{
  "termsOfUse": "https://cdn.earthdata.nasa.gov/conduit/upload/5182/KeywordsCommunityGuide_Baseline_v1_SIGNED_FINAL.pdf",
  "keywordVersion": "draft",
  "schemeVersion": "2025-07-25",
  "viewer": "https://gcmd.earthdata.nasa.gov/KeywordViewer/scheme/instruments/bb230efa-824c-489b-a4e3-a35e782724bd",
  "lastModifiedDate": "2026-09-18T13:12:13.772Z",
  "uuid": "bb230efa-824c-489b-a4e3-a35e782724bd",
  "prefLabel": "Retroreflector Array",
  "isLeaf": true,
  "scheme": {
    "shortName": "instruments",
    "longName": "Instruments"
  },
  "broader": [
    {
      "uuid": "942876b3-fbd5-43d9-9e1f-170682f7b5b3",
      "prefLabel": "Laser Ranging",
      "scheme": {
        "shortName": "instruments",
        "longName": "Instruments"
      }
    }
  ],
  "narrower": [],
  "related": [],
  "definitions": [
    {
      "text": "Laser retroreflector arrays make it possible to do laser ranging – using small bursts of laser light to detect distances between objects. Pulses of laser light from a ground station are directed toward an orbiting satellite, which then reflect off the array and return to the station. The time it takes for the light to travel from the ground to the satellite and back again can be used to calculate the distance between the satellite and the ground.",
      "reference": "https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/goddard/nasa-laser-reflecting-instruments-to-help-pinpoint-earth-measurements/  John A. Degnan, A Tutorial on Retroreflectors and Arrays for SLR, ILRS Workshop, Frasca2, Italy, 2012, https://ilrs.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/2012/degnan_retrotutorialppt_121105.pdf "
    }
  ],
  "altLabels": [
    {
      "category": "primary",
      "text": "Retroreflector Array"
    }
  ],
  "resources": []
}