Although scarcely 20 years have passed since the creation of the first laser, laser engineering has enjoyed a variety of applications in science and in practice. Among these applications, a special pI ace is held by those related to the propagation of laser radiation in the atmosphere. Some, such as laser communication and information-transmission systems, locating and teleme- tering systems, and mapping and navigation systems, require access to quantitative data on the effects of the atmosphere on the parameters of the laser beam serving as the carrier of useful information, since the...