Report on Space Surveillance, Asteroids and Comets, and Space Debris, Volume 1:Space Surveillance

摘要

This study of Space Surveillance, Asteroids and Comets, and Space Debris is astudy that is separable into three parts, each of which is sufficiently complex to be a study of its own. It was requested by Commander, Air Force Space Command, and approved by the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force. Because increased knowledge of asteroids and comets as well as debris depends on an enhanced space surveillance system, the unifying subject is that of space surveillance. This document reports the Committee's findings on Space Surveillance. Space Control is an important element of future Air Force activity. Space Surveillance that can provide accurate and timely information on every object in space is a fundamental need of Space Control. This study describes today's Satellite Surveillance Network, which mainly consists of sensors deployed for missile attack warning and makes use of technology now several decades old. The present radars, with some modest upgrades and proper calibration, could perform superior earth satellite surveillance, if the processing capability were updated to realize the inherent detection and orbit determination accuracies of the sensors. Deep-space surveillance is dependent on optical sensors deployed in locations around the world that could provide a timely search capability for new or maneuvering objects. This study provides recommendations that can vastly