Method and system for obtaining data regarding the surfaces of celestial bodies

Claim 1

IN A TELEMETERING SYSTEM FOR SCANNING THE SURFACE OF A LIGHT-REFLECTING BODY DISPOSED IN SPACE AND RELAYING THE INFORMATION THUS OBTAINED TO A REMOTELY DISPOSED RECEIVER, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: A HOLLOW PAYLOAD REVOLVING ABOUT ITS OWN AXIS AND HAVING A SCANNING WINDOW THEREIN FOR INTERMITTENTLY FACING THE BODY DURING EACH REVOLUTION OF THE PAYLOAD; AN OPERATIVE POWER SUPPLY FOR THE PAYLOAD; AN OPERABLE, LIGHT-RESPONSIVE SIGNAL PRODUCING SCANNING MEANS DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID WINDOW; A PAYLOAD SIGNAL TRANSMITTER; AN ENDLESS RECORDING TAPE; AN INFORMATION RECORDING STATION FOR RECEIVING A PORTION OF SAID TAPE; A RECORDING MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID SCANNING MEANS AND LOCATED AT SAID RECORDING STATION INCLUDING A TAPE FEEDING MEANS FOR INTERMITTENTLY FEEDING AND RECORDING ON SAID TAPE AT A GIVEN FIRST RATE THE SIGNALS PRODUCED BY SAID SCANNING MEANS; AN INFORMATION RETRIEVAL STATION DISPLACED FROM RECORDING STATION; PLAY-BACK MEANS INCLUDING A TAPE FEEDING MEANS OPERABLE AT A CONTINUOUS AND SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED SECOND RATE FOR CONTINUOUSLY RETRIEVING THE INTERMITTENTLY RECORDED INFORMATION FROM THE TAPE AND FEEDING IT TO SAID TRANSMITTER FOR CONTINUOUS TRANSMISSION; A TAPE FEEDING CONTROL SYSTGEM INCLUDING A REFLECTING LIGHT RESPONSIVE DEVICE DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID WINDOW AND CONNECTED WITH A RELAY CIRCUIT ARRANGED BETWEEN THE POWER-SUPPLY AND THE TAPE FEEDING MEANS ADAPTED TO BE ENERGIZED IN RESPONSE TO LIGHT REFLECTED FROM THE BODY FOR CLOSING SAID RELAY BETWEEN THE TAPE FEEDING MEANS AND THE POWER-SUPPLY FOR THUS INTERMITTENTLY INITIATING AND MAINTAINING AN OPERATION OF THE TAPE FEEDING MEANS FOR THAT PORTION OF EACH REVOLUTION OF THE PAYLOAD DURING WHICH SAID WINDOW FACES SAID BODY; AND CONTINUOUSLY OPERABLE MEANS INCLUDING A CONTINUOUSLY OPERABLE TAPE ADVANCING MEANS ARRANGED AT THE RETRIEVING STATION FOR CONTROLLING THE RATE OF RETRIEVAL OF THE INFORMATION SO THAT THE INFORMATION RECORDED DURING SAID PORTION OF EACH REVOLUTION OF THE PAYLOAD MAY BE TRANSMITTED CONTINUOUSLY AT A REDUCED RATE SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT A SINGLE REVOLUTION OF THE PAYLOAD.