Current results and developments in astrometric VLBI at the Jet Propulsion LaboratoryThe Jet Propulsion Laboratory's program of astrometric VLBI as one element of a navigation system for interplanetary spacecraft includes developing a radioastrometric source catalog, and a catalog of positions of compact extragalactic radio sources correct to about 0.01 arc sec. The three (64 m) antenna complexes of the Deep Space Network in Spain, Australia, and the U.S. are involved, each equipped to receive simultaneously at wavelengths of 13 and 3.6 cm with total system temperatures of about 20-25 K at both wavelengths. The program is to provide precise values of parameters used in navigational computations, including UT1 accurate to about 0.001s, and current values of polar motion to 30 cm. Bandwidth synthesis methods were applied to measure delays as well as rates regarding source positions derived from observations using the Mark II VLBI recording system which has a sampling rate of four million bits per second.
Document ID
19800033447
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Authors
Purcell, G. H., Jr. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Cohen, E. J. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Fanselow, J. L. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Rogstad, D. H. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Skjerve, L. J. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Spitzmesser, D. J. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Thomas, J. B. (California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena Calif., United States)