Geopotential Determination from Satellite to Satellite Tracking and Satellite Altimetry. Supplement I.

Abstract

This report is a supplement to a report entitled 3Geopotential Determination From Satellite To Satellite Tracking and Satellite Altimetry3, ETL-CR-74-21, February, 1975. Under appropriate circumstances (as reported in the final report) it has been found that when conservation of energy principles are used in determination of spherical harmonic coefficients of the earth's gravity field, a diagonal set of normal equations is generated. Test results are presented which indicate that perturbations due to extraterrestrial and nonconservative forces may be isolated so that these forces will not contaminate the conservation of energy solution. Uncertainties in gravitational anomalies and deflections of the vertical as a function of uncertainties in the determined spherical harmonic coefficients are given. These uncertainties are given when the spherical harmonic coefficients are determined from conservation of energy principles and from conservation of energy principles augmented with satellite altimetry. In the latter case a reduction by a factor of about thirty in the surface gravity standard deviation is realized when satellite to satellite tracking is augmented with satellite altimetry.

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 1975
Accession Number
ADA006207

Entities

People

  • F. M. Loveless
  • G. E. Morduch
  • J. G. Hartwell

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Altimetry
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Coefficients
  • Deflection
  • Energy
  • Equations
  • Geopotential
  • Gravity
  • Mathematics
  • Perturbations
  • Standards
  • Uncertainty

Readers

  • Calculus or Mathematical Analysis
  • Space Exploration and Orbital Mechanics.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Orbital Debris