Performance Characteristics of the Kennedy Space Center 50-MHz Doppler Radar Wind Profiler Using the Median Filter/First-Guess Data Reduction Algorithm

The performance of an improved signal-processing algorithm implemented on the NASA 50-MHz radar wind profiler at Kennedy Space Center is analyzed. In 1990, NASA began using a 50-MHz Doppler radar wind profiler to demonstrate the applicability of the technology to assessing launch wind conditions at Kennedy Space Center. To produce critical wind profiles in minimal time, NASA replaced the conventional signal-processing system delivered by the manufacturer with a more robust system. The new signal-processing system uses a median filter to remove spurious Doppler spectral data and constrains the search for the atmospheric signal by a first guess. The new system has been in nearly continuous operation since mid-1994. Over this period, the system performance was evaluated in varied weather conditions, and numerous comparisons with wind profiles from radar-tracked jimspheres were accomplished. The system is now integrated into the prelaunch wind evaluation structure. This paper discusses the details of the new signal-processing system and presents the results of the performance analysis.