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FINAL REPORT 

BIT MISSION 7053 

29 JANUARY 1965 ' 
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FINAL REPORT 

BIT MISSION 7053 

1. "Sq MISSION SUMMARY. 

1.1 Program Objectives. 

As part of the over-all problem of determining the vulnerability 

of the Agena satellites to Soviet radar detection and tracking, the 

objective of the BIT program is to determine if and when the radar 

system associated with the signalka:0''' acquires and tracks the Agena 

vehicle. The BIT system, designed to fulfill this objective, covers 

the frequency range from 154 to 163 Mc and accepts only those signals 

which have characteristics similar to On those signals which 

qualify, the system will measure frequency, PRF, and signal amplitude 

along with the time of intercept to enable an analyst to identify the 

signal characteristics and to estimate a geographical area within which 

the emitter is located. 

I. 2 1*S.)s. Mission Highlights. 

No signals having parameters similar to were intercepted 

during the mission which started on 18 November 1964 and ended after 

readout orbit 161 on 28 November. There was an unusually large amount 

of activity reflected in the PRC channel which counts the total number of 

wide pulses received. On several orbits this activity also resulted 

in PRF qualification at harmonic frequencies of the basic PRF range. 

These were not considered to be valid signals of interest. Because of 

the erratic nature of these intercepts it is concluded that they were 

due to radio frequency interference generated by other equipment 

carried on the vehicle. There are, however, three intercepts in the 

PRC channel which are regular enough to resemble valid tracking 

signals. The events, which occurred on orbits 18, 21, and 22 while 

the vehicle was over the north central part of Siberia, are of 

questionable validity in light of the unusually active responses noted 

in the PRC channel. That they were not repeated on similar orbits 

on following days also reduces the confidence in their validity. 

Based on the system's response to the Signal Simulator, the 

voltage monitors, and the operating temperature, it is concluded 

that the system was functioning properly during the life of the mission. 

This Document Consists of/1 Pages. 

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1.3 Flight Summary. 

Vehicle Number 1180 

Launch Date 18 November 1964 

Launch Time 2040 GMT 

Inclination 70 degrees 

Apogee 197 nautical miles 

Perigee 101 nautical miles 

Period 89.7 minutes 

2. ZIS) DATA ANALYSIS. 

2.1 System Coverage and Operation. 

The BIT system was programmed to operate on 137 orbits of 

the 161 orbit mission life with an emphasis on the coverage over Europe, 

the USSR, and Asia. The system was not programmed for operation 

on the two or three orbits each day for which the ascending nodes fell 

in the region from 145 degrees to 215 degrees West longitude. During 

these orbits, the vehicle was in the Southern Hemisphere during its 

passage over the European and Asian longitudes. On two orbits of 

each 16-orbit day the vehicle was programmed to operate during the 

entire 90-Minute orbital period. The ascending nodes .of these two 

orbits fell in the vicinity of 80 degrees East and 100 degrees West 

longitude, respectively. 

The system monitors the 154- to 163-Mc frequency range with 

a receiver detection sensitivity of -55 dbm. With the inclusion of the 

antenna pattern, the over-all system sensitivity varies from approximately -45 dbm at the horizon to -53 dbm looking straight down. 

Signals intercepted by the system are rejected by qualification circuitry 

if the pulse widths are less than 16 microseconds and if the PRFs do 

not fall within the 94- to 100-pps PRF acceptance band or harmonics 

of this band. The system measures the average PRF on those signals 

which qualify on pulse width only and PRF, amplitude, and frequency 

on those signals which qualify on pulse width and PRF. If a signal 

has a power level at the receiver of -26 dbm or greater, it will also 

be fed into a high level channel which requires no qualification other 

than amplitude and which measures only the signal amplitude. 

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2. 2 X. Mission Results. 

2. 2. 1 ''3L General Comments. 

2. 2. 2 Intercept Summary. 

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2. 2. 2 I*3k -- Continued. 

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2. 2. 2 -- Continued. 

2. 2. 3 Conclusions. 

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2. 2. 3 -- Continued. 

3. r5.1. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION. 

3. 1 -*SI System Description. 

A block diagram of the BIT system is shown in Figure 3, although 

it is labeled by its ins-house name of FIRE BOX. It is basically a TRF 

(tuned radio frequency) receiver with video logic for signal recognition 

and circuits for parameter measurement. An intercepted signal which 

exceeds the Detector B threshold of -55 dbm is amplitude standardized 

in the video threshold circuit and then qualified. If the pulse width is 

greater than 16 microseconds, the signal will be passed to the Pulse 

Rate Counter (PRC) and the PRF Qualifier. The PRC counts the total 

number of pulses received during one commutator read-in cycle 

(400 milliseconds) and the PRF Qualifier examines the pulse train 

for a PRF of 94 to 100 pps or harmonics of this PRF range. If the 

PRF qualifies, a pulse-by-pulse gate is generated which opens 

the two gates to permit the Peak Level Detectors (PLD) to read 

amplitude and frequency. The PLD's store the lowest frequency and 

the highest pulse amplitude, intercepted during the 400-millisecond 

read-in period. If the signal level exceeds -28 dbm at the receiver, 

the signal amplitude will be read in the Detector A channel without 

qualification. A Time Reference Generator provides a parallel octal 

time code reference for the system. It is also used to trigger the 

Signal Simulator on for four seconds every 256 seconds. The Simulator 

generates a 98-pps signal at a frequency of 160 Mc and a power level 

of -24 dbm which is used to test the entire system for proper operation 

plus providing a one-point calibration check of the system. 

A Signal Activity Indicator, designated as PRC-B, has been 

added to the system to provide a check on the operational status of 

the antenna and the RF input line. The circuit counts every pulse 

received by the system regardless of the pulse width or PRF. Since 

it is primarily intended to indicate the presence of activity no attempt 

was made to achieve accurate pulse count measurements, 

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3. 1 t•S')■ -- Continued. 

A summary of the system specifications for the BIT system 

used in this mission is given below, and it plot of the system's detection 

sensitivity is shown in Figure 4. 

-55 dbm (PLD-B) 

-24 dbm (PLD-A) 

16 microseconds 

19 microseconds 

Minimum Detectable Signal 

PRC Minimum Acceptable 

Pulse Width 

Frequency/Amplitude PLD 

Minimum Pulse Width 

PRF Qualifier Acceptance Range 

RF Pas sband at -52 dbm 

3. 2 */•Sek. System Performance. 

94-100 pps (fundamental) 

189-201 pps (2nd harmonic) 

154.3 to 162.5 Mc 

The BIT system performed as designed for the duration of the 

mission with the exception of the possible malfunction of the Signal 

Activity Indicator, PRC-B. Comparison of the system's response' 

to the Signal Simulator during the mission with its response prior to 

launch showed that the detection sensitivity and the calibrations for 

frequency, amplitude, and PRF maintained their original levels. 

The operating temperature of the system, which was approximately 

85 degrees Fahrenheit at the start of the mission, stabilized at 

approximately 60 degrees after the first day of operation. 

As indicated in Section 2.2. 3, it is concluded that the PRC 

activity was due to RF interference from a vehicle borne source and 

not due to a system malfunction. Although the same conclusion is 

suggested for the reaction of PRC-B, there is too little data available 

to reasonably determine the cause of this abnormal channel activity. 

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