Calculation of satellite drag coefficients
Abstract
Calculation of Cd for satellites using accommodation coefficients is reviewed. A phenomenological model for accommodation coefficients due to Hurlbut, Sherman, and Nocilla is used to obtain values for the accommodation coefficients for average satellite materials, thermosphere constituents and temperatures, and satellite velocities using a number of laboratory measurements. There is a significant difference between these results and the traditional method of calculating Cd. These differences contribute as much as 20% error in use of thermosphere models for calculation of satellite drag.
- Publication:
-
NASA STI/Recon Technical Report N
- Pub Date:
- July 1994
- Bibcode:
- 1994STIN...9523781G
- Keywords:
-
- Accommodation Coefficient;
- Aerodynamic Coefficients;
- Aerodynamic Drag;
- Artificial Satellites;
- Data Processing;
- Meteorological Satellites;
- Satellite Drag;
- Thermosphere;
- Atmospheric Density;
- Atmospheric Models;
- Computation;
- Earth Orbits;
- Errors;
- Spacecraft Design, Testing and Performance