Abstract
When a satellite makes 16 revolutions per day as the Earth rotates once relative to the orbital plane, the orbit is sensitive to the effects of 10th-order harmonics in the geopotential. Analysis of such orbits can in principle yield values of “lumped harmonics” of order 16; but in practice the analysis is very difficult because the average height of the satellite is about 200 km and air drag is severe. Previously, only two successful analyses have been made, for 1973-27A and 1973-82B: here we make three more, for 1971-106A, 1972-05B and 1980-43A. The five pairs of lumped harmonics thus obtained are used to determine values for individual harmonic coefficients of order 16 and degree 17, 19,…, 25. Of these, the values for degrees 17, 19 and 21 have an average standard deviation equivalent to 2 cm in geoid height. The lumped harmonics are also used to test existing comprehensive models of the gravity field: we conclude that, for order 16, these models have deficiencies, especially at high latitudes.
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