An efficient algorithm for computing the Earth's gravitational potential and its derivatives at satellite altitudes.
Abstract
An efficient algorithm in sense of precision and computation time is presented for computing the Earth's gravitational potential and its derivatives of any order with respect to spherical and cartesian geocentric coordinates at satellite altitudes. On the base of new normalization of the associated Legendre functions and stable recurrence "column-wise" relations for their computation new recurrence formulae have been derived for both surface and solid spherical functions. The method can be used for predicting orbits of Earth's artificial satellites of any type, including polar ones, and also for effective computations of geopotential transformants at the Earth's surface by means of high resolution models.
- Publication:
-
Manuscr. Geod.
- Pub Date:
- 1992
- Bibcode:
- 1992MGeo...17..104B