Characteristics of the Moon-Reflected Signals at X Band

The paper begins with a description of an experimental earth station especially designed for moon-reflection communication purposes. This is followed by a description of the experimental results of the characteristics of the moon-reflected signals obtained at an operating frequency in the lower band. The received signal envelope was found to fade within wide limits and the fading rate was dependent on the libration rate of the moon. The maximum rms frequency in the frequency spectrum of the envelope was estimated to be on the order of 60 Hz, giving an approximate measure of the frequency spreading due to the libration of the moon. The statistical analysis of the echo envelope has also been carried out and it was found to follow the Rayleigh distribution. Our results imply that at band a discrete coherent reflector does not seem to be present and consequently, the moon may be regarded as a reflector composed of a large number of scatterers distributed over its surface.