SLR Technique Used For Description Of The Earth Elasticity

Abstract We present estimated values for the global elastic parameters (h2, l2) derived from the analysis of Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) data. We analyse SLR data for LAGEOS 1 and LAGEOS 2 and for two low satellites, STARLETTE and STELLA, collected over a period of 2.5 years, from January 1 2005 to July 1 2007, from 18 globally distributed ground stations. The adjusted final values (h2, l2) for all satellites are compared. A major discrepancy between the two solutions was only found for the Shida number l2. Computations were performed using GEODYN II NASA/GSFC software. The following analysis is the continuation of our research published in Jagoda and Rutkowska (2013); that analysis was conducted separately for the two low satellites, STELLA and STARLETTE (separately for STELLA and separately for STARLETTE) whereas in this study we present the results of determining h2 and l2 parameters obtained from the joint observation of the STELLA and STARLETTE satellites (STARLETTE + STELLA) and joint observation of high satellites: LAGEOS 1 and LAGEOS 2 (LAGEOS 1 + LAGEOS 2). The combination of the observation aims at an increased stability of the estimates and reduced errors of the means of the parameters being determined.