Treating absolute gravity data as a spacecraft tracking problem

Abstract

Modern absolute gravity meters utilize laser interferometers to measure the acceleration of a retroreflector that is falling freely in a vacuum chamber. This paper describes a novel approach to processing the resulting data by employing algorithms developed for processing perturbed spacecraft orbits. These algorithms allow unprecedented accuracy, flexibility, and ease of treatment of a variety of troublesome error sources including such things as drag effects and local gravitational or electromagnetic fields.