Oribter 2010 beta example scenario, Mission to Mars, and Mars flight handling discussion

Sort of inspirational post on the subject matter of Orbiter 2010 beta.
I couldn't immediately find a glider scenario starting on Mars.  I will hope someday in the future terrain simulators are even better on this point, but for now I leave it to my imagination in so far as realistic looking ground level terrain topography.  Basically I created a scenario modifying the Cape Canaveral SCN file using the following.  Save this as Mars Launch.SCN, or whatever you choose to name it.  Then pull up your Orbiter Launchpad and go.  Its much easier to start from the ground by the way on planets that feasibly have surface terrain, and where lift isn't problematic because of gravitational conditions.  Simply adding the desired planets name in the script placements below.  If you wanted to set up an orbiting start around a given celestial body, you'd need 3 tuple coordinates for the following, RPOS, RVEL, and AROT.  These are Relative Position, Relative Velocity, and Angle of Rotation respectively.
An example earth based rotation would be as follows for example.

  RPOS -1939370.68 176.20 -5993558.24
  RVEL 6666.863 2.877 -2135.915
  AROT -176.52 -83.95 -89.26

Keep in mind these examples I don't believe immediately translated readily from planet to planet.  In the obvious sense, if you relative velocity at the given relative position were applied to Mars, you'd likely find you ecliptic orbit getting out of hand quickly owing to differences in gravitation here.  If you weren't into the hard math in determining exactly orbital configurations another method, is simply creating the scenario, say from launch and then recording this to a data SCN file, where saved it could be used in application to another scenario of the same type.  Fortunately the hard math of this problem hadn't need deal with orbits of the eccentric not equal to zero, portion, but you'd find yourself likely working through polar coordinates and then translating this into relative cartesian for RPOS and RVEL.  While AROT would be computed using something like a three tuple Euler rotation coordinates (representing the ecliptic plane)...I'd check on this to be sure though.

Also there is a useful script function if you implement your Lua console for modifying simulation dates.  This is nice because it simulates all conditions leading to the given input simulation date.

The function for changing date is Julian date format or MJD,
I used thie for nice jumps of approximately 100G  travel distance, say going from Earth to Mars, which translated at my velocity to approximately 30 days travel time...I used with 'unlimted fuel' setting a high ejection velocity cutting much potential travel time relative to the slower more realistic likelihood of travel times expected otherwise.  I also took advantage of Mars relative close proximity to Earth in this case reducing travel times, fastforwarding MJD to a more optimal launch window.  The script function is:

oapi.set_simmjd(MJDvalue)

If you were the less patient type as I am...I frequently run sim accelerations and using the lua console function above to speed things up to work on the nitty gritty stuff.

If you plan the journey to Mars as I did initially starting from the ground.  For interplanetary transfers,  you'll need to make sure to set Reference to 'Sun', Source to 'Earth', and Target to 'Mars'.   Selecting HTO, make sure firstly to give yourself a big enough ejection burn setting DV+ or DV- high enough for the escape intercept...I run a burn at 11k above my existing orbiting velocity starting TAS initially at 18k.   Secondly, you'd want to make sure your projected intercept the gray line coincides the projected position of the planet at intercept.  The planet's projected track is represented by the dashed yellow line, so you need to overlap the gray line with the dashed yellow line using the EJ + or EJ - buttons.  Also you'll want to keep in mind the elapsed time to lauch DTe.  Google provides nice conversion computation tools if you hadn't wanted to hand calculate.  Keep in mind 2,630,000 seconds translates into 1 month.  On the typical starting date, DTe may run high depending on your scenarios MJD and relative planetary alignments.  Obviously, you should leave enough spare time to launch to both get into orbit, and have your glider aligned on the Mar's ecliptic plane relative the sun.  Much of this can be accomplished easily within the course of hours of equivalent sim time.  As a note I'd also mention that DTe does represent the time for the ejection burn, but you also need to make sure that you are accurately in line on the burn itself.  Thus in orbit you may not be exactly aligned for the burn for your given relative position orbiting Earth for the burn.  There is a small color coded line (of the same color as your reference celestial body that you are orbiting...for Earth 'green'), that you will need to pay attention to before performing the burn.  DTe letting lapse is fine for the course of time until having reached your position launch window isn't generally a problem in my opinion...especially given the minor burns for course correction that would generally be likely especially as you are more distant from your given destination.  Visually you can read your launch position as follows:  Once visually your relative position (small line rotating around your celestial reference source line) is in parallel to your dashed launch line (for Earth to Mars the big dashed green line), you preform the burn.  Unfortunately, since your source is set to Earth and not your ship, you will need to do the math computing the amount of ejection velocity, just add your DV to your existing TAS read.  Once the burn is complete optimally you may be in luck to see that the celestial body that you are travelling to is in line (as in this case Mars) is somewhere within your glider's frame of view.  At ejection, your crafts is moving tangential to projected travel path, generally you should be able to see that your relative position (e.g. from Earth to Mars, this would be your relative position to Earth at ejection point is tangentially aligned to your projected travel path) is initially nearly tangential (parallel) to the projected dashed line travel path.  If you see that your relative position from the source celestial body, appears to deviate within fairly short order from this projected path at the ejection point, you may want to perform right away a correction burn to bring your glider in line to this.  This will optimally spare significant course deviation and correction burns later on.   Next, I recommend setting up your Orbit MFD and setting Mars as your source, and make sure your ship is selected for elliptic comparisons.  If you run your Simulator at 100 or 1000 times, you should see a noticeable decline in Periapsis values.  Here indicating that you are roughly moving in the same direction towards in some manner your intended travel destination.  I also recommend if you run the simulator at 1000 times to normal that you avoid keeping your ship's prograde setting on (as this can cause for some odd reasons numeric instabilities in terms of your ship's rotational stability).  Its better to use Kill Rotation at normal sim speeds, and then let the ship drift at higher simulation speeds, and the toggle back to normal speed, repeat the prograde function to bring the ship back in line for the visuals, and then kill Rotation and repeat the process.  Also using the script function below in 5 or 10 day increments I've found helpful, since this exceeds well above 1000 times normal sim time.  Optimally if you hadn't wanted to maximize in terms of course corrections.  These need to be done with the ship rotated normal (perpendicular or 90 degrees) to pro grade motion.  While you can do course corrections for the visually, I've also found using the Orbit MFD a great tool, as you can examine the Periapsis values decline as you near closer to your destination.  Generally speaking, the problem of the approach is like a resolutions problem, if you were 50G outside of your destination, Periapsis may show in some fractional order of this but not highly resolved...in my case something like ten G or somewhere in the proximity), and then nearing closer with a correction burn I'd find this getting closer and closer to the given target.  I've generally found that this fractional proportionality isn't such that at 50G you could expect (at least for myself) to be something like 500k or 10k for periapsis, even if you appear to have your course visually aligned on the planetary body itself.  Thus generally once a maximum stability appears numerically on your Orbit MFD on the correction burn, you've likely generally maximized for your given relative position.  Generally I speed I speed up sim time here, and repeat the process getting nearer, usually working in 5 to 10 day increments.  The nice thing is that Orbit MFD unlike the strictly visual approach I believe accounts for relative planetary motions, so Periapsis values should remain stable over time if you flight motion is ideally in line...that is your elliptic is moving on the same plane and in the same way as the Celestial body itself on the elliptic...in the past, I've fought counter intuitively  in principle neither paying attention to course trajectories so much attempting to chase down planets which should seem like taking two steps backwards relative a step forward because of odd course trajectories.  Repeating this process, eventually you should be declining both in terms of periapsis values and orbital eccentricity.  Once established within reasonable distance of your planet on the order of 500k for periapsis, you should prep for the retrograde burn.  If you are 20k or less on your TAS for flight speed, ideally you can accomplish this at periapsis.  If your ship's velocity is higher then this, you will likely need to drop down at some point prior to reaching periapsis to slow your ship down, ideally within velocity ranging at no more then 20k.  The retrograde burn should be done to minimize orbital eccentricity close to zero.  In orbit, you can see how your relative orbit is relative to say Olympus base toggling to your map.  Here, you flight path ideally will intersect on ecliptic plane that ranges from equatorial to mid latitude regions.  If you need to correct your orbit, do so I believe reducing your Rinc value.  Preparing for Martian entry, is a matter of your ship's path moving within reasonable proximity to the base.  Your ship's projected distance bubble on the map provides excellent visual reference for when to accomplish the retrograde burn for re entry.  Once the bubble coincides visually with the base, you are likely in good range.  You will notice as you perform the burn your orbital path suddenly terminating with a square icon, this is your projected re entry point.  Ideally you'd want to accomplish re entry such to have this point coincide as close as possible to the base itself, while maintaining reasonable angle of attack (i.e., you don't want to skim the surface of Mars like a pebble on a pond, otherwise, you'll just skid on the atmosphere...likewise you don't want to drop like a rock...40 degree angle could be a good rough approximation...) although I've used this more from the visual standpoint at glance using the Orbital MFD measuring the angle of projected path relative planetary orbital altitude minimum).      

Generally speaking Mars is a fraction of the gravity found on Earth, and Martian atmosphere is noticeable different in so far as aerodynamics (being less dense at ground level, and similarly at higher altitudes). On you decent hold the craft level on the surface horizon.  I used a similar angle of attack similar to that of Earth's (40 degrees)...running TAS at 1600.  Velocity picked up to over 2000, and atmospheric frictional bleeds are not as noticeable relative to Earth's, coupled with poorer Earth relative aerodynamic handling.  Optimally it help having your entry lined up here.   Generally I've found enough aerodynamic stability running TAS at around 1k, and ranging 10 to 16k.  The more optimal method that I've found involved using a rotational pendulum swing of the craft (with Level Horizon and Hold Altitude engaged), and the using a combination of retrograde burns (relative to positive translation motion) to burn velocity, and similarly using this method to change the glider's direction.   If you are a noob to Martian flight , I recommend that traditional flight mechanics seemed much to poor in terms of handling otherwise, especially given the more rarefied atmosphere at the altitudes that I mentioned, and flying lower seemed either to slow or risky in terms of reasonable flight handling where I typically encountered more substantial gains and loses in altitude (for instance 10 k in altitude within 20 to 30 seconds...keeping in mind that Martian atmosphere typically runs at a high window of 22km...as opposed to Earth's 50 km where flight mechanics are more noticeable both in terms of wing lift and drag).   I'd recommend using the level horizon function, Hold Altitude, and keeping Kill Rotation on hand as needed.  Generally speaking if you land at Olympus Base, at 50 k < out I recommend stabilizing the craft outside of traditional flight lift physics...meaning use the Hold altitude function.  This forgoes the need for maintaining retrograde (or positive translation) motion of your craft for wing lift.  Secondly there aren't any bases on Mars having landing strips like that found on Earth.  Generally speaking your landing spot is a small launch pad.  Dialing in your NAV from frequencies.  You'd use your VOR/VTOL, and is in the case of station docking operate the craft using linear thrust.  Because linear thrust translation translates into approximately 1 m/s differentials, in terms of acceleration and de acceleration, its important to consider your relative velocity relative to the position to your launchpad.  I ran ultra slow, at a 20 m/s pace 20 km out, and then gradually dropped my relative velocity as needed in keeping to the rate at which I could feasible de accelerate the craft.  My final landing velocity were between 0 and -1 m/s.
Here's the Mars launch SCN file below.


BEGIN_DESC
Launch the delta-glider from Venus and see how it handles under extreme dynamic pressures.


Warning: You must disable the complex flight model for this scenario, otherwise your engines will not work under the enormous atmospheric pressure at the
Venus surface.
END_DESC

BEGIN_ENVIRONMENT
  System Sol
  Date MJD 51982.9068993519
END_ENVIRONMENT

BEGIN_FOCUS
  Ship GL-01
END_FOCUS

BEGIN_CAMERA
  TARGET GL-01
  MODE Cockpit
  FOV 60.00
END_CAMERA

BEGIN_HUD
  TYPE Surface
END_HUD

BEGIN_MFD Left
  TYPE Surface
END_MFD

BEGIN_MFD Right
  TYPE Orbit
  PROJ Ship
  REF Mars
END_MFD

BEGIN_SHIPS
ISS:ProjectAlpha_ISS
  STATUS Orbiting Earth
  ELEMENTS 6734919.2 0.00090 74.51300 169.03400 328.32497 560.71341 51982.906
  AROT 30.00 0.00 50.00
END
Mir
  STATUS Orbiting Earth
  ELEMENTS 6670999.7 0.00060 3.50000 360.00000 0.03290 132.19809 51982.906
  AROT 5.00 10.00 15.00
END
Luna-OB1:Wheel
  STATUS Orbiting Moon
  ELEMENTS 2237990.3 0.00001 89.99950 0.00059 317.37509 574.48880 51982.906
  AROT 0.00 0.00 88.25
  VROT 0 0 10
END
GL-01:DeltaGlider
  STATUS Landed Mars
  POS 15 -7
  HEADING 80
  PRPLEVEL 0:0.200 1:1.000
  NAVFREQ 402 94 0 0
  XPDR 0
  NOSECONE 0 0.0000
  GEAR 1 1.0000
  AIRLOCK 0 0.0000

END
END_SHIPS

Direction

    Interestingly finding myself engaged in a bit of self criticism for some of the music that I've been working on.  Compelled for a few reasons, but mostly it comes to mind that in recent times, I've spent a little time focusing on other things in writing, and then I've delved for a number of months working on music stuffs, and at a glance, it seems at times there is hardly a conscious segway between the two, or at least at times more momentary writing between the two landscapes seem completely disparate, or at least this seems more deliberative on my part.
     Firstly it seems the approach are different, at least in terms of formalism, there is a difference in fluency here between the two.  If you find yourself difficult at expressing yourself in terms of words, then it seems the way that you'd express yourself should seem the nature of one's expression would could seem limited?   I hadn't written any fictional works by the way in a while, or I've a sense of not knowing what exactly I should write if I did it.  If I started, generally, it seems like on the premise of something simple, and then I am not sure where the writings itself would lead by convention.  Then if you asked me to write several hundred pages about horses or horse racing, I might flee from the subject quickly.  Should we know how to write about these things even if we hadn't related?  I know this is a much delved into subject matter in any event for fiction, and the artfulness in writing were finding a signature in writing about this.  Maybe not exactly about horses, about the characters, about something...people may not have originally related, and then you end up with the Black Stallion, a whole story about the land from where the horse came from, and then the writer delves into historical fiction, wild horses on the steppes or something like this, but I feel guilty at this point, I'd need to research more, need to find out more information about the nature of the landscape, travel there..
     I am fascinated now working in music now, not because I consider myself so much of an expert, or that I am sure of what I set about attempting to do here clearly.
     Striking to me that how music in some ways differs from other art mediums in our present age.  I find myself dwelling on this criticism I heard echoed recently regarding an NPR segment on a recent jazz artist working on a compilation of tunes in varying disciplines.  In many ways I find myself in a similar position, albeit working from a different perspective.  Namely, spending a lot of time studying sound in general.  Trying to reproduce in some ways on the basis of style, but using an old hand of mine in creating sound packages themselves.  Here and there, I use already created samples, but I reproduce much also on my own in terms of sound synthesis, neither working necessarily from rotely created short segments (a couple of tunes were more predominantly this way), but a number weren't.  Its not exactly as easy as it sounds either, or at least seems that way to me.  A lot of sounds, seem in some way coarse to me at first, but then finding myself working to shape them into something different.  I found myself asking myself on this critical convention here, at least by way of the convention that seems inevitable...it seems like its there from the standpoint of the abiding package.  In the way that we are expressing ourselves...so much that it seems that we would produce according to the convention that we are driven.  Then it occurred to me, how diverse is the landscape of music in terms of convention from composition to composition.  Overall, one weren't prevented from compiling works, and then if this were presented in the format of 'music for film', we would be more inclined to accept the diverse landscape that were entailed.  We might not think as critically of the artist attempting any number of disciplines here, but should I be so concerned if Classical opera singers delved into popular music crossovers?  It seems a double standard in a way, and who exactly criticizes these days.  At times, I've turned to listen to self published works.  Of course, like myself, it seems production sensibilities could be varied at times here, and I wonder exactly how much standard exists in terms of judging works for the sheer sake of this alone?  I hear the words, "Where is it soul?"  And that seems a difficulty in its own right.  Not sure that I feel comfortable in saying this, other then on the point of self criticism.   It seems more easy in saying and not relating so much on a point of criticism.   There must be an art even to something of landscape, wandering, and abstraction?!
     Months now in passing, I've tired of reading technical books much, or attempting some self  study, and then I've managed to feel good in a way, not because I were professional, or engaged in something overly critical by what I've done, or more so it seems like a good humor that I've had.   Leads me to the day that I hadn't known in expecting. 

No Chance

    Waking up to this a lot.  

        Zero.  

           And the level of compassion or empathy?!  

             In a way, no one wants to hear it, or as in the re invention of society itself:  there were victims, 

                  now there are not any.

                     No one is interested.

                        You have nothing to hide, and everything is of suspicion.  

                    

                          The evidence that you have concealed something of it, comes by way incidentally 

                    

                            that someone now watching you just got on third shift, just got hired, has no idea 

 

                             who you were, and anyways, new leadership just came in a week ago.  

A shit job

    Seems odd saying this, or maybe it isn't so odd really but pointedly given so much before and following, you find yourself asking this question: 'What purpose does this really serve?'  

    After nearly six months you get a phone call for what apparently either reflected a really shitty revolving door of a workplace, or that your application were cherry picked for the explicit purpose of a hire for some reason...but you hold out hope on some alternate reason:  goodwill charity, you hadn't accumulated professional references over any time, and then you think there's hardly any need for exploitation here.    

    Things seem odd about the work anyways, no one is ever there not merely a few in starting...but merely that management later makes the emphasis of clearly communicating anything but seems to know little about the operations side of things, but it seems to leave something of suspicion in mind, sure its cute hearing Thievery Corporations Mirror Conspiracy or any number of subtle drops of something, you were hear to fucking frost donuts after all, I mean how feasibly shitty could a job be? 

   A man by the name of Paul, announces, 'He hates his life.'  in the same space of hours, while he  nearly seems to be passing out at the kitchen stove.  He jokes about needing 'speed'.  At some other point, he gets doughnut frosting all over his finger, and announces that you, 'lick his finger.'  Meanwhile, as usual if you weren't tired of all the references to mega wash up hip hops having attempted to draw something of ire, after all Pandora's big brother would turn indie folk into Frank Ocean, and your sexuality were being put on trial...sort of scratching one's head, apparently this sort of pro activity might have been part of Snowden's revelations somewhere, but it never filtered through to American media. 

The upshot were that the final lame meeting assembled were enough in a way.  Surely for the head dough guy complaining about the nature of one's work, he'd in one breath talk about neither getting enough sleep and in another breath mention his excitement for going to a baseball game, the next night he arrived at work scarcely functioning throughout the night, at least insomnia or sleep walking his way through dough, but then apparently I did things too slow...scarcely any kitchen leadership to train were expressed.  Sadly one hadn't thought one were merely working for hypocritical fuck ups, but something more.  This job was a dead end, and then I were thinking to the tune of not even getting paid for work.  I called in my quit notice with an 'effective immediately'.  The manager without skipping a beat talked as though I were another customer.  I asked if she'd like some feedback as to why I were leaving.  She said 'no'.  The conversation ended there.   I quit three weeks ago, I still have no pay check for the labor..  In retrospect, glad I left that job.  Sadly for a possible script it were one of the few places ever responding back...in a way I imagined something like approvals process and the like were needing completion up until that time, seems in the way of conspiracies, being hired overnight weren't an easy rubber stamp?  All for four weekends of work...  

Years ago, when I were in to this communal farming funk, I almost took a job, maybe I should have, but I had some reservation, only if it hadn't seemed like things were in the convenience of scripting and staging altogether.  All too convenient that another prospect turned me down on the basis of in experience and suddenly it neither matters, and that this sort of response were months in the making down the road. 

http://www.csicop.org/si/show/the_voynich_manuscript_the_book_nobody_can_read/

It is hardly more illuminating to take a look at the astronomical and the cosmological sections, which contain pictures that can be identified as the Zodiac signs still familiar today (Aries, Taurus, Libra, and so forth). Scarcely another illustration in the Voynich manuscript is as unambiguous. Unfortunately, this observation does not result in further insight into the book's origin. The celestial bodies illustrated in the astronomical section cannot be identified and probably are only figments of imagination. Some Voynich researchers believe they recognize in these pictures the Andromeda fog or the Pleiades, but this again is just speculation.

Did you account for the relative change in position of the stars?  Constellations seen from earth wouldn't necessarily appear the same from another celestial position especially more distant from earth. 

Mental Health III

6/3/13

    Searching for something really to speak of, but nothing in mind at the moment.  Eating lots of cheese lately.  :)

I can't help but think about the acronym POTUS, when I first heard it I hadn't realized that it meant something different...I thought it were a coded plea for marijuana or something like this...

Google Glass versus the dirt cheap Eyeglass Binoculars

http://venturebeat.com/2013/06/01/google-bans-face-recognition-apps-for-glass/

I am waiting for the day when I walk up to super market checkout, and the cashier says, "Hello Christopher!  How are you today!"

I say, "How did you know my name?!"

She or he is sort of sly at this point, and I happened not to be wearing any google glass, but they are.  Instead all I could afford were the

http://www.amazon.com/Eyeglass-Binoculars-Magnification-Observing-Telescope/dp/B009736A3C

recent Camman glasses, which seemed cool to me, plus I could spot an end cap with the organic chips a mile way then!