Related papers: Extending Science from Lunar Laser Ranging
Phobos Laser Ranging (PLR) is a concept for a space mission designed to advance tests of relativistic gravity in the solar system. PLR's primary objective is to measure the curvature of space around the Sun, represented by the Eddington…
Differentiable ray tracing has recently challenged the status quo in radio propagation modelling and digital twinning. Promising unprecedented speed and the ability to learn from real-world data, it offers a real alternative to conventional…
To address the need for robust positioning, navigation, and timing services in lunar environments, this paper proposes a novel fault detection framework for satellite constellations using inter-satellite ranging (ISR). Traditionally,…
Lunar laser ranging provides a number of leading experimental tests of gravitation -- important in our quest to unify General Relativity and the Standard Model of physics. The Apache Point Observatory Lunar Laser-ranging Operation (APOLLO)…
The long-range action of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is probed via distance-dependent measurements of molecular Raman spectra. To this end, identical SERS substrates composed of irregular silver nanoisland arrays were covered…
The Laser Ranging Interferometer onboard the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On mission proved the feasibility of an interferometric sensor for inter-satellite length tracking with sub-nanometer precision, establishing an…
Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs) near the lunar poles are of interest for future exploration due to their potential to contain water ice and preserve geological records. Their complex, uneven terrain favors the use of legged robots,…
A radio telescope placed in lunar orbit, or on the surface of the Moon's farside, could be of great value to the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). The advantage of such a telescope is that it would be shielded by the body of…
Satellite laser-ranging is successfully used in space geodesy, geodynamics and Earth sciences; and to test fundamental physics and specific features of General Relativity. We present a confirmation to approximately one part in a billion of…
Accurate analysis of precision ranges to the Moon has provided several tests of gravitational theory including the Equivalence Principle, geodetic precession, parameterized post-Newtonian (PPN) parameters $\gamma$ and $\beta$, and the…
Two years after InSight's arrival at Mars, the ExoMars 2020 mission will land on the opposite side of the red planet. Similarly to InSight, which carries the RISE (Rotation and Interior Structure Experiment) radio-science experiment, the…
We extend the measurement range of optical correlation-domain reflectometry (OCDR) by modulating the laser output frequency at two frequencies, while preserving spatial resolution. We demonstrate distributed reflectivity sensing with a…
The rapid growth of cislunar activities, including lunar landings, the Lunar Gateway, and in-space refueling stations, requires advances in cost-efficient trajectory design and reliable integration of navigation and remote sensing.…
Telescope and detector developments continuously enable deeper and more detailed studies of astronomical objects. Larger collecting areas, improvement in dispersion and detector techniques, and higher sensitivities allow detection of more…
An array of large observational programs using ground-based and space-borne telescopes is planned in the next decade. The forthcoming wide-field sky surveys are expected to deliver a sheer volume of data exceeding an exabyte. Processing the…
We consider the possibility that future wide-field time-domain optical imaging surveys may be able to discover gravitationally lensed quasar pairs through serendipitous measurements of their time delays. We discuss the merits such a…
In this work some aspects of the detection of certain general relativistic effects in the weak gravitational field of the Earth via laser-ranged data to some existing or proposed geodetic satellites are examined. The focus is on the…
We present the scientific case to build a multiple-wavelength, active, near-infrared (NIR) instrument to measure the reflected intensity and polarization characteristics of backscattered radiation from planetary surfaces and atmospheres. We…
The last two decades have brought spectacular advances in astrophysics of cosmic rays (CRs) and space- and ground-based astronomy. Launches of missions that employ forefront detector technologies enabled measurements with large effective…
Recent advancements in technology have established terrestrial laser scanners (TLS) as a powerful instrument in geodetic deformation analysis. As TLS becomes increasingly integrated into this field, it is essential to develop a…