The Characteristics and Related Problems of the Orbits Around the Earth-Moon Libration Points

Due to the specific dynamics, the probes located at the halo orbits or Lissajous orbits around the Earth-Moon collinear libration point L₁ or L₂ are always studied in the synodic system to understand their trajectories. In fact, they are also orbiting the Earth in a distant Keplerian ellipse. Because of their intrinsic orbital instability, in the orbit prediction the initial errors propagate more prominently than those of the normal orbiting satellites, this requires special attention in the orbit design, maneuver, and control. Despite of all this, they are similar to the normal orbiting satellites in orbit determination and hardly require other special attentions. In this paper, the quantitative results of error propagation under the unstable dynamics, together with the theoretical analysis are presented. The results of precise orbit determination and short-arc orbit predictions are also shown, and compared with the results from the Beijing Aerospace Control Center.     

Accurate analytical nutation series

In this letter we present the first accurate analytical nutation series, deduced from the Hamiltonian theory by the authors. They provide the highest accuracy ever obtained by any analytical nutation series, since the deviation in CEP (celestial ephemeris pole) offsets with respect to that of the IERS Conventions 1996 is kept below 1 mas in the time domain, in spite of still lacking ocanic corrections.     

IERS1996规范中地球引力势模型和测量模型的改进

简要而系统地介绍ＩＥＲＳ１９９６规范采用的地球引力势模型和各种测量模型,着重叙述了其与ＩＥＲＳ１９９２标准相比所作的改进。规范用ＪＧＭ－３地球引力势模型取代ＧＥＭ－Ｔ３模型,在计算地球潮汐形变产生的附加势时展开到３阶,并考虑了地幔的滞弹效应。在测站位移的计算中,规范引入了３倍洛夫数,计及地幔的滞弹性,引入了计算冰后期回弹的ＩＣＥ－４Ｇ模型,列出了改正ＶＬＢＩ观测中天线形变改正的公式。关于地球自转和     

用LLR资料解算日月轨道根数

本文推导了激光测月资料归算中测距对地月系轨道根数的偏导数，并对所得偏导数进行了精度估计，利用这些偏导数和１９８８年至１９９２年全球激光测月资料解算了日月轨道根数，得到了比较理想的结果。     

Numerical theory of rotation of the deformable Earth with the two-layer fluid core. Part 1: Mathematical model

Improved differential equations of the rotation of the deformable Earth with the two-layer fluid core are developed. The equations describe both the precession-nutational motion and the axial rotation (i.e. variations of the Universal Time UT). Poincaré’s method of modeling the dynamical effects of the fluid core, and Sasao’s approach for calculating the tidal interaction between the core and mantle in terms of the dynamical Love number are generalized for the case of the two-layer fluid core. Some important perturbations ignored in the currently adopted theory of the Earth’s rotation are considered. In particular, these are the perturbing torques induced by redistribution of the density within the Earth due to the tidal deformations of the Earth and its core (including the effects of the dissipative cross interaction of the lunar tides with the Sun and the solar tides with the Moon). Perturbations of this kind could not be accounted for in the adopted Nutation IAU 2000, in which the tidal variations of the moments of inertia of the mantle and core are the only body tide effects taken into consideration. The equations explicitly depend on the three tidal phase lags δ, δ _c, δ _i responsible for dissipation of energy in the Earth as a whole, and in its external and inner cores, respectively. Apart from the tidal effects, the differential equations account for the non-tidal interaction between the mantle and external core near their boundary. The equations are presented in a simple close form suitable for numerical integration. Such integration has been carried out with subsequent fitting the constructed numerical theory to the VLBI-based Celestial Pole positions and variations of UT for the time span 1984–2005. Details of the fitting are given in the second part of this work presented as a separate paper (Krasinsky and Vasilyev 2006) hereafter referred to as Paper 2. The resulting Weighted Root Mean Square (WRMS) errors of the residuals dθ, sin θd for the angles of nutation θ and precession are 0.136 mas and 0.129 mas, respectively. They are significantly less than the corresponding values 0.172 and 0.165 mas for IAU 2000 theory. The WRMS error of the UT residuals is 18 ms.     

The outer core rotation about an inclined axis from geomagnetic secular variations (Mitteilungen des Zentralinstituts für Physik der Erde,Nr. 1832)

Non-axisymmetric motions of the outer core of the Earth are important for the dynamo problem and the excitation of the decade variations of the polar motion. The components of the vector of a rigid rotation of the outer core about an inclined axis were estimated by a first-order approximation of the frozen- field theory of the geomagnetic secular variation from 1903.5 to 1975.5. The trends and quasi-periodic constituents of these quantities were computed. It was shown that the position and time behaviour of the rotational pole of the outer core differ considerably from the well-know co-ordinates of the dipole axis. Some periods of the equatorial components of the rotational vector are comparable with those of the axial component previously derived for a pure axial rotation. Additionally, the time behaviour of the pole path shows events like the well-known Markowitz wobble but naturally with other extent. These and other results suggested that the investigations are worth to be continued in future by some physical interpretations.     

Anthropic selection and the habitability of planets orbiting M and K dwarfs

The Earth may have untypical characteristics which were necessary preconditions for the emergence of life and, ultimately, intelligent observers. This paper presents a rigorous procedure for quantifying such “anthropic selection” effects by comparing Earth’s properties to those of exoplanets. The hypothesis that there is anthropic selection for stellar mass (i.e. planets orbiting stars with masses within a particular range are more favourable for the emergence of observers) is then tested. The results rule out the expected strong selection for low mass stars which would result, all else being equal, if the typical timescale for the emergence of intelligent observers is very long. This indicates that the habitable zone of small stars may be less hospitable for intelligent life than the habitable zone of solar-mass stars. Additional planetary properties can also be analyzed, using the approach introduced here, once relatively complete and unbiased statistics are made available by current and planned exoplanet characterization projects.     

Mineralogical characterization of potential targets for the ASTEX mission scenario

In-situ investigation of asteroids is the next logical step in understanding their exact surface mineralogy, petrology, elemental abundances, particle size distribution, internal structure, and collisional evolution. Near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) provide us with ample opportunities for in-situ scientific exploration with lower Δv requirements and subsequently lower costs than their main belt counterparts. The ASTEX mission concept aims at surface characterization of two compositionally diverse NEAs, one with primitive and the other with a strong thermally evolved surface mineralogy. Here we present the first results of our ground-based characterization of potential ASTEX mission targets using the SpeX instrument on the NASA IRTF. Of the four potential targets we characterized, two (1991 JW and 1998 PA) have compositions similar to ordinary chondrite mineralogy. The other two targets (1994 CC and 1999 TA10) are thermally evolved objects with igneous formation histories. While 1994 CC is a triplet system and thus very challenging to orbit the V-type NEA, 1999 TA10 is the most interesting scientific ASTEX target identified so far.     

An interpretation of the variations of the magnetic core-mantle coupling torques and the core drift rate

The influence of recently computed axial magnetic core-mantle coupling torques on the Earth's rotation was investigated. These torques derived from poloidal geomagnetic field within the mantle and at the core-mantle boundary are retarding torques. An accelerating torque due to the action of unknown parts of the core field was estimated by inverse solution of the equation of the mantle rotation for the periodic variations of the quantities of the magnetic field and the length of day. The variations of the drift rate of the Earth's core were compared with those of the mantle rotation velocity for a force-free Earth. The time constants of the coupling process were estimated and discussed in connection with the magnetic coupling of the mantle with an upper core layer. Der Einfluß kürzlich berechneter axialer Kern-Mantel-Kopplungsmomente auf die Erdrotation wurde untersucht. Diese Lorentz-Drehmomente, abgeleitet vom poloidalen geomagnetischen Feld im Mantel und an der Kern-Mantel-Grenze, sind retardierende Momente. Ein beschleunigendes Drehmoment, das der Wirkung unbekannter Feldanteile zugeordnet wird, wurde durch inverse Lösung der Mantelrotationsgleichung für die periodischen Variationen der Magnetfeldgrößen und der Tageslänge abgeschätzt. Die Variationen der Kerndriftgeschwindigkeit wurden mit denen der Mantelrotationsgeschwindigkeit für eine kräftefreie Erde verglichen. Die Zeitkonstanten des Kopplungsprozesses wurden ermittelt und im Zusammenhang mit der magnetischen Kopplung des Mantels mit einer oberen Kernschicht diskutiert.