Spatial Coverage of Radar Reflectors

Passive reflectors may be employed to enhance the radar return of a space vehicle for some phases of tracking, as in orbital rendezvous. Contour charts prepared on a suitable base grid provide an objective means of evaluating the spatial coverage of different designs for this application. The superiority of a circular corner reflector over square or triangular designs is demonstrated by plotting their backscattering areas in this manner. Comparison can also be made of altogether different types of reflectors, as illustrated by a jack, which provides very poor return relative to the three types of corners.