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Jurgens, R. F.

Publications and source records attributed to Jurgens, R. F..

104 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1984

Goldstone R/D High Speed Data Acquisition System

A digital data acquisition system that meets the requirements of several users (initially the planetary radar program) is planned for general use at Deep Space Station 14 (DSS 14). The system, now partially complete, is controlled by VAX 11/780 computer that is programmed in high level languages. A DEC Data Controller is included for moderate-speed data acquisition, low speed data display, and for a digital interface to special user-provided devices. The high-speed data acquisition is performed in devices that are being designed and built at JPL. Analog IF signals are converted to a digitized 50 MHz real signal. This signal is filtered and mixed digitally to baseband after which its phase code (a PN sequence in the case of planetary radar) is removed. It may then be accumulated (or averaged) and fed into the VAX through an FPS 5210 array processor. Further data processing before entering the VAX is thus possible (computation and accumulation of the power spectra, for example). The system is to be located in the research and development pedestal at DSS 14 for easy access by researchers in radio astronomy as well as telemetry processing and antenna arraying.

Deutsch, L. J.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Planetary Radar

The application of modern planetary radar techniques to a comet passing in close proximity to Earth is discussed. These techniques have the potential to determine the nature of cometary origins, structure, and internal dynamics. Moreover, the understanding gained could very likely negate or corroborate one of the prevailing hypotheses regarding the origin of the solar system: that comets are the remainder of the primordial out of which the planets coalesced approximately 4.5 billion years ago. In 1983, two unique opportunities were presented to observe a comet very near to Earth. The last such encounter was several centuries ago.

Bogan, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Earth-based radar studies of planetary surfaces and atmospheres

Remote sensing of solar system bodies using the JPL Goldstone facility and the radio telescope at Arecibo to characterize the surfaces of the objects is described in terms of present and planned studies. Moon observations proceed at wavelengths from 8.6 mm to 20 m, and are nominally in the centimeter range. Cross sections available from the radar data and apparatus are discussed, noting the practice of using backscattered signals to define the shape of terrain. A review is presented of polarization properties models of the moon's surface, and the design of an experiment using a spacecraft with bistatic radar to determine the dielectric constant of the moon's surface is outlined. Radar is noted to have been used to characterize the rotation period of Mercury, the absorption profile and the topography of Venus, and aided in choosing a landing site for the Viking spacecraft. The existence of higher-than-expected polarization near the Galilean satellites is mentioned as an unexplained phenomenon.

Jurgens, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1982

High-temperature electronics applications in space exploration

One of the most exciting applications of high-temperature electronics is related to the exploration of the planet Venus. On this planet the atmospheric temperatures range from about 170 K at elevations of 100 km to a searing 730 K near the surface. Mechanisms for exploring the atmosphere might include balloons, airplanes, surface landers, and surface-launched probes. Balloons, for example, could fly in the region from 20 (320 C at 22 bars) to 60 km (-20 C at 0.2 bar). Suitable balloon fabrics presently exclude excursions to lower altitudes; however, adequate electronic systems could survive to 325 C. Small airplanes would require more sophisticated electronics for guidance and control. Long life surface landers would most likely be developed first, as these could be used to measure long-term variations in weather. Ranging transponders would be important for ephemeris development, measurement of spin state, and studies of general relativity. Surface temperatures of 460 C and pressures of 90 bars present a challenge to the developers of such instruments. Other space applications for high-temperature electronics include transponders for the surface of Mercury, near solar drag-free orbiters, and deep atmospheric penetrators for Jupiter and Saturn. Each of these has its own particular problems with respect to instrumentation adequate to meet the desired scientific goals. This paper is primarily concerned with defining possible mission applications, the required electronic systems, and the approaches that are currently being studied for their development.

Jurgens, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Radar backscattering from a rough rotating triaxial ellipsoid with applications to the geodesy of small asteroids

Radar geodesy of the asteroid 433 Eros was reported by Jurgens and Goldstein (1976). Their measurements were based on the spectral properties of a rough rotating triaxial ellipsoid. This paper presents the theory by which theoretical spectra based on a backscattering model of the form of the nth power of the cosine of theta, or any reasonable backscattering model, can be computed. Some general properties of these spectra are demonstrated, and simple measurements of the apparent radar cross section, center frequency, and effective bandwidth as a function of time are shown to be useful in determining the sizes of the semi-major axes, the exponent n in the scattering model, the backscatter efficiency of the surface material, the rotation period, and the declination of the observer above or below the rotation equator. Some of these parameters are correlated, and multiple estimation may be difficult unless the observations span a period sufficiently long so as to present a wide range of declinations of the observer. However, the departure from a spherical shape aids in separating the scattering properties from the target dimensions and facilitates the simultaneous estimation of all free parameters.

Jurgens, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Radar observations of Apollo

Radar observations of the asteroid Apollo, at 3.5 cm wavelength, indicate a radius of 600 m and a rotation period of 3.0 hr. The data are consistent with a rough surface of either hard ice or of regolith softened rock.

Goldstein, R. M.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Planetary radar

The radar astronomy activities supported by the Deep Space Network during the first quarter of 1981 are reported. The bodies observed include the asteroids Apollo and Toro, comet Bradfield, and the rings of Saturn.

Shaffer, R. D.↗
NASA NTRS1981

High temperature electronics applications in space exploration

The extension of the range of operating temperatures of electronic components and systems for planetary exploration is examined. In particular, missions which utilize balloon-borne instruments to study the Venusian and Jovian atmospheres are discussed. Semiconductor development and devices including power sources, ultrastable oscillators, transmitters, antennas, electromechanical devices, and deployment systems are addressed.

Jurgens, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Images of Venus by three-station radar interferometry - 1977 results

During the 1977 inferior conjunction of Venus, radar observations were made using three receiving stations as a multiple interferometer. Maps of surface reflectivity and altimetry were prepared from these observations. The new altimetry maps show considerable improvement in relation to many of the earlier maps made using the two-station interferometer. In particular, there are consistent and explainable correlations between the altimetry and reflectivity maps that did not always exist in the past. The highest-resolution maps (about 8 km) show three isolated mountains having altitudes of approximately 2 km above their environs, a pair of ridges separated by approximately 100 km and extending 800 km, and a few anomalous reflectivity features for which little or no altitude change is observed. Other maps at slightly lower resolution show a bright irregular ringed crater, a few large low-reflectivity regions, a shallow crater 150 km in diameter, a gently sloping mountain, and a short ridge running north-south. Many of the later features have been seen in earlier radar maps and should be useful in refining the spin axis and further characterizing the regolith of certain areas of Venus.

Jurgens, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Radar observations of asteroids

Radar observations of asteroids use simple CW waveforms, the transmissions lasting for the duration of the round-trip delay. The echo is received, spectrum-analyzed, and integrated for a similar period. Since radar coherently illuminates the target, the surface scattering properties at radio wavelengths are directly determined as a function of angle and polarization. The distance and radial velocity obtained with radar complement the angular position of the object as determined from telescope measurements. Radar cross sections, scattering law, and radius are given for radar-observed asteroids.

Pettengill, G. H.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Radar detectability of asteroids - A survey of opportunities for 1977 through 1987

The study of asteroids by earth-based radar during the period 1977 to 1987 is discussed. Detection modeling, including backscattering laws, limits of detectability, and in particular, measurement of center frequency, center-to-limb bandwidth, and areal spectral density, is reviewed. The number of detectable objects and detectable events falling into various 5-decibel radar target loss slots is estimated; a total of 60 different asteroids should be observable on about 130 occasions by either the Goldstone or Arecibo radar systems during the decade considered. Furthermore, the detectability margins for many objects should be large enough to permit more refined analysis of the radar spectrograms. Data acquired during the ten-year period may be used to find the radius, average surface roughness, rotation rate, direction of polar axis, and estimates of the Doppler frequency offsets for many of the asteroids. Also, information about radar albedos and orbital parameters may be obtainable in a number of cases.

Jurgens, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Three-level sampler having automated thresholds

A three-level sampler is described that has its thresholds controlled automatically so as to track changes in the statistics of the random process being sampled. In particular, the mean value is removed and the ratio of the standard deviation of the random process to the threshold is maintained constant. The system is configured in such a manner that slow drifts in the level comparators and digital-to-analog converters are also removed. The ratio of the standard deviation to threshold level may be chosen within the constraints of the ratios of two integers N and M. These may be chosen to minimize the quantizing noise of the sampled process.

Jurgens, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Radar observations at 3.5 and 12.6 cm wavelength of asteroid 433 Eros

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.

Jurgens, R. F.↗