Behaviour of the SMF method for the numerical integration of satellite orbits

The SMF algorithms were recently developed by the authors as a multistep generalization of the ScheifeleG-functions one-step method. Like the last, the proposed codes integrate harmonic oscillations without truncation error and the perturbing parameter appears as a factor of that error when integrating perturbed oscillations. Therefore they seemed to be convenient for the accurate integration of orbital problems after the application of linearizing transformations, such as KS or BF. In this paper we present several numerical experiments concerning the propagation of Earth satellite orbits, that illustrate the performance of the the SMF method. In general, it provides greater accuracy than the usual standard algorithms for similar computational cost.     

THE SATELLITE TOWNS OF METROPOLIS GUANGZHOU：EVOLUTION， INHERENT LINKS WITH THE CENTRAL CITY AND TENDENCIES──A CASE STUDY OFRENHE TOWN

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Optimal orbits for Mars atmosphere remote sensing

Most of the spacecrafts currently around Mars (or planned to reach Mars in the near future) use Sun-synchronous or near-polar orbits. Such orbits offer a very poor sampling of the diurnal cycle. Yet, sampling the diurnal cycle is of key importance to study Mars meteorology and climate. A comprehensive remote sensing data set should have been obtained by the end of the MRO mission, launched in 2005. For later windows, time-varying phenomena should be given the highest priority for remote sensing investigations. We present possible orbits for such missions which provide a rich spatial and temporal sampling with a relatively short repeat cycle (50 sols). After computation and determination of these orbits, said “optimal orbits”, we illustrate our results by tables of sampling and comparison with other orbits.     

空间太阳望远镜高速数据传输系统

“空间太阳望远镜”是中国的一项非常重要的天文卫星计划。卫星上将搭载 5个有效载荷 ,在可见光、远紫外、硬X射线、软X射线、Hα和射电波段同时观测太阳 ,其中的主光学望远镜口径达 1m。各有效载荷的CCD器件和其它敏感器件每天采集的科学数据量经过预处理后达 50Gbytes,再由数据压缩系统压缩至 8Gbytes,并储存在海量存储器中。如此庞大的数据量要求空间太阳望远镜的科学数据传输系统以高达 60Mbps的码速率向地面站传送。本文所有的工作均围绕着空间太阳望远镜高速数据传输系统展开 :1 .根据空间太阳望远镜的需求 ,综合研究、分析了它的科学数据传输系统的性能指标和特点 ,并作总体的方案设计 ;2 .设计开发了科学数据传输系统的信道编码和信道解码单元。信道编码单元将把海量存储器中的数据转换为适于QPSK射频调制格式化的串行数据流 ,信道解码单元实现相反的过程 ,文中详细给出了信道编码系统的原理、方法和实验结果。设计中引入了新的设计思想和方法 ,通信协议与现有地面站兼容 ;3 .完成了信道编码、解码环路的地面试验 ,结果表明信道编码、解码系统的技术指标完全符合空间太阳望远镜的要求。在理想无噪声条件下 ,闭环试验数据传输结果无误码 ,数据传输率达 60Mbps,是目前国内科学数据传输系统码速率     

Evaluation of the accuracy of the EIGEN-1S and -2 CHAMP-derived gravity field models by satellite crossover altimetry

Since the advent of CHAMP, the first in a series of low-altitude satellites being almost continuously and precisely tracked by GPS, a new generation of long-wavelength gravitational geopotential models can be derived. The accuracy evaluation of these models depends to a large extent on the comparison with external data of comparable quality. Here, two CHAMP-derived models, EIGEN-1S and EIGEN-2, are tested with independent long-term-averaged single satellite crossover (SSC) sea heights from three altimetric satellites (ERS-1, ERS-2 and Geosat). The analyses show that long-term averages of crossover residuals still are powerful data to test CHAMP gravity field models. The new models are tested in the spatial domain with the aid of ERS-1/-2 and Geosat SSCs, and in the spectral domain with latitude-lumped coefficient (LLC) corrections derived from the SSCs. The LLC corrections allow a representation of the satellite-orbit-specific error spectra per order of the models spherical harmonic coefficients. These observed LLC corrections are compared to the LLC projections from the models variance–covariance matrix. The excessively large LLC errors at order 2 found in the case of EIGEN-2 with the ERS data are discussed. The degree-dependent scaling factors for the variance-covariance matrices of EIGEN-1S and –2, applied to obtain more realistic error estimates of the solved-for coefficients, are compatible with the results found here.     

Improved relativistic transformations in GPS

For GPS satellite clocks, a nominal (hardware) frequency offset and a conventional periodic relativistic correction derived as a dot product of the satellite position and velocity vectors, are used to compensate the relativistic effects. The conventional hardware clock rate offset of 38,575.008 ns/day corresponds to a nominal orbit semi-major axis of about 26,561,400 m. For some of the GPS satellites, the departures from the nominal semi-major axis can cause an apparent clock rate up to 10 ns/day. GPS orbit perturbations, together with the earth gravity field oblateness, which is largely responsible for the orbit perturbations, cause the standard GPS relativistic transformations to depart from the rigorous relativity transformation by up to 0.2 ns/day. In addition, the conventional periodic relativistic correction exhibits periodic errors with amplitudes of about 0.1 and 0.2 ns, with periods of about 6 h and 14 days, respectively. Using an analytical integration of the gravity oblateness term (J₂), a simple analytical approximation was derived for the apparent clock rate and the 6-h periodic errors of the standard GPS gravity correction. For daily linear representations of GPS satellite clocks, the improved relativistic formula was found to agree with the precise numerical integration of the GPS relativistic effects within about 0.015 ns. For most of the Block IIR satellites, the 6-h periodical errors of the GPS conventional relativistic correction are already detectable in the recent IGS final clock combinations.     

国外部分卫星产品质量评价和质量控制方法

卫星遥感信息产品是由星载遥感仪器观测的数据经科学方法处理得到的,由于观测数据受地球大气和地表、太阳位置以及星上仪器工作状态、定标和定位精度等多种因素的影响,卫星遥感信息产品必须经过质量控制、误差分析之后才可以使用.因此,开展卫星产品质量控制和质量评价研究对于卫星反演产品的应用和在国民经济中发挥作用是非常必要的.该文调研了国外部分卫星产品(主要针对MODIS反演产品)的质量评价和质量控制的技术以及组织管理方法.     

A technique for modeling the Earth’s gravity field on the basis of satellite accelerations

A technique is proposed for Earths gravity field modeling on the basis of satellite accelerations that are derived from precise orbit data. The functional model rests on Newtons second law. The computational procedure is based on the pre-conditioned conjugate-gradient (PCCG) method. The data are treated as weighted average accelerations rather than as point-wise ones. As a result, a simple three-point numerical differentiation scheme can be used to derive them. Noise in the orbit-derived accelerations is strongly dependent on frequency. Therefore, the key element of the proposed technique is frequency-dependent data weighting. Fast convergence of the PCCG procedure is ensured by a block-diagonal pre-conditioner (approximation of the normal matrix), which is derived under the so-called Colombo assumptions. Both uninterrupted data sets and data with gaps can be handled. The developed technique is compared with other approaches: (1) the energy balance approach (based on the energy conservation law) and (2) the traditional approach (based on the integration of variational equations). Theoretical considerations, supported by a numerical study, show that the proposed technique is more accurate than the energy balance approach and leads to approximately the same results as the traditional one. The former finding is explained by the fact that the energy balance approach is only sensitive to the along-track force component. Information about the cross-track and the radial component of the gravitational potential gradient is lost because the corresponding force components do no work and do not contribute to the energy balance. Furthermore, it is shown that the proposed technique is much (possibly, orders of magnitude) faster than the traditional one because it does not require the computation of the normal matrix. Hints are given on how the proposed technique can be adapted to the explicit assembling of the normal matrix if the latter is needed for the computation of the model covariance matrix.Acknowledgments. Professor R. Klees is thanked for support of the project and for numerous fruitful discussions. The authors are also thankful to Dr. J. Kusche for useful remarks and to Dr. E. Schrama, his solid background in satellite geodesy proved to be very helpful. A large number of valuable comments were made by Dr. S.-C. Han, Dr. P. Schwintzer, and an anonymous reviewer; their contribution is greatly acknowledged. The satellite orbits used in the numerical study were kindly provided by Dr. P. Visser (Aerospace Department, Delft University of Technology). Access to the SGI Origin 3800 computer was provided by Stichting Nationale Computerfaciliteiten (NCF), grant SG-027.     

Mapping nonlinear shallow-water tides: a look at the past and future

Overtides and compound tides are generated by nonlinear mechanisms operative primarily in shallow waters. Their presence complicates tidal analysis owing to the multitude of new constituents and their possible frequency overlap with astronomical tides. The science of nonlinear tides was greatly advanced by the pioneering researches of Christian Le Provost who employed analytical theory, physical modeling, and numerical modeling in many extensive studies, especially of the tides of the English Channel. Le Provost’s complementary work with satellite altimetry motivates our attempts to merge these two interests. After a brief review, we describe initial steps toward the assimilation of altimetry into models of nonlinear tides via generalized inverse methods. A series of barotropic inverse solutions is computed for the M tide over the northwest European Shelf. Future applications of altimetry to regions with fewer in situ measurements will require improved understanding of error covariance models because these control the tradeoffs between fitting hydrodynamics and data, a delicate issue in coastal regions. While M can now be robustly determined along the Topex/Poseidon satellite ground tracks, many other compound tides face serious aliasing problems. In memory of Christian Le Provost     

地区级旅游卫星帐户构建的国际经验及启示

地区级旅游卫星帐户(R-TSA)的构建在世界范围内普遍面临着机构、统计、框架、方法等方面的障碍。有些国家已经在R-TSA的数据收集、统计体系规范、TSA框架构建、影响效应估算等方面进行了一些探索和试验,以丹麦、安达卢西亚、澳大利亚的R-TSA的编制实践为例,探讨其经验与不足,并总结提炼出其对中国省市自治区级旅游卫星帐户的编制启示。