Citation
Abstract
The interchangeability of total electron content data for the purpose of ionospheric calibration of deep space radio metric data, both locally and across the North American Continent, is demonstrated. Comparisons were made between calibrations produced from Faraday rotation data recorded at Stanford and Goldstone in California and at Hamilton in Massachusetts for simulated missions to Mars. The results, in terms of equivalent station location errors, are shown. The averages of the differences between the tracking station spin radius errors are below one meter with standard deviations of about one meter for both data sources. The averages of the differences of ionospheric effect on longitude changes are also less than one meter with uncertainties of two to three meters. Transcontinental mapping of Faraday rotation measurements is concluded to be a competitive calibration scheme with local mapping. However, because of the large scatter in the longitude changes, the improvement in this coordinate using the electron data from another station is at best marginal. The geomagnetic latitude factor used in the mapping is also investigated. This factor is found essential to the mapping procedure.
Details
- Volume
- VII
- Published
- February 15, 1972
- Pages
- 61–67
- File Size
- 547.0 KB