Application of Kinematical Geodesy for Determining the Short Wave Length Components of the Gravity Field By Satellite Gradiometry.

Abstract

The report describes an investigation into the use of satellite borne gravity gradient devices for the recovery of terrestrial gravity information in terms of discrete mean gravity anomalies, point masses or potential coefficients. Simulation studies were conducted considering two possible instrument configurations: (1) a hand-mounted system capable of sensing five independent components of the gravity gradient tensor and (2) a rotating gravity gradient system. The spatial partial derivatives of a gravitational potential are developed using the methods of tensor calculus with specialization to the potential in spherical harmonics. A method is presented for estimating the root mean square magnitudes of all components of the gravity gradient tensor. The resulting estimates and the simulated solutions for the hard-mounted system strongly indicate that the measuring sensitivities required for the cross-gradient terms are beyond practical limits for satellite gradiometers. In addition, the effect of altitude attenuation on the gradients was evaluated. (Modified author abstract)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 1973
Accession Number
AD0768973

Entities

People

  • George B. Reed

Organizations

  • Ohio State University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Altitude
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Attenuation
  • Calculus
  • Coefficients
  • Gradiometers
  • Gravity
  • Gravity Anomalies
  • Harmonics
  • Mathematics
  • Recovery
  • Sensitivity
  • Simulations
  • Specialization
  • Spherical Harmonics

Readers

  • Finite Element Method (FEM) for solving Partial Differential Equations (PDEs)
  • Marine Hydrodynamics
  • Optical Fiber Sensing and Electromagnetic Propagation.

Technology Areas

  • Space