S-BAND ACQUISITION AND TRACKING SYSTEM (SATS), WSMR SYSTEM FOR SPACE SHUTTLE ACQUISITION

Abstract

The requirement for WSMR to independently acquire and track the NASA Space Shuttle presented WSMR with one of the basic problems associated with missile and air defense systems - acquiring and maintaining a precision track of an incoming target. The popular solution is to use two radars--a broad beam for acquisition and a narrow beam for precision track. The WSMR solution is the S-Band Acquisition and Tracking System (SATS) which uses two existing passive telemetry trackers (J-10 and J-67) in conjunction with WSMR precision track radars. The existence of an S-Band transmitter in the Shuttle made the use of the Telemetry trackers possible.