Lecture Description
Determining the global gravitational field requires the estimation of the coefficients of a mathematical model based on precise satellite tracking data. Today, two principal types of measurements are used for global gravity field determination: (i) precise measurements of satellite orbits or inter-satellite distance variations, and (ii) in situ measurements of the second derivatives of the gravitational potential obtained by satellite gradiometry.
After an introduction to the principles of precise orbit determination—presented as a generalisation of the classical orbit determination problem—all relevant methods are discussed in detail. The lecture also presents current research results from the Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern (AIUB), as well as extensions of these methods to space probes orbiting other celestial bodies.
