HR: 0800h
AN: GP31A-0828    [Abstracts]
TI: Close encounters of CHAMP, Oerested, and SAC-C satellites
AU: Smith, Jr., R
EM: rsmithjr@core2.gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: Dept. of Geology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901 United States
AU: * Purucker, M E
EM: purucker@geomag.gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: Raytheon ITSS at Geodynamics Br, Goddard Space Flight Center/NASA, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AB: Utilizing observations of the field taken every 20 seconds between January, 2001 and May 2004, we assembled a database of the angular separation of the sub-satellite tracks, and close encounters of the CHAMP, Oersted, and SAC-C satellites. We expect that this data base will be useful for defining the variability in time and space of the geomagnetic field, for calibration and intercalibration of the three satellites, for detailed local studies of the lithospheric field via gradients, and as a test bed for the upcoming Swarm mission. The products produced included 1) daily maps and files of the angular separation of the two satellites, 2) maps and a data base showing the location of close encounters (1,2,5,10,15, and 20 degree separations) of the three satellites, and 3) for the 1 degree separations, a database where the main field as determined by CM4 has been removed from the total field observations. The sub-satellite tracks of CHAMP and Oersted were separated by less than 1 degree some 412 times in the 3.4 years studied. Most of these close encounters were at high latitudes. The comparable figure for Oersted and SAC-C was 328, and for CHAMP and SAC-C it was 173.
UR: http://planetary-mag.net/virtual
DE: 1500 GEOMAGNETISM AND PALEOMAGNETISM
SC: Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism [GP]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting