Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Goldstein, R. M..
Radar observations of Ganymede at X band show that the surface is unusually bright and has unusual polarization properties. A model of the surface based on large numbers of random ice facets (hence vacuum-ice interfaces) is able to account for these characteristics.
Absolute value of signal power in weak radio signals is determined by computer-aided measurements. Equipment operates by averaging received signal over several-minute period and comparing average value with noise level of receiver previously calibrated.
Digital circuitry automatically demodulates received radio-frequency ranging signals for phase comparison with transmitted signal. All digital circuitry makes system more stable than analog predecessor and makes automatic operation easier and simpler.
Seven radar-brightness and altitude images are presented. They are each of a small circular region within the equatorial belt of Venus. Resolution is, typically, 10 by 10 km; altitude contour spacing is 500 m. In addition, an image of the large rough feature, beta, is presented with 25 by 25 km resolution.
Instrument uses phase difference between two beams of light to measure rotation. It is considerably simpler and more reliable than conventional spinning-mass gyroscopes used for inertial guidance and is more compact, lighter, and potentially less expensive. Moreover, optical gyroscope requires no warmup period. Although conceived for spacecraft and satellite stabilization, gyroscope should also find applications in flight instruments for private, commercial, and military aircraft.
An apparatus for demodulation and correlation of a code modulated 10 MHz signal is presented. The apparatus is comprised of a sample and hold analog-to-digital converter synchronized by a frequency coherent 40 MHz pulse to obtain four evenly spaced samples of each of the signal. Each sample is added or subtracted to or from one of four accumulators to or from the separate sums. The correlation functions are then computed. As a further feature of the invention, multipliers are each multiplied by a squarewave chopper signal having a period that is long relative to the period of the received signal to foreclose contamination of the received signal by leakage from either of the other two terms of the multipliers.
Results are reported for a two-frequency dual-polarization radar-echo study of Saturn's rings which involved monostatic operation at a wavelength of 3.5 cm and bistatic operation at 12.6 cm. The radar observations show that the rings effectively depolarize linearly and circularly polarized incident waves at the two wavelengths; that the ring particles are unusually efficient radar reflectors, yielding approximately the same high total cross section at both wavelengths; and that there is an apparent excess of power at the 'central' Doppler shifts when compared with homogeneous scattering models based on the optically observed ring distributions. Several possible explanations for these three radar properties are considered. It is found that a model which hypothesizes a thick cloud of irregular water-ice chunks a few centimeters or larger in radius and a model which postulates a monolayer of multimeter-sized water-frost-coated metallic chunks both seem capable of explaining the first two radar properties. But no consistent explanation is found for the excess low-frequency spectral power.
The paper presents a set of seven radar brightness images and the corresponding altitude contours of small portions (circular regions of 1500-km diameter) of the Venus surface located at the center of the disk taken in the winter of 1973-1974. The regions imaged are arranged in an equatorial belt on the one face of Venus which is always seen on the occasions of closest approach to earth. A real resolution for the images is, typically, 100 x 10 km, while altitude resolution is 500 m.
A study of the asteroid 433 Eros using 3.5 and 12.6 cm radar waves indicates that the surface is very much rougher than any planetary or lunar surface observed by this method. A surface completely covered with sharp edges, pits, subsurface holes, or embedded chunks with scale sizes on the order of our wavelengths seems to be indicated. A model based on a rough rotating triaxial ellipsoid having radii in the rotation equator of 18.6 and 7.9 km agrees well with our data, although a strong wobble in the apparent center frequency of the spectra as rotation progresses indicates that one side may be more reflective than the other, or more likely, that the projected axis of rotation does not equally divide the projected area.
Radar cross-section measurements indicate that Ganymede scatters to earth 12 percent of the power expected from a conducting sphere of the same size and distance. This compares with 8 percent for Mars, 12 percent for Venus, 6 percent for Mercury, and about 8 percent for the asteroid Toro. Furthermore, Ganymede is considerably rougher (to the scale of the wavelength used, 12.6 centimeters) than Mars, Venus, or Mercury. Roughness is made evident in this experiment by the presence of echoes away from the center of the disk. A perfectly smooth target would reflect only a glint from the center, whereas a very rough target would reflect power from over the entire disk.
Quasars can be employed to synchronize global data communications, geophysical measurements, and atomic clocks. It is potentially two to three orders of magnitude better than presently-used Moon-bounce system. Comparisons between quasar and clock pulses are used to develop correction or synchronization factors for station clocks.
High-resolution radar data, taken from over the 1500-km circular area that was at the center of the planetary disk on June 20, 1972, show that this part of Venus is nearly flat and cratered. The largest crater is 160 km across, but only about 500 m deep. The smallest craters that can be resolved are about 35 km across.
A high-resolution study of the surface of Mercury with a 2.388 GHz radar reveals the existence of hills and valleys with heights (depths) of about 1 km. There is also evidence supporting the existence of craters with diameters of about 50 km and depths of about 700 m.
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A method and apparatus are described for synchronizing a received PCM communications signal without requiring a separate synchronizing channel. The technique provides digital correlation of the received signal with a reference signal, first with its unmodulated subcarrier and then with a bit sync code modulated subcarrier, where the code sequence length is equal in duration to each data bit.
System, fabricated of highly-reliable digital logic elements, operates on binary pulse-code-modulated signals and derives internal synchronization from data signal. All-digital implementation of detector develops synchronization from data signal by computer cross-correlation of command modulation signal with its expected forms in sequence and adjusts detector phases in accordance with correlation peaks.
Use of input switch and noise reference standard is avoided by using noise-adding technique. Excess noise from solid state noise-diode is coupled into receiver through directional coupler and square-wave modulated at low rate. High sensitivity receivers for radioastronomy applications are utilized with greater confidence in stability of radiometer.