47th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2016) 2534.pdf THE ARECIBO OBSERVATORY PLANETARY RADAR SYSTEM. P. A. Taylor1, M. C. Nolan2, E. G. Rivera-Valent´ın1, J. E. Richardson1, L. A. Rodriguez-Ford1, L. F. Zambrano-Marin1, E. S. Howell2, and J. T. Schmelz1; 1Arecibo Observatory, Universities Space Research Association, HC 3 Box 53995, Arecibo, PR 00612 (
[email protected]); 2Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, 1629 E. University Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85721. Introduction: The William E. Gordon telescope at of Solar System objects at radio wavelengths. The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico is the largest and unmatched sensitivity of Arecibo allows for detection most sensitive single-dish radio telescope and the most of any potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA; absolute active and powerful planetary radar facility in the world. magnitude H < 22) that comes within ∼0.05 AU of Since opening in 1963, Arecibo has made significant Earth (∼20 lunar distances) and most any asteroid scientific contributions in the fields of planetary science, larger than ∼10 meters (H < 27) within ∼0.015 AU radio astronomy, and space and atmospheric sciences. (∼6 lunar distances) in the Arecibo declination window Arecibo is a facility of the National Science Founda- (0◦ to +38◦), as well as objects as far away as Saturn. tion (NSF) operated under cooperative agreement with In terms of near-Earth objects, Arecibo observations SRI International along with Universities Space Re- are critical for identifying those objects that may be on search Association and Universidad Metropolitana, part a collision course with Earth in addition to providing of the Ana G.