An estimation of Envisat's rotational state accounting for the precession of its rotational axis caused by gravity-gradient torque

doi:10.1016/j.asr.2017.10.014

	An estimation of Envisat's rotational state accounting for the precession of its rotational axis caused by gravity-gradient torque
	Lin, Hou-Yuan ; Zhao, Chang-Yin 1
刊名	ADVANCES IN SPACE RESEARCH
	2018
卷号	61 期号:1 页码:182-188
关键词	Envisat Gravity-gradient torque Rotational state estimation Space debris
ISSN号	0273-1177
DOI	10.1016/j.asr.2017.10.014
通讯作者	Zhao, Chang-Yin(cyzhao@pmo.ac.cn)
英文摘要	The rotational state of Envisat is re-estimated using the specular glint times in optical observation data obtained from 2013 to 2015. The model is simplified to a uniaxial symmetric model with the first order variation of its angular momentum subject to a gravity gradient torque causing precession around the normal of the orbital plane. The sense of Envisat's rotation can be derived from observational data, and is found to be opposite to the sense of its orbital motion. The rotational period is estimated to be (120.674 +/- 0.068) exp ((4.5095 +/- 0.0096) x 10(-4).t, where t is measured in days from the beginning of 2013. The standard deviation is 0.760 s, making this the best fit obtained for Envisat in the literature to date. The results demonstrate that the angle between the angular momentum vector and the negative normal of the orbital plane librates around a mean value of 8.53 +/- 0.42 degrees with an amplitude from about 0.7 degrees (in 2013) to 0.5 degrees (in 2015), with the libration period equal to the precession period of the angtilar momentum, from about 4.8 days (in 2013) to 3.4 days (in 2015). The ratio of the minimum to maximum principal moments of inertia is estimated to be 0.0818 +/- 0.0011, and the initial longitude of the angular momentum in the orbital coordinate system is 40.5 degrees +/- 9.3 degrees. The direction of the rotation axis derived from our results at September 23, 2013, UTC 20:57 is similar to the results obtained from satellite laser ranging data but about 20 closer to the negative normal of the orbital plane. (C) 2017 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
WOS关键词	SPACE DEBRIS ; SATELLITE
WOS研究方向	Astronomy & Astrophysics ; Geology ; Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
语种	英语
出版者	ELSEVIER SCI LTD
WOS记录号	WOS:000423008700011
内容类型	期刊论文
源URL	[http://libir.pmo.ac.cn/handle/332002/22145]
专题	中国科学院紫金山天文台
通讯作者	Zhao, Chang-Yin
作者单位	1.Chinese Acad Sci, Purple Mt Observ, Nanjing 210008, Jiangsu, Peoples R China 2.Chinese Acad Sci, Key Lab Space Object & Debris Observat, Purple Mt Observ, Nanjing 210008, Jiangsu, Peoples R China
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Lin, Hou-Yuan,Zhao, Chang-Yin. An estimation of Envisat's rotational state accounting for the precession of its rotational axis caused by gravity-gradient torque[J]. ADVANCES IN SPACE RESEARCH,2018,61(1):182-188.
APA	Lin, Hou-Yuan,&Zhao, Chang-Yin.(2018).An estimation of Envisat's rotational state accounting for the precession of its rotational axis caused by gravity-gradient torque.ADVANCES IN SPACE RESEARCH,61(1),182-188.
MLA	Lin, Hou-Yuan,et al."An estimation of Envisat's rotational state accounting for the precession of its rotational axis caused by gravity-gradient torque".ADVANCES IN SPACE RESEARCH 61.1(2018):182-188.