Coherent laser radar, operating at 10.6 um wavelength, utilizes a CO2 laser oscilla tor and amplifier as well as an infrared isolator, mechanical duplexer, and a heterodyne mercury-cadmium-telluride detector. Although limited to clear weather conditions, the high Doppler sensitivity, 2 kHz/cm/sec, and narrow beamwidth, 10 microradians, result in extremely precise velocity and angle measurements. An operating system is described with application to lleasurements on the retroreflector-equipped satellite, GEOS-C.
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