Abstract
The orbit of the satellite 1970-97B, the rocket of Cosmos 378, at inclination 74°, has been determined at 18 epochs between April and August 1971, when the effects of 14th-order resonance with the Earth's gravitational field were appreciable. The orbits were determined with the PROP 6 program from Hewitt camera, kinetheodolite, U.S. Navy and visual observations, and an average accuracy of 90 m in perigee distance was achieved, despite the low perigee height (near 230 km) and the consequent high drag. The orbits, together with 13 previously evaluated, have been analysed to reveal the effects of the 14th-order resonance and to evaluate six lumped geopotential harmonics of order 14. Because the orbit passed through resonance rapidly, the values are not as accurate as those from slow resonances; but they are more accurate than any others available for an inclination near 74°, and have proved their worth in a recent determination of individual 14th-order coefficients.
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