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Full-rate Data

History

SLR full-rate (FR) data were the prime SLR product in the 1970s and early to mid 1980s. In late 1980s, normal points were innovated and generated from the full-rate data. The production of normal points was migrated from a NASA central facility to the global sites in the late 1980s and early 1990s as part of global data streamlining. In the mid 1990s, the SLR/LLR CSTG subcommission agreed that there was no formal requirement for FR due to the transition and acceptance of on-site generated normal points as the prime station data product. The subcommission recommended that each station archive their own FR data for at least one year. 

At the ILRS meetings in Nice during the EGS General Assembly in Spring 2002 it was decided to archive the full-rate data again beginning March 1, 2003. This decision was announced at the 13th International Laser Ranging Workshop in Washington, October 07-11, 2002 (reference SLRMail #1006).

Current Operations

In early 2018, the ILRS CB further stated the importance of full-rate data and requested all stations routinely submit these data to the data centers.

As the ILRS strives for mm accuracy data, the details available in SLR full-rate data become more revealing. Using full-rate data, the engineers and analysts have been able to diagnose and address issues in both range bias and epoch timing, some of which, was thought to have been conquered in the past. FR data are critical for certain specialized analyses (e.g., co-location analysis, engineering effects, satellite spin-rate determinations, center-of-mass algorithm development, etc.).

Since this analysis is a long-term activity, and the ILRS will want to obtain as much as can be obtained from the data, it is prudent to once again archive all full-rate data. Both the EDC and CDDIS data centers are able to archive these data and most of the communication links have adequate capacity to transmit the data on a routine basis.

Full-rate data are available from the ILRS Data Centers at:

Related information: