Physics
Scientific paper
Mar 1997
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1997lpi....28.1637z&link_type=abstract
Conference Paper, 28th Annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, p. 637.
Physics
2
Mercury Surface, Topography, Remote Sensing, Planetary Gravitation, Libration, Planetary Rotation, Gravitational Fields, Data Simulation, Icy Satellites
Scientific paper
A property of solid planets or natural satellites that are in synchronous rotation with the rotation of the central body is that they often exhibit librations due to the ellipticity of the orbital motion and their nonsphericity. This librational motion is generally very small but it can be used as a diagnostic for the body's internal structure (i.e., core size and physical state) because fluid material present in the planet's core responds differently to the irregular rotational motion than the solid mantle surrounding it. This libration can also be detected in the gravity field and the topography as variations in the rotation rate of static models of these two fields. We have undertaken a study of the recovery of the amplitude and phase of the libration of a planet about the size of Mercury with synthetic gravity and topography fields similar to that of the moon. We have simulated the Doppler tracking of a typical orbital planetary mission for one Earth year and simulated the acquisition of altimetry data for the same period. From analysis of the combined tracking and the altimetry data sets, we demonstrate that it is possible to simultaneously recover, at levels suitable for geophysical interpretation, the planet's gravity field, topography, rotation rate, and pole position, as well as the amplitude and phase of the physical librations.
Smith David E.
Zuber Maria T.
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