Engineering topics

Chinn, Douglas S.

Publications and source records attributed to Chinn, Douglas S..

15 records

NASA NTRS2015

Global and Local Gravity Field Models of the Moon Using GRAIL Primary and Extended Mission Data

The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission was designed to map the structure of the lunar interior from crust to core and to advance the understanding of the Moon's thermal evolution by producing a high-quality, high-resolution map of the gravitational field of the Moon. The mission consisted of two spacecraft, which were launched in September 2011 on a Discovery-class NASA mission. Ka-band tracking between the two satellites was the single science instrument, augmented by tracking from Earth using the Deep Space Network (DSN).

Moon↗

NASA NTRS2014

GRGM900C: A Degree 900 Lunar Gravity Model from GRAIL Primary and Extended Mission Data

We have derived a gravity field solution in spherical harmonics to degree and order 900, GRGM900C, from the tracking data of the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) Primary (1 March to 29 May 2012) and Extended Missions (30 August to 14 December 2012). A power law constraint of 3.6 × 10(exp −4)/l(exp 2) was applied only for degree l greater than 600. The model produces global correlations of gravity, and gravity predicted from lunar topography of greater than or equal to 0.98 through degree 638. The model's degree strength varies from a minimum of 575-675 over the central nearside and farside to 900 over the polar regions. The model fits the Extended Mission Ka-Band Range Rate data through 17 November 2012 at 0.13 micrometers/s RMS, whereas the last month of Ka-Band Range-Rate data obtained from altitudes of 2-10 km fit at 0.98 micrometers/s RMS, indicating that there is still signal inherent in the tracking data beyond degree 900.

Gravity↗

NASA NTRS2013

The Effect of Seasonal and Long-Period Geopotential Variations on the GPS Orbits

We examine the impact of using seasonal and long-period time-variable gravity field (TVG) models on GPS orbit determination, through simulations from 1994 to 2012. The models of time-variable gravity that we test include the GRGS release RL02 GRACE-derived 10-day gravity field models up to degree and order 20 (grgs20x20), a 4 x 4 series of weekly coefficients using GGM03S as a base derived from SLR and DORIS tracking to 11 satellites (tvg4x4), and a harmonic fit to the above 4 x 4 SLR-DORIS time series (goco2s_fit2). These detailed models are compared to GPS orbit simulations using a reference model (stdtvg) based on the International Earth Rotation Service (IERS) and International GNSS Service (IGS) repro1 standards. We find that the new TVG modeling produces significant along, cross-track orbit differences as well as annual, semi-annual, draconitic and long-period effects in the Helmert translation parameters (Tx, Ty, Tz) of the GPS orbits with magnitudes of several mm. We show that the simplistic TVG modeling approach used by all of the IGS Analysis Centers, which is based on the models provided by the IERS standards, becomes progressively less adequate following 2006 when compared to the seasonal and long-period TVG models.

Orbit determination↗

NASA NTRS2013

High-degree Gravity Models from GRAIL Primary Mission Data

We have analyzed Ka‒band range rate (KBRR) and Deep Space Network (DSN) data from the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) primary mission (1 March to 29 May 2012) to derive gravity models of the Moon to degree 420, 540, and 660 in spherical harmonics. For these models, GRGM420A, GRGM540A, and GRGM660PRIM, a Kaula constraint was applied only beyond degree 330. Variance‒component estimation (VCE) was used to adjust the a priori weights and obtain a calibrated error covariance. The global root‒mean‒square error in the gravity anomalies computed from the error covariance to 320×320 is 0.77 mGal, compared to 29.0 mGal with the pre‒GRAIL model derived with the SELENE mission data, SGM150J, only to 140×140. The global correlations with the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter‒derived topography are larger than 0.985 between l = 120 and 330. The free‒air gravity anomalies, especially over the lunar farside, display a dramatic increase in detail compared to the pre‒GRAIL models (SGM150J and LP150Q) and, through degree 320, are free of the orbit‒track‒related artifacts present in the earlier models. For GRAIL, we obtain an a posteriori fit to the S‒band DSN data of 0.13 mm/s. The a posteriori fits to the KBRR data range from 0.08 to 1.5 micrometers/s for GRGM420A and from 0.03 to 0.06 micrometers/s for GRGM660PRIM. Using the GRAIL data, we obtain solutions for the degree 2 Love numbers, k20=0.024615+/-0.0000914, k21=0.023915+/-0.0000132, and k22=0.024852+/-0.0000167, and a preliminary solution for the k30 Love number of k30=0.00734+/-0.0015, where the Love number error sigmas are those obtained with VCE.

Primary 1↗

NASA NTRS2012

The Impact of Temporal Geopotential Variations on GPS

Lemoine et al. (2006) and Lemoine et al. (2010) showed that applying more detailed models of time-variable gravity (TVG) improved the quality of the altimeter satellite orbits (e.g. TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, Jason-2). This modeling include application of atmospheric gravity derived from 6-hrly pressure fields obtained from the ECMWF and annual gravity variations to degree & order 20x20 in spherical harmonics derived from GRACE data. This approach allowed the development of a consistent geophysical model for application to altimeter satellite orbit determination from 1993 to 2011. In addition, we have also evaluated the impact of TVG modeling on the POD of Jason-1 and Jason-2 by application of a weekly degree & order four gravity coefficient time series developed using data from ten SLR & DORIS-tracked satellites from 1993 to 2011 (Lemoine et al., 2011).

Melachroinos, Stavros↗

NASA NTRS2012

SLR Station Recovery, Center of Frame Motion, and Time Varying Gravity

Weekly station position estimates, beginning with 1993, are derived from the ITRF2008-based SLR processing of up to four satellites: Lageos 1, Lageos2, Starlette, and Stella. Helmert parameters obtained from c omparison of weekly SLR station positions and the a-priori SLRF2008 station complement are evaluated for geocenter motion and scale. Two me thods for modeling time varying gravity are employed in the SLR satel lite POD processing, with GGM03S serving as the static gravity field. Both methods forward model atmosphere gravity derived from 6-hour ECM WF pressure data. The standard approach applies an annual 20x20 field estimated from 4 years of GRACE data, and the IERS2003 recommended linear rates for C20, C30, C40, C21, and S21. The alternate approach us es a new set of low-order/degree 4x4 coefficients estimated weekly fr om SLR & DORIS processing to 10 satellites from 1993-2012. This exper imental tvg4x4 model has been shown to improve the TOPEX, Jason-1, and Jason-2 altimeter satellite orbits,. In this paper we apply the more detailed time-variable gravity modeling to the SLR satellite POD pro cessing and subsequent reference frame analyses. For this study we will evaluate the orbit differences (periodic and secular) for the satel lites concerned, characterize the impact on the station coordinate solutions, and the impact on reference frame parameters (geocenter and s cale).

Zelensky, Nikita P.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Evaluation of Atmospheric Loading and Improved Troposphere Modelling

Forward modeling of non-tidal atmospheric loading displacements at geodetic tracking stations have not routinely been included in Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositionning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS) or Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) station analyses for either POD applications or reference frame determination. The displacements which are computed from 6-hourly models such as the ECMWF and can amount to 3-10 mm in the east, north and up components depending on the tracking station locations. We evaluate the application of atmospheric loading in a number ways using the NASA GSFC GEODYN software: First we assess the impact on SLR & DORIS-determined orbits such as Jason-2, where we evaluate the impact on the tracking data RMS of fit and how the total orbits are changed with the application of this correction. Preliminary results show an RMS radial change of 0.5 mm for Jason-2 over 54 cycles and a total change in the Z-centering of the orbit of 3 mm peak-to-peak over one year. We also evaluate the effects on other DORIS-satellites such as Cryosat-2, Envisat and the SPOT satellites. In the second step, we produce two SINEX time series based on data from available DORIS satellites and assess the differences in WRMS, scale and Helmert translation parameters. Troposphere refraction is obviously an important correction for radiometric data types such as DORIS. We evaluate recent improvements in DORIS processing at GSFC including the application of the Vienna Mapping Function (VMF1) grids with a-priori hydrostatic (VZHDs) and wet (VZWDs) zenith delays. We reduce the gridded VZHD at the stations height using pressure and temperature derived from GPT (strategy 1) and Saastamoinen. We discuss the validation of the VMF1 implementation and its application to the Jason-2 POD processing, compared to corrections using the Niell mapping function and the GMF. Using one year of data, we also assess the impact of the new troposphere corrections on the DORIS-only solutions, most importantly on the scale of the weekly solutions.

Zelensky, Nikita P.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Towards the GEOSAT Follow-On Precise Orbit Determination Goals of High Accuracy and Near-Real-Time Processing

The US Navy's GEOSAT Follow-On spacecraft (GFO) primary mission objective is to map the oceans using a radar altimeter. Satellite laser ranging data, especially in combination with altimeter crossover data, offer the only means of determining high-quality precise orbits. Two tuned gravity models, PGS7727 and PGS7777b, were created at NASA GSFC for GFO that reduce the predicted radial orbit through degree 70 to 13.7 and 10.0 mm. A macromodel was developed to model the nonconservative forces and the SLR spacecraft measurement offset was adjusted to remove a mean bias. Using these improved models, satellite-ranging data, altimeter crossover data, and Doppler data are used to compute both daily medium precision orbits with a latency of less than 24 hours. Final precise orbits are also computed using these tracking data and exported with a latency of three to four weeks to NOAA for use on the GFO Geophysical Data Records (GDR s). The estimated orbit precision of the daily orbits is between 10 and 20 cm, whereas the precise orbits have a precision of 5 cm.

Lemoine, Frank G.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Time Variable Gravity from Local Mascon Analysis of GRACE Data

We have analyzed GRACE Level 1-B data in 2003 and assessed a new approach for extracting time variable gravity that isolates the gravity signal in both time and space. The Level-1B satellite-to-satellite range rate (KBRR) data and accelerometry are processed in daily arcs using the precise orbit products produced by the GRACE team from GPS to calibrate both the accelerometer and KBRR data. We then adjusted select components of the intersatellite baseline vector for each data segment isolated to the region of interest. Herein, we solved for mass anomalies in 45 deg x 45 deg blocks over the Amazon and the nearby Atlantic Ocean and estimate mass flux in units of cm of water over each block. We show with this approach that we can recover mass anomalies on a submonthly basis with 10 to 15 day temporal resolution. We discuss the important issues related to this solution, including the size of the mascon blocks, the weight given to the temporal and spatial constraint used to stabalize the solutions, as well as the optimal correlation in time and distance. We compare the the mascon results with solutions obtained from the more standard approach using spherical harmonics and with independent hydrology models and lake data. This technique demonstrates that sub-monthly medium wavelength mass flux phenomena are well sensed by the hyper-precise line of sight velocity data produced from GRACE.

Lemoine, Frank G.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Short-Arc Analysis of Intersatellite Tracking Data in a Gravity Mapping Mission

A technique for the analysis of low-low intersatellite range-rate data in a gravity mapping mission is explored. The technique is based on standard tracking data analysis for orbit determination but uses a spherical coordinate representation of the 12 epoch state parameters describing the baseline between the two satellites. This representation of the state parameters is exploited to allow the intersatellite range-rate analysis to benefit from information provided by other tracking data types without large simultaneous multiple data type solutions. The technique appears especially valuable for estimating gravity from short arcs (e.g., less than 15 minutes) of data. Gravity recovery simulations which use short arcs are compared with those using arcs a day in length. For a high-inclination orbit, the short-arc analysis recovers low-order gravity coefficients remarkably well, although higher order terms, especially sectorial terms, are less accurate. Simulations suggest that either long or short arcs of GRACE data are likely to improve parts of the geopotential spectrum by orders of magnitude.

Rowlands, David D.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Precise Orbit Determination for GEOSAT Follow-On Using Satellite Laser Ranging Data and Intermission Altimeter Crossovers

The US Navy's GEOSAT Follow-On Spacecraft was launched on February 10, 1998 with the primary objective of the mission to map the oceans using a radar altimeter. Following an extensive set of calibration campaigns in 1999 and 2000, the US Navy formally accepted delivery of the satellite on November 29, 2000. Satellite laser ranging (SLR) and Doppler (Tranet-style) beacons track the spacecraft. Although limited amounts of GPS data were obtained, the primary mode of tracking remains satellite laser ranging. The GFO altimeter measurements are highly precise, with orbit error the largest component in the error budget. We have tuned the non-conservative force model for GFO and the gravity model using SLR, Doppler and altimeter crossover data sampled over one year. Gravity covariance projections to 70x70 show the radial orbit error on GEOSAT was reduced from 2.6 cm in EGM96 to 1.3 cm with the addition of SLR, GFO/GFO and TOPEX/GFO crossover data. Evaluation of the gravity fields using SLR and crossover data support the covariance projections and also show a dramatic reduction in geographically-correlated error for the tuned fields. In this paper, we report on progress in orbit determination for GFO using GFO/GFO and TOPEX/GFO altimeter crossovers. We will discuss improvements in satellite force modeling and orbit determination strategy, which allows reduction in GFO radial orbit error from 10-15 cm to better than 5 cm.

Lemoine, Frank G.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Gravity and Nonconservative Force Model Tuning for the GEOSAT Follow-On Spacecraft

The US Navy's GEOSAT Follow-On spacecraft was launched on February 10, 1998 and the primary objective of the mission was to map the oceans using a radar altimeter. Three radar altimeter calibration campaigns have been conducted in 1999 and 2000. The spacecraft is tracked by satellite laser ranging (SLR) and Doppler beacons and a limited amount of data have been obtained from the Global Positioning Receiver (GPS) on board the satellite. Even with EGM96, the predicted radial orbit error due to gravity field mismodelling (to 70x70) remains high at 2.61 cm (compared to 0.88 cm for TOPEX). We report on the preliminary gravity model tuning for GFO using SLR, and altimeter crossover data. Preliminary solutions using SLR and GFO/GFO crossover data from CalVal campaigns I and II in June-August 1999, and January-February 2000 have reduced the predicted radial orbit error to 1.9 cm and further reduction will be possible when additional data are added to the solutions. The gravity model tuning has improved principally the low order m-daily terms and has reduced significantly the geographically correlated error present in this satellite orbit. In addition to gravity field mismodelling, the largest contributor to the orbit error is the non-conservative force mismodelling. We report on further nonconservative force model tuning results using available data from over one cycle in beta prime.

Lemoine, Frank G.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Improvements in Nonconservative Force Modelling for TOPEX/POSEIDON

It was recognized prior to the launch of TOPEX/POSEIDON, that the most important source of orbit error other than the gravity field, was due to nonconservative force modelling. Accordingly, an intensive effort was undertaken to study the nonconservative forces acting on the spacecraft using detailed finite element modelling (Antreasian, 1992; Antreasian and Rosborough, 1992). However, this detailed modelling was not suitable for orbit determination, and a simplified eight plate "box-wing" model was developed that took into account the aggregate effect of the various materials and associated thermal properties of each spacecraft surface. The a priori model was later tuned post launch with actual tracking data [Nerem et al., 1994; Marshall and Luthcke, 1994; Marshall et al., 1995]. More recently, Kubitschek (1997] developed a newer box-wing model for TOPEX/POSEIDON, which included updated material properties, accounted for a solar array deflection, and modelled solar array warping due to thermal effects. We have used this updated model as a basis to retune the macromodel for TOPEX/POSEIDON, and report on preliminary results using at least 36 cycles (one year) of SLR and DORIS data in 1993.

Lemoine, Frank G.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Improved Gravitational Models of Mars from Radio Tracking of Mars Global Surveyor

After a long period of aerobraking, Mars Global Surveyor entered a low altitude, near-circular and polar orbit about Mars on February 4, 1999. Since that time, the spacecraft has been tracked routinely by the antennae of the Deep Space Network (DSN). The X band tracking data for the first time provide us: with uniform low-altitude coverage over the entire planet. In terms of both quality and geographic distribution, these data supersede the S Band tracking obtained by the Viking Orbiters and Mariner 9. We have used all available tracking obtained by Mars Global Surveyor to determine improved models; of the Man geopotential to 70 x 70 in spherical harmonies. The new models provide an order of magnitude improvement in both accuracy and detail. For instance, the Valles Marimeris canyon system clearly appears in the gravity anomaly maps: with the new model. In this paper, we discuss the derivation of these new models, and we evaluate their performance in terms of observed features and orbit quality. We also discuss the use of altimeter data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) in the form of altimeter crossovers, and how these data can contribute to the determination of geopotential models for Mars.

Lemoine, Frank G.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Geoscience Laser Ranging System - Estimated accuracy of geodetic parameters and their dependence on system characteristics

Covariance analysis of the performance of the Geoscience Laser Ranging System (GLRS) indicates that three-dimensional relative positions can be recovered to an accuracy of several millimeters over spatial scales from a few kilometers to several hundred kilometers and over temporal scales as short as several days. The key factors influencing the accuracy are range noise, number of targets and their locations, system pointing capability, dwell time on the targets, orbital geometry, and gravity field uncertainties. Based on the present trade-off studies, GLRS is designed to provide range measurements with 10 mm or better accuracy, fire at a rate of 40 pulses-per-second, point over a cone extending to 50 deg from nadir, and operate with a dwell time on individual targets of 2 s or less. Given a strain rate of 10 to the -14th/s, estimated GLRS accuracy parameters suggest that the deformation can be detected in less than a month if it extends over 100 km and in less than 6 months if it extends over 10 km.

Cohen, Steven C.↗