Thermal force effects on slowly rotating, spherical artificial satellites—I. Solar heating

Abstract

The heating of a spinning artificial satellite by natural radiation sources such as the Sun and the Earth results in temperature gradients arising across the satellite's surface. The corresponding anisotropic emission of thermal radiation leads to a recoil force, commonly referred to as “thermal force”. A quantitative theory of this effect is developed, based on more general assumptions than used so far, to model such radiation forces on spherically symmetric LAGEOS-like satellites. In particular, the theory holds for any ratio of the three basic timescales of the problem: the rotation period of the satellite, the orbital period around the Earth, and the relaxation time for the thermal processes. Thus, the simplifying assumption of a comparatively fast rotational motion is avoided, which will fail for LAGEOS within the next decade, owing to magnetic dissipation effects. A number of predictions about the future behaviour of non-gravitational long-term orbital perturbations of LAGEOS become possible with the new theory. In particular the Yarkovsky-Schach thermal force effects are studied arising as a consequence of the solar radiation flux onto the satellite, periodically interrupted by eclipses. Starting on about year 2005, the orbital perturbation effects predicted by the new theory are substantially different from those inferred in the fast-rotation case. This holds not only for the long-term semimajor axis effects, but also for eccentricity and inclination perturbations.