Objective
Satellite laser ranging (SLR) is one of the few measurement techniques sufficiently accurate to meet the needs of contemporary space geodesy and it is the most accurate technique for tracking Earth satellites. Basically, the two-way travel time is measured by a short laser pulse which is reflected at the satellite, and from this the range to the satellite is obtained. These range measurements are used for a wide variety of geodetic and geophysical studies, including station positions and motions, reference frames, gravity field and Earth orientation. There is a good worldwide network of co-operating SLR stations, operated by various institutes and agencies with a particularly strong and active participation from Europe, from where the stations have formed a consortium named EUROLAS. The single-shot precision of range measurements of most of these stations is about 1 cm or better.
There are several SLR stations in countries of the NIS, but they are all of rather inferior precision, about 5 to 20 cm., and they also suffer variable systematic errors of up to a few metres. It is the intention of this project to upgrade two of these stations to bring them to a standard enabling them to make a good contribution to the total network. One in Uzbekistan and one in the Crimea (Ukraine) have been selected partly because of their positions, which give a valuable improvement to the geographical coverage of the global network, and also because they are already producing data of a quality that is close to being useful. A modest expenditure on modern new equipment can therefore be expected to bring them up to a good standard.
A further aim of the project is to establish good communication and co-operation between these NIS stations and EUROLAS, and to arrange visits of scientists and engineers from NIS stations to some of the EUROLAS stations to gain familiarity with the software and techniques of these modern stations. The random and systematic errors of tracking data from the two NIS SLR stations will be reduced to a level such that the data become of a quality comparable to the norm within the SLR network. lt is expected that the installation of reliable modern equipmcnt will result in a data productivity improvement by avoiding the loss of time spent on trying to fix poor equipment. The stations will then become valuable contributors to the global SLR network as they are located in regions from which there is at present no useful SLR tracking data being produced. This improved geographical distribution will have valuable effects on particular geophysical investigations within Eurasia, and also on the global determination of satellite orbits and all the scientific investigations that result from them. The improved communications between EUROLAS and the NIS stations will be an important factor in bringing about this data improvement, and will also have the result of improving collaboration between the NIS and west Europe in the areas of SLR technology and data analysis.
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Programme(s)
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Coordinator
CB3 0EZ Cambridge
United Kingdom
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