A New Procedure for Orbit Determination Based on Three Lines of Sight (Angles Only)
Abstract
A new procedure has been developed for the general solution of the minimal angles-only problem in which an orbit is determined from three line-of- sight observations. The basis of the approach is a higher-order Newton correction of the assumed values for two of the unknown ranges, appeal being made to the author's (published) universal solution of Lambert's orbital boundary-value problem. The new procedure is free of the inherent limitations of the traditional methods of Laplace and Gauss, these methods being outlined in a summary of previous approaches to this classical problem. In particular, the observations are permitted to span several revolutions when the orbit is elliptic; multiple solutions can be obtained; and there is no restriction on the configuration of the three observing sites. The procedure has been carefully tested, some of the examples being taken from the literature. A number of test problems have been solved that would have failed by existing methods. Orbits, Celestial mechanics
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA272937
Entities
People
- R. H. Gooding