METHOD OF DETERMINATION OF GROUND ALBEDO Russian patent published in 2015 - IPC G01N21/55 

FIELD: measurement equipment.

SUBSTANCE: solar battery (SB) of a space vehicle (SV), moving along the near-circular orbit around the Earth is rotated on two consecutive orbit passes, the values of current from SB are measured, and using them the values of the ground albedo are determined. In addition the height of SV orbit is measured, a half-opened angle Q of the Earth disk seen from SV is determined, on the first orbit pass SB is rotated until coincidence of the normal line to SB working surface with the zenith direction to the moment, when an angle between SV position vector and the Sun direction is ≤Q, and at the given moment a value of current from SB I1 is measured, at the following orbit pass of an orbit SB is rotated until coincidence of the normal line to SB working surface with the direction in nadir to the moment, separated from the first moment by SV cycle time, and in the given moment the value of current from SB I2 is measured, the value of average height of the Sun above the local horizon plane is determined and fixed in the named moments hS with consequent determination of the ground albedo value for the fixed value of the Sun height.

EFFECT: enlarging functional capabilities.

2 dwg