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Old 04-06-2022, 11:06 AM   #2
TGLS
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Default Re: Space Logistics: Space Distances and Comms

Quote:
Originally Posted by Logrus View Post
Ideally, I'm looking for something where I can punch in an arbitrary date and get the positions of every major object in the solar system at that date, and then a program for calculating travel time for intercepts.
Well I suppose the first thing to mention is that the equations in spaceships are lazy and ignore the movement of the planets, gravity assists and so on. So here are some fudges:

A) It takes no more than the shorter orbital period of where you are and where you want to go to get around. The optimal launch window can always be achieved within no more than the shorter orbital period, so assume that you get close enough in just under that. Saturn isn't so far out that travel time will likely be an issue.

B) Pick an arbitrary day in the 20th century. Declare all orbits are circular and that all relevant planets were aligned that day. Then just calculate where the planets are based on that. Here's an example that shows the relative locations of Earth, Jupiter and the Greek & Trojan camps.

C) Roll whenever the PCs want to travel. If you roll well, the target is close to the minimum distance. If you roll badly, then the target is close to the maximum distance.
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