Re: Optical sighting orbit determination method

From: Tony Beresford (dberesford@adam.com.au)
Date: Wed Feb 04 2004 - 01:58:02 EST

  • Next message: Russell Eberst: "FEB3.OBS"

    At 05:25 4/02/04, you wrote:
    >Hello all,
    >Has anyone out there ever implemented the Gaussian angles only orbit
    >determination method using f and g series in MathCAD?  I followed the method
    >described in Bate-Mueller-White's Fundamentals of Astrodynamics but do not
    >get reasonable answers on use of it.  In fact, even after checking my
    >nomenclature and implementation many times over I am still getting a trivial
    >answer if the declination of a satellite is zero for all three of the times
    >it is observed.
    
    The gaussian method fails in general when the points involved are on a 
    great circle. This point is usually covered in celestial mechanics textbooks.
    The equator is a great circle.
    Tony Beresford
    
    
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