John Degnan

NASA's new unmanned SLR2000 system is designed to track, with millimeter precision and using single photon returns, a constellation of roughly 24 retroreflector-equipped satellites, which range in altitude from about 300 km to 20,000 km. Totally autonomous operation and a common ...

Sigma Space Corporation has recently developed a compact 3D imaging and polarimetric lidar suitable for use in a small aircraft or mini-UAV. A frequency-doubled Nd:YAG microchip laser generates 6 microjoule, subnanosecond pulses at fire rates up to 22 kHz. A Diffractive Optical Element (DOE) breaks the 532 nm beam into a 10x10 array of Gaussian beamlets, each containing about 1 mW of laser power (50 nJ @ 20 kHz). The reflected radiation in each beamlet is imaged by the receive optics onto individual pixels of a high efficiency, 10x10 pixel, multistop detector. Each pixel is then input to one channel of a 100 channel, multistop timer demonstrated to have a 93 picosecond timing (1.4 cm range) resolution and an event recovery time of only 1.6 nsec. Thus, each green laser pulse produces a 100 pixel volumetric 3D image. The residual infrared energy at 1064 nm is used for polarimetry. The scan pattern and frequency of a dual wedge optical scanner, synchronized to the laser fire rate, are tailored to provide contiguous coverage of a ground scene in a single overflight. In both rooftop and preliminary flight tests, the lidar has produced high spatial resolution 3D images of terrain, buildings, tree structures, power lines, and bridges with a data acquisition rate up to 2.2 million multistop 3D pixels per second. Current tests are aimed at defining the lidar's ability to image through water columns and tree canopies.

An account is given of the design concept and potential applications in science and engineering of the spaceborne laser ranging and altimeter apparatus employed by the Geodynamics Laser Ranging System; this is scheduled for 1997 launch as part of the multiple-satellite Earth Observing System. In the retrograding mode for geodynamics, the system will use a Nd:YAG laser's green and UV output for distance determination to ground retroreflectors. Engineering applications encompass land management and long-term ground stability studies relevant to nuclear power plant, pipeline, and aqueduct locations.

The 1.2 meter telescope system was built for the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in 1973-74 by the Kollmorgen Corporation as a highly accurate tracking telescope. The telescope is an azimuth-elevation mounted six mirror Coude system. The facility has been used for a wide range of experimentation including helioseismology, two color refractometry, lunar laser ranging, satellite laser ranging, visual tracking of rocket launches, and most recently satellite and aircraft streak camera work. The telescope is a multi-user facility housed in a two story dome with the telescope located on the second floor above the experimenter's area. Up to six experiments can be accommodated at a given time, with actual use of the telescope being determined by the location of the final Coude mirror. The telescope facility is currently one of the primary test sites for the Crustal Dynamics Network's new UNIX based telescope controller software, and is also the site of the joint Crustal Dynamics Project / Photonics Branch two color research into atmospheric refraction.

SLR2000 will close the tracking loop using a Photek four quadrant Micro-Channel Plate (MCP) detector which will provide information to correct the along-track, ranging, and cross- track errors automatically in realtime. Analysis and simulation results showing the expected performance of this loop with be presented and will take into account the recent test results of the Xybion mount's tracking abilities.