NASA is soliciting information to improve its understanding of the interest, capabilities, and Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) estimates for planning the construction, deployment, and operation of the next generation Space Geodesy (SG) stations that will be part of the upcoming NASA’s Space Geodetic Network (SGN).
Mathematician Jan McGarry discusses the science and history of Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR), her role in developing the Next Generation Satellite Laser Ranging system, and her career at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
The design and laboratory build of the new NGSLR Optical Bench has been completed. The new bench offers an improved optical layout, incorporates alignment lasers, and uses monitoring cameras for more efficient alignments.
Computer scientist Carey Noll talks about her job as manager of the Crustal Dynamics Data Information System (CDDIS), the applications of her work for various space geodesy techniques such as GPS, and her career at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
Space geodesist Chopo Ma explains the science of Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI): using radio emissions from distant galaxies to create a precise reference frame for the Earth.
The Space Geodesy Project Office manages the operations and development of
NASA¹s Space Geodetic Network that is comprised of the four major space
geodetic observing systems: Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI),
Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR), Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS),
and the Doppler Orbitography and Radio-positioning by Integrated Satellite
(DORIS) system. The Space Geodesy Project (SGP) is a collaborative effort
between Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA¹s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and
university and other partners. The primary goals of the SGP are to deliver
and maintain a high precision Terrestrial Reference Frame (TRF) and provide
the data and analysis essential for fully realizing the measurement
potential of the current and coming generation of Earth Observing
spacecraft.
The SGP is currently developing a prototype next generation geodetic
observing station at the Goddard Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory
(GGAO) along with the associated analysis systems for the generation and
maintenance of a high precision TRF. Concurrent with completion of the
prototype development, the SGP will maintain the operations of the existing
network and analysis infrastructure, and establish a programmatic structure
to enable the transition from the prototype framework to the realization of
the full network. Following prototype development, SGP plans to build,
deploy and operate integrated, multi-technique next generation space
geodetic observing systems and the analysis systems necessary to deliver TRF
products.
