[.xls,.ods] KSP Orbital Sooper Calculator!

[madbadger2742]

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AhKLt0dfza0MdDhtYnJDc2xxbWZXeG5mWnV2X0ktNlE

The basics of this spreadsheet are pretty simple: Put in what you know, and it will tell you what you don't know.

Take, for example, the preset situation: I want to put some Communotron-32 equipped RT commsats on a hemi-synchronous orbit with a .5 eccentricity.

How many do I need?

What are my AP and PE?

How far apart are they spaced on the orbit?

Voila! You now have all this information!

Some specifics:

•Yellow-highlighted cells are for data entry. The only default value is “Body†= Kerbin.

•All units are mks (meter, kilogram, second)

•Time entry on the left will convert to seconds, then reformat back to standard form for you, so you can enter your time in either standard form or just raw seconds.

•The time formatter on the right doesn't go anywhere. It's just there so you can make some quick time conversions without messing up the calculator.

•AP and PE are altitude ASL, not from center. All other distances are measured from center. I did this so one may easily enter those numbers from the orbit screen.

•The data for all KSP and Sol planets (plus Luna and Pluto) are included. Note: I did use the names “Sol†and “Luna†to avoid confusion with KSP's “Sun†and “Mun.â€Â

•The data for all stock RT antennae are included

•A local copy in either Excel or OpenOffice will autocomplete the name of the antenna and the body, guaranteeing the lookup. On Google Docs, however, it appears that autocomplete does not work, so you will have to be sure to accurately enter the full name of the antenna (e.g. “Communotron 32†or “CommTech EXP-VR-2Tâ€Â) for the lookup to execute properly. You can also manually enter the max antenna range.

•Another issue with Google Docs is the conditional formatting. A local copy will warn you with a red cell if your altitudes are below “minimum safe altitude†(either atmospheric height or maximum terrain elevation,) or outside of SOI or if the calculated range between satellites is beyond the rated range of the specified antenna. Google will not do this. :/

•The Multi-Sat Launch Vehicle calculator is fairly simplistic. It gives you an orbit either one satellite period shorter or longer than the final satellite orbit. I would like to make it more sophisticated, but I'm still working out the logic and math for it.

•The Hohmann dV calculator is very simplistic as well. Be nice to it. But seriously, if you find a problem with it, let me know. I just kind of threw it together.

•All the calculations and data are there on that one sheet. I just hid the rows and columns. If you feel the need to unhide them, I'm warning you it's very, very messy in there.

I have a pretty short to-do list for this calculator. If you want me to add something, let me know:

[email protected]

I'm still working out some bugs and kinks, so please also let me know if you run across an issue.

Thanks! And enjoy orbiting!

Credits:

Based on and using data from KSP wiki spreadsheet:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AuySrGPsDeq2dFdaS19xc2lobGc2aWNXUkJsZlVtWFE#gid=0

And, of course, Wikipedia.

[Camacha]

I appear to need your permission to access Google docs.

[madbadger2742]

Sorry about that. I thought I had changed the permissions. I guess I thought wrong.

Fixed.

[Camacha]

It says that all changes are automatically saved in drive. Is that supposed to be happening?

[madbadger2742]

Honestly, I don't know Google Docs well enough to manage the permissions so that you can enter data without actually editing the sheet. :/

I prefer to use a local copy, anyway.