Are the initial starting positions at time zero for bodies in KSP available?

[Dunbaratu]

The Wiki is populated with enough information to work out *almost* all of the parameters of the ellipse equations for the orbits of planets and moons.

The one thing that's missing is the initial start positions at time zero. (i.e. when you very first start a new campaign of KSP on day zero, hour zero, minute zero, second zero, what are the positions of the bodies?

Basically what I'm trying to do is use the new KOS mod to do some autopiloting and there is no ability to find the positions of planets and moons but I just realized that I should be able to calculate that from my own "on rails" equations if I just had the initial starting positions plus the data from the KSP wiki plus the current exact time in the campaign.

[Guest]

Start a new save, immediately exit, open persistence file and find the planet positions?

Edited September 27, 2013 by regex

[tom1499]

Great Idea Steve, I think regexs' current plan is the best, I can't think of anything else that would work aside from making your own plugin...

[Dunbaratu]

Start a new save, immediately exit, open persistence file and find the planet positions?

I wasn't aware that planets were stored in the persistence file. I'd assume that since they never come "off" rails that there'd be no need to save anything about them. Everything would just get derived from the game time. But maybe I'm wrong. When I'm back home (I'm on mobile right now) I'll give it a look.

[UbioZur]

I wasn't aware that planets were stored in the persistence file. I'd assume that since they never come "off" rails that there'd be no need to save anything about them. Everything would just get derived from the game time. But maybe I'm wrong. When I'm back home (I'm on mobile right now) I'll give it a look.

You are actually right, planets are not store in the save file. Their position are calculated with the time store. They talked about it in the Unite conference.

[Guest]

You are actually right, planets are not store in the save file. Their position are calculated with the time store. They talked about it in the Unite conference.

Hrm... Well, OP might be able to find those positions in this program's source code:

http://alexmoon.github.io/ksp/

Or, at the very least, a method of finding them.

E: and failing that, you could always write a simple plugin to log the positions. You can ask an orbit what the position is at a given UT.

Edited September 27, 2013 by regex

[Mr Shifty]

All the info about the celestial bodies for KSP is in this spreadsheet (note the tabs at the bottom):

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

It was compiled for version .18, but I don't believe anything has changed since then.

[Cdr_Zeta]

If I am not mistaken it is the same for every game start.

cdr zeta

[Eskarina]

Starting positions... you mean their relative positions from the sun? angles and such?

[Dunbaratu]

All the info about the celestial bodies for KSP is in this spreadsheet (note the tabs at the bottom):

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

It was compiled for version .18, but I don't believe anything has changed since then.

Thank you. This contains the information I need. Using the Mean Anomoly stat I can derive the initial position. It's a bit annoying that it's expressed in mean anomoly, as that's several steps removed from what I actually need which is angle from the parent body (true anomaly), but I can derive it from that so it gives me what I need.

[Dunbaratu]

Starting positions... you mean their relative positions from the sun? angles and such?

All bodies' positions are tracked relative to their parent body. I.e. the game doesn't track where the Mun is relative to the Sun. It tracks where the Mun is relative to Kerbin, and then in turn it tracks where Kerbin is relative to the Sun.

[Dunbaratu]

If I am not mistaken it is the same for every game start.

cdr zeta

I hope so. My idea rather depends on this being true.