RADAR SURVEYS OF METEOROID ORBITS

Radar facilitied providing routine measurements of the heliocentric or bits of meteoroids are valuable in providing a data-base of the orbita l characteristics of the solar system small body population in the mas s range about 10(-2) down to 10(-6) g. Such an orbital information bac kground is essential for an understanding of the evolutionary processe s of this component. An outline is presented of orbit-finding systems; their inherent limitations and associated selection effects with some emphasis given to the on-going southern hemisphere routine survey pro vided by the AMOR facility which provides orbits down to a limiting ma gnitude similar to + 13.