Re: Orbits Defined

>> > by space stations/satellites that don't have any drives to speak
of, and
>> > that want to stay above the same part of the planet. and it's
thousands
>> > of miles up. FT ships have so much manuever power they can force
their
>> > own orbits at whatever height they want
>> > Orbital mechanics are.. Low orbit is anything above the atmosphere,
but
>> > not a 'long' way away (kinda fuzzy). Geosynchronous would only be
used

You can use Earth as a benchmark for figuring out scale of orbits. If
you
take, for example, a globe 12 inches (mu) in diameter, a 'low orbit' is
upwards of 0.5 inch (mu) above the surface (example, at this scale, the
Hubble
telescope, orbiting at 370 miles every 96.5 min is a *bare* half inch
above a
12 inch diameter globe, and that's considered 'high-low orbit'; 'low'
orbits
are prolly closer to 0.25 inch) (another example, if anyone remembers
the
fireball/meteoroid that skipped off of Earth's atmosphere back on August
10,
1972, the one that was filmed passing over the Rockies in broad
daylight, it
would have been, using the scale above, a mere 1/16th inch above the
surface
of the globe)

>>  Geosynchronous orbit is where the unit (ship, station, etc.) is
>> traveling at such a speed in orbit that it remains above the same
spot on
>> the globe.

There is also a minimum distance above the surface of the body to
consider.

>>  Low orbit is any orbit that is traveling slower (faster ground
>>  speed/smaller
>> orbital path) than geosynchronous orbit. This is falling toward or
>> spiraling in toward the planet.
>>  High orbit is any orbit that is traveling faster (slower
>> ground speed/larger orbital path) than geosynchronous orbit. This is
>> spiraling out from the planet. --
>> Brian Bell
>
>Ermm.. the way you explain that makes it sound like geostationary orbit

>requires you to 
>be at a particular distance. In an /unpowered/ spacecraft that's true -

>centri(petal?) 
>forces are strictly defined. 

Geostationary orbits do require a particular distance. At least a
minimum
distance. For Earth this minimum distance is 35,000 km.

>A spacecraft capable of moving under it's own power can 
>actually maintain geosynchronous orbit at any altitude, simply by using
it's 
>drive system to maintain the correct velocity.

If you are using your drive system to maintain position, you are not 'in
orbit'. By definition to be in orbit you aren't using your drive
systems,
but using the gravity well of the object to dictate your velocity. If
you want
to maintain a stationary position above a certain point over a planet
and be
significantly less than that planet's geostationary limit, you need to
apply
drive power to prevent you from falling down the gravity well, and you
are
not 'in orbit'. Everything else in orbit will be whipping by you quite
fast.

>Seeing as how FT is a space combat game, wouldn't a better definition
be that
> low orbit 
>is at a range suficiently small to engage ground targets (and be
engaged by 
>them) and 
>high orbit is out of range? Presuming a planet could have enhanced
range 
>SLM's that 
>means (what?) 48MU is low orbit. 

Depends on the scale of your planet.  ;-)

>Unless someone wants to argue that acquiring 
>launch 
>velocity reduces the range of a salvo missile?

Nah.  :)

Mk
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
"Who am I? I am Susan Ivanova. Commander. Daughter of Andre and Sophie
Ivanov. I am the Right Hand of Vengeance...and the boot that is going
to kick your sorry ass all the way back to Earth, sweetheart. I am Death
incarnate. And the last living thing you are _ever_...going to see.

"God sent me."

				      - Ivanova, "Between the Darkness
						      and the Light"