Abstract Last May, NASA launched a spacecraft with a curious fillip: a greeting card to wahtever creatures may be inhabiting the Earth some eight million or more years in the future. The satellite builders at Bendix Corporation and NASA believe it will not be braked by the atmosphere for at least eight million years. They realized that here was a unique opportunity to communicate wiht the future. Dr. Carl Sagan of Cornell University designed a stainless-steel plate carrying a message that was...

Abstract

Overall Objectives: Verify that dynamical techniques of satellite geodesy can measure inter-site distances of several hundred to several thousand kilometers and polsr motion with a precision of about 5 centimeters.

Abstract

The two principal elements of a mobile laser tracking station are shown in an artist's rendering. In the foreground is the van containing the laser source and telescope ... The second van includes the surveillance radar set used to ensure that no aircraft are likelyu to accidentally enter teh beam of the laser transmitter. Bendix Field Engineering Corporation currently operates three of these mobile tracking stations

Abstract The fundamental concept of Lageos is a long lived, dense, electrically and mechanically inert spherica satellite with its surface speckled wiht retroflecting cube corners, designed such that range measurements between duly equipped laser ground stations and the satellite are possible with an ultimate accuracey of 2 cm averaged.The Lageos concept requires that the satellite be placed in an orbit for which an ephemeris can be determined ultimately to a 5 cm rms uncertainty for a 24-hour...

Abstract

This artyicle presents an overview of the Lageos project from its inception through the first six months after launch. Brief insight is given to the justification of the project, the evolution of the measuring system and the satellite design. A description of the satellite's message to the future is included along wiht near term plans for the associated geodynamics activities

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This is an eight page brochure prepared by the Bendix Corporation, Aerospace Systems Division, post launch of LAGEOS. The Bendix Aerospace Systems Division, under contract NASA MSFC, was the integration contractor for the satellite. Page 8 of the brochure has a replica of the LAGEOS plaque.

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This is an envelope of LAGEOS press clippings from various dates in 1976.

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The transfer funcion of the retroreflector array carried by the LAGEOS satellite (1976 39A) has been computed at three wavelengths: 5230, 6493, and 106000 A. The range correction is given for extrapolating laser range measurements to the center of gravity of the satellite. The reflectivity of the array has been computed for estimating laser-echosignal strengths

Abstract

This report presents methods for computing the properties of the reflection from a cube-corner array when it is illuminated by a laser pulse. Such information is useful in the design of satellite retroreflector arrays and ground tracking equipment as well as in the analysis of the data obtained. The methods derived include the effects of coheent interference, diffraction, polarization and dihedral-angle offsets.

Abstract

The Laser Geodynamic Satellite (Lageos) was launched on May 8, 1976, with an objective to make highly accurate measurements of the geocentric coordinates on the earth's surface, tectonic plate motion, polar motion, and earth tides by using precision laser range data. Analysis of the first 2 years of data is complete. The results indicate that the design goals of the satellite can be met with continued model development.