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Science 6 February 1959:
Vol. 129. no. 3345, pp. 329 - 330
DOI: 10.1126/science.129.3345.329
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Articles

Earth Oblateness in Terms of Satellite Orbital Periods

LEON BLITZER 1

1 Department of Physics, University of Arizona, Tucson, and Space Technology Laboratories, Los Angeles, California

A theoretical equation relating the earth's oblateness to the anomalistic and nodical periods and orbit parameters of an earth satellite is presented. In the absence of exact data on nodical periods, Vanguard prediction data are utilized to obtain a check calculation for the oblateness and to establish the validity of the method.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)