Planet/Moon Altitudes

[giddonah]

I just want to be sure, the Periapsis number is above surface level, right? So Ike, which is 130km at it's tallest, my periapsis doesn't need to be 131km, right? I think this is a dumb question but I'm asking it anyway.

Edited August 8, 2014 by giddonah

[Streetwind]

The key figure you need to look for is "highest elevation above sea level".

Ike's equatorial radius is 130km, that is correct. So your periapsis above its center of gravity needs to be 131 km or more. But that is not the number the game shows you. If you had such an orbit, you would see a periapsis of 1 km instead, because 130km above the center of Ike is considered "sea level" (regardless of the fact that there are no seas on Ike).

Since the game only shows you distances above sea level, you need to find out what the tallest point on Ike above sea level is. The wiki says that it's 12.75km. So you would want at minimum a periapsis of 13km above the surface - equal to 143km above the center of the body, but showing just as "13" ingame.

[giddonah]

ok, cool. Thanks!