FIELD: radio engineering, communication.
SUBSTANCE: invention can be used when calibrating radar stations from the effective radar cross-section (ERC) value. The disclosed method involves launching a reflector with a known ERC value to an orbit around the Earth, irradiating the reflector with radar signals, receiving and measuring the amplitude of the reflected signals. As an ERC reference, an angle reflector (AR) is transported to a satellite orbit, said AR consisting of two flat radar-reflecting half-discs turned at an angle ranging from (90-Δ)° to (90+Δ)°. Before launching, the AR is put into a guiding container, while aligning the longitudinal axis of the container with the bisector of the angle between faces of the AR. The container is mounted on-board the spacecraft. The spacecraft is positioned such that the longitudinal axis of the container is directed along the line of sight of the radar station. The AR is separated from the spacecraft on the line of sight of the radar station such that the main lobe of the scattering indicatrix of the AR is directed towards the radar station, and its maximum coincides with the line of sight of the radar station. The AR is also spun around an axis which coincides with the bisector of the angle between its faces.
EFFECT: high accuracy of calibrating a radar station by eliminating errors caused by deviation of the maximum of the ERC of the reference reflector from the line of sight of the radar station.
12 cl, 16 dwg
