Kenichi OZAWA,^1,2, Nobuo SUGIMOTO,^1,* Nobuhiko KOGA,¹ Yasuhiro KUBOTA,² Yasunori SAITO,² Akio NOMURA,² Atsushi MINATO,³ Tetsuo AOKI,⁴ Toshikazu ITABE⁴ and Hiroo KUNIMORI⁴

¹National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2, Onogawa, Tsukuba, 305 Japan, ²Shinshu University, 500, Wakasato, Nagano, 380 Japan, ³Ibaraki University, 4-12-1, Naka-Narusawa, Hitachi, 316 Japan, ⁴Communications Research Laboratory, 4-2-1, Nukui-kitamachi, Koganei, Tokyo, 184 Japan

(Received May 14, 1997; Accepted May 28, 1997)

Optical characteristics of the retroreflector in space (RIS) on the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS) in orbit were tested using a second harmonics Nd:YAG laser. The intensity of reflection from the RIS was analyzed with an intensified charge coupled device camera by comparing the image with those of stars. It was confirmed that the RIS in orbit is working properly as a retroreflector.

Key words : space retroreflector, laser long-path absorption method, satellite laser ranging

*nsugimot@nies.go.jp