THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION TOPSIDE SOUNDER PROGRAM

摘要

The NASA Topside Sounder Program is reviewed with particu¬lar emphasis upon the fixed-frequency topside sounder satellite which is scheduled for 1963. A rocket test conducted on June 24, 1961, as part of this project established the feasibility of the topside sounding technique and revealed many of the unique phe¬nomena associated with it. A comparison of the design of the fixed-frequency topside sounder with that of the Alouette (1962 βα), the recent Canadian swept-frequency topside sounder, reveals the complementary features of their scientific objectives and the basic differences in the technologies employed. Although the common goal of the two experiments is to improve our knowledge of the de¬tailed structure of the upper ionosphere, the differences in ap-proach have resulted in the development of separate data analysis techniques.