Orbit Determination of Sunlight Illuminated Objects Detected by Overhead Platforms
Abstract
A technique for determining the orbital element set of a sunlight- illuminated object detected by an overhead platform (when passing through the sensor's field of view) is developed. The technique uses a Gauss orbit determination technique to find an initial target state estimate and then the estimate is refined via a batch weighted least squares estimation routine. A six element state vector consisting of three position and three velocity components describe the state at epoch. It was found that the Gaussian method produced reasonable initial orbits when the data bias was sufficiently zero. Each analyst-supplied slant range fit the data equally well, indicating that orbit determination is impossible with a single set of data. A unique series of events where the same object was tracked four consecutive days was fit using the developed algorithm, producing favorable results. The results of two single data set events and one multiple collection events are presented. Keywords: Flight paths, Orbits; Trajectories; Orbit determination; Military theses.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA209227
Entities
People
- Richard P. Osedacz
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology