More accurate than Santa Claus: First Galileo satellite orbit determination with high precision
Friday, December 23, 2011 - 10:10
in Astronomy & Space
Every year for Christmas, the North American Air Defense Command NORAD posts an animation on their website, in which the exact flight path of Santa Claus' sled led by reindeer Rudolf is precisely located. By analyzing observational data, the GFZ scientists were able to determine the orbit of satellites, which are flying at an altitude of 23222 km, for the first time to a few decimeters.
