Space shuttle Ku-band integrated rendezvous radar/communications system study

The results are presented of work performed on the Space Shuttle Ku-Band Integrated Rendezvous Radar/Communications System Study. The recommendations and conclusions are included as well as the details explaining the results. The requirements upon which the study was based are presented along with the predicted performance of the recommended system configuration. In addition, shuttle orbiter vehicle constraints (e.g., size, weight, power, stowage space) are discussed. The tradeoffs considered and the operation of the recommended configuration are described for an optimized, integrated Ku-band radar/communications system. Basic system tradeoffs, communication design, radar design, antenna tradeoffs, antenna gimbal and drive design, antenna servo design, and deployed assembly packaging design are discussed. The communications and radar performance analyses necessary to support the system design effort are presented. Detailed derivations of the communications thermal noise error, the radar range, range rate, and angle tracking errors, and the communications transmitter distortion parameter effect on crosstalk between the unbalanced quadriphase signals are included.