, and w wind components for a range of altitudes, usually less than 4 kilometers, using the Doppler shift of the meteor echoes. Reasonable values for the wind components were obtained but could not be verified since there were no collateral data to back up the results. Theses.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA217908
Entities
People
- Dennis R. Thomas
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology