卫星跟踪卫星模式中轨道参数需求分析

首次基于半解析法利用GRACE(Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment)双星K波段星间速度误差、GPS接收机轨道误差和加速度计非保守力误差影响累计大地水准面精度的联合模型开展了卫星跟踪卫星模式中轨道参数的需求分析.建议我国将来首颗重力卫星的平均轨道高度设计为400 km和平均星间距离设计为220 km较优.此研究不仅为我国将来卫星重力测量计划中轨道参数的优化选取以及全球重力场精度的有效和快速估计提供了理论基础和计算保证,同时对将来国际GRACE Follow-On地球重力测量计划和GRAIL(Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory)月球重力探测计划的发展方向具有一定的指导意义.     

GOCE卫星重力计划及其应用

基于CHAMP和GRACE卫星，GOCE(Gravity Field and Stead—state Ocean Circulation Explore)是欧空局(ESA)的一颗重力场和静态洋流探测卫星。利用它可得到空间分辨率为200—80km的全球重力场模型和1cm精度的大地水准面．简要介绍了目前重力卫星的发展现状与其局限性，详细叙述了GOCE卫星的组成、科学目标、测量原理、在地球物理等学科中的重要应用，并提出GOCE等重力卫星资料在我国的应用设想。     

模拟研究卫-卫跟踪中星间隔的选择问题

从两要从两个方面讨论了低轨卫星在做卫-卫跟踪(SST)观测时,星间隔的选择问题．1)用地球重力位系数作为扰动量,比较该扰动引起的不同间隔的SST星间距离和速度变化大小．2)用随机误差为1μm／s的星间速度变化作为模拟观测量,恢复不同间隔的地球重力位系数,并做精度评估．两种结果表明,适当增大SST间隔对求解重力场有利,但无限制增大无实际意义,对于选定高度为420km卫星,在作SST观测时,星间隔不宜超过690km,此模拟方法及结果对我国确定重力卫星指标有着重要意义．     

重力卫星检测到的全球陆地水储量变化

利用GRACE时变重力位模型反演了2004年至2008年共60个月的全球陆地水存储量变化,并采用滑动年平均,对全球陆地水储量的长期性变化情况进行了分析,同时也推求了全球陆地水储量的季节性变化。研究表明,使用滑动年平均对GRACE重力位模型数据进行处理,可以较好地揭示全球陆地水储量的长期和季节性变化情况,其监测能力足以揭示几cm的等效水高变化。     

基于GRACE数据的西南陆地水储量分析

利用地球重力卫星GRACE(Gravity Recovey and Climate Experiment)2005年1月～2010年4月期间64个月的数据,对我国西南地区陆地水储量变化进行了反演.结果表明,选取适当的高斯半径(R=600 km)和所采用数据的平均引力场作为背景引力场,则基于GRACE数据反演的西南陆地水...     

月球重力场对绕月低轨卫星的长期影响

从解析形式出发,利用月球重力场模型JGL165P1,分析了月球重力场(带谐项)对绕月低轨卫星的长期影响。为了减少计算误差,保证计算精度,在分析解中使用循环公式来计算倾角函数。结果指出对于一个高度为100km的极月轨道卫星,冻结轨道存在的可能性不大,但是当轨道倾角在i=90°附近或者高度再高一些,则有可能存在冻结轨道;对于100km高的初始圆轨道,卫星在无控的情况下半年内将会坠落到月球表面,如果高度增加到200km,则不进行轨道控制也不会坠落到月面上。利用仿真软件GEODYN解算出来的结果证实了上述结论。     

上海天文台GPS掩星技术研究现状

简要地介绍了GPS／LEO卫星无线电掩星技术的基本原理、意义以及国际上的最近动态，列举了几个主要的LEO卫星计划；重点分析了GPS掩星探测地球大气技术中需要注意的若干问题，并推出可能采取的改进方案和相应的技术路线。上海天台在GPS／LEO空基气象学中已经成功地提出：通过通约LEO／GPS轨道方法，实现掩星地面观测点控制的新思路。作为一个应用实例，针对东中国海洋上空大气状况对中国东部经济发达的地区特别是上海地区的天气有着重要影响的背景，提出利用通约LEO／GPS卫星可对该地区大气实施监控。为了充分利用GPS／LEO掩星观测资源，上海天台开展了振幅反演的计算方法研究；提出了在振幅反演中存在着无线电信号几何衰减和物理衰减两种不同的衰减机制，并考虑了它们的数学模型以及对反演结果的影响。简要地叙述了掩星质量因子的定义和计算方法。作为国内天地球动力学研究中心，上海天台将与国内外一些合作单位考虑建立GPS／LEO掩星技术观测处理的软件系统。作为空基GPS气象学的推广，还考虑进行山基和飞机载掩星观测实验，论证用这些方法监测局部大气剖面的可行性以及它们在国民经济和科学研究上的作用。     

CHAMP观测资料的振幅反演初步结果

在几何光学和薄相位屏的假设下，给出GPS／LEO无线电掩星反演地球大气技术中振幅反演的计算方法．从产生接收信号振幅变化的机制出发，提出产生信号振幅变化的几何衰减和物理衰减两个不同的源．利用CHAMP卫星观测资料的个例，用观测信噪比序列进行了大气弯曲角、大气折射率、压力、温度剖面的反演；并与相位反演结果进行比较和讨论．     

地球定向参数预报误差及其对北斗三号卫星定轨精度的影响

地球定向参数(Earth orientation parameters, EOP)是地球参考系到地心天球参考系之间转换的桥梁,是卫星精密定轨过程中不可缺少的重要参数。以国际地球自转服务(International Earth Rotation Service, IERS)和中国科学院上海天文台(Shanghai Astronomical Observatory,SHAO)提供的EOP参数为例,分析了北斗三号仅区域网观测模式和星地星间联合观测模式下的定轨精度与EOP预报误差间的关系。研究表明,对于IERS提供的产品,其预报误差对仅区域站定轨模式的定轨精度影响较小,但是其10 d内的预报误差对星地星间联合定轨模式定轨精度的影响可达到分米级。对于SHAO提供的产品,两种定轨模式的定轨精度均随着EOP预报天数的增大而逐渐衰减。除此之外,不同产品的星地星间联合定轨模式下定轨精度均小于仅区域网监测下的定轨模式下的定轨精度,表明星间链路的加入可以降低卫星定轨对EOP预报误差的依赖。该研究对区域观测条件下的卫星精密定轨工程实现具有重要意义。     

基于误差发散规律的低轨卫星大气阻力系数计算方法

低轨卫星轨道预报精度受到大气模型和大气阻力系数精度的制约,给一些高精度的空间和航天任务带来不利影响.提出了一种基于沿迹方向误差发散规律的大气阻力系数计算新方法.首先通过理论推导给出低轨卫星轨道预报中沿迹误差发散的分析表达式,定量描述初值误差和模型误差对沿迹误差的综合影响;提出利用定轨段的基本信息,优选预报段所采用的阻力系数,抑制沿迹误差的发散速率,从而降低沿迹方向预报误差的最大值,提高短期预报精度.以400 km附近的GRACE-A卫星的全弧段星载GPS高精度资料为基础,检验了方法的精度和成功率.结果表明:相对于传统的定轨预报方法,新方法能提高24 h短期预报精度约45%,成功率约71%,总体有效率约86%;方法对低、中、高等3种太阳辐射水平均有效,对于中低等级的地磁扰动也有效,具备较好的应用价值.     

GRACE observations of changes in continental water storage

Signatures between monthly global Earth gravity field solutions obtained from GRACE satellite mission data are analyzed with respect to continental water storage variability. GRACE gravity field models are derived in terms of Stokes' coefficients of a spherical harmonic expansion of the gravitational potential from the analysis of gravitational orbit perturbations of the two GRACE satellites using GPS high–low and K-band low–low intersatellite tracking and on-board accelerometry. Comparing the GRACE observations, i.e., the mass variability extracted from temporal gravity variations, with the water mass redistribution predicted by hydrological models, it is found that, when filtering with an averaging radius of 750 km, the hydrological signals generated by the world's major river basins are clearly recovered by GRACE. The analyses are based on differences in gravity and continental water mass distribution over 3- and 6-month intervals during the period April 2002 to May 2003. A background model uncertainty of some 35 mm in equivalent water column height from one month to another is estimated to be inherent in the present GRACE solutions at the selected filter length. The differences over 3 and 6 months between the GRACE monthly solutions reveal a signal of some 75 mm scattering with peak values of 400 mm in equivalent water column height changes over the continents, which is far above the uncertainty level and about 50% larger than predicted by global hydrological models. The inversion method, combining GRACE results with the signal and stochastic properties of a hydrological model as ‘a priori’ in a statistical least squares adjustment, significantly reduces the overall power in the obtained water mass estimates due to error reduction, but also reflects the current limitations in the hydrological models to represent total continental water storage change in particular for the major river basins.     

Efficient Determination of Global Gravity Field from Satellite-to-satellite Tracking Mission

The gravity field dedicated satellite missions like CHAMP, GRACE, and GOCE are supposed to map the Earth's global gravity field with unprecedented accuracy and resolution. New models of the Earth's static and time-variable gravity fields will be available every month as one of the science products from GRACE. A method for the efficient gravity field recovery is presented using in situ satellite-to-satellite observations at altitude and results on static as well as temporal gravity field recovery are shown. Considering the energy relationship between the kinetic energy of the satellite and the gravitational potential, the disturbing potential observations can be computed from the orbital state vector, using high-low GPS tracking data, low–low satellite-to-satellite GRACE measurements, and data from 3-axis accelerometers. The solution method is based on the conjugate gradient iterative approach to efficiently recover the gravity field coefficients and approximate error covariance up to degree and order 120 every month. Based on the monthly GRACE noise-only simulation, the geoid was obtained with an accuracy of a few cm and with a resolution (half wavelength) of 160 km. However, the geoid accuracy can become worse by a factor of 6–7 because of spatial aliasing. The approximate error covariance was found to be a very good accuracy measure of the estimated coefficients, geoid, and gravity anomaly. The temporal gravity field, representing the monthly mean continental water mass redistribution, was recovered in the presence of measurement noise and high frequency temporal variation. The resulting recovered temporal gravity fields have about 0.3 mm errors in terms of geoid height with a resolution of 670 km.     

Future Satellite Gravimetry for Geodesy

After GRACE and GOCE there will still be need and room for improvement of the knowledge (1) of the static gravity field at spatial scales between 40 km and 100 km, and (2) of the time varying gravity field at scales smaller than 500 km. This is shown based on the analysis of spectral signal power of various gravity field components and on the comparison with current knowledge and expected performance of GRACE and GOCE. Both, accuracy and resolution can be improved by future dedicated gravity satellite missions. For applications in geodesy, the spectral omission error due to the limited spatial resolution of a gravity satellite mission is a limiting factor. The recommended strategy is to extend as far as possible the spatial resolution of future missions, and to improve at the same time the modelling of the very small scale components using terrestrial gravity information and topographic models.We discuss the geodetic needs in improved gravity models in the areas of precise height systems, GNSS levelling, inertial navigation and precise orbit determination. Today global height systems with a 1 cm accuracy are required for sea level and ocean circulation studies. This can be achieved by a future satellite mission with higher spatial resolution in combination with improved local and regional gravity field modelling. A similar strategy could improve the very economic method of determination of physical heights by GNSS levelling from the decimeter to the centimeter level. In inertial vehicle navigation, in particular in sub-marine, aircraft and missile guidance, any improvement of global gravity field models would help to improve reliability and the radius of operation.     

Geoid and Gravity in Earth Sciences – An Overview

Precise global geoid and gravity anomaly information serves essentially three different kinds of applications in Earth sciences: gravity and geoid anomalies reflect density anomalies in oceanic and continental lithosphere and the mantle; dynamic ocean topography as derived from the combination of satellite altimetry and a global geoid model can be directly transformed into a global map of ocean surface circulation; any redistribution or exchange of mass in Earth system results in temporal gravity and geoid changes. After completion of the dedicated gravity satellite missions GRACE and GOCE a high standard of global gravity determination, both of the static and of the time varying field will be attained. Thus, it is the right time to investigate the future needs for improvements in the various fields of Earth sciences and to define the right strategy for future gravity field satellite missions.     

Time Variation In Hydrology and Gravity

In view of the pivotal role that continental water storage plays in the Earth’s water, energy and biogeochemical cycles, the temporal and spatial variations of water storage for large areas are presently not known with satisfactory accuracy. Estimates of the seasonal storage change vary between less than 50 mm water equivalent in areas with uniform climatic conditions to 450 mm water equivalent in tropical river basins with a strong seasonality of the climate. Due to the lack of adequate ground-based measurements of water storage changes, the evapotranspiration rate, which depends on the actual climatic and environmental conditions, is only an approximation for large areas until now, or it is based on the assumption that storage changes level out for long time periods. Furthermore, the partitioning of the water storage changes among different storage components is insufficiently known for large scales. The direct measurement of water storage changes for large areas by satellite-based gravity field measurements is thus of uttermost importance in the field of hydrology in order to close the water balance at different scales in space and time, and to validate and improve the predictive capacity of large-scale hydrological models. Due to the high spatial variability of hydrological processes temporal and spatial resolutions beyond that of GRACE are essential for a spatial differentiation in evapotranspiration and water storage partitioning.     

Topography on satellite surfaces and the shape of asteroids

Calculations of the topography and shape of planetary bodies are presented for two sets of models. One set of models deals with the effects of static loading on bodies, taking into account strengths of materials, density, and size. The other set considers the effects of creep deformation on model bodies of differing composition, size and temperature. Application of these models to asteroids and satellites of the major planets indicates that model, even the largest asteroids could retain highly nonspherical shapes, and the four large satellites of Jupiter could sustain statically loaded topography on the order of 10 km. (2) If silicate asteroids have not been heated to near the melting temperature of silicates, initial topography should survive for at least 109 yr under creep deformation. Topography on an insulated icy asteroid will be rapidly reduced if it is of larger scale than the insulating layer, no matter what the thermal history. (3) Of the Galilean satellites of Jupiter, J1 and J2 should retain topography created on silicate surfaces since their formation (or since the surfaces were near the silicate melting temperature. If ice layers of any significant thickness exist, topography on a scale smaller than the layer's thickness will be reduced rapidly. (4) J4 and J3 probably fit an icy model throughout and topography of all scales may be reduced with relaxation times < 10⁶yr. These satellites are thus likely to preserve only very recent features on their surfaces, in contrast to the other Galilean satellites. If melting has taken place since formation, these conclusions become even stronger. (5) Of the satellites of the other planets, only Titan appears likely to have undergone topographic reduction by creep, under the models presented. However, if ices other than water are present in large proportion on these satellites relaxation times for topography may be shorter than calculated from the water ice models.     

Future Benefits of Time-Varying Gravity Missions to Ocean Circulation Studies

A summary is offered of the potential benefits of future measurements of temporal variations in gravity for the understanding of ocean dynamics. Two types of process, and corresponding amplitudes are discussed: ocean basin scale pressure changes, with a corresponding amplitude of order 1 cm of water, or 1 mm of geoid height, and changes in along-slope pressure gradient, at cross-slope length scales corresponding to topographic slopes, with a corresponding amplitude of order 1 mm of water, or a maximum of about 0.01 mm of geoid. The former is feasible with current technology and would provide unprecedented information about abyssal ocean dynamics associated with heat transport and climate. The latter would be a considerable challenge to any foreseeable technology, but would provide an exceptionally clear, quantitative window on the dynamics of abyssal ocean currents, and strong constraints on ocean models. Both options would be limited by the aliassing effect of rapid mass movements in the earth system, and it is recommended that any future mission take this error source explicitly into account at the design stage. For basin-scale oceanography this might involve a higher orbit than GRACE or GOCE, and the advantages of exact-repeat orbits and multiple missions should be considered.     

Possible new properties of gravity

If static gravity or spacetime curvature information is carried by classical propagating particles or waves, a modern Laplace experiment places a lower limit on their speed of 10¹⁰ c. The so-called Lorentzian modification of special relativity permits such speeds without need of tachyons. But there are other consequences. If ordinary gravity is carried by particles with finite collision cross-section, such collisions would progressively diminish its inverse square character, converting to inverse linear behavior on the largest scales. At scales greater than several kiloparsecs gravity can apparently be modeled, without need for dark matter, by an inverse linear law. The orbital motions of Mercury and Earth may also show traces of this effect. If gravity were carried by particles, a mass between two bodies could partially shield each of them from the gravity of the other. Anomalies are seen in the motions of certain artificial Earth satellites during eclipse seasons that behave like shielding of the Sun's gravity. Certain types of radiation pressure might cause a similar behavior but require many free parameters. Particle-gravity models would change our understanding of gravitation and our views of the nature of time in relativity theory.