Gas densities near 230 km from orbital drag and mass spectrometer measurements - A comparisonPerigee density data near 230 km for the Aeros satellite are analyzed for more than 1000 orbits. A comparison method for such data was developed which is based on the observed rate of change of orbital period as compared with the orbital decay computed from mass-spectrometer data obtained at discrete positions along the orbit. In general, the method confirms the good agreement of the average ratio of in-situ and orbit-drag-inferred perigee densities. In the case of Aeros, absolute densities measured by the NATE mass spectrometer are confirmed.
Document ID
19780064742
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Roemar, M. (Bonn Univ. Germany)
Framke, W. (Bonn, Universitaet Bonn, Germany)
Krankowsky, D. (Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik Heidelberg, Germany)
Spencer, N. W. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Laboratory for Planetary Atmospheres, Greenbelt, Md., United States)