GEOS-1 laser pulse return shape analysis

Abstract

An attempt has been made to predict the shape of the laser return pulse from the corner cube retroreflectors on the GEOS-1 spacecraft. The study is geometrical only, and neglects factors such as optical interference, atmospheric perturbations, etc. A function giving the intensity of the return signal at any given time has been derived. In addition, figures are given which show the predicted return pulse shape as a function of time, the angle between the beam and the spin axis, and an in-plane angle (designating the orientation of the intersection of the planar waves with the plane of the corner cubes).