Monthly gravity field solution from GRACE range measurements using modified short arc approach

In this paper we present a series of monthly gravity field solutions from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment（GRACE） range measurements using modified short arc approach,in which the ambiguity of range measurements is eliminated via differentiating two adjacent range measurements.The data used for developing our monthly gravity field model are same as Tongji-GRACEOl model except that the range measurements are used to replace the range rate measurements,and our model is truncated to degree and order 60,spanning Jan.2004 to Dec.2010 also same as Tongji-GRACE01 model.Based on the comparison results of the C_（2,0）,C_（2,1）,S_（2,1）,and C_（15,15）,S_（15,15）,time series and the global mass change signals as well as the mass change time series in Amazon area of our model with those of Tongji-GRACE01 model,we can conclude that our monthly gravity field model is comparable with Tongji-GRACE01 monthly model.

Periodic orbits around areostationary points in the Martian gravity field

This study investigates the problem of areostationary orbits around Mars in three-dimensional space. Areostationary orbits are expected to be used to establish a future telecommunication network for the exploration of Mars. However, no artificial satellites have been placed in these orbits thus far. The characteristics of the Martian gravity field are presented, and areostationary points and their linear stability are cal- culated. By taking linearized solutions in the planar case as the initial guesses and utilizing the Levenberg-Marquardt method, families of periodic orbits around areo- stationary points are shown to exist. Short-period orbits and long-period orbits are found around linearly stable areostationary points, but only short-period orbits are found around unstable areostationary points. Vertical periodic orbits around both lin- early stable and unstable areostationary points are also examined. Satellites in these periodic orbits could depart from areostationary points by a few degrees in longitude, which would facilitate observation of the Martian topography. Based on the eigenval- ues of the monodromy matrix, the evolution of the stability index of periodic orbits is determined. Finally, heteroclinic orbits connecting the two unstable areostationary points are found, providing the possibility for orbital transfer with minimal energy consumption.

Gravity gradient distribution in China's Mainland from GOCE satellite gravity gradiometry data

At present, gravity field and steady-state ocean circulation explorer（GOCE） gravity data are always used to compute regional gravity anomaly and geoid height. In this study, the latest GOCE gravity field model data（from Oct. 2009 to Jul. 2010） are used to compute the gravity gradient of China's Mainland according to a rigorous recursion formula（in all the six directions）. The results show that the numerical values of the gravity gradients are larger in the T rr direction than those in the other directions. They reflect the terrain characteristics in detail and correlate with the regional tectonics; however, in the T ql and T r l directions,the numerical values are relatively smaller and the gravity gradients in the T r l direction do not reflect the terrain characteristics in detail.

Construction of Earth's gravitational field model from CHAMP,GRACE and GOCE data

The basic principle of spectral combination method is discussed,and the general expressions of the spectral weight and spectral combination of the united-processing of various types of gravimetric data are shown.What＇s more,based on degree error RMS of potential coefficients,the detailed expressions of spectral combination formulae and the corresponding spectral weights in the Earth＇s gravitational field model（EGM） determination using GOCE ＋ GRACE and CHAMP ＋ GRACE ＋ GOCE are derived.The fundamental situation that ulux-champ2013 s,tongji-GRACE01,go-cons-gcf-2-tim-r5 constructed respectively by CHAMP,GRACE,GOCE data and go-cons-gcf-2-dir-r5 constructed by syncretic processing of GRACE,GOCE and LAGEOS data are explained briefly,the degree error RMS,cumulative geoid height error and cumulative gravity anomaly error of these models are calculated.A syncretic model constructed from CHAMP,GRACE and GOCE data,which is expressed by champ ＋ grace ＋ goce,is obtained based on spectral combination method.Experimentation results show that the precision of CHAMP data model is the lowest in satellite-only models,so it is not needed in the determination of syncretic models.The GRACE data model can improve the GOCE data model in medium-long wavelength,so the overall precision of syncretic model can be improved.Consequently,as many types of gravimetric data as possible should be combined together in the data processing in order to strengthen the quality and reliability with widening scope and improve the precision and spatial resolution of the computational results.

On all-propulsion design of integrated orbit and attitude control for inner-formation gravity field measurement satellite

The inner-formation gravity field measurement satellite （IFS） is a novel pure gravitational orbiter. It aims to measure the Earth＇s gravity field with unprecedented accuracy and spatial resolution by means of precise orbit determination （POD） and relative state measurement. One of the key factors determining the measurement level is the outer-satellite control used for keeping the inner-satellite flying in a pure gravitational orbit stably. In this paper the integrated orbit and attitude control of IFS during steady-state phase was investigated using only thrusters. A six degree-of-freedom translational and rotational dynamics model was constructed considering nonlinearity resulted from quaternion expression and coupling induced by community thrusters. A feasible quadratic optimization model was established for the integrated orbit and attitude control using con- strained nonlinear model predictive control （CNMPC） techniques. Simulation experiment demonstrated that the presented CNMPC aigorithm can achieve rapid calculation and overcome the non-convexity of partial constraints. The thruster layout is rational with low thrust consumption, and the mission requirements of IFS are fully satisfied.