Orbital Debris Detection and Tracking Strategies for the NASA/AFRL Meter Class Autonomous Telescope (MCAT)
Orbital Debris Detection and Tracking Strategies for the NASA/AFRL Meter Class Autonomous Telescope (MCAT)
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NASA/AFRL 米级自主望远镜 (MCAT) 的轨道碎片探测和跟踪策略
DOI：
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发表时间：
2010
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通讯作者：
E. Stansbery
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作者：
M. Mulrooney;P. Hickson;E. Stansbery
MCAT（米级自主望远镜）是一台1.3米f/4的里奇-克雷蒂恩望远镜，安装在双马蹄形赤道架上，将于2011年初部署在夸贾林环礁的西太平洋勒甘岛，进行轨道碎片观测。MCAT将能够跟踪所有倾角和高度从200公里到地球同步的地球轨道物体。MCAT的主要目标是探测低倾角低地球轨道和地球同步轨道上的新轨道碎片。因此，MCAT被设计为具有快速焦比和大的无晕像圆，能够容纳尺寸为产生大视场的探测器。所选的主检测器是一个闭环冷却的4Kx 4K 15 μ m像素CCD相机，产生0.9度的对角场。为了在大间隔角速率范围内探测轨道碎片，照相机必须在大范围的帧速率内提供低读取噪声性能。MCAT的4端口摄像机工作在100千赫至1.5兆赫每端口在2电子和10电子阅读噪音分别.这使得能够对地球同步轨道观测进行低噪声多秒曝光，并对低地轨道进行快速（每秒几帧）曝光。将使用美国航天局过去成功使用的逆恒星时间延迟积分技术进行地球同步轨道观测。对于MCAT，GEO调查、探测和后续预测算法将自动化。本文将详细描述这些算法。对于低地球轨道观测，将采用两种方法。第一种是轨道测量模式，将扫描具体的轨道倾角和高度状况，探测与被跟踪的背景星相对的新的轨道碎片物体，并调整望远镜轨道以跟踪被探测到的物体。第二种是凝视和追逐模式（SCM），将执行凝视，然后检测和跟踪进入视场的满足特定速率和亮度标准的物体。与GEO一样，LEO操作模式将完全自动化，并将在本文中进行描述。还将讨论测光和天体测量处理的自动化（从而简化环境建模的数据收集）。
MCAT (Meter-Class Autonomous Telescope) is a 1.3m f/4 Ritchey-Chr tien on a double horseshoe equatorial mount that will be deployed in early 2011 to the western pacific island of Legan in the Kwajalein Atoll to perform orbital debris observations. MCAT will be capable of tracking earth orbital objects at all inclinations and at altitudes from 200 km to geosynchronous. MCAT s primary objective is the detection of new orbital debris in both low-inclination low-earth orbits (LEO) and at geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO). MCAT was thus designed with a fast focal ratio and a large unvignetted image circle able to accommodate a detector sized to yield a large field of view. The selected primary detector is a close-cycle cooled 4Kx4K 15um pixel CCD camera that yields a 0.9 degree diagonal field. For orbital debris detection in widely spaced angular rate regimes, the camera must offer low read-noise performance over a wide range of framing rates. MCAT s 4-port camera operates from 100 kHz to 1.5 MHz per port at 2 e- and 10 e- read noise respectively. This enables low-noise multi-second exposures for GEO observations as well as rapid (several frames per second) exposures for LEO. GEO observations will be performed using a counter-sidereal time delay integration (TDI) technique which NASA has used successfully in the past. For MCAT the GEO survey, detection, and follow-up prediction algorithms will be automated. These algorithms will be detailed herein. For LEO observations two methods will be employed. The first, Orbit Survey Mode (OSM), will scan specific orbital inclination and altitude regimes, detect new orbital debris objects against trailed background stars, and adjust the telescope track to follow the detected object. The second, Stare and Chase Mode (SCM), will perform a stare, then detect and track objects that enter the field of view which satisfy specific rate and brightness criteria. As with GEO, the LEO operational modes will be fully automated and will be described herein. The automation of photometric and astrometric processing (thus streamlining data collection for environmental modeling) will also be discussed.