Science and Technology

How are corner reflector arrays used in space?

Link to this answer

CloseClose

Link to this answer

Share this credible answer with others. Simply paste this code into your blog or Web page:

<a href="http://qanda.encyclopedia.com/question/corner-reflector-arrays-used-space-95320.html" >How are corner reflector arrays used in space?</a>
E-mail this answer Link to this answer

Several U.S. Apollo missions and one Soviet Lunakhod lunar probe deployed corner reflector arrays on the lunar surface. When the arrays are illuminated by laser beams originating from the earth, precise measurements of the roundtrip travel time of the light permit the calculation of the earth-moon distance to an accuracy of 6 in. (15 cm). Such measurements also are used to determine the moon's orbit with greater accuracy, to record perturbations in the moon's motion caused by meteorite impacts, and to ascertain the length of an earth day.

Answer verified with
Get more facts and information about reflection . Or, view the full encyclopedia entry from The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition.

Similar questions: Corner reflector arrays allow the calculation of the earth-moon distance to what accuracy? Which U.S. space missions used corner relflector arrays? [ Hide these questions ]

Related research questions

Related research articles

The concept of electronic warfare.
Magazine article from: Military Thought ...essence of EW as an array of measures and...thus obtained is used not only to locate...the system of space, air, ground...which are used jam the normal...laser systems, corner reflectors, thermal (IR...protection means are used both at the stage...
GIOVE's track: satellite laser-ranging campaigns.(European Space Agency...
Magazine article from: GPS World ...the European Space Agency (ESA...and a phase-array antenna of individual...ESA's European Space Research and Technology...retroeflector arrays (LRAs). SLR...an LRA with 76 corner cubes (see FIGURE...higher than the GPS reflectors. Only a fraction...at the European Space ...
The second century ... an update of antennas and transmission lines.
Magazine article from: Journal of Electronic Defense ...reflector used by Hertz in...518-m array of the receiving...dielectrics and arrays of the initial...optimize the space occupied while...parabolas and corners form the major...divisions of the reflector types. Parabolic reflectors are an extremely...Mechanically, large ...
Larger than life: sensing with synthetic aperture radar.(data acquisition)
Magazine article from: Scientific Computing & Instrumentation ...radar engineers used a few of the group...wider radar array capable of resolving...than temporal space. Ground-based...placing radar reflectors of known dimensions...typically tetrahedron corner cubes a few meters...frequency SAP, can be used to image objects...It is being ...
LED lighting: its future in safety applications is bright.(light emitting...
Magazine article from: Industrial Safety & Hygiene News ...wallpaper and the corner of the chair leg...steamy environments used LED lights that outperformed...increasingly being used as an alternative...be gathered in an array, but even then the...specially engineered reflectors. They can now generate...the same or less space. Recent ...
See all results at HighBeam

HighBeam gives you access to newspaper, magazine, and trade journal articles plus press releases, facts, information, and biographies from thousands of sources.