How Operational Oceanography Can Benefit from Dynamic Topography Estimates as Derived from Altimetry and Improved Geoid

With a precise geoid, GOCE will allow an estimation of absolute dynamic topography from altimetry. The projected benefits to operational oceanography and its applications are analyzed herein. After a brief overview of operational oceanography, we explain how the new geoids will be used in the future to improve real time altimeter products and to better constrain modelling and data assimilation systems. A significant impact is expected both for mesoscale (e.g. better estimations and forecasts of currents for pollution monitoring, marine safety, offshore industry) and climate (better initialization of coupled ocean/atmosphere models) applications. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Resolution Needed for an Adequate Determination of the Mean Ocean Circulation from Altimetry and an Improved Geoid

The sea surface topography observed by satellite altimetry is a combination of the geoid and of the ocean dynamic topography. Satellite altimetry has thus the potential to supply quasi-global maps of mean sea surface heights from which the mean geostrophic surface ocean currents can be derived, provided that the geoid is known with a sufficient absolute accuracy. At present, however, given the limited accuracy of the best available geoid, altimetric mean sea surface topographies have been derived only up to degree 15 or so, i.e. for wavelengths of approximately 2000 km and larger. CHAMP, GRACE, and the future GOCE missions are dedicated to the improvement of the Earth's gravity field from space. Several studies have recently investigated the impact of these improvements for oceanography, concluding to reductions of uncertainties on the oceanic flux estimates as large as a factor of 2 in the regions of intense an narrow currents. The aim of this paper is to focus on what are the typical horizontal scales of the mean dynamic topography of the ocean, and to compare their characteristics to the error estimates expected from altimetry and these future geoids. It gives also an illustration of the oceanic features that will be resolved by the combination of altimetry and the GRACE and GOCE geoids. It further reassesses the very demanding requirements in term of accuracy and resolution agreed in the design of these new gravity missions for ocean science applications. The present study relies on recent very high-resolution numerical Ocean General Circulation Model simulations. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

晶振误差特性及其对弹载卫星导航接收机的影响分析

在卫星导航定位中,需要通过测量时间来计算伪距和伪距率,因此晶振的应用尤为重要。特别是当弹载卫星接收机工作在振动、高动态等恶劣的工作环境中时,晶振性能会明显恶化。提出了晶振长期稳定性、短期稳定性、相位噪声等误差特性的描述,以及这些误差特性对接收机捕获、跟踪、定位测速影响的仿真分析,并根据仿真结果提出了相应的晶振选型分析和应用方法,以使卫星导航接收机能够满足其工作要求。     

卫星MEMS热控系统的动态特性及自主控制策略

在卫星热控系统中将高效冷却技术与系统层次的智能控制策略相结合是完成航天热控任务的理想候选方案。针对一种基于微机电系统(MEMS)的微槽道换热器和微百叶窗在卫星主动热控系统中应用的方案,应用集总参数法建立了受控对象的系统动态响应模型;提出了一种引入外热流协调因子和专家智能整定比例-积分-微分(PID)控制相结合的自主温度控制策略;完成了其在纳卫星上应用效果的仿真研究。仿真结果表明:自主温度控制策略能够根据当前的控制局势及变化趋势对多个被控量进行自主协调,不但能够有效满足星载电子设备的苛刻温控要求,同时也是实现卫星高度自主飞行的关键技术之一;该温度控制策略同样适用于其他控制场合。     

Towards a One Percent Measurement of Frame Dragging by Spin with Satellite Laser Ranging to LAGEOS, LAGEOS 2 and LARES and GRACE Gravity Models

During the past century Einstein’s theory of General Relativity gave rise to an experimental triumph; however, there are still aspects of this theory to be measured or more accurately tested. Today one of the main challenges in experimental gravitation, together with the direct detection of gravitational waves, is the accurate measurement of the gravitomagnetic field generated by the angular momentum of a body. Here, after a brief introduction on frame-dragging, gravitomagnetism and Lunar Laser Ranging tests, we describe the past measurements of frame-dragging by the Earth spin using the satellites LAGEOS, LAGEOS 2 and the Earth’s gravity models obtained by the GRACE project. We demonstrate that these measurements have an accuracy of approximately 10%. We then describe the LARES experiment to be launched in 2010 by the Italian Space Agency for a measurement of frame-dragging with an accuracy of a few percent. We finally demonstrate that a number of claims by a single individual, that the error budget of the frame-dragging measurements with LAGEOS-LAGEOS 2 and LARES has been underestimated, are indeed ill-founded.     

Characteristics of shocks in the solar corona,as inferred from radio,optical, and theoretical investigations

Solar radio bursts of spectral type II provide one of the chief diagnostics for the propagation of shocks through the solar corona. Radio data on the shocks are compared with computer models for propagation of fast-mode MHD shocks through the solar corona. Data on coronal shocks and high-velocity ejecta from solar flares are then discussed in terms of a general model consisting of three main velocity regimes.An invited paper presented at STIP Workshop on Shock Waves in the Solar Corona and Interplanetary Space, 15–19 June, 1980, Smolenice, Czechoslovakia.