PREDICTION OF ARTIFICIAL SATELLITE MOTION UNDER THE OBLATENESS AND ATMOSPHERIC DRAG EFFECTS

Abstract

The study of the motion of artificial satellites differs much from that of the planets, asteroidsa, and natural satellites in that:

(i) The eccentricity e and inclination i take any value and hence expansiOns m powers of i are not possible, and in power of e are not preferable.

(ii) The short periods of revolution yield rapid motions of the nodal and apsidal lines. Hence the long-period perturbations are to be separated from the scular perturbations in constrast to planetary theory.