ATMOSPHERIC DENSITY STUDIES.

Abstract

Drag has been a major source of error in the Orbital Improvement Program (OIP) since the latest geopotential was made available. Up to now little or no body of precise data has been available, particularly for periods of high solar and geomagnetic activities. With the latest geopotential at our disposal, we have acquired the necessary information to develop a more accurate atmospheric density model. A set of experiments has been designed and carried out resulting in modifications to the density model. Numerous tests, particularly during a badly disturbed span in May, show a reduction of satellite prediction errors by factors of three or better. The revised model has been programmed and released in the latest version of OIP (OIP-1). (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1967
Accession Number
AD0693035

Entities

People

  • Arie Eisner

Organizations

  • Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Artificial Satellites
  • Atmospheric Density
  • Energy
  • Geopotential
  • Gravity
  • Physical Properties
  • Potential Energy

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Computational Modeling and Simulation
  • Space Exploration and Orbital Mechanics.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Orbital Debris