Balloon borne laser transceiver

Abstract

A balloon borne laser transceiver (BBLT) which was carried to an altitude of 80,000 feet, was used to measure the turbulence effect of the atmosphere in daylight on laser beams going both up and down through the intervening atmosphere. The principles of operation of the BBLT are discussed. The instrument must acquire an up-going argon laser beam, lock onto it, and transmit back to the ground observatory a helium-neon laser beam. Questions of system operation for the down-going and the up-going beam are considered along with a servo system analysis.