retroreflector

[ re-troh-ri-flek-ter ]

noun

1. retroreflective

Word History and Origins

Origin of retroreflector¹

First recorded in 1945–50; retro- + reflector

Example Sentences

Another is a laser retroreflector array which will bounce back laser beams fired from Earth.

From BBC

There is also a NASA-contributed retroreflector, an upgraded version of the ones left on the moon by Apollo astronauts.

From Scientific American

In 2017, Dr. Mazarico and his collaborators began firing an infrared laser from a station near Grasse, France — about a half-hour drive from Cannes — toward the orbiter’s retroreflector.

From New York Times

After accounting for the smaller size of the orbiter’s retroreflector, Dr. Mazarico and his colleagues found that it often returned photons more efficiently than the Apollo retroreflectors.

From New York Times

The mission will also analyze minerals and map the unexplored south pole’s surface with a camera, seismometer, a thermal instrument and a NASA-supplied laser retroreflector to help calculate the distance to the Earth.

From Fox News