Laser ranging retro-reflector: continuing measurements and expected results.
After successful acquisition in August of reflected ruby laser pulses from the Apollo 11 laser ranging retro-reflector (LRRR) with the telescopes at the Lick and McDonald observatories, repeated measurements of the round-trip travel time of light have been made from the McDonald Observatory in September with an equivalent range precision of +/-2.5 meters. These acquisition period observations demonstrated the performance of the LRRR through lunar night and during sunlit conditions on the moon. Instrumentation activated at the McDonald Observatory in October has yielded a precision of +/-0.3 meter, and improvement to +/-0.15 meter is expected shortly. Continued monitoring of the changes in the earth-moon distance as measured by the round-trip travel time of light from suitably distributed earth stations is expected to contribute to our knowledge of the earth-moon system.
Alley
C O
CO
Chang
R F
RF
Currie
D G
DG
Poultney
S K
SK
Bender
P L
PL
Dicke
R H
RH
Wilkinson
D T
DT
Faller
J E
JE
Kaula
W M
WM
Macdonald
G J
GJ
Mulholland
J D
JD
Plotkin
H H
HH
Carrion
W
W
Wampler
E J
EJ