Determination of parameters of meteor bodies based on flight observational data Original Research Article

In the present study, an analytical model of the atmospheric entry is calculated using the altitude and the rate of the meteor body deceleration in the atmosphere from the data of actual observations. With this purpose the strict mathematical algorithm to find basic dynamic parameters of the theoretical relationship between the height and the velocity of the body that help to fit observations along the luminous part of the trajectories in the best way is suggested. The detailed review of the existing approaches to the decision of this problem is presented in the related work by the writer [Gritsevich, M.I. Fireballs masses and densities: hypotheses and reality, in: 37th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, Montreal, Canada, 13–20 July 2008, B04-0041-08, 2008a]. The basic goal of the present study mainly consists in the qualitative description of the universal technique for processing of the meteor body flight observational data. The main difference from previous studies [e.g., Gritsevich, M.I., Stulov, V.P. Entry mass for Bolides of the Canadian Network. Dokl. Akad. Nauk 413, 4, 472–477, 2007a (Phys. Dokl. (Engl. Transl.) 52, 4, 219–224); Gritsevich, M.I. Determination of the Extra-atmospheric Bolides Masses of the Canadian Network. Publishing House of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of the Moscow State University (in Russian), 2007] is that the given observations are approximated using the analytical solution of the fundamental differential equations of the meteor physics. As for today the method allows to determine parameters of meteor bodies with the high accuracy of estimate.