Observations of TOPEX/Poseidon Orbit Errors Due to Gravitational and Tidal Modeling Errors Using the Global Positioning System

摘要

Satellite altimetry must measure variations in ocean topography with cm-level accuracy. The TOPEX/Poseidon mission is designed to do this by measuring the radial component of the orbit with an accuracy of 13 cm or better RMS. Recent advances, however, have improved this accuracy by about an order of magnitude.