HR: 1340h
AN: G33C-0054    [Abstracts]
TI: Comparison of Two Different GPS Kinematic Point Positioning Methods Used For Low Earth Orbiting Satellites
AU: * Bock, H
EM: heike.bock@aiub.unibe.ch
AF: Astronomical Institute University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, Bern, 3012 Switzerland
AU: Beutler, G
EM:
AF: Astronomical Institute University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, Bern, 3012 Switzerland
AU: Jäggi, A
EM:
AF: Astronomical Institute University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, Bern, 3012 Switzerland
AU: Hugentobler, U
EM:
AF: Astronomical Institute University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, Bern, 3012 Switzerland
AB: Kinematic positions of a LEO (Low Earth Orbiter) derived from GPS observations are widely used for gravity field estimations, e.g., using the so-called energy-integral method. An important limiting factor for this method is the quality of the kinematic positions which heavily depends on the pre-processing of the GPS observations. We focus on two different methods of kinematic point positioning of LEOs. This is on one hand the conventional zero-difference kinematic point positioning procedure and on the other hand an approach directly providing position-differences based on GPS phase-differenced observations. We compare the position-differences obtained by the two methods. Comparison of the results with reduced-dynamic orbit solutions provides additional information on the accuracy of the position-differences. In addition the variance-covariance information of positions and position-differences is analyzed and correlated with the estimated positions and position-differences. Kinematic position-differences derived from simulated as well as from real GPS data from the low Earth orbiting satellites CHAMP, GRACE A and B are analyzed for this purpose.
DE: 1200 GEODESY AND GRAVITY
SC: Geodesy [G]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005