
Proceedings Paper
Laser radar instrument for the Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) missionFormat | Member Price | Non-Member Price |
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Paper Abstract
In 1999 after a 3-year transit, the Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft will enter a low-altitude (approximately 50 km) orbit about the asteroid, 433 Eros. Five instruments, including a laser radar, will operate continuously during the one-year orbit at Eros. The NEAR laser rangefinder (NLR), developed at the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), is a robust rangefinder and the first spaceborne altimeter to have continuous inflight calibration capability. A bistatic configuration, the NLR uses a diode- pumped Cr:Nd:YAG transmitter and a leading-edge receiver with a 3.5-inch aperture Dall-Kirkham telescope. Detection is accomplished using an enhanced-silicon avalanche photodiode. From system tests, the NLR is capable of ranging in excess of 100 km to the asteroid's surface. Measurements of the time-of-flight between laser pulse firings and detection of surface backscatter are made using an APL- developed receiver having range resolution of 31.48 cm and accuracy of 2 m. Total mass of the NLR is 4.9 kg and its average power consumption is <EQ 15.1 W. This paper reviews specifications for the NLR instrument, provides overall design details, and presents system performance using prelaunch test results.
Paper Details
Date Published: 26 June 1996
PDF: 18 pages
Proc. SPIE 2748, Laser Radar Technology and Applications, (26 June 1996); doi: 10.1117/12.243547
Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 2748:
Laser Radar Technology and Applications
Gary W. Kamerman, Editor(s)
PDF: 18 pages
Proc. SPIE 2748, Laser Radar Technology and Applications, (26 June 1996); doi: 10.1117/12.243547
Show Author Affiliations
Timothy D. Cole, Johns Hopkins Univ. (United States)
Mark T. Boies, Johns Hopkins Univ. (United States)
Mark T. Boies, Johns Hopkins Univ. (United States)
Ashruf S. El-Dinary, Johns Hopkins Univ. (United States)
Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 2748:
Laser Radar Technology and Applications
Gary W. Kamerman, Editor(s)
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