An improved theory for determining changes in satellite orbits caused by meridional winds

Abstract

Meridional (south - to - north) winds in the upper atmosphere may be specified by the equivalent angular rotation rate, Ф and previous theories for the effect of meridional winds on satellite orbits have used Ф as the controlling parameter. In this report the theory is developed anew in terms of the parameter M = Ф Sec Ф, where Ф is the latitude. It is shown that in practice M is just as useful as Ф; and M has the advantage of leading to a much simpler and more accurate theory for expressing the changes in orbital inclination and right ascension of an orbit of any eccentricity (0 < e < 1) produced by meridional winds in an oblate atmosphere. The theory is developed in two parts: for high eccentricity ( e > 0.05) and for low eccentricity ( e < 0.05).