Peter Monta wrote:
Aren't pulsars a reliable accurate time source or do they not provide the 30nS
over ten days accuracy?
By using them in common view, though, any absolute error would drop
out. I'm not sure pulsar pulses are fast enough to do discrimination
at 30 ns time scales, though. VLBI with broadband sources (quasars)
would be fine here, but large amounts of data would need to be
exchanged, and the sources are weak, requiring large antennas.
Satellite laser ranging using LAGEOS and friends? But the original
poster said no satellites (not even passive rocks in MEO?), and
weather is a problem.
Hmm.. here's an idea
look for the 217 MHz signals reflected from LEO satellites and
NAVSPASUR.. big illuminating fence, fairly easily detectable signals,
LEO satellite so ionosphere isn't a big deal. You get many satellites
per hour crossing the fence.
Actually, if any satellites are available, how about using TV signals
from GEO relays? (or is the presumption that everything above 50,000 ft
MSL has been wiped out?) Some folks at JPL have used such signals to do
microwave holography on big antennas (big signal, essentially plane
wavefront, etc.)
For that matter, LEO satellites aren't that far away, and your Lband
interrogator for the transponder could probably light them up and
reflect some power back. You'd have to run the radar equation and see
how much power you get back... I have no idea about the RCS of a LEO
satellite, but I'll bet its "many" square meters (if you count ISS as a
candidate.. thousands of square meters RCS) ISS passes over several
times a day, and while its orbit isn't particularly well known or
controlled (at least not to a scale of meters), it might be good enough
for you.
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