Here's a question

[jlf]

Has anyone ever tried to set up an orbit in the solar system that is 90 degrees off the eliptic plane, between earth and venus?

[Evil Dr Ganymede]

You mean like this?

Code: Select all

"Polar" "Sol"
{
   Class "asteroid"
   Texture "asteroid.png"
   Mesh "roughsphere.cms"
   Radius 0.7
   

   EllipticalOrbit
   {
   Period         0.704
   SemiMajorAxis       0.85
   Eccentricity       0
   Inclination         90
   AscendingNode       23
   ArgOfPericenter       160
   MeanAnomaly       240
   }

Albedo 0.05
}


Why do you ask?

EDIT: Actually, it's pretty cool to go to the asteroid and lock onto and follow one of the inner planets - especially Mercury. The motion it traces throughout the sky is very wacky .

It's fun to watch it from Mars too.

[jlf]

Evil Dr Ganymede said:

Why do you ask?

A few of us on an irc server thought that a forum for scifi short stories would be kinda fun. Since I have been 'nominated' to set up the systems, and get the images, I figured that might be a nice orbit for a jumpgate.

The other thought was putting it between Mars and Jupiter, but then you have the asteroid belt to contend with, or somewhere in the jupiter system to use the gravity of jupiter to help the ship accelerate prior to the wormhole interface. Another suggestion was just inside the orbit of mercury so that ships would accelerate toward the sun. (this kinda makes me wonder what happens if said ship pilot is hung over)

Any suggestions would be appreciated and the images and forum links will be provided.

JLF

[Evil Dr Ganymede]

Problem is that (a) I think polar orbits are a bugger to get to from the ecliptic (you need lots of energy etc to get to them), and (b) I'm not sure how stable they are (especially given you'd get regular passes of the planets as it passed through the ecliptic)

Maybe you're better off with your gate just permanently located above or below the sun, and kept there by stationkeepinng thrusters?

[jlf]

Alright, and how am i going to write an ssc for that?!?!?

[granthutchison]

Maybe you're better off with your gate just permanently located above or below the sun, and kept there by stationkeepinng thrusters?

That would require refueling. Hang it from a solar sail!

Grant

[granthutchison]

Alright, and how am i going to write an ssc for that?!?!?

Just set the Period to be very long indeed (like 1e12), and the object will hover wherever you put it.

Grant

[jlf]

Well, if i did that, i could put four of the constructs inside the orbit of mercury at equaldistant points...

As i said, god help the pilot that is hung over....

[ElPelado]

Problem is that (a) I think polar orbits are a bugger to get to from the ecliptic (you need lots of energy etc to get to them

You can use planets as gravity assits, like Ulysses did with: it went to Jupiter and used Jupiter to change its inclination, ending on a polar orbit around the sun...