Abstract
Abstract. As Arecibo Observatory (AO) approaches its 50th anniversary, it is appropriate to review the many radars and ionospheric heaters that have been deployed on or near the 305 m dish and to summarize some of the innovative radar-based geophysical research that has resulted. The reasons William E. (Bill) Gordon developed the 305 m Arecibo dish are well known but are briefly reviewed. The early and then more recent radar/feed designs are reviewed as geophysical uses of Arecibo have evolved and as the full potential of the dish and nearby facilities was and is being realized from HF through S-band frequencies. This history surely has some gaps and there are a few mysteries. The community is encouraged to fill these gaps and to help complete the history.
Highlights
The initial manifestation of Arecibo Ionospheric Observatory (AIO) was built over the period from June 1960 through August 1963 via US Department of Defense ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) funding under the initiative of, and design specifications developed by, William E
A series of construction photos for this period are available at the Arecibo Observatory (AO) website
As Gordon investigated the state of radar technology in 1958 relative to the needs for detection of incoherent scattering from the upper ionosphere (Gordon, 1958b), he was aware via MIT Lincoln Laboratories, Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories (AFCRL), and other sources of the BMEWS (Ballistic Missile Early Warning System) radars
Summary
The initial manifestation of Arecibo Ionospheric Observatory (AIO) was built over the period from June 1960 through August 1963 via US Department of Defense ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) funding under the initiative of, and design specifications developed by, William E. Gordon and his colleagues Henry Booker and Ben Nichols (Gordon et al, 1958; Altschuler, 2002). As recounted by Gordon, Cornell Astronomy Professor Thomas “Tommy” Gold realized that the new AIO system could function as the most sensitive instrument for the relatively new fields of radio and radar astronomy (Butrica, 1994). We concentrate on the various geophysical radars – and the science thereby enabled – that have been placed on or adjacent to the 305 m dish
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