Pole position from laser ranging to Lageos - University of Padova/Telespazio Report

Lageos data were analyzed to estimate the earth rotation parameters during the MERIT campaign from September 1, 1983 to October 31, 1984. The data span was divided into consecutive overlapping (1 day) arcs, of 15 days in one solution and 30 days in a second solution. The NASA-GSFC program GEODYN was used to systematically estimate, for each arc, a number of model parameters, including the x,y coordinates of the pole and Al-UTl by weighted least square analysis. For each arc, data were selected from a fixed network of fifteen stations. Time series of the pole position at one and two day intervals are presented, and results on consecutive estimates of the Lageos orbital parameters over several months are discussed.