Information from deep‐space tracking

JUL 01, 1969

Close inspection of spacecraft orbits has yielded a surprising amount of data on masses, radii, atmosphere and gravity of the moon and some planets and most recently lunar mascons.

DOI: 10.1063/1.3035674

Paul M. Muller

William L. Sjogren

THE REMARKABLE NAVIGATION feats of the US deep‐space probes were accomplished because of the farsighted attitude assumed in the development of a radio tracking system at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It was probably not fully realized at the outset what an enormous amount of scientific information would eventually be extracted from the data.

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References

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More about the authors

Paul M. Muller, Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

William L. Sjogren, Jet Propulsion Laboratory.