Author Topic: Orbital position calculations  (Read 4192 times)

Offline Phillip Clark

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Orbital position calculations
« on: 03/01/2016 09:04 pm »
I am getting too old to start thinking about writing a major new computer program, so I am wondering if someone can point me in the direct of something nice and simple which will do what I am looking for.

I am wanting some software that will read in a TLE by catalogue number from a text file which has one element for each object in orbit.   I then specify a start and end date/time and a time interval and the software produces a straight text file with the date/time, latitude and longitude for the interval chosen: perfection would be the data line including the catalogue number.

Does anyone know of such software?   I have tried to navigate around free software like STK but that has so many options that I just get lost!   And the software that used to do this doesn't work with modern operating systems.

I hate getting old and not being able to think clearly!

Many thanks for any guidance.
I've always been crazy but it's kept me from going insane - WJ.

Offline Thomas Dorman

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Re: Orbital position calculations
« Reply #1 on: 03/03/2016 04:18 pm »
Phillip have you look at orbitron or heavensat or I,m not sure JSat Track they may have functions to give the information you need. No clear what you are after.
heavensat
http://www.sat.belastro.net/heavensat.ru/english/index.html
orbitron
http://www.stoff.pl/
J Sat track
http://www.gano.name/shawn/JSatTrak/
Regards
Thomas

Offline Thomas Dorman

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Re: Orbital position calculations
« Reply #2 on: 03/03/2016 04:22 pm »
Phillip
I know for Orbitron and Heavensat I can create my own catalogs in the  file to input TLE data to the program.
Thomas

Offline Phillip Clark

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Re: Orbital position calculations
« Reply #3 on: 03/04/2016 05:20 pm »
Thank you for your replies.   I have tried the programs which you have suggested by they will not do what I am looking for.

I have historical TLEs and for these I am wanting to accurately obtain the date/time UT for the "rev zero" and the final orbit ascending node passes and the geocentric longitudes (deg E) of those crossing locations.   When I was able to use the SATRAK software I would simply plug in the TLE and calculate the position at 1 second intervals for a 10 minutes period (data printed to a pure text file which I could examine) and then interpolate for the crossing time/longitude.

So I am looking for something that will do the same and also allow me to calculate the sub-satellite position for specific times from the TLEs.

Sadly, SATRAK became "restricted" when it was re-written for the Windoze envionment, so I have no access to the up-to-date versions.
I've always been crazy but it's kept me from going insane - WJ.

Offline Thomas Dorman

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Re: Orbital position calculations
« Reply #4 on: 03/04/2016 08:00 pm »
Phillip
We do not uses such functions in our satellite observing but there is a a window in HeavenSat that deals with orbital evolution. Have you seen it? You load the TLE data from a file. Then once load  go over to the earth map and highlight your satellite icon and the right click it will bring up the the satellite and click Orbital evolution then load your file set and the pick the function you want it process you can even have it  draw a chart for these functions and it says it will export the data to a file  which we would think would be in text format.Then again have never used  the orbital evolution window.  It will calculate  eccentricity, inclination, period, RAAN, Geodetic RAAN, Semi-major Axis, Arg. of Perigee, Arg. of Latitude, Height of Apogee above Sphere (R=6378 Km), Height of Perigee above Sphere (R=6378 Km),Date.
Do not know if this can help but thought we would point it out
Regards
Thomas

Offline satwatcher

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Re: Orbital position calculations
« Reply #5 on: 03/09/2016 03:58 pm »
So I am looking for something that will do the same and also allow me to calculate the sub-satellite position for specific times from the TLEs.

What kind of orbits are you interested in? Low Earth or higher up?

I'll whip up some code and see if I can compile in on Windows. It doesn't require a GUI I hope?

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