Astrophysics (Index)About

radio science

(radar and other methods of using radio to probe planets and moons)

The phrase radio science is used in descriptions of planetary probes and their instruments that use radio to gain information about the target. This includes use of radar for scientific investigation but also includes uses of radio that don't fit the term. Examples include recording data about the characteristics of radio signal sent and received in point to point transmission (e.g., sent between the probe and another spacecraft or Earth), characteristics such as the signal timing, signal strength, and polarization. This data offers fodder for analysis yielding details regarding the gravity of the target objects, and the precise positions of the probe and target objects, thus their orbits. Examples:

Often such radio science merely consists of using the probe's communications radio equipment for such scientific experiments, i.e., making additional use of the radio equipment already on board for operating the spacecraft and transferring the data back to Earth.


Radio science also has the obvious meaning of "the science of radio waves", but the above meaning is likely in discussions of planetary-science space probes.


(science,planets,radio)
Further reading:
https://pds-rings.seti.org/cassini/rss/Cassini%20Radio%20Science%20Users%20Guide%20-%2030%20Sep%202018.pdf
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018AdSpR..62.2273Z/abstract

Referenced by pages:
Cassini
EnVision
Europa Clipper
Giotto
GRAIL
InSight
Lucy
Mars Express
Mars Global Surveyor (MGS)
Mars Observer (MO)
MESSENGER
NEAR Shoemaker (NEAR)
New Horizons (NF1)
Pioneer Venus Orbiter (PVO)
Psyche
radio
Rosetta
SELENE
Uranus Orbiter and Probe
Venus Express
VERITAS
Voyager

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