Baseline guidance systems

This paper surveys the principles underlying the radio guidance and tracking of space vehicles. The various techniques which can be used for obtaining position and/or velocity information are described and their relative merits are assessed. The limitations imposed by tropospheric and ionospheric noise on radio systems are also discussed. Finally, two specific examples are worked out, illustrating the translation of radar guidance errors into flight uncertainties in the trajectories of ICBM´s and satellites.