Citation
Abstract
The potential improvements in navigation capability of dual spacecraft tracking have been demonstrated using Viking approach data. Under unfavorable conditions of large plasma noise, low spacecraft declination and large Earth-spacecraft distance, the dual spacecraft tracking technique improved the Viking B approach accuracy based on short-arc radio metric data, by a factor of 7, to less than 200 km at Mars Orbit Insertion (MOI) minus 3 days. From the results of an analytical expansion and the Viking . demonstration with a large intentional error in Mars ephemeris, we are able to conclude that dual spacecraft data types are insensitive to ephemeris error. Results also reveal the potential reduction of tracking time requirements during planet approach.
Details
- Volume
- 42-43
- Published
- February 15, 1978
- Pages
- 50–66
- File Size
- 1.2 MB