Using spacecraft range data and radar observations for the improvement of the orbital elements of planets and parameters of Mars rotation

E. V. Pitjeva

Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, Symposium 172, S. Ferraz-Mello, B. Morando, J.E. Arlot (Eds.) Dynamics, ephemerides and astrometry of the solar system, 45-48 (1996)

Аннотация

The extremely precise Viking (1972–1982) and Mariner data (1971–1972) were processed simultaneously with the radar-ranging observations of Mars made in Goldstone, Haystack and Arecibo in 1971–1973 for the improvement of the orbital elements of Mars and Earth and parameters of Mars rotation. Reduction of measurements included relativistic corrections, effects of propagation of electromagnetic signals in the Earth troposphere and in the solar corona, corrections for topography of the Mars surface. The precision of the least squares estimates is rather high, for example formal standard deviations of semi-major axis of Mars and Earth and the Astronomical Unit were 1–2 m.