The effects of general relativity on near-earth satellitesWhether one uses a solar system barycentric frame or a geocentric frame when including the general theory of relativity in orbit determination for near-earth satellites, the results should be equivalent to some limiting accuracy. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the effects of relativity in each frame and to demonstrate their equivalence through the analysis of three years of laser tracking data taken on the Lageos satellite. It is demonstrated that the simpler formulation in the geocentric frame is adequate for the purpose of near-earth satellite orbit determination. A correction to the conventional barycentric equations of motion is shown to be required.
Document ID
19900059705
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Ries, J. C. (Texas Univ. Austin, TX, United States)
Watkins, M. M. (Texas Univ. Austin, TX, United States)
Tapley, B. D. (Texas, University Austin, United States)
Huang, C. (Texas Univ. Austin, TX, United States)
Date Acquired
August 14, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1990
Subject Category
Space Communications, Spacecraft Communications, Command And Tracking