LACE (Low-power Atmospheric Compensation Experiment)
 |
LACE in Acoustic Reverberation Chamber
|
Part of a dual payload with RME (Relay Mirror
Experiment) carrying laser defense experiments. LACE, also known as Losat-L,
was built by the Naval Research Laboratory as a target for ground lasers,
to investigate atmospheric distortion and compensation methods. Low-power
lasers were beamed from the Air Force Maui Optical Station and picked up
by onboard infrared and phased detectors. A laser then locked onto a reflector
mounted on a 46-m boom to acquire the satellite and the sensor array returned
data on the laser coverage, allowing the laser's adaptive optics to be adjusted
to compensate for atmospheric distortion. The payload included ABE, the
Army Background Experiment, an instrument that monitored background levels
of neutron radiation in order to be able to discriminate between warheads
and decoys, and the Ultraviolet Plume Instrument (UPI) to track rocket plumes.
| launch date |
Feb. 14, 1990 |
| launch vehicle |
Delta 6925 |
| launch site |
Cape Canaveral |
| orbit |
463 × 480 × 43.1° |
| size |
2.4 × 1.4 m |
| mass |
1,430 kg |
Related category
• SATELLITES
AND SPACE PROBES
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