Data Reduction Techniques and Missile Range Instrumentation

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses missile range instrumentation and data reduction techniques of data obtained post test flight. A great deal of information is obtained from each and every missile flight test. This data that document the flight can be studied in detail at a later time. Most of the recorded information has to be adjusted or combined in a particular manner before a meaningful detailed analysis can be made. This process is given the name data reduction or data reduction techniques. The method of least squares usually enters in some sense into each step of the data reduction process. The best physical representation may dictate one choice over another. Real time data presentations and real time safety requirements may dictate computational speed that may require a trade off in the mathematical model. The information concerning a missile flight test is gathered with the aid of instrumentation systems that are termed external instrumentation systems and internal instrumentation systems. External instrumentation systems are basically ground based transducers or equipment that sense some measurement, such as range, range rate, angle, or trajectory event, or a combination thereof. The internal instrumentation systems have the measurement transducers on board the flight test vehicle or missile.