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Orbit Error Predictions Using Gravity Model
Covariances to 70x70

The orbit error predictions cited below are derived from the 70x70 error covariance of the following gravity models:

In addition, for a few satellites, the predicted orbit error for subsets of the EGM96 combination solution are also given, for instance pgs7337d (EGM96 without EP/EUVE data, TDRSS or GPS).

A 10-day cutoff in orbit perturbations is assumed, unless otherwise listed in the Tables below

SATELLITE CATEGORIES

Altimeter Satellites

[ERS-1] [GEOS-3] [GEOSAT] [TOPEX/POSEIDON]

Cannonball Satellites

[AJISAI] [GFZ-1] [LAGEOS-1] [LAGEOS-2] [STARLETTE] [STELLA]

Other Satellites

[BEC] [CHAMP] [CGRO] [D1C] [D1D] [EP/EUVE]
[ERBS] [GEOS-1] [GEOS-2] [GPS] [HILAT] [NOVA]
[OSCAR] [PEOLE] [QUICKBIRD] [RADCAL] [SPOT-2] [TRMM] [XTE] [EOS] [GRACE] [ICESAT] [VCL]

Predicted orbit error for some Future Missions

[VCL]

Predicted orbit error for some Proposed and Future Satellite Constellations

[CELESTRI] [GLOBALSTAR] [IRIDIUM] [ODYSSEY] [TELEDESIC]

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Altimeter Satellites

ERS-1: 776.3 km altitude, 98.5 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 8.53 136.91 98.99 169.16
EGM96S 5.13 28.05 31.45 44.25
JGM-2 6.11 105.30 57.27 120.02
JGM-3 3.68 39.86 34.73 53.00
EGM96 2.87 18.24 13.19 22.70
PGM2000A 3.13 19.08 13.99 23.86
TEG3 2.86 15.08 11.04 18.91
GRIM4-C4 5.21 31.22 26.17 41.06

GEOS-3: 855 km altitude, 115 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 12.06 90.37 16.13 92.59
EGM96S 9.97 83.34 11.54 84.07
JGM-2 6.57 72.49 9.57 73.42
JGM-3 5.01 57.92 6.71 58.53
EGM96 3.83 56.80 5.16 57.16
PGM2000A 3.85 55.63 5.16 56.00
TEG3 8.68 108.99 9.83 109.78
GRIM4-C4 16.49 85.91 15.71 88.88

GEOSAT: 793 km altitude, 108 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 12.31 65.99 39.24 77.75
EGM96S 5.87 35.31 23.40 42.75
JGM-2 6.52 57.90 26.36 63.95
JGM-3 4.97 42.61 23.80 49.06
EGM96 2.61 17.72 8.94 20.02
PGM2000A 2.55 16.27 8.95 18.74
TEG3 3.48 42.76 21.42 47.95
GRIM4-C4 11.46 45.18 32.10 56.59

TOPEX/POSEIDON: 1336 km altitude, 66 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 2.93 57.98 5.57 58.32
EGM96S 1.47 31.46 2.16 31.57
JGM-2 2.21 35.88 3.98 36.88
JGM-3 1.05 23.54 1.31 23.60
EGM96 0.88 9.98 1.34 10.11
PGM2000A 0.96 13.86 1.46 13.97
TEG3 1.03 18.37 1.21 18.44
GRIM4-C4 1.79 26.54 2.48 26.72

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"Cannonball" Satellites tracked by SLR

AJISAI: 1495 km altitude, 50 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 3.57 17.63 5.32 18.75
EGM96S 2.10 10.73 2.81 11.29
JGM-2 2.55 13.24 3.60 13.96
JGM-3 1.94 11.86 2.63 12.30
EGM96 1.40 5.50 1.79 5.95
PGM2000A 1.34 5.42 1.69 5.83
TEG3 1.09 5.52 1.58 5.85
GRIM4-C4 3.00 10.32 3.86 11.41

GFZ-1: 380.4 km altitude, 51.6 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 302.29 4005.97 301.57 4028.66
EGM96S 148.39 1584.97 160.32 1600.00
JGM-2 144.42 2029.40 142.76 2039.32
JGM-3 139.08 2013.30 139.70 2022.93
EGM96 44.16 611.40 46.73 614.77
PGM2000A 46.77 654.86 49.59 658.40
TEG3 107.39 1593.11 107.18 1600.31
GRIM4-C4 187.19 2495.95 189.36 2510.11

LAGEOS-1: 5902 km altitude, 109.9 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 0.49 1.78 0.49 1.91
EGM96S 0.21 0.91 0.22 0.96
JGM-2 0.33 1.46 0.36 1.54
JGM-3 0.12 0.49 0.12 0.52
EGM96 0.14 0.67 0.16 0.70
PGM2000A 0.14 0.62 0.15 0.65
TEG3 0.12 0.50 0.12 0.53
GRIM4-C4 0.24 1.12 0.23 1.18

LAGEOS-2: 5781 km altitude, 52.6 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 0.80 2.41 0.68 2.63
EGM96S 0.27 1.03 0.29 1.10
JGM-2 0.51 1.69 0.46 1.82
JGM-3 0.17 0.63 0.17 0.67
EGM96 0.19 0.75 0.19 0.80
PGM2000A 0.18 0.70 0.18 0.74
TEG3 0.16 0.58 0.16 0.62
GRIM4-C4 0.38 1.40 0.36 1.50

STARLETTE: 960 km altitude, 49.8 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 8.01 23.96 12.20 28.05
EGM96S 4.14 11.96 5.98 13.99
JGM-2 5.16 16.06 7.18 18.32
JGM-3 4.46 14.25 6.11 16.14
EGM96 2.54 7.72 3.51 12.76
PGM2000A 2.45 7.50 3.34 8.57
TEG3 2.43 8.62 3.45 9.59
GRIM4-C4 7.11 22.72 9.81 25.75

STELLA: 807.3 km altitude, 98.6 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 7.29 120.36 20.34 122.28
EGM96S 4.33 40.35 9.98 41.79
JGM-2 5.39 88.75 14.25 90.05
JGM-3 3.15 41.08 7.82 41.93
EGM96 2.69 25.77 5.25 26.43
PGM2000A 2.81 26.86 5.49 27.56
TEG3 2.50 19.03 4.38 20.03
GRIM4-C4 4.50 38.12 9.12 39.45

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Other Satellites

BEC : 1136 km altitude, 41.2 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 16.41 83.58 20.54 87.62
EGM96S 11.61 76.47 14.06 78.61
JGM-2 9.24 60.03 11.36 61.79
JGM-3 7.68 57.24 9.15 58.48
EGM96 5.62 50.04 6.15 50.73
PGM2000A 5.45 50.31 5.97 50.96
TEG3 8.36 57.88 8.36 59.07
GRIM4-C4 11.19 66.19 12.98 68.38

CHAMP: 439 km altitude, 87.2 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 535.68 1883.52 485.80 2017.57
EGM96S 272.02 864.93 437.42 1006.69
JGM-2 152.06 761.39 205.17 803.08
JGM-3 123.39 636.02 189.32 674.98
EGM96 48.06 181.71 66.48 199.36
PGM2000A 51.21 190.89 70.69 209.90
TEG3 103.85 580.21 156.60 609.88

CGRO (Compton Gamma Ray Observatory): 382.2 km altitude,
28.4 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 892.00 3650.01 924.98 3869.60
EGM96S 105.29 509.21 115.52 532.66
JGM-2 253.72 1054.87 265.09 1116.87
JGM-3 234.80 989.19 245.46 1045.88
EGM96 36.27 170.36 39.51 178.60
pgs7337d
(EGM96 w/out EP/EUVE)
98.95 405.65 105.04 430.55
PGM2000A 36.67 174.26 39.78 182.47
TEG3
232.43 969.79 242.23 1026.25
GRIM4-C4
231.59 958.50 242.71 1015.51

D1C: 970 km altitude, 40 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 29.17 125.11 34.15 132.93
EGM96S 21.83 114.04 24.46 118.66
JGM-2 14.46 70.68 16.89 74.10
JGM-3 12.45 66.30 13.97 68.89
EGM96 7.85 41.47 8.13 42.98
PGM2000A 7.70 42.40 7.89 43.81
TEG3 13.73 77.08 13.44 79.43
GRIM4-C4 17.84 83.69 19.37 87.74

D1D: 1251 km altitude, 39.5 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 20.24 123.60 20.75 126.92
EGM96S 11.63 112.32 12.99 113.66
JGM-2 10.10 88.93 11.21 98.20
JGM-3 7.82 85.72 8.72 86.52
EGM96 5.40 76.49 5.82 76.90
PGM2000A 5.20 77.36 5.64 77.74
TEG3 8.48 98.11 8.64 98.85
GRIM4-C4 11.12 100.98 12.37 102.34

EP/EUVE 524.2 km altitude, 28.4 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 934.93 14708.52 907.67 14766.13
EGM96S 40.69 348.73 51.38 345.83
JGM-2 259.43 4123.27 256.44 4139.38
JGM-3 245.70 3930.50 240.12 3945.49
EGM96 22.38 255.69 26.91 258.07
pgs7337d
(EGM96 w/out EP/EUVE)
98.58 1492.37 98.62 1498.87
PGM2000A 21.75 256.40 26.13 258.64
TEG3 246.14 3951.79 239.31 3951.79
GRIM4-C4 236.02 3633.21 230.60 3648.16

ERBS: 580.9 km altitude, 57 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 96.20 891.02 98.37 901.58
EGM96S 76.92 796.05 88.75 804.66
JGM-2 40.33 386.80 47.74 391.82
JGM-3 37.18 350.80 44.67 355.58
EGM96 17.44 170.51 18.41 172.39
PGM2000A 18.16 181.26 19.72 183.23
TEG3 34.91 379.25 40.82 383.03
GRIM4-C4 71.87 731.53 73.60 738.73

GEOS-1: 1704 km altitude, 59.4 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 3.22 51.78 3.99 52.03
EGM96S 2.28 35.07 2.35 35.23
JGM-2 2.34 45.07 2.92 45.22
JGM-3 1.37 22.07 1.44 22.16
EGM96 1.32 23.96 1.39 24.04
PGM2000A 1.25 25.13 1.37 25.20
TEG3 1.20 19.05 1.17 19.12
GRIM4-C4 2.51 16.26 2.28 16.61

GEOS-2: 1340 km altitude, 105.8 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 4.78 75.16 6.45 75.59
EGM96S 2.18 18.73 2.22 18.99
JGM-2 3.34 63.75 5.10 64.04
JGM-3 1.73 22.12 2.06 22.28
EGM96 1.38 14.74 1.31 14.86
PGM2000A 1.46 21.12 1.52 21.23
TEG3 1.35 14.44 1.49 14.58
GRIM4-C4 2.67 16.62 3.06 17.11

GPS: 20200 km altitude, 55 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S .111 .370 10.350 10.357
EGM96S .048 .166 3.197 3.202
JGM-2 .072 .241 5.726 5.732
JGM-3 .021 .069 1.946 1.948
EGM96 .032 .113 2.201 2.204
PGM2000A .030 .105 2.063 2.065
TEG3 .023 .076 1.854 1.856

HILAT: 800 km altitude, 82 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 58.11 436.23 50.47 442.96
EGM96S 15.66 187.71 21.43 189.58
JGM-2 28.25 251.01 25.94 253.92
JGM-3 21.77 190.64 19.08 192.83
EGM96 6.27 77.86 8.61 78.58
pgs7337g
(EGM96 w/out
Hilat & Radcal)
13.58 112.70 11.38 114.08
PGM2000A 6.54 85.90 9.21 86.64
TEG3 21.50 197.64 16.92 199.52
GRIM4-C4 17.05 123.18 15.70 125.34

NOVA: 1180 km altitude, 89.9 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 16.65 517.33 33.71 518.70
EGM96S 9.03 353.06 21.82 353.85
JGM-2 9.60 397.00 21.71 397.71
JGM-3 7.36 302.07 16.11 302.59
EGM96 4.37 212.69 10.60 213.00
PGM2000A 4.50 215.37 10.83 215.69
TEG3 6.43 99.87 7.34 100.34
GRIM4-C4 4.27 16.23 6.71 18.08

OSCAR: 1069 km altitude, 89.3 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 25.30 102.72 31.38 110.35
EGM96S 11.78 60.88 20.09 65.18
JGM-2 12.96 65.80 17.08 69.20
JGM-3 10.25 49.93 12.09 52.38
EGM96 4.68 30.44 7.02 31.60
PGM2000A 4.91 31.04 7.35 32.28
TEG3 8.88 33.07 9.30 35.48
GRIM4-C4 6.80 23.46 8.20 25.77

PEOLE: 635 km altitude, 15 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 385.32 1309.94 450.77 1437.92
EGM96S 179.13 638.50 222.11 699.36
JGM-2 98.05 353.51 106.72 382.06
JGM-3 72.14 258.05 83.99 280.80
EGM96 41.47 152.98 45.21 164.82
PGM2000A 34.84 131.68 38.64 141.59
TEG3 77.65 287.19 81.75 308.53
GRIM4-C4 89.55 339.87 99.37 365.24

QUIICKBIRD: 445 km altitude, 97.2 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-3 78.01 1326.89 81.25 1331.66
EGM96 33.13 529.25 33.71 531.36
TEG3 59.19 819.62 57.21 823.74

RADCAL: 825 km altitude, 89.5 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 81.89 628.77 66.62 637.57
EGM96S 22.33 280.04 33.16 282.88
JGM-2 45.83 394.40 36.01 398.68
JGM-3 37.08 313.32 27.36 316.69
EGM96 9.62 122.29 11.75 123.23
pgs7337g
(EGM96 w/out
Hilat & Radcal)
23.81 181.02 15.76 183.26
PGM2000A 9.87 136.75 12.71 137.70
TEG3 39.96 343.01 28.11 346.47
GRIM4-C4 24.59 179.19 22.52 182.27

SPOT-2: 839 km altitude, 98 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 15.09 174.15 21.70 179.15
EGM96S 6.28 92.15 11.38 93.07
JGM-2 8.00 160.43 15.15 166.34
JGM-3 4.55 81.98 8.53 82.55
EGM96 3.14 65.88 5.89 66.22
PGM2000A 3.32 67.34 6.14 67.70
TEG3 4.37 51.74 5.47 52.22
GRIM4-C4 6.37 88.13 9.89 88.91

TRMM: 351 km altitude, 35.0 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 766.40 7064.65 776.98 7148.45
EGM96S 602.48 8339.86 614.22 8339.86
JGM-2 279.39 3606.89 279.89 3628.51
JGM-3 270.53 3587.30 271.52 3607.72
EGM96 91.90 1189.08 91.72 1198.15
pgs7337d
(EGM96 w/out EP/EUVE)
110.15 1235.95 111.09 1245.81
PGM2000A 96.63 1284.36 97.13 1291.64
TEG3
254.46 2991.12 258.09 3013.00
GRIM4-C4
292.76 3726.51 291.85 3749.36

XTE (Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer): 579.7 km altitude, 23 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 474.85 1986.25 453.89 2092.05
EGM96S 157.13 884.88 164.90 913.73
JGM-2 121.63 582.49 121.62 607.36
JGM-3 95.63 512.24 100.61 530.71
EGM96 37.46 144.92 35.26 153.78
pgs7337d
(EGM96 w/out EP/EUVE)
54.77 235.42 57.80 248.52
PGM2000A 32.93 142.45 33.01 149.88
TEG3
93.19 484.30 95.14 502.28
GRIM4-C4
100.74 494.74 106.82 516.07

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Predicted orbit error for some Future Missions

EOS: 700 km altitude, 98 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 21.85 996.10 55.42 997.88
EGM96S 13.26 189.65 21.52 191.32
JGM-2 13.52 749.64 34.57 750.56
JGM-3 8.99 305.49 18.48 306.19
EGM96 5.92 106.52 8.53 107.02
PGM2000A 6.33 111.98 8.99 112.52
TEG3 6.09 73.91 8.07 74.59
GRIM4-C4 11.93 191.42 17.83 192.62

GRACE: 500 km altitude, 89 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 481.39 5800.11 419.97 5835.19
EGM96S 202.59 1281.54 150.23 1306.12
JGM-2 149.78 3052.34 171.33 3060.81
JGM-3 117.63 2569.15 140.81 2575.69
EGM96 45.03 541.44 40.49 544.81
PGM2000A 48.11 554.76 42.18 558.43
TEG3 110.09 2446.29 132.68 2452.36

ICESAT: 705 km altitude, 94.0 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 85.10 364.89 117.82 392.77
EGM96S 38.70 159.97 47.58 171.32
JGM-2 31.82 173.29 63.00 187.11
JGM-3 22.78 107.94 35.79 115.98
EGM96 11.52 47.88 14.22 51.26
PGM2000A 11.92 50.00 15.12 53.58
TEG3 20.77 91.94 21.95 96.78
GRIM4-C4 26.81 141.04 38.96 148.76

VCL: 400 km altitude, 65 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 187.25 1592.95 247.03 1622.82
EGM96S 157.80 1219.07 209.57 1246.97
JGM-2 82.22 800.93 120.31 814.08
JGM-3 76.45 756.88 114.13 769.25
EGM96 31.07 313.38 41.48 317.63
PGM2000A 32.62 329.19 44.05 333.72
TEG3 66.76 696.42 94.27 706.07

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Predicted orbit error for some Proposed and Future Communication Satellite Constellations


CELESTRI: 1400 km altitude, 48.0 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 4.86 14.42 8.17 17.27
EGM96S 2.84 8.56 4.04 9.88
JGM-2 3.17 10.38 5.23 12.05
JGM-3 2.52 8.83 4.45 10.20
EGM96 1.73 5.59 2.40 6.33
PGM2000A 1.64 5.34 2.36 6.08
TEG3 1.54 4.92 2.43 5.70
GRIM4-C4 3.91 12.51 4.88 13.99

GLOBALSTAR: 1414 km altitude, 52.0 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 4.10 13.75 15.65 21.23
EGM96S 2.41 8.10 10.31 13.33
JGM-2 2.73 9.79 7.71 12.76
JGM-3 2.03 7.62 6.79 10.41
EGM96 1.45 4.88 3.14 5.98
PGM2000A 1.39 4.78 3.37 6.01
TEG3 1.21 4.24 4.36 6.20
GRIM4-C4 3.43 11.59 7.98 14.48

IRIDIUM: 780 km altitude, 86.4 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 93.81 584.50 64.85 595.53
EGM96S 32.36 244.07 28.35 247.83
JGM-2 37.38 254.21 31.84 258.91
JGM-3 28.71 228.74 24.26 231.80
EGM96 10.74 71.82 9.79 73.28
PGM2000A 11.08 75.80 10.42 77.31
TEG3 28.71 193.92 22.94 197.37
GRIM4-C4 26.30 223.13 20.71 225.63


ODYSSEY: 10344 km altitude, 50.0 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 0.36 1.02 13.47 13.52
EGM96S 0.12 0.38 7.43 7.44
JGM-2 0.23 0.65 10.05 10.08
JGM-3 0.07 0.21 3.35 3.36
EGM96 0.08 0.26 5.01 5.02
PGM2000A 0.08 0.25 4.42 4.43
TEG3 0.07 0.21 3.46 3.47
GRIM4-C4 0.16 0.49 8.29 8.31

TELEDESIC: 1350 km altitude, 90.0 degrees inclination.

Model Radial
(cm)
Along-track
(cm)
Cross-track
(cm)
Total
(cm)
JGM-2S 12.12 179.91 17.56 181.17
EGM96S 6.10 122.79 10.15 123.36
JGM-2 6.60 136.69 11.03 136.69
JGM-3 4.61 102.95 7.10 103.30
EGM96 2.91 72.54 4.84 72.76
PGM2000A 2.95 73.45 4.92 73.67
TEG3 3.89 35.43 3.87 35.85
GRIM4-C4 3.07 14.37 4.68 15.42


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Send questions or comments to:
Frank.G.Lemoine@nasa.gov or Douglas.Chinn@gsfc.nasa.gov
Last revised November 22, 2004 21:04 UTC