Structures Technology for Large Radio and Radar Telescope Systems


Book Description

The national interest in large radio and radar telescope systems spans the entire engineering and scientific community, and there is every indication that the country will embark upon the construction of still more of these systesm in the near future. Radio and radar astronomers now require very large mechanical devices. The system specifications lead to structural criteria which are unique and outside the immediate interest and/or capability of most of the structures community.Radio and radar telescopes and the radomes that may protect them are often enormous structures. Their design presents extremely complicated technological problems. These instruments must operate with precision in varied environments and environmental conditions. Radomes must protect radio and radar antennas without seriously interfering with the incoming information.The Office of Naval Research and MIT cosponsored an international conference in 1967 on the structural problems associated with large radio and radar telescope systems, the proceedings of which are collected here. The papers in this books deal with the problems outlined above from several points of view. The contents of the papers can be grouped roughly as follows:1. Requirements and standards for supporting structures, tracking equipment, antennas, and radomes.2. Design and performance of existing systems.3. Theoretical analysis of the structures of supporting structures, antennas, and radomes. In some cases the analysis is made for a structure under stress. Computer techniques are described for several problems.4. Methods for evaluating actual or predicted performance of various structures. Here again computer techniques are employed.




The Paraboloidal Reflector Antenna in Radio Astronomy and Communication


Book Description

Radio astronomers have developed techniques of calibration of large reflector antennas with radio astronomical methods, but these have not been comprehensively described. This text aims to fill this gap, taking a practical approach to the characterisation of antennas. All calculations and results in the form of tables and figures have been made with Mathematica by Wolfram Research. The reader can use the procedures for the implementation of his own input data.




Structures Technology for Large Radio and Radar Telescope Systems


Book Description

The national interest in large radio and radar telescope systems spans the entire engineering and scientific community, and there is every indication that the country will embark upon the construction of still more of these systesm in the near future. Radio and radar astronomers now require very large mechanical devices. The system specifications lead to structural criteria which are unique and outside the immediate interest and/or capability of most of the structures community. Radio and radar telescopes and the radomes that may protect them are often enormous structures. Their design presents extremely complicated technological problems. These instruments must operate with precision in varied environments and environmental conditions. Radomes must protect radio and radar antennas without seriously interfering with the incoming information. The Office of Naval Research and MIT cosponsored an international conference in 1967 on the structural problems associated with large radio and radar telescope systems, the proceedings of which are collected here. The papers in this books deal with the problems outlined above from several points of view. The contents of the papers can be grouped roughly as follows: 1. Requirements and standards for supporting structures, tracking equipment, antennas, and radomes. 2. Design and performance of existing systems. 3. Theoretical analysis of the structures of supporting structures, antennas, and radomes. In some cases the analysis is made for a structure under stress. Computer techniques are described for several problems. 4. Methods for evaluating actual or predicted performance of various structures. Here again computer techniques are employed.




Open Skies


Book Description

This open access book on the history of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory covers the scientific discoveries and technical innovations of late 20th century radio astronomy with particular attention to the people and institutions involved. The authors have made extensive use of the NRAO Archives, which contain an unparalleled collection of documents pertaining to the history of radio astronomy, including the institutional records of NRAO as well as the personal papers of many of the pioneers of U.S. radio astronomy. Technical details and extensive citations to original sources are given in notes for the more technical readers, but are not required for an understanding of the body of the book. This book is intended for an audience ranging from interested lay readers to professional researchers studying the scientific, technical, political, and cultural development of a new science, and how it changed the course of 20th century astronomy.




Integrated Modeling of Telescopes


Book Description

Ground- or space-based telescopes are becoming increasingly more complex and construction budgets are typically in the billion dollar range. Facing costs of this magnitude, availability of engineering tools for prediction of performance and design optimization is imperative. Establishment of simulation models combining different technical disciplines such as Structural Dynamics, Control Engineering, Optics and Thermal Engineering is indispensable. Such models are normally called Integrated Models because they involve many different disciplines. The models will play an increasingly larger role for design of future interdisciplinary optical systems in space or on ground. The book concentrates on integrated modeling of optical and radio telescopes but the techniques presented will be applicable to a large variety of systems. Hence, the book will be of interest to optical and radio telescope designers, designers of spacecrafts that include optical systems, and to designers of various complex defense systems. The book may also find use as a textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses within the field. "Adaptive Optics" is an exciting and relatively new field, originally dedicated to correction for blurring when imaging through the atmosphere. Although this objective is still of high importance, the concept of Adaptive Optics has recently evolved further. Today, the objective is not only to correct for atmospheric turbulence effects but also for a range of static and dynamical telescope aberrations. The notion of adaptive optics has expanded to the field of "Wavefront Control", correcting for a variety of system aberrations. Wavefront control systems maintain form and position of optical elements with high precision under static and dynamical load. In many ways, such systems replace the steel structures of traditional optical systems, thereby providing much lighter systems with a performance not possible before. Integrated Modeling is the foremost tool for studies of Wavefront Control for telescopes and complex optics and is therefore now of high importance. Springer has recently published two books on telescopes, "Reflecting Telescope Optics" by R. Wilson, and "The Design and Construction of Large Optical Telescopes" by P. Bely. Noting that a new (and expensive) generation of Extremely Large Telescopes with apertures in the 30-100 m range is on the way, the present book on integrated modeling is a good match to the existing books and an appropriate specialization and continuation of some subjects dealt with in those books.




NBS Special Publication


Book Description




Big Data in Astronomy


Book Description

Big Data in Radio Astronomy: Scientific Data Processing for Advanced Radio Telescopes provides the latest research developments in big data methods and techniques for radio astronomy. Providing examples from such projects as the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), the world's largest radio telescope that generates over an Exabyte of data every day, the book offers solutions for coping with the challenges and opportunities presented by the exponential growth of astronomical data. Presenting state-of-the-art results and research, this book is a timely reference for both practitioners and researchers working in radio astronomy, as well as students looking for a basic understanding of big data in astronomy. - Bridges the gap between radio astronomy and computer science - Includes coverage of the observation lifecycle as well as data collection, processing and analysis - Presents state-of-the-art research and techniques in big data related to radio astronomy - Utilizes real-world examples, such as Square Kilometer Array (SKA) and Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST)







Proceedings


Book Description




MFPG, Engineering Design


Book Description