Tropospheric Limitations to the Stability of Radio Metric Delay Measurements

Abstract

Fluctuations in the index of refraction in both the wet and dry components of the troposphere induce timing instabilities in radio metric data in excess of that of modern frequency standards. At zenith, the wet and dry tropospheres cause fluctuations of the order of 2 x 10(-14) s/s and 7 x 10(-15) s/s at 1000 seconds, respectively. A description of the temporal and spatial characteristics of the wet and dry troposphere is given based on frozen flow modelling. The level of the fluctuations at various time scales and elevations is presented along with calibration strategies being investigated for both the wet and dry components.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 01, 1989
Accession Number
ADA503717

Entities

People

  • R. N. Treuhaft

Organizations

  • California Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Antenna Arrays
  • Antennas
  • Arrays
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Barometric Pressure
  • Calibration
  • Elevation
  • Global Positioning Systems
  • Jet Propulsion
  • Line Of Sight
  • Measurement
  • Pressure Measurement
  • Refractive Index
  • Standards
  • Statistics
  • Time Intervals
  • Water Vapor

Readers

  • Computational Modeling and Simulation
  • Geotechnical Engineering.
  • Radar Systems Engineering.