Documents for the Data Analysis

This page is thought as a repository for the data and backgroundmodels needed for a reliable analysis of SLR observations. The focus is currently put on the ILRS ASC (Analysis Standing Committee) operational products but might be enlarged to pilot projects or other applications in the future. Further information on SLR and the ILRS in general can be found on the official ILRS website hosted at https://ilrs.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Official ILRS Analysis Centers (ACs) and Combination Centers (CC) might register at EDC and login to the internal ASC site in order to have access to recent discussion topics and data sets availabe to the ASC only.

Space segment

• Information on the satellites tracked with SLR can be found at the EDC website
• Up to now (July 2023), the satellites used for the operational (official) products of the ILRS ASC are LAGEOS-1/-2 (LA-1/-2) and Etalon1/-2 (ET-1/-2).
• TS file
• recommendations for integration step size, etc.

Ground segment

• ILRS DHF (most recent and former versions)
• ILRS TRF (SLRF2020 and former solutions)
• ILRS eccentricity file (most recent and former versions) --> ?
• ILRS occupation file --> ?

Observations (to LA-1/-2, ET-1/-2)

• different data formats: MERIT-II, CRD(v1), CRD(v2)
• Stanford counter issue --> link to special website/file at EDC
• list of "old" biases to be applied to the data before 1993.0

Analysis (background models, etc.)

• in general: IERS Conventions 2010
• TVG potentially used (Erricos' time series, COST-G, EIGEN, etc.)
• Earth tides (IERS Conventions 2010)
• Ocean tides: some models like EOT, GOT, etc.
• Atmospheric tides: Bode and Biancale
• Tropospheric refraction correction: Pavlis et al.
• relativistic effects: Lense-Thirring, deSitter, Schwarzschild
• NTL data (gravity + loading): ESMGFZ, etc.
• EOP: IERS XX C04
• sub-daily EOP: Desai and Sibois
• IERS secular pole model
• solar radiation
• Earth albedo and infrared radiation
• ephemeris (JPLXXX) and planets usually used
• gravity field of the Moon
• solar flux and indices

Operational products

• List of ACs
• current operational (official) ILRS ASC products: v180, v80, v280, SP3c orbits (single-AC + combined), predictions in CPF(v2) + latencies
• future operational products: v300, etc.
• former operational products: v170, v70, v230
• table with settings for operational products (AC-dependent)
• e.g., data rejection criteria (residual, obs per pass, obs per station)
• e.g., observation cutoff elevation angle

Extended space segment

• attitude, maneuver, mass history, ILRS phase center information
• TS models for other spherical satellites