Radioastronomical investigations employing artificial satellites and space rockets

Abstract

It is known that the introduction and development of radioastronomy were followed by marked advances in the study of the solar atmosphere, interstellar gas, galactic and extragalactic nebuli, cosmic radiations and so on. One of the reasons that radioastronomical methods proved effective was the possibility of employing very wide frequency ranges (approximately 11 octaves as compared with the range of 1 octave corresponding to the visible part of the spectrum). At the same time a further extension in the frequency spectrum available for observations is very desirable in radioastronomy. The only radical method of advancing in this direction resides in the use of artificial earth satellites and space rockets performing flights beyond the bo&daries of thd earth’s atmosphere, which impedes ground observations on wavelengths A 20-40 m. The paper(l) has already considered some of the possibilities of using artificial earth satellites for the purpose of radioastronomical investigations. Recent paperP4J have also dealt with this problem. The following paper considers radioastronomical methods of investigation employing artificial earth satellites, taking into account the propositions set out previously(14). Attention is turned mainly to the measurement principles, problems of instrumentation being touched on incidentally only in so far as necessary for clarifying the actual experimental possibilities.