Abstract
The chief variations in upper-atmosphere density are described, and it is shown how each of them affects the orbits of close Earth satellites. The main features discussed are:
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1.
the irregular variations in density dependent on solar activity, which may cause great changes in a few days, as well as a 27-day recurrence tendency;
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2.
the day-to-night and semi-annual variations in density, which cause nearly-periodic changes in orbits: for the day-to-night variation the period is usually between 2 months and 2 years, while the semi-annual effect leads to maxima of density in April and October, and minima in January and July; and
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3.
the large changes in density during a sunspot cycle, which give rise to a 10-or 11 -year recurrence tendency.
The changes in orbital inclination caused by the rotation of the atmosphere are also briefly described.
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King-Hele, D.G. (1970). The Upper Atmosphere and its Influence on Satellite Orbits. In: Morando, B. (eds) Dynamics of Satellites (1969). COSPAR-IAU-IAG/IUGG-IUTAM. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-99966-6_31
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-99966-6_31
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