Feedback needed Re: HUGE Galileo xyz

[chris]

Looks like Callisto's orbit is off too...

I took a close look at the custom orbit calculation for Callisto and found two errors in the series expression for the radius vector: some terms were missing, and the terms that were there had coefficients with incorrect exponents. I've checked in a fix for this--I can provide a compiled EXE for you to test with.

--Chris

[JackHiggins]

Chris,

That new fix you pm'ed me works fine- all the flybys look grand now!

For the orbits of the planets- there isn't anything "halfway" between VSOP87 and DE405 is there...? Or some syetem where, the more terms you add in to the orbit solution, the more accurate it gets..?!! Ok so there probably isn't, but it would be nice...!

[MB]

Jack,
In my script I am now at the step concerning the release of the Galileo Probe that I wanted to simulate. I expected that the two corresponding xyz trajectories fitted together at the release date as it should be! But it does not really show that. No comon date in the 2 xyz. Probably nothing can be done
MB

[MB]

Sorry, Jack, you already answer my questiion in another thread. I am abit too fast
MB

[JackHiggins]

MB

Sorry about that- but nothing I could do really...

Even if the probe trajectory started at the proper time, Galileo was still like 14km or so away at the time!

[JackHiggins]

[rant]
Eircom sucks.

Rang their tech support AGAIN today. Guess what? Turns out last time my request to be upgraded to 50MB was put in the "sales" queue, not the tech support request queue.

If it hasn't changed by Wednesday, it'll be a month since I first rang them, and about 3 months since it was supposed to have changed. AHHH!! I'm SO getting on to their complaints department then!

And if i'm told that the guy on the end of the line doesn't have the "authority" to change a "2" to a "5" in some database somewhere- well they'll just have to FIND someone that DOES have the authority to do it.

I assume the standard of tech support in most phone companies is pretty similar to this yeah? Or am I a special case? (Apologies to any customer support people out there- but you need to get your irish colleagues to work harder).
[/rant]

[selden]

Jack,

Most TechSupport lines are only prepared to help people who don't know anything at all about computers.

I'd suggest actually going through the sales department.
Let them know they're going to lose your business if they don't provide the services you're paying for.

[JackHiggins]

Most TechSupport lines are only prepared to help people who don't know anything at all about computers.

Great...

Let them know they're going to lose your business if they don't provide the services you're paying for.

I can't do that- because businesses (even just me advertising that i'm selling a few 3d models on demand) can't sign up for home user accounts, and vice versa. Anyway- if I say that i'll lose my business, all they have to do is actually take 5 mins to look at the website, and they'll see that it is, in fact, an "Add-ons site for Chris Laurel's great 3D space simulator, Celestia".

I'll ring them up again on thursday or so anyway, and see what happens- i'll try the sales dept this time instead, like you say.

Sorry for the delay in putting up the galileo xyz file everyone, but this is turning more into a David vs. Goliath battle between me and the Phone company, instead of just a rather large xyz trajectory upload...

[JackHiggins]

Oh yeah!!


50 megs - At LAST!!

Expect to see the Galileo xyz up tomorrow - probably before 3.00 GMT!

Dunno what happened with eircom (I didn't ring them back again) but I don't really care now!

Oh as well - offtopic but hey..
I've added a "space news" page on my site (about 1/2 way down the menu) which gets its content from universe today. Pretty good so far- check it out & tell me what you think everyone!

[JackHiggins]

The galileo xyz is online! The topic should be further up the list in the Add-ons forum.