ATMOSPHERIC DENSITY AND ROTATION BELOW 195 km FROM A HIGH-RESOLUTION DRAG ANALYSIS OF THE OV1-15 SATELLITE,
Abstract
A drag analysis has been conducted using high-accuracy C-band radar data. Densities were measured at heights between 135 and 195 km at approximately 1-day intervals over a 4-month period during 1968. On the average, the results were in reasonable agreement with currently used model atmospheres, but the variability of the density was found to be much larger than predicted by the models. Density variations of the order of 10 to 20 percent at 170 km were observed to correlate with moderate geomagnetic activity and the semiannual effect. A large increase of about 35 percent at 140 km was observed during a major geomagnetic storm. The effects of solar activity, the diurnal bulge, and latitude were not apparent in the data except that the density response to geomagnetic activity was significantly larger in the northern auroral region than elsewhere. The atmospheric rotation rate at 175 km was found to be higher than that of the earth by a factor of 1.1 to 1.3. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 12, 1970
- Accession Number
- AD0712688
Entities
People
- Barbara K. Ching
Organizations
- The Aerospace Corporation