THE TIME EQUATION OF SATELLITE ORBIT THEORY
Abstract
The time equation of satellite orbit theory is defined as the equation used to predict the time at which a satellite will either cross the earth's equator or pass through the perigee point of its orbit, depending, respectively, on whether the nodal or anomalistic period is used. This paper gives a derivation of the time equation through terms of order of the fourth time derivative of the period. It is shown that when the time equation is expressed as a polynomial the initial period is the sum of the coefficients of the variable. Since the time equation is also used to determine the numerical values of its coefficients by least square fitting the equation to observations, equations are derived for the first and second time derivatives in terms of these coefficients. An analysis of some NORAD and NSSCC data indicates, at least for certain satellites, that determining optimal values of these coefficients to use in the satellite position predicting method is closely related to the time interval over which the least square method is applied. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1962
- Accession Number
- AD0273597
Entities
People
- George B. Findley
Organizations
- Air Armament Center