Provides an overview of how artificial satellites are used to study the Earth's shape, rotation, and gravitational field, emphasizing Earth and space-based tracking of artificial satellites. Topics: satellite orbit perturbations due to the gravity field, satellite tracking systems (including SLR, GPS, DORIS, etc.), parameter estimation, earth rotation and reference frames, time systems, ocean and solid Earth tides, and gravity field representations. Much of the material could be considered part of an advanced astrodynamics course, and thus it is an appropriate follow-on to ASEN 5050 (Space Flight Dynamics).

I. Introduction II. Representations of the Gravity Field 1. MacCullagh's Formula 2. Spherical Harmonic Representation 3. Point Mass / Density Layer 4. The Geoid 5. Current Knowledge of the Earth's Gravity Field III. Satellite Equations of Motion 1. Coordinate Systems and Reference frames 2. Time Systems 3. Gravitational and non-gravitational forces IV. Satellite Orbital Perturbations Due to the Gravity Field 1. Kaula's Solution 2. Perturbation Spectrum V. Earth Orientation 1. Nutation and Precession 2. Polar Motion 3. Rotation VI. The Static Gravity Field and Ocean Circulation 1. The Ocean Circulation 2. Geostrophic Currents 3. The Geoid and Dynamic Sea Surface Topography (DSST) 4. Satellite Altimeter Measurements of DSST VII. Tidal Variations of

Students will study the theory of how satellites are used to measure the shape and gravity field of the Earth and the planets, and how they change with time.

Graduate standing.

Access to PowerPoint, Work, e-mail, and the Internet. Students accessing the course via video streaming or downloading should go to caete.colorado.edu/deliverymedia for hardware specifications