COMPACT, LOW COST LIDAR SYSTEM FOR ATMOSPHERIC SENSING

WORLD-WIDE WIND VELOCITY, BOTH SPEED AND DIRECTION, FROM THE GROUND THROUGH 50,000 FT. ALTITUDE CAN BE ACCURATELY MEASURED USING A SMALL SPACE-BASED PAYLOAD. THE PROPOW=SED PROJECT WILL DEMONSTRATE THAT RECENT DEVELOPED LASER, DETECTOR AND SPACECRAFT TECHNOLOGIES CAN BE EXPLOITED AND INTEGRATED INTO A SMALL, LOW COST, SPACE-BASED WIND MAPPING SYSTEM WHICH CAN BE CONFIGURED EITHER AS A MODULE AVOARD A LARGER SATELLITE (E.G. DMSP) OR AFREE FLYING SMALL SPACECRAFT. SIMILAR GROUND BASED ATMOSPHERIC LIDAR SYSTEMS HAVE ALREADY BEEN DEVELOPED AND SUCCESSFULLY USED. WHILE SPACE-BASED SYSTEM CONCEPTS HAVE BEEN STUDIED, REQUIREMENTS IMPOSED BY THE LASER AND DETECTORS SELECTED IN THESE EARLIER STUDIES RESULT IN A VERY LARGE COMPLEX AND COSTLY SYSTEMS. THE PROPOSAL OUTLINES A SYSTEM BASED COMPLETELY UPON PROVEN TECHNOLOGIES WHICH MAKES POSSIBLE A SMALL, LOW POWER, SPACE-BORNE PLATFORM THAT ACCURATELY CHARACTERIZES GLOBAL WIND PROPERTIES WITH TWICE DAILY UPDATES. A SYSTEM DESIGN WILL BE DEVELOPED WHICH IS REALISTIC, PRACTICAL AND COMPLETELY BASED ON PROVEN TECHNOLOGIES WHICH CAN DELIVER THE TIMELY, ACCURATE DATA NEEDED TO AFFECT A DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT IN WEATHER FORECASTING CAPABILITY. BOTH THE RAW WIND DATA AND THE ACCURATE FORECASTS THEY MAKE POSSIBLE HAVE ADVANTAGES IN THE MILITARY, CIVILIAN GOVERNMENT AND COMMERCIAL SECTORS.