Perturbations in Perigee and Eccentricity at the Critical Inclination.

Abstract

A cluster of three satellites showed large, unpredicted orbital perturbations shortly after launch. There was immediate concern for the success of its mission which depends on the stability of the cluster geometry. The Naval Surface Weapons Center found the zonal harmonics of degree five and seven to cause most of the observed perturbations. Subsequently, the three orbits were computed for the time frame June 1976 to July 1984. It was also shown that the cluster configuration remains unaffected by the large orbital perturbations, and the mission appears safe. (Author)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1978
Accession Number
ADA073975

Entities

People

  • Claus Oesterwinter

Organizations

  • Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Artificial Satellites
  • Celestial Mechanics
  • Computational Science
  • Computations
  • Computer Simulations
  • Computers
  • Eccentricity
  • Equations
  • Equations Of Motion
  • Geometry
  • Jet Propulsion
  • Numerical Integration
  • Observatories
  • Orbital Elements
  • Physics Laboratories
  • Relative Motion
  • Satellite Orbits

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Control Systems Engineering.
  • Neural Network Machine Learning.
  • Space Exploration and Orbital Mechanics.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Orbital Debris