A digital program computing the atmospheric angle, range, and rate error of satellite observations
- Paper ID
1968-AT91
- author
- company
Deutsche Versuchsanstalt für Luft- and Raumfahrt e.V., Insitut für Flugfunk and Mikrowellen
- country
Germany
- year
1968
- abstract
This paper describes an atmospheric corrective programme improving the radio tracking of satellites by calculation of the tropospheric and ionospheric propagation effects of electromagnetic waves. The computations are based on the principles of geometrical optics. The atmosphere is assumed to be spherically stratified. Model functions are introduced concerning the vertical profile of the refractive index. The paper presents numerical examples showing the order of magnitude of the atmospheric errors to be expected during a satellite's passage as a function of time.