Thermospheric density variations: Observability using precision satellite orbits and effects on orbit propagation

Lechtenberg, Travis; McLaughlin, Craig; Locke, Travis; Krishna, Dhaval Mysore

doi:10.1029/2012sw000848

Cited by 14 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…These orbit-derived density values typically have a temporal resolution of several orbits to several days. If precision orbit ephemerides are available (for example, for satellites with GPS receivers or satellites with laser ranging observations), it is possible to produce density estimates on time scales of two or more orbits (McLaughlin et al, 2011;Lechtenberg et al, 2013). Storz et al (2005), Doornbos et al (2008), and Emmert (2009Emmert ( , 2015 combined analyses from different objects to produce global specifications of density.…”

Section: Orbit-derived Mass Densitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Swarm mission's trio of satellites, each with an accelerometer, was launched in November 2013 and is scheduled to operate through 2017 (Visser et al, 2013). Lechtenberg et al (2013) compared CHAMP and GRACE density data with density derived from those satellites' precision orbit ephemerides (POE), and with HASDM density. They found good agreement among the accelerometer and two orbit-derived techniques, except that CHAMP and GRACE, with their higher spatial and temporal resolution, were able to resolve features such 7 as the midnight density maximum (see section 4.6), geomagnetic cusp enhancements (section 4.9), and traveling atmospheric disturbances (section 5.4.3), whereas these features were not detectable in the POE and HASDM densities.…”

Section: Accelerometersmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Thermospheric mass density: A review

Emmert

2015

Advances in Space Research

206

217

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Section: Orbit-derived Mass Densitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Accelerometersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermospheric mass density: A review

Emmert

2015

Advances in Space Research

206

217

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“…This motion heats the atmosphere, just as driving a current through a wire generates heat as in car rear window defoggers. The hotter atmosphere expands, thus increasing drag on satellites, which can take them out of their intended orbit [e.g., Bruinsma and Forbes, 2008;Lechtenberg et al, 2013]. The motion of magnetic fields away from the Sun also loads the magnetotail (the portion of the magnetosphere away from the Sun) with magnetic energy.…”

Section: Magnetic Reconnection and Space Weathermentioning

confidence: 99%

Inside the Black Box: Magnetic Reconnection and the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission

Cassak¹

2016

Space Weather

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The motivation for the recently launched Magnetospheric Multiscale mission is learning about the process of magnetic reconnection, especially the physics of what is called the diffusion region. The diffusion region is often treated as a black box but is the home of very important physics, which is of great significance to understanding space weather. This article is a brief review of what is known-and not known-about the diffusion region in magnetic reconnection, written for the broad space weather community and its stakeholders (with an appendix for readers interested in more technical matters). The focus is on the physics of magnetic reconnection and the diffusion region, why it has been challenging to study, how MMS will contribute, and how the community will benefit from its measurements. Setting the StageNASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission was successfully launched on 12 March 2015. The mission was conceived to help understand the somewhat mysterious process called magnetic reconnection. While it is widely appreciated that magnetic reconnection plays a crucial role in space weather (it is discussed in more than 70 Space Weather Journal articles), the many stakeholders of space weather may not be familiar with the process, why understanding it is useful for science and for space weather applications, and how MMS will contribute. The goal of this brief review is to offer clarity on these questions to the space weather community, its industrial stakeholders, and to policy makers. What Is Magnetic Reconnection?Magnetic reconnection, often simply referred to as reconnection, is a process that takes place in gases of sufficiently high temperature that electrons can remain apart from their nuclei. Such gases are called plasmas, and they naturally occur in every star in the universe and most of the regions between stars and between planets. They also can be produced on Earth; fluorescent light bulbs, TV and computer screens, and neon lights all contain plasmas. Plasmas are also important to the pursuit of energy production through fusion, where gases are made to be hot enough that their nuclei stick together when they collide.Many plasmas, including those in stars and in interstellar and interplanetary space, are accompanied by a magnetic field; magnetic fields in plasmas are important because they interact strongly with the charged particles in plasmas, whereas they hardly have any effect on neutral gases such as the air we breathe. In the simplest description of a plasma (called magnetohydrodynamics, which is simply a description of a plasma as if it was a fluid like water except that it interacts with magnetic fields), one can show that magnetic field lines retain their identity. This means that one can follow magnetic field lines as they effectively move through space with their surrounding plasma.While appealing due to its simplicity, the model is grossly oversimplified. It turns out that magnetic field lines, when they point in opposite directions in a small region of space, can effectively...

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“…Although many TMD variations have been intensively studied in recent years, their quantitative impact on the orbital dynamics has not been fully investigated. For example, Lechtenberg et al (2013) examined the traveling atmospheric disturbances, geomagnetic cusp, and MDM in the TMD derived from precise orbits and accelerometer measurements of GRACE and CHAMP. However, the impact of these three TMD variations on the orbit propagation results was not separated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Thermospheric Mass Density on the Orbit Prediction of LEO Satellites

et al. 2020

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Many thermospheric mass density (TMD) variations have been recognized in observationsand physical simulations; however, their impact on the low-Earth-orbit satellites has not been fully evaluated. The present study investigates the quantitative impact of periodic spatiotemporal TMD variations modulated by the empirical DTM2013 model. Also considered are two small-scale variations, that is, the equatorial mass anomaly and the midnight density maximum, which are reproduced by the Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model. This investigation is performed through a 1-day orbit prediction (OP) simulation for a 400-km circular orbit. The results show that the impact of TMD variations during solar maximum is 1 order of magnitude larger than that during solar minimum. The dominant impact has been found in the along-track direction. Semiannual and semidiurnal variations in TMD exert the most significant impact on OP among the intra-annual and intradiurnal variations, respectively. The zero mean periodic variations in TMD may not significantly affect the predicted orbit but increase the orbital uncertainty if their periods are shorter than the time span of OP. Additionally, the equatorial mass anomaly creates a mean orbit difference of 50 m (5 m) with a standard deviation of 30 m (3 m) in 1-day OP during high (low) solar activity. The midnight density maximum exhibits a stronger impact in the order of 150 ± 30 and 15 ± 6 m during solar maximum and solar minimum, respectively. This study makes clear that careful selection of TMD variations is of great importance to balance the trade-off between efficiency and accuracy in OP problems.where ⃗ v is the velocity of the satellite and ⃗ v r is the relative velocity of the satellite with respect to the wind ⃗ v w . In the orbit prediction (OP) simulation performed in this study, these equations are evaluated in the Earth-centered inertial frame.Empirical thermospheric mass density (TMD) models can be used for atmospheric drag calculations, for example, NRLMSISE-00 (Naval Research Laboratory Mass Spectrometer Incoherent Scatter Radar Series) (Picone et al., 2002), JB2008 (Jacchia-Bowman) (Bowman et al., 2008), and DTM2013 (Drag Temperature Model) (Bruinsma, 2015). Accurate TMD prediction is critical in the tracking and collision avoidance of LEO satellites. The error of empirical TMD models is one of the largest sources of uncertainty in OP for LEO

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Thermospheric density variations: Observability using precision satellite orbits and effects on orbit propagation

Cited by 14 publications

References 40 publications

Thermospheric mass density: A review

Thermospheric mass density: A review

Inside the Black Box: Magnetic Reconnection and the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission

Impact of Thermospheric Mass Density on the Orbit Prediction of LEO Satellites

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