Abstract AAS 97-685

AAS 97-685

AN EVALUATION OF THE JACCHIA 1971 AND MSISE 1990 ATMOSPHERIC MODELS USING NASA ODERACS2 DATA

S.H. Chastain, C.C. Chao - The Aerospace Corporation

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a study comparing two widely-used atmospheric models, Jacchia 1971 and MSISE 1990, in determining the drag coefficient at altitudes below 350 Km. The study is based on the data collected from the Orbital Debris Radar Calibration Spheres II (ODERACS2) project. The data were used to establish the trajectories of objects with a known size and mass as a reference. Software simulations using both atmospheric models matched the trajectories as closely as possible and generated estimated values for the drag coefficient. The findings of this study may be useful for improving the accuracy of orbit decay prediction and orbit sustenance fuel estimation.