Effects of deviations from hydrostatic equilibrium on atmospheric corrections to satellite and lunar laser range measurements

The accuracy of the atmospheric correction to laser range measurements is one of the main limiting factors for distance measurements to retroreflectors on artificial satellites and on the Moon. The main part of this correction is currently obtained by using the local atmospheric pressure and zenith angle to determine the integrated atmospheric density along the observing path. One of the factors affecting this method of correction is possible deviations of the atmosphere from hydrostatic equilibrium for observation sites in mountainous areas. This article examines the integrated equations of motion for the atmosphere and estimates the effect of such deviations on the overall range error. It is found that the expected error is less than 1 cm most of the time, even for elevation angles as low as 20°.