Calibration of atmospheric density model using two-line element data

For satellites in orbits,most perturbations can be well modeled;however the inaccuracy of the atmospheric density model remains the biggest error source in orbit determination and prediction.The commonly used empirical atmospheric density models,such as Jacchia,NRLMSISE,DTM,and Russian GOST,still have a relative error of about 10%-30%.Because of the uncertainty in the atmospheric density distribution,high accuracy estimation of the atmospheric density cannot be achieved using a deterministic model.A better way to improve the accuracy is to calibrate the model with updated measurements.Twoline element(TLE)sets provide accessible orbital data,which can be used in the model calibration.In this paper,an algorithm for calibrating the atmospheric density model is developed.First,the density distribution of the atmosphere is represented by a power series expansion whose coefficients are denoted by the spherical harmonic expansions.Then,the useful historical TLE data are selected.The ballistic coefficients of the objects are estimated using the BSTAR data in TLEs,and the parameterized model is calibrated by solving a nonlinear least squares problem.Simulation results show that the prediction error is reduced using the proposed calibration algorithm.

The Quantum Chromodynamics Gas Density Drop and the General Theory of Relativity Ether

β decay is one of the most fundamental and thoroughly studied nuclear decay. Surprisingly, the β decay rates were found to have a periodic time variability [1]. However, others argued that there is no evidence for such cyclic deviation from the exponential first order kinetics decay law [2]. Here we propose that the β decay is a pseudo-first order exchange reaction triggered by uddũexotic mesons and propose a QCD gas theory. In analogy to the atmospheric gas density, the proposed QCD gas density drops with elevation from the sun. Accordingly, we propose that the β decay rate periodic variability is due to the pseudo-first order exchange reaction kinetics and the QCD gas atmospheric density drop. The proposed QCD gas may be a possible candidate for Einstein’s general theory of relativity ether [3]. Our main results are the derived formulas for calculating the effective mass of the QCD gas and the cosmology perfect fluid equation of state dimensionless parameter, based on the measured ratio of the β decay rates at the earth trajectory aphelion and perihelion dates. .

Measurement of Electron Density and Ion Collision Frequency with Dual Assisted Grounded Electrode DBD in Atmospheric Pressure Helium Plasma Jet

The properties of a helium atmospheric-pressure plasma jet（APPJ）are diagnosed with a dual assisted grounded electrode dielectric barrier discharge device.In the glow discharge,we captured the current waveforms at the positions of the three grounded rings.From the current waveforms,the time delay between the adjacent positions of the rings is employed to calculate the plasma bullet velocity of the helium APPJ.Moreover,the electron density is deduced from a model combining with the time delay and current intensity,which is about 10^（11）cm^（-3）.In addition,The ion-neutral particles collision frequency in the radial direction is calculated from the current phase difference between two rings,which is on the order of 10~7 Hz.The results are helpful for understanding the basic properties of APPJs.

Variations of Thermosphere Density Based on Joint Analysis of In-Situ Measurement Data From Shenzhou Spacecrafts

Based on the measurements made by Atmospheric Density Detectors(ADDs) onboard Chinese spacecraft Shenzhou 2-4,the variations of thermosphere density are revealed.During the quiet period,the density at spacecraft altitude of 330~410 km exhibited a dominant diurnal variation,with high value on dayside and low value on nightside.The ratio of the diurnal maximum density to the minimum ranged from 1.7 to 2.0.The ratio shows a positive correlation with the level of solar activity and a negative correlation with the level of geomagnetic activity.When a geomagnetic disturbance comes,the atmospheric density at the altitude of 330～410 km displayed a global enhancement.For a strong geomagnetic disturbance,the atmospheric density increased by about 56%,and reached its maximum about 6～7 hours after the geomagnetic disturbance peak. The density asymmetry was also observed both in the southern and northern hemisphere during the geomagnetic disturbance peak.

Preliminarily study of Saturn’s upper atmosphere density by observing Cassini plunging via China’s deep space station

When the Cassini spacecraft finally plunged into the Saturnian atmosphere on 2017 September15,China’s deep space telescope pointed to Saturn to observe Cassini and study the Saturnian upper neutral atmosphere.In this first Chinese Saturnian radio science experiment,X band Doppler velocity radio science data between the deep space telescope and the Cassini spacecraft were obtained.After removing Saturnian and solar gravity effects,Earth rotation effect,the remaining Saturnian atmosphere drag information was retrieved in the Cassini final plunge progress.Saturn’s upper neutral atmosphere mass density profile is approximately estimated based on atmosphere mass density derived principally by real orbit measurement data.Saturn’s upper neutral atmosphere mass density from 76000 km to 1400 km is estimated from the orbit measurement data,the mass density results are about from 1.4×10^-15 kg cm^-3 to 2.5×10^-14 kg cm^-3.

APOD mission status and preliminary results

On September 20 th, 2015, twenty satellites were successfully deployed into a near-polar circular orbit at 520 km altitude by the Chinese CZ-6 test rocket, which was launched from the Tai Yuan Satellite Launch Center. Among these satellites, a set of 4 Cube Sats conform the atmospheric density detection and precise orbit determination(APOD) mission, which is projected for atmospheric density estimation from in-situ detection and precise orbit products. The APOD satellites are manufactured by China Spacesat Co. Ltd. and the payload instruments include an atmospheric density detector(ADD), a dual-frequency dualmode global navigation satellite system(GNSS) receiver(GPS and Beidou), a satellite laser ranging(SLR) reflector, and an S/Xband very long baseline interferometry(VLBI) beacon. In this paper, we compare the GNSS precise orbit products with colocated SLR observations, and the 3 D orbit accuracy shows better than 10 cm RMS. These results reveal the great potential of the onboard micro-electro-mechanical system(MEMS) GNSS receiver. After calibrating ADD density estimates with precise orbit products, the accuracy of our density products can reach about 10% with respect to the background density. Density estimates from APOD are of a great importance for scientific studies on upper atmosphere variations and useful for model data assimilation.