Make One of the Moons of Jool have Its Own Moon

[arkie87]

Is it possible for a large moon of a large (gas) planet to have its own moon, or would the gravity from the large (gas) planet steal it inevitably over time?

Either way, should one of these be put into KSP?

Edited November 27, 2014 by arkie87

[Rakaydos]

#Save the Magic Boulder

[Steambirds]

It'd be neat if Laythe had its own tiny Mun analogue.

[arkie87]

#Save the Magic Boulder

I see.

But a moon with a SOI would be cool too...

[arkie87]

It'd be neat if Laythe had its own tiny Mun analogue.

And if a minmus analogue orbited the mun analogue

[kerbiloid]

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/68619-0-25-Plugin-WIP-KittopiaTech-Ingame-Terraforming-Tools-V0-181

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/91363-WIP-Planet-Randomizer-0-2-4-%282014-09-21%29

[vexx32]

Except under very unusual circumstances, the gravity of the parent planet would almost always end up either completely destabilising the sub-moon's orbit, or it might even end up tearing the sub-moon apart completely, depending on the distance from the parent planet.

[arkie87]

Except under very unusual circumstances, the gravity of the parent planet would almost always end up either completely destabilising the sub-moon's orbit, or it might even end up tearing the sub-moon apart completely, depending on the distance from the parent planet.

Yes, so i figure, for it to be stable, it would have to be near the SOI boundary or at least in very high orbit around the planet, and the parent moon would have to be relatively large compared to the sub moon

[Whirligig Girl]

I think Tylo would have the biggest SOI of the Joolean moons but also the biggest Roche limit.

[rtxoff]

As far as i know the planets/moons in KSP are hard coded. It should be no problem to put even a larger moon into the game even if it wouldn't work that way in real life.

[arkie87]

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/68619-0-25-Plugin-WIP-KittopiaTech-Ingame-Terraforming-Tools-V0-181

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/91363-WIP-Planet-Randomizer-0-2-4-%282014-09-21%29

Can this do what I am suggesting? It doesnt seem like it can put a moon in the SOI of another moon and that moon still have its own SOI?

[Whirligig Girl]

As far as i know the planets/moons in KSP are hard coded. It should be no problem to put even a larger moon into the game even if it wouldn't work that way in real life.

Yes but all the orbits (not accounting for barycentric behaviors) are designed to work IRL. Indeed, in an N-body physics simulation, all of the planets and moons are stable (except for the Joolean moons; Vall and Pol eventually get ejected). If you do account for the model's barycenters, then everything works out, Vall and Pol are stable.

Videos by Matt Roesle.

Also, just for fun, Alternis Kerbol and Urania Planet Pack N-Body sim.

Chaos!