Atmospheric density at 169 km from accelerometer measurements and orbital decay of a low altitude satellite |
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| Authors: | BK Ching HR Rugge |
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| Institution: | Space Physics Laboratory, Laboratory Operations, The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, California 90245, U.S.A. |
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| Abstract: | Atmospheric densities at 169 km have been obtained for the period 19 August–3 September 1970 from the measurements of an accelerometer on a low altitude satellite and from the orbital decay of the same satellite. Three different sets of local time and latitude conditions were provided by the data; two from the accelerometer measurements, before and after perigee, and one at perigee, from the orbital decay data. Under the generally quiet magnetic activity conditions that prevailed during the data-taking period, the short term density fluctuations were found to be poorly correlated with the small Kp variations. However, on the greater time scale of a day, a definite relationship was found between the daily average density and the daily geomagnetic index Ap. Further, the increase in the density corresponding to Ap was largest at the highest latitude. The high latitude accelerometer data exhibited a quasi-daily periodicity, with maximum densities occurring when the satellite was within the dayside cusp. This effect also appeared to depend on the degree of auroral electrojet activity as defined by the AE index. Comparisons of the data with the Jacchia?70 and ?71 models indicated that these models may give density values which are too small for the conditions and time period corresponding to the data. |
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