Networks of dozens to hundreds of permanently operating precision Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers are emerging at spatial scales that range from 10(exp 0) to 10(exp 3) km. To keep the computational burden associated with the analysis of such data economically feasible, one approach is to first determine precise GPS satellite positions and clock corrections from a globally distributed network of GPS receivers. Their, data from the local network are analyzed by estimating receiver- specific parameters with receiver-specific data satellite parameters are held fixed at their values determined in the global solution. This "precise point positioning" allows analysis of data from hundreds to thousands of sites every (lay with 40-Mflop computers, with results comparable in quality to the simultaneous analysis of all data. The reference frames for the global and network solutions can be free of distortion imposed by erroneous fiducial constraints on any sites.

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1029/96JB03860

Precise point positioning for the efficient and robust analysis of GPS data from large networks

SUMMARY
We describe best-fitting angular velocities and MORVEL, a new closure-enforced set of angular velocities for the geologically current motions of 25 tectonic plates that collectively occupy 97 per cent of Earth's surface. Seafloor spreading rates and fault azimuths are used to determine the motions of 19 plates bordered by mid-ocean ridges, including all the major plates. Six smaller plates with little or no connection to the mid-ocean ridges are linked to MORVEL with GPS station velocities and azimuthal data. By design, almost no kinematic information is exchanged between the geologically determined and geodetically constrained subsets of the global circuit—MORVEL thus averages motion over geological intervals for all the major plates. Plate geometry changes relative to NUVEL-1A include the incorporation of Nubia, Lwandle and Somalia plates for the former Africa plate, Capricorn, Australia and Macquarie plates for the former Australia plate, and Sur and South America plates for the former South America plate. MORVEL also includes Amur, Philippine Sea, Sundaland and Yangtze plates, making it more useful than NUVEL-1A for studies of deformation in Asia and the western Pacific. Seafloor spreading rates are estimated over the past 0.78 Myr for intermediate and fast spreading centres and since 3.16 Ma for slow and ultraslow spreading centres. Rates are adjusted downward by 0.6–2.6 mm yr−1 to compensate for the several kilometre width of magnetic reversal zones. Nearly all the NUVEL-1A angular velocities differ significantly from the MORVEL angular velocities. The many new data, revised plate geometries, and correction for outward displacement thus significantly modify our knowledge of geologically current plate motions. MORVEL indicates significantly slower 0.78-Myr-average motion across the Nazca–Antarctic and Nazca–Pacific boundaries than does NUVEL-1A, consistent with a progressive slowdown in the eastward component of Nazca plate motion since 3.16 Ma. It also indicates that motions across the Caribbean–North America and Caribbean–South America plate boundaries are twice as fast as given by NUVEL-1A. Summed, least-squares differences between angular velocities estimated from GPS and those for MORVEL, NUVEL-1 and NUVEL-1A are, respectively, 260 per cent larger for NUVEL-1 and 50 per cent larger for NUVEL-1A than for MORVEL, suggesting that MORVEL more accurately describes historically current plate motions. Significant differences between geological and GPS estimates of Nazca plate motion and Arabia–Eurasia and India–Eurasia motion are reduced but not eliminated when using MORVEL instead of NUVEL-1A, possibly indicating that changes have occurred in those plate motions since 3.16 Ma. The MORVEL and GPS estimates of Pacific–North America plate motion in western North America differ by only 2.6 ± 1.7 mm yr−1, ≈25 per cent smaller than for NUVEL-1A. The remaining difference for this plate pair, assuming there are no unrecognized systematic errors and no measurable change in Pacific–North America motion over the past 1–3 Myr, indicates deformation of one or more plates in the global circuit. Tests for closure of six three-plate circuits indicate that two, Pacific–Cocos–Nazca and Sur–Nubia–Antarctic, fail closure, with respective linear velocities of non-closure of 14 ± 5 and 3 ± 1 mm yr−1 (95 per cent confidence limits) at their triple junctions. We conclude that the rigid plate approximation continues to be tremendously useful, but—absent any unrecognized systematic errors—the plates deform measurably, possibly by thermal contraction and wide plate boundaries with deformation rates near or beneath the level of noise in plate kinematic data.

Geologically current plate motions

GEODETIC data, obtained by ground- or space-based techniques, can be used to infer the distribution of slip on a fault that has ruptured in an earthquake. Although most geodetic techniques require a surveyed network to be in place before the earthquake1–3, satellite images, when collected at regular intervals, can capture co-seismic displacements without advance knowledge of the earthquake's location. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry, first introduced4 in 1974 for topographic mapping5–8 can also be used to detect changes in the ground surface, by removing the signal from the topography9,10. Here we use SAR interferometry to capture the movements produced by the 1992 earthquake in Landers, California11. We construct an interferogram by combining topographic information with SAR images obtained by the ERS-1 satellite before and after the earthquake. The observed changes in range from the ground surface to the satellite agree well with the slip measured in the field, with the displacements measured by surveying, and with the results of an elastic dislocation model. As a geodetic tool, the SAR interferogram provides a denser spatial sampling (100 m per pixel) than surveying methods1–3 and a better precision (∼3 cm) than previous space imaging techniques12,13.

The displacement field of the Landers earthquake mapped by radar interferometry

The contribution details a post-processing approach that used undifferentiated dual-frequency pseudorange and carrier phase observations along with IGS procise orbit products, for stand-alone precise geodetic point positioning (static or kinematic) with cm precision. This is possible if one takes advantage of the satellite clock estimates available with the satellite coordinates in the IGS precise orbit products and models systematic effects that cause cm variations in the satelite to user range. This paper will describe the approach, summarize the adjustment procedure, and specify the earth- and space-based models that must be implementetd to achieve cm-level positioning in static mode. Furthermore, station tropospheric zenth path delays with cm precision and GPS receiver clock estimates procise to 0.1 ns are also obtained. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Precise Point Positioning Using IGS Orbit and Clock Products

Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements in China indicate that crustal shortening accommodates most of India's penetration into Eurasia. Deformation within the Tibetan Plateau and its margins, the Himalaya, the Altyn Tagh, and the Qilian Shan, absorbs more than 90% of the relative motion between the Indian and Eurasian plates. Internal shortening of the Tibetan plateau itself accounts for more than one-third of the total convergence. However, the Tibetan plateau south of the Kunlun and Ganzi-Mani faults is moving eastward relative to both India and Eurasia. This movement is accommodated through rotation of material around the eastern Syntaxis. The North China and South China blocks, east of the Tibetan Plateau, move coherently east-southeastward at rates of 2 to 8 millimeters per year and 6 to 11 millimeters per year, respectively, with respect to the stable Eurasia.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/294/5542/574.full.pdf

Present-Day Crustal Deformation in China Constrained by Global Positioning System Measurements

On November 4, 2010, the EPOXI spacecraft flew by the comet Hartley 2, marking the fourth time that a NASA spacecraft successfully captured high resolution images of a cometary nucleus. EPOXI is the extended mission of the Deep Impact mission, which delivered an impactor on comet Tempel-1 on July 4, 2005. EPOXI officially started in September 2007 and eventually took over 3 years of flight time and had 3 Earth gravity assists to achieve the proper encounter conditions. In the process, the mission was redesigned to accommodate a new comet as the target and changes in the trajectory to achieve better imaging conditions at encounter. Challenges in navigation of the spacecraft included precision targeting of several Earth flybys and the comet encounter, uncertainties in determining the ephemeris of the comet relative to the spacecraft, and the high accuracy trajectory knowledge needed to image the comet during the encounter. This paper presents an overview of the navigation process used for the mission.

Navigation of the EPOXI Spacecraft to Comet Hartley 2

Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey - Relay Satellites for the Mars Exploration Rover Mission

Orbiting Mars since March 2006, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft continues to perform valuable science observations, provide telecommunication relay for surface assets, and characterize landing sites for future missions. Previous papers reported on the navigation of MRO from interplanetary cruise through the end of the Primary Science Phase in December 2008. This paper highlights the navigation of MRO from January 2009 through March 2017, covering the Extended Science Phase, the first three extended missions, and a portion of the fourth extended mission. The MRO mission returned over 300 terabytes of data since beginning primary science operations in November 2006.

50,000 labs around Mars: navigating the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter through the extended missions (January 2009 - March 2017)

GPS is quite unlike any other geodetic technique, because we can use it to look at the Earth with high spatial and temporal resolution. For example, the GPS global network provides us with a daily snapshot of the Earth, allowing us to look with high temporal resolution at the motion of sites before, during, and after a large earthquake.The main focus of this paper is to view the Earth as an evolving polyhedron, whose vertices are defined by the GPS sites.

The Earth Viewed as a Deforming Polyhedron: Method and Results

The InSight mission successfully launched to Mars on an Atlas V 401 launch vehicle from the Western Test Range (WTR) at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) at 04:05:00 PDT on May 5th, 2018 and landed in the Elysium Planitia Region on November 26th, 2018. Data confirming nominal touchdown was received at 11:52:59 AM PST. This paper summarizes in detail the actual vs. predicted performance of the InSight spacecraft and all associated assets in terms of launch vehicle events, injection performance, DSN performance, cruise performance, and Entry, Descent, and Landing events.

David C. Jefferson

Papers

Navigation of the EPOXI Spacecraft to Comet Hartley 2

Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey - Relay Satellites for the Mars Exploration Rover Mission

50,000 labs around Mars: navigating the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter through the extended missions (January 2009 - March 2017)

The Earth Viewed as a Deforming Polyhedron: Method and Results

2018 Mars Insight Trajectory Reconstruction and Performance from Launch Through Landing