Navigation and the Mars Global Surveyor Mission
The Mars Global Surveyor was successfully launched from Cape Kennedy on November 7, 1996. This paper discusses the details of the various navigation phases of the mission.
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Engineering topics
Graat, E.
Publications and source records attributed to Graat, E..
Navigation and the Mars Global Surveyor Mission
The Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft was successfully laucnded from Cape Canaveral by a Delta II 7925 rocket on 11/7/96, 17:00:50 UTC.
Mars↗
(abstract) Venus Gravity Data Reduction
The Magellan spacecraft has provided high resolution gravity data to its very end, October 13, 1994, when it was consumed by the Venusian atmosphere. After aerobraking in August of 1993 to attain a near circular orbit, excellent high latitude data were acquired which previously were very weak during the elliptical orbit coverage. There are 1500 orbits during the near circular orbit, supplying redundant coverage at different geometries over many features. This allowed the relaxation of apriori constraints, so true amplitudes are being extracted from the data. In this paper we present the results of a 75(sup th) degree and order field that incorporates all the old Pioneer Venus Orbiter data as well as all the Magellan data to September 1994. The new results reflect even higher correlation with topography, higher amplitude values for the highs and lows, and global results that have essentially very little apriori constraint on the solution parameters. We also correlate our new model with the earlier ones based on 60(sup th) and 40(sup th) degree and order presentations.
Magellan Venus gravity orbits topography surface f↗
Navigating Mars Observer: Launch Through Encounter and Response to the Spacecraft's Pre-Encounter and Response to the Spacecraft's Pre-Encounter Anomaly
This paper provides an in-depth review of the Mars Observer Navigation Team's activities throughout interplanetary cruise to Mars and our response to the spacecraft's anomaly which occurred approximately 68 hours before encounter.
Navigating Mars Observe↗
Mars Observer Interplanetary Cruise Orbit Determination
The Mars Observer orbit determination activity extending from launch to loss of contact is summarized, and includes quantitative results and conclusions derived from mission experience.
Mars↗