Asteroid and Spacecraft Dynamics 1990

Global dynamics of asteroidal and cometary impacts could have important consequences not only on the shaping of planetary surface structures and atmospheric/oceanic constitutions but also on the origin and extinction of life. The papers presented in the first section of this volume indicate promising directions for research work in seeking the linkage between planetesimal debris remaining from planetary formation and their continuing impacts on the geological evolution and the history of life on different planets. The second section in this volume highlights the latest developments in spacecraft dynamics. The special techniques provided by satellite laser ranging for tracking satellite orbits have proved highly successful over the past twenty years. The models of the Earth's gravity field, atmospheric drag and radiation forces acting on the satellites are improving continuously whilst innovative techniques such as space-borne gradiometry and GPS positioning will become increasingly important.
 
Global dynamics of asteroidal and cometary impacts could have important consequences not only on the shaping of planetary surface structures and atmospheric/oceanic constitutions but also on the origin and extinction of life. The papers presented in the first section of this volume indicate promising directions for research work in seeking the linkage between planetesimal debris remaining from planetary formation and their continuing impacts on the geological evolution and the history of life on different planets. The second section in this volume highlights the latest developments in spacecraft dynamics. The special techniques provided by satellite laser ranging for tracking satellite orbits have proved highly successful over the past twenty years. The models of the Earth's gravity field, atmospheric drag and radiation forces acting on the satellites are improving continuously whilst innovative techniques such as space-borne gradiometry and GPS positioning will become increasingly important.