Project Website http://www.haystack.mit.edu/atm/mho/instruments/isr/
The Millstone Hill Incoherent Scatter Radar system is a high power large aperature radar that is used to observe the near space environment. The primary measurement technique used by the system is incoherent scatter from ionospheric plasma. This technique allows the density, temperature, velocity, and composition of the near space environment (ionosphere) to be determined with great accuracy. The system can also observe scatter from ionospheric turbulence, meteors, and satellites.
The radar is capable of making observations over a range from 90 to 1000 km in altitude. Geographic coverage is from just short of the arctic circle to the north, past Florida to the south, to the central atlantic ocean to the east, and out to Iowa in the west.
The radar system uses a high power transmitter in combination with a large antenna and highly sensitive radio receivers. A fixed vertically pointing antenna (Zenith) and a fully steerable antenna (MISA) are available for making ionospheric measurements. The fixed antenna is often used while moving the steerable one.
By making measurements in multiple directions the radar system can be used to determine the flows and electric fields which are present in the ionosphere.