NASA uses the Doppler effect for deep space navigation, by integrating the velocity.
You'd need a very stable oscillator, but you don't need a powered oven, due to the short duration of the flight. You only need one receiver. In fact, if it's possible for the rocket to hear a ground signal and return it at some offset or fractional frequency, you don't need an oscillator on the rocket. But if you do need a stable oscillator, consider enclosing it in aerogel, as we were discussing a few months ago. Bring it up to temp with ground power and let it go. There is still the matter of acceleration. If the oscillator can be calibrated, then the frequency versus acceleration is known and can be used to get the rocket's acceleration during powered flight. Double integration yields position. Taking the Doppler shift out of the integral could be tricky. Disclaimer: The last time I had anything to do with a rocket was 1959, with an Aerobee-Hi launched from White Sands, NM. We used Doppler to get altitude for upper air density measurement. The rocket went off course horizontally (determined by radar) and was destroyed before it crossed the border. Bill Hawkins _______________________________________________ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.