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A crucial part of a space mission for very-long baseline interferometery (VLBI), which is the technique capable of providing the highest resolution images in astronomy, is orbit determination of the mission's space radio telescope(s). In order to successfully detect interference fringes that result from correlation of the signals recorded by a ground-based and a space-borne radio telescope, the propagation delays experienced in the near-Earth space by radio waves emitted by the source and the relativity effects on each telescope's clock need to be evaluated, which requires accurate knowledge of position and velocity of the space radio telescope. In this paper we describe our approach to orbit determination (OD) of the RadioAstron spacecraft of the RadioAstron space-VLBI mission. Determining RadioAstron's orbit is complicated due to several factors: strong solar radiation pressure, a highly eccentric orbit, and frequent orbit perturbations caused by the attitude control system. We show that in order to maintain the OD accuracy required for processing space-VLBI observations at cm-wavelengths it is required to take into account the additional data on thruster firings, reaction wheel rotation rates, and attitude of the spacecraft. We also investigate into using the unique orbit data available only for a space-VLBI spacecraft, i.e. the residual delays and delay rates that result from VLBI data processing, as a means to evaluate the achieved OD accuracy. We present the results of the first experience of OD accuracy evaluation of this kind, using more than 5,000 residual values obtained as a result of space-VLBI observations performed over 7 years of the RadioAstron mission operations., Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures, the paper has been accepted for publication in Advances in Space Research

In this paper we discuss the characteristics and operation of Astro Space Center (ASC) software FX correlator that is an important component of space-ground interferometer for Radioastron project. This project performs joint observations of compact radio sources using 10 meter space radio telescope (SRT) together with ground radio telescopes at 92, 18, 6 and 1.3 cm wavelengths. In this paper we describe the main features of space-ground VLBI data processing of Radioastron project using ASC correlator. Quality of implemented fringe search procedure provides positive results without significant losses in correlated amplitude. ASC Correlator has a computational power close to real time operation. The correlator has a number of processing modes: "Continuum", "Spectral Line", "Pulsars", "Giant Pulses","Coherent". Special attention is paid to peculiarities of Radioastron space-ground VLBI data processing. The algorithms of time delay and delay rate calculation are also discussed, which is a matter of principle for data correlation of space-ground interferometers. During 5 years of Radioastron space radio telescope (SRT) successful operation, ASC correlator showed high potential of satisfying steady growing needs of current and future ground and space VLBI science. Results of ASC software correlator operation are demonstrated., Comment: 28 pages, 17 figures

The most precise realization of inertial reference frame in astronomy is the catalogue of 212 defining extragalactic radiosources with coordinates obtained during VLBI observation runs in 1979-1995. IAU decided on the development of the second realization of the ICRF2 catalogue. The criteria of best sources selection (in terms of coordinates stability) must be defined as the first aim. The selected sources have to keep stable the coordinate axes of inertial astronomical frame. Here we propose new criteria of source selection for the new ICRF catalogue. The first one we call as "cosmological" and the second one as "kinematical". The physical basis of these criteria is based on the assumption that apparent motion of quasars (at angular scale of the order of hundred microarcseconds) is connected with real motion inside quasars. Therefore apparent angular motion corresponds to real physical motion of a "hot spot" inside a radio source. It is shown that interval of redshift $0.8 \div 3.0$ is the most favorable in terms that physical shift inside such sources corresponds to minimal apparent angular shift of a "hot spot". Among "cosmologically" selected sources we propose to select motionless sources and sources with linear motion which are predictable and stable over long time interval. To select sources which satisfies such conditions we analyzed known redshifts of sources and time series obtained by our code and by different centers of analysis of VLBI data. As a result of these analyses we select 137 sources as a basis for the ICRF2 catalogue., Comment: 25 pages, 6 figures

Parallax measurements allow distances to celestial objects to be determined. Coupled with measurement of their position on the celestial sphere, it gives a full three-dimensional picture of the location of the objects relative to the observer. The distortion of the parallax value of a remote source affected by a weak microlensing is considered. This means that the weak microlensing leads to distortion of the distance scale. It is shown that the distortions to appear may change strongly the parallax values in case they amount to several microseconds of arc. In particular, at this accuracy many measured values of the parallaxes must be negative., Comment: 34 LaTeX pages, 12 PostScript figure (epsfig.sty)

The fluctuation of the angular positions of reference extragalactic radio and optical sources under the influence of the irregular gravitational field of visible Galactic stars is considered. It is shown that these angular fluctuations range from a few up to hundreds of microarcseconds. This leads to a small rotation of the celestial reference frame. The nondiagonal coefficients of the rotation matrix are of the order of a microarcsecond. The temporal variation of these coefficients due to the proper motion of the foreground stars is of the order of one microsecond per 20 years. Therefore, the celestial reference frame can be considered inertial and homogeneous only to microarcsecond accuracy. Astrometric catalogues with microarcsecond accuracy will be unstable, and must be reestablished every 20 years., Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, accepted to MNRAS