NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Collections About News Help Login
Back to Results
Antarctic field tests of SARSAT personal locater beaconsField tests of SARSAT personal locater beacons were conducted in the Antarctic to assess the viability of using these beacons to increase the safety of Antarctic field parties. Data were collected on the extent to which dry or wet snow, melting conditions, crevasse walls and snow bridges affected the ability of the SARSAT satellite to calculate an accurate position of the beacon. Average response time between beacon turn on and alert reception in McMurdo was between 4 and 5 hours for these tests. It is concluded that the SARSAT system is viable for Antarctic operations and it is recommended that it be implemented for future field operations. Because of obstruction of line-of-sight between beacon and satellite degrades the accuracy of the location calculation (particularly in wet snow), it is further recommended that field parties have sufficient numbers of beacons to insure that in an emergency, one will be able to operate from the surface.
Document ID
19880001021
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Technical Memorandum (TM)
Authors
Bindschadler, Robert (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
September 5, 2013
Publication Date
August 1, 1987
Subject Category
Geosciences (General)
Report/Patent Number
NASA-TM-4008
REPT-87B0470
NAS 1.15:4008
Accession Number
88N10403
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

Related Records

There are no records associated with this record.
No Preview Available