550 Ghz Near-Field Antenna Measurement System for NASA Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite
Author: Dan Slater
Publication: AMTA 1994
Copyright Owner: NSI-MI Technologies
This paper describes a 550 GHz planar near-field measurement system developed for flight qualification of the radio telescope carried onboard the NASA submillimeter wave astronomy satellite (SWAS). The very high operating frequency required a new look at many near-field measurement issues. For example the short wavelength mandated a very high precision scanner mechanism with an accuracy of a few microns. A new thermal compensation technique was developed to minimize errors caused by thermally induced motion between the scanner and spacecraft antenna.