The LAGEOS satellites orbital residuals determination and the Lense-Thirring effect measurement

The method applied since 1996 for the analysis of the orbital residuals of the LAGEOS satellites in order to measure the Lense-Thirring effect has been the subject of the present work. This method, based on the difference between the orbital elements of consecutive arcs, is explained and analysed also from the analytical point of view. It is proved that this “difference method” works well for the determination of the secular effects, as in the case of the relativistic precession induced by the Earth's angular momentum, but also very useful for the determination and study of the long-term periodic effects. Indeed, the only limitation in the determination of the periodic effects is the possibility of the reduction of their amplitude by a factor which depends from the periodicity of the given perturbation and from the orbital arc length chosen for the satellite during the data analysis. In the case of the Yarkovsky-Schach effect, the main non-gravitational perturbation seen in the LAGEOS satellites orbital residuals, in particular in its perigee rate and eccentricity vector excitation residuals, we show that the “difference method” is quite good also for the determination of the long-period perturbations induced by this subtle non-conservative force.