Albedo Perturbation Models - General Formalism and Applications to LAGEOS
Abstract
The force due to radiation pressure on a satellite of arbitrary shape is written in a general form within a formalism similar to that used in the theory of radiative transfer in atmospheres. Then the corresponding integrals are evaluated for the simple case of a spherically symmetric satellite, and applied to model the perturbation due to the Earth-reflected radiation flux on LAGEOS. For this purpose, the optical behaviour of the Earth's surface and atmosphere is described as a combination of Lambertian diffusion (continents), partial specular reflection consistent with Fresnel law (oceans) and anisotropic diffusion according to Chandrasekhar's radiative transfer theory (clouds). The in-plane Gauss componentsT andS vs. mean anomaly are computed for a simple orbital geometry and for different models of the Earth's optical properties. A sensitive dependence is found on the assumed cloud distribution, with significant perturbations possibly arising from oceanic specular reflection when the satellite is close to the Earth's shadow boundaries.
- Publication:
-
Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy
- Pub Date:
- October 1993
- DOI:
- 10.1007/BF00692475
- Bibcode:
- 1993CeMDA..57..225V
- Keywords:
-
- Albedo;
- Astronomical Models;
- Formalism;
- Lageos (Satellite);
- Orbit Perturbation;
- Radiation Pressure;
- Satellite Orbits;
- Specular Reflection;
- Atmospheric Optics;
- Bouguer Law;
- Cloud Cover;
- Earth Atmosphere;
- Mathematical Models;
- Radiative Transfer;
- Astrophysics;
- Artificial satellites;
- non-gravitational perturbations;
- radiation mechanisms