The National Science Foundation (GBO) and National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) Green Bank Observatory, and Raytheon Intelligence & Space tested in November to prove that a new radio telescope system can capture high-resolution images in close proximity on Earth.
The GBO Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in West Virginia – the world’s largest fully steerable radio telescope – was launched with a new transmitter developed by Raytheon Intelligence & Space, allowing it to signal sent radar into space. Long Baseline Array (VLBA) across the NRAO continent received the emerging signal and made images of the Apollo 15 lunar landing site.
The proof-of-concept test, culminating in a two-year effort, paves the way for designing a more powerful transmitter for the telescope. More power will allow you to find and make better images of small objects passing through the Earth, mountains orbiting other planets and other debris in the Solar System.
The technology was developed as part of a collaborative research and development agreement between NRAO, GBO, and Raytheon.
“This project opens up a full range of capabilities for both NRAO and GBO,” said Tony Beasley, director of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and vice president for Radio Astronomy at Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI). “We have previously participated in important radar studies of the Solar System, but turning the GBT into a steerable planetary radar transmitter will greatly expand our ability to track series. exciting new research. “
Using the information gathered by this latest experiment, the participants will complete a plan to develop a 500-kilowatt high-power radar system that will be able to produce images in the Solar System with detail. -information and sensitivity that has never been seen. The increased performance allows astronauts to use radar signals as far away as the orbits of Uranus and Neptune, enhancing our understanding of the Solar System.
“The proposed system will be a leap forward in radar science, providing access to features of the Solar System never seen before on Earth,” said Karen O’Neil. , site manager of the Green Bank Observatory.
“Raytheon’s radar methods could improve our ability to study the Solar System,” said Steven Wilkinson, Chief Engineering Fellow at Raytheon Intelligence & Space. “Working with the astronomy community will allow us to apply decades of radar knowledge to a project that provides very high-resolution images of objects close to Earth. “
“We are thrilled to partner with Raytheon and apply their radar knowledge to transform our viewers’ telescopes into new areas of science, ”said AUI President, Adam Cohen.
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The National Radio Astronomy Observatory and the Green Bank Observatory are facilities of the National Science Foundation, operated under a collaborative agreement with Associated Universities, Inc.
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