Space debris and satellite laser ranging combined using a megahertz system.

Satellite laser ranging and space debris laser ranging are two closely related range measurement techniques with slightly different setups relying on different lasers. Satellite laser ranging measures light reflections of corner cube retro reflectors at mm-level range precision. Space debris laser ranging gathers diffuse reflections from the whole space debris object and offers a precision down to the sub meter-level.

Megahertz repetition rate satellite laser ranging demonstration at Graz observatory.

Using ultra-high repetition rate lasers (≥100) is one of the most promising strategies for the next generation of satellite laser ranging (SLR) systems. We present successful 1 MHz repetition rate SLR to targets up to inclined geosynchronous orbits at nighttime. Among those, a maximum return rate of up to 53% was achieved, equivalent to 265 k returns per second for the satellite Swarm-B.

Daylight space debris laser ranging.

Satellite laser ranging allows to measure distances to satellites equipped with retroreflectors in orbits up to 36000 km. Utilizing a higher powered laser, space debris laser ranging detects diffuse reflections from defunct satellites or rocket bodies up to a distance of 3000 km. So far space debris laser ranging was only possible within a few hours around twilight while it is dark at the satellite laser ranging station and space debris is illuminated by the sun.

Detailed simulation of structural color generation inspired by the Morpho butterfly.

The brilliancy and variety of structural colors found in nature has become a major scientific topic in recent years. Rapid-prototyping processes enable the fabrication of according structures, but the technical exploitation requires a profound understanding of structural features and material properties regarding the generation of reflected color. This paper presents an extensive simulation of the reflectance spectra of a simplified 2D Morpho butterfly wing model by utilizing the finite-difference time-domain method.