COVARIANCE AS A METRIC FOR CATALOG MAINTENANCE ERROR

摘要

An evaluation is performed of the ability to use the covariance from special perturbations orbit determination as a metric for actual orbit error. A software tool has been developed which statistically examines the covariance matrix from catalog maintenance, and determines how well the covariance represents the error as compared to available reference orbits, allowing easy recognition of unexpected covariance values. A reference orbit simulator has been developed for use with objects for which reliable reference orbits are not available. Statistical results are presented, along with an evaluation of the usefulness of the covariance as a metric for catalog maintenance error.