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Abstract
In the framework of radio science experiments based on space mission, it is very important to calibrate the troposphere slant path delay (SPD) along the line of sight from the ground station to the space probe antenna by means of the use of a microwave radiometer. Among the various issues, the stability of the atmosphere and of the calibration system is one of the most relevant. The overall calibration stability, which is usually characterized by means of statistics of the Allan Standard Deviation parameter over different time scales, is affected by atmospheric components (gases, clouds and rain) and instrumental effects. By means of a sky scanning MWR, the evaluation and modeling the atmospheric turbulence can also of the scale lengths. A preliminary campaign test has been performed using the ESA radiometers, installed in the atmospheric remote sensing station of Cabauw, The Netherlands of the KNMI (Dutch Meteorological Office), in the framework of the Dutch CESAR project.
The paper describes the measured atmosphere and instrumental stability and structure functions, for time scales ranging from few seconds up to 1000 s. the important time scales for radio science experiment. In the second part of the paper has been presented the test campaign overview with a detailed description of the different experiments.