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Program STSORBIT
Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation
(C) Copyright David H. Ransom, Jr., 1989-1990
All rights reserved.
Version 9122A
May 27, 1991
by David H. Ransom, Jr.
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
BBS: (213) 541-7299
Program STSORBIT Space Shuttle Orbit Simulation Page i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
-----------------
INTRODUCTION ......................................................1
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION ...............................................4
STSORBIT FILES ....................................................6
STARTING PROGRAM STSORBIT .........................................7
STSORBIT MAIN MENU ................................................10
F1 Program STSORBIT Demonstration ..............................10
F2 Read NASA/NORAD 2-Line Elements .............................11
F3 Read Prior Mission Information from *.INI File ..............12
F4 Enter New Orbital Information ...............................13
F5 Adjust Orbital Parameters ...................................14
2-Line Elements Model .......................................14
Simple Orbital Model ........................................15
F6 Set Elapsed Time Option (2-line elements only)...............16
F8 Set Program TIME and DATE....................................17
F9 DOS Shell ...................................................20
F10 Set STSORBIT Program Options and Features ...................20
ENTER Resume Mission ...........................................21
ESC Quit STSORBIT and Save Current Mission ...................21
PROGRAM OPTIONS AND FEATURES MENU .................................22
F1 Program STSORBIT Information ................................22
F2 Set New Local Coordinates ...................................22
F3 Set Display Features ........................................24
F6 Set Map Center (USA/Europe) .................................24
F7 Set for SLOW COMPUTER or NO COPROCESSOR .....................25
F9 Set UTC Time Offset and Daylight Flag .......................25
F10 Enable/Disable Printer Logging ..............................26
SET DISPLAY FEATURES ..............................................28
F2 Display TDRS Coverage .......................................28
F3 Enable/Disable Additional Map Grid Lines ....................28
F4 Display NASA Tracking Stations ..............................29
F5 Show Ascending & Descending Node Data .......................29
F6 Display Spacecraft Circle of Visibility .....................29
F7 Display South Atlantic Anomaly Zone .........................29
F8 Display Terminator, Sun and Spacecraft Lighting .............29
F9 Select Distance Units: NM or KM .............................30
F10 Select Satellite Coordinates: RA/DEC, AltAz or XYZ ..........30
USING GROUND TRACK DISPLAY OPTIONS ................................31
THE STSORBIT GROUND TRACK DISPLAY .................................33
On-line Help (F1 Key) ...........................................33
World Map .......................................................33
Spacecraft or Satellite and Orbit Projections ...................34
User's Circle of Visibility .....................................34
Spacecraft Circle of Visibility .................................35
TDRS Satellite Features .........................................35
NASA Ground Tracking Stations ...................................36
STSORBIT'S ORBITAL MODELS .........................................37
ADJUSTING ORBITAL PARAMETERS (Simple Orbital Model) ...............39
STSORBIT REVISION HISTORY .........................................41
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 1
INTRODUCTION
------------
Program STSORBIT is an orbital tracking and display program for use
during Space Shuttle missions, for simulating a Space Shuttle mission, or
for general satellite tracking using NASA/NORAD 2-Line Elements. STSORBIT
is copyrighted software; you are granted a non-exclusive license for non-
commercial use only. Use it if you like it, discard it if you don't. There
are no warranties of any kind. If you wish to use STSORBIT commercially,
write for license information. The only request I make of users is that
they take the time to complete and return the confidential questionnaire in
file README. The questionnaire gives users a chance to offer comments and
suggestions, and lets me know that people use and appreciate STSORBIT.
Program STSORBIT is intended to display the orbital position and
ground track of the Space Shuttle on a global map during a typical NASA
mission. When used with NASA/NORAD 2-Line Elements, the position and ground
track of other satellites, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, Gamma Ray
Observatory, or the Soviet MIR Space Station, may also be displayed. Data
for over 100 different satellites is included. An IBM-compatible computer
is required. When used with an EGA or VGA video adapter, the display is in
color; CGA and HGC systems can only present graphics in monochrome. In the
past, NASA has not published or made available very precise information as
to the orbital parameters either before or during a "normal" mission;
recently, however, more accurate data has been published in magazines such
as Aviation Week and in various NASA publications. NASA now also releases
the "2-Line Elements", classical orbital elements which enable much more
precise calculation of orbital positions. Military missions, of course, are
almost completely blacked out. It is something of a challenge, therefore,
to devise a program which will at least come close and which, as more or
different information becomes available, will permit the program's data to
be updated "on the fly". The primary objective is to present an interesting
and attractive real time graphics display of a Space Shuttle mission or
satellite ground track, rather than to generate mathematically precise
positional information.
The initial premise of STSORBIT was to attempt to duplicate the wall
map in NASA's Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas. Before I started
this project, I had seen several other programs which attempted to do that
same task, but each fell short of my objectives for one reason or another;
since then other programs have appeared which produce similar information,
most notably Paul Traufler's excellent TRAKSAT. It may be, of course, that
others will judge this effort lacking as well. One problem is that of size
and resolution: the wall map at Mission Control Center is some twenty feet
wide with an impressive pixel resolution, very different from the typical
personal computer and the size and resolution of its monitor. The NASA wall
map shows essentially the entire globe in a cylindrical projection;
STSORBIT uses a cylindrical projection but restricts the vertical display
to latitudes from +80 degrees to -80 degrees in order to achieve reasonable
proportions and vertical resolution while at the same time showing
recognizable land features.
As a consequence of the basic inaccuracies relative to the orbital
parameters of a Space Shuttle mission while it is in progress, I did not
originally try to be especially precise with respect to the orbital
mathematics. Additionally, mathematical complexity must be held to a
reasonable minimum if older computers not equipped with a math coprocessor
are to be able to maintain the presentation in real time. The higher
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 2
resolution and color graphics available with more advanced displays such as
the EGA and VGA greatly enhance the program, but my Zenith laptop computer
emulates the older CGA graphics display in (blue) monochrome. Therefore, in
order to use my program on all of my own computers, STSORBIT maintains
compatibility with all three display standards. Recently, compatibility
with HGC (Hercules Graphics Card) has been improved.
My somewhat casual attitude toward mathematical precision changed with
the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the regular availability
of NASA/NORAD 2-Line Elements via modem. Until HST, I had been content to
update the orbital data occasionally during the course of a typical five
day mission and live with the errors inherent in my original orbital model.
The accuracy of that model degrades rapidly after five or ten orbits and,
although it may be the only method available at the start of a mission,
more accurate data are now readily available within a day or so of launch.
The NASA SpaceLink BBS in Huntsville, Alabama also began posting 2-line
orbital elements for the Space Shuttle in early 1991 due in part to my
continuing suggestions.
Beginning with Version 9022, therefore, STSORBIT was modified to also
read orbital data from these NASA 2-line elements and thereby maintain
significantly improved accuracy over longer periods of time. As an
incidental benefit, the ground tracks of other satellites (such as the
Russian space station MIR) may now also be displayed. At present, the
orbital model (SGP4) used with 2-line elements is accurate only for low
Earth orbits. Deep space orbits, defined as orbits having an orbital period
greater than or equal to 225 minutes, require a more complex orbital model
(SDP4) for best accuracy; STSORBIT calculates data and displays a ground
track for deep space objects but the accuracy of these data has not been
carefully validated; it is believed to be "reasonably" accurate.
In mid-1990, STSORBIT found its way to the NASA Johnson Space Center
in Houston, Texas. Quite a few individuals from JSC sent me comments and
suggestions for further improving the program, among them Ron Parise of the
STS-35/ASTRO-1 crew. Ron suggested that I make modifications to allow the
display of Mission Elapsed Time (MET) for shuttle missions while using the
NASA 2-line elements. This would allow both the higher accuracy of the NASA
orbital data and permit following the mission timeline using MET. Although
the launch time and date must be entered independently of the 2-line
elements, the MET capability has now been added. Another suggestion from
Ron and others was to include the sun terminator.
A brief biographical note: I am a retired physicist and engineer who
spent all of his professional life in the world of electronics, data
communications and, more recently, computers. As a young man I was actively
involved in the early American space program, including projects such as
Ranger, Mariner, Mercury, and Apollo; my interest in space has continued to
this day. The desire to "keep in touch" with our Space Shuttle missions was
one of the principal incentives in the development of this software. If
STSORBIT also serves to help spark the interest of young people in science
and technology or can be a learning tool at any level, I will have more
than achieved my goal.
In addition to individual users all over the world, STSORBIT is also
being used in an educational setting. At a middle school in Kansas, the
program is projected in the school auditorium from time to time during a
mission to show the children graphically what is happening and to give them
a sense of "real time" participation in our space program. At an Air Force
training facility, STSORBIT is one of many tools used to prepare Air Force
officers for their duties in the Air Force Space Command. The program was
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 3
widely distributed at a recent National Association of Science Teachers
convention and by radio amateurs at regional "ham fests".
For those who are interested in our space program and who have access
to a modem, I recommend NASA's SpaceLink Bulletin Board System in
Huntsville, Alabama, (205) 895-0028, available twenty four hours per day.
NASA SpaceLink, supervised by Bill Anderson of the NASA Marshall Space
Flight Center, provides a wealth of information on NASA and its projects.
2-line orbital elements for a Space Shuttle mission are usually available
while the mission is in progress. In addition to educational materials
(including STSORBIT), general information on NASA programs and plans, news
releases, and graphics images from prior spacecraft missions such as
Voyager, SpaceLink also devotes a complete section to current news and
information on the Space Shuttle. I particularly appreciate the STS Mission
Press Kit, available about two weeks before each mission, which provides a
great deal of information on the upcoming mission, payload and crew as well
as broadcast schedules on NASA Select Television, Satellite F2-R,
Transponder 13. Mission status reports are generated daily during the
course of a mission. I regularly call SpaceLink and post files of interest
on my own bulletin board system (BBS).
Special thanks to Paul Traufler for his friendship and encouragement
over the past several years. Our regular telephone conversations have
generated many a new idea and the synergism has been beneficial to us both.
Our two programs, STSORBIT and TRAKSAT, have engaged us in a friendly
rivalry which has, I think, improved both programs many fold. I may have
provided the initial spur to Paul to write TRAKSAT (in order to improve on
my "sloppy orbital math", as Paul described it) but TRAKSAT has in turn
kept my nose to the grindstone. The emphasis of the two programs is
slightly different, with STSORBIT concentrating on the graphical display
and TRAKSAT on high precision analytical and predictive techniques. I
strongly recommend TRAKSAT for the serious satellite tracker. My thanks as
well for Paul's help in upgrading STSORBIT to use the NASA/NORAD 2-Line
Elements.
My thanks also to Brian K. Jones and his program SUNMAP (available on
my BBS), an interesting program in its own right, for the initial map
coordinate data file used in that program. SUNMAP served as a demonstration
that a reasonable world map display WAS possible, particularly on EGA and
VGA monitors, and encouraged me to start this STSORBIT project.
Finally, my thanks to all those individuals who have taken the time to
write to me or leave a message on my BBS with comments and suggestions.
While I haven't been able to implement every suggestion, many are now
included and the feedback is most welcome.
For current orbital information (if a mission is in progress), current
NASA/NORAD 2-line element sets and the most recent version of the program,
call my bulletin board system (BBS) at (213) 541-7299. If the BBS has not
answered after the fourth ring, hang up, wait TWO MINUTES, then call back;
the system has a power controller and if the system is off it takes that
long for the computer to start up and do its housekeeping chores. The
system now has over 850 users and is often busy, so be patient.
If you do not have access to a modem, you may send US$10.00 to cover
materials, postage and handling for a copy of the latest version; please
specify 5-1/4" 360K or 3-1/2" 720K disks.
David H. Ransom, Jr.
7130 Avenida Altisima
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90274
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 4
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
-------------------
A typical Space Shuttle orbit is nearly, but almost never exactly,
circular with an altitude of approximately one hundred and sixty nautical
miles plus or minus thirty nautical miles and an inclination of from about
28 degrees through about 57 degrees. Occasional missions, especially
military missions, fly at higher altitudes and/or inclinations and often
use more elliptical orbits. Little of this information is known to very
good accuracy by the casual listener.
Initially, therefore, the interested would-be mission observer may
have only the time and date of launch to initialize a tracking program.
Given the geographical coordinates of the Kennedy Space Center, assuming a
circular orbit, and using the typical altitude and inclination of a Space
Shuttle orbit, the data should be sufficient to give at least a rough idea
of the Shuttle's position for the first several orbits. After that,
additional information is required if the position is going to be very
close.
Fortunately, Mission Control Center does occasionally announce the
orbital altitude, which is usually in the neighborhood of about one hundred
and sixty nautical miles; the reader is cautioned that the popular press
and television often (but not always) convert the orbital altitude to
statute miles with the inevitable confusion resulting. If a television
viewer has access to NASA Select Television on Satcom F2R, Transponder 13,
he will periodically see Mission Control Center's huge wall map on which
the current position of the Space Shuttle is always displayed. Using this
display, the careful viewer can make a visual estimate of the longitude of
the ascending or descending node, the point at which the orbit crosses the
Earth's equator in the Northbound or Southbound direction respectively. Not
exactly high-tech data acquisition, but better than nothing at all!
Given all of these uncertainties, I did not feel it necessary or
worthwhile to try to hone the mathematics of my "simple" orbital model in
program STSORBIT beyond that required to give an approximate position in
real time. Coincident with the Hubble Space Telescope mission I added the
J2 perturbation factor for improved accuracy.
As an example, STSORBIT was used to track STS-31, Discovery and the
Hubble Space Telescope, and gave an accurate position over more than 25
orbits. Whenever practical, I generate the information required by STSORBIT
as an initialization file, for example HST.INI for the Hubble Space
Telescope, which may be read directly by the program and which uses the
most current data. These .INI files are normally posted on my BBS during a
mission. When orbital parameters change during a mission, as was the case
with STS-31, new .INI files are posted as soon as the new data are
determined.
Within a day or two of launch, the NASA/NORAD 2-line elements are
usually available and will yield a more accurate position over longer time
periods provided no orbital maneuvers are made. Using NASA/NORAD 2-line
elements is quite simple. No adjustment of orbital parameters is necessary
when using the 2-line elements. All that is required is to obtain the
current 2-line elements file (from my BBS or elsewhere), enter the name of
the file (for example, NASA710.TXT) and the name of the desired satellite
(HST for Hubble Space Telescope). STSORBIT takes care of all the rest. The
2-line element set available at the time of this release of STSORBIT is
included in the program files. The data for each satellite included in the
2-line element set is referenced to a specific date and time, the "Epoch"
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 5
of the data. As a general rule, orbital calculations will be relatively
accurate for 10 to 20 days after the Epoch date; the lower the orbit, the
greater the effect of factors such as atmospheric drag and the less
accurate the calculations will be as time passes. Users who prepare their
own 2-line element files are cautioned to make certain no extraneous lines
are included, that the satellite name is on a single line, and that the two
data lines exactly conform to the 69-character/line format.
Particularly with the relatively low resolution (640x200) of a CGA
monitor, the display errors alone are significant; using an EGA or VGA
monitor improves the vertical resolution by about a factor of two (640x350
or 640x480, respectively), but does nothing to improve the horizontal
resolution. The HGC (Hercules Graphics Card) has also been included; HGC
users will note that of the 720 horizontal pixels available, only the left
640 pixels are used in the present code. Higher resolution monitors are
available (at a price!) but are not in general use and so are not suitable
for a program such as STSORBIT which is intended for public distribution.
STSORBIT displays a portion of the Earth using a cylindrical
projection of the surface area almost from one pole to the other; a small
area near each pole (approximately ten degrees) is omitted to maintain
optimum map proportions. The map shows most of the Earth's land boundaries,
and continental areas and major oceans are easily recognizable. At any
time, the display shows the Space Shuttle or satellite as a small symbol,
the projected orbit for approximately the next three orbits (or four and a
half hours), and the orbit track for the past orbit (or one and a half
hours).
The program may be operated in real time or in "fast time", which is
ten or sixty times normal time. For "simple" orbits, the orbital parameters
may be manually entered or adjusted for the desired mission. A pre-
programmed demonstration may be run to permit the user to become familiar
with the program and its display. The lower section of the screen displays
current data about the mission in progress.
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 6
STSORBIT FILES
--------------
STSORBIT is normally distributed in archived format using either the
PAK or ZIP format. The following files are usually included:
STSORBIT.EXE Main program (required)
STSORBIT.DOC Documentation (not required)
STSORBIT.MPT World map data (required)
STSORBIT.CTY City coordinates (optional)
STSORBIT.INI Initialization data (optional)
MSHERC.COM Hercules driver (required for HGC)
NASAnnn.TXT 2-Line Elements (optional)
HST.TXT HST 2-Line Elements (optional)
README STSORBIT Confidential Questionnaire
QUICK!.DOC Quick Start Instructions
Files noted as "(required)" must be in the current default directory for
program operation. Files noted as "(optional)" do not need to be in the
default directory when STSORBIT is operated but provide additional features
or information if present. If file STSORBIT.INI is not present it will be
created.
Program MSHERC must be executed before running STSORBIT for systems
equipped with Hercules Graphics Cards (HGC) or Hercules Graphics Plus
Cards. STSORBIT will otherwise report an error and remind the user to run
MSHERC.
File NASAnnn.TXT (where "nnn" will be a number such as "847") is a set
of NASA/NORAD 2-line elements as of the program release date. Note that the
2-line elements should only be used for ten to twenty days after the epoch
date for each satellite if reasonable accuracy is to be maintained. Current
orbital elements are always available on my bulletin board system.
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 7
STARTING PROGRAM STSORBIT
-------------------------
Before starting program STSORBIT, delete the file STSORBIT.INI if it
has been created by a previous version of STSORBIT. The format of the .INI
file has changed with Version 9046 and, although the program will read
prior versions of .INI files, it is safer to "start from scratch".
To start program STSORBIT, enter one of the following commands:
STSORBIT (any monitor, CGA/HGC/EGA/VGA)
STSORBIT /EGA (force EGA or lower monitor)
STSORBIT /CGA (force CGA monitor)
STSORBIT /M (force monochrome operation, EGA/VGA)
STSORBIT /EUR (center map on Prime Meridian, EUROPE)
STSORBIT /R (resume last mission automatically)
STSORBIT /S (force shuttle icon for speed)
Only one display option (/EGA or /CGA or /M) may be used. Options may
be combined and entered in any order. For example, using the following
command will resume the prior mission, force the shuttle icon, and force
EGA mode:
STSORBIT /R/S/EGA
* * * * *
Hercules Graphics Card USERS NOTE:
----------------------------------
Run the program MSHERC prior to running STSORBIT. This Microsoft
program works with QuickBASIC 4.5 to enable use of the Hercules Graphics
Card. One user reported that setting the HGC to FULL and selecting Page
Zero (using software supplied with the HGC) was sufficient for proper
operation with program STSORBIT. At least one HGC "clone" user reported
improper operation.
* * * * *
If you have already run STSORBIT (or if you have file STSORBIT.INI)
and simply wish to resume viewing that same mission, use the /R command
line option. STSORBIT will sense the monitor type, enable color for EGA and
VGA systems, read the map data as usual, then proceed directly to plotting
the mission. The data from the last run, as saved in file STSORBIT.INI, is
used to initialize the program. Once started in this manner, pressing the
ENTER (or RETURN) key after plotting has started will return to the Main
Menu.
European users, or those users accustomed to viewing a map of the
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 8
world centered on the Prime Meridian (zero degrees longitude at Greenwich,
England), may include the /EUR option by itself or in addition to other
options.
The program automatically checks for the presence of a VGA or EGA and
will execute in color if one is found UNLESS the /M command line option is
used to force monochrome operation. However, if you wish to operate
STSORBIT in the EGA mode when you have a VGA monitor, use the /EGA option.
In cases where a monochrome monitor is connected to an adapter which
simulates color with gray scale, the /M command line option may be omitted
but the various portions of the display may or may not be visible. STSORBIT
depends upon Microsoft QuickBASIC to determine whether or not a particular
monitor type is available. Some video adapter boards which claim to be VGA
are not recognized as such by QuickBASIC and therefore cannot be used in
the higher resolution VGA display mode. Similarly, "clone" Hercules
Graphics Cards do not always perform correctly.
The /M option is not required for HGC and CGA graphics operation,
since those adapters always render their high resolution graphics in
monochrome. Naturally, the operation of the program is enhanced by the use
of a color monitor. The vertical resolution is also adjusted depending upon
the type of adapter which has been detected. Once STSORBIT has started, the
display type may not be changed without halting the program at the Main
Menu with the ESC key, then restarting the program with the new option
selection(s).
The program checks for the presence of a math coprocessor and will use
it if found. Since the calculations required to determine orbital data are
very complex, the use of a math coprocessor will improve the speed of
operation by a very substantial amount. Use the SLOW option on the Set
Program Options Menu (F10+F7) if the program has difficulty operating on
your system.
STSORBIT normally selects the icon or symbol used to graphically
represent the satellite based upon the mission name. Names which start with
the letters "STS" will use the space shuttle icon and all other missions
will use an icon resembling the Hubble Space Telescope. However, the "other
satellite" symbol has approximately three times as many pixels (dots) as
does the space shuttle symbol and therefore takes longer to draw and erase.
If you are using a slower computer or one not equipped with a math
coprocessor, using the "/S" option may improve performance by forcing the
use of the space shuttle symbol. The /S option may be used by itself or in
combination with other options.
STSORBIT first reads in the map coordinates from file STSORBIT.MPT,
which must be in the current drive and directory. These coordinates are
converted to screen coordinates for the type of monitor detected and stored
internally so that they need only be read once. After map coordinates have
been loaded, the initial title screen is shown on the display.
The title screen is displayed for 15 seconds for normal program
operation or for 3 seconds if the /R command line option has been used. The
Main Menu, described in the following section is then displayed. Press any
key to proceed to the Main Menu immediately.
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 9
Program STSORBIT
Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation
Version 9122
Current time: 16:34:24 PDT 23:34:24 UTC
Current date: 05/21/1991 05/21/1991
Last Mission = STS-40 (est) [STS40D01]
(C) Copyright David H. Ransom, Jr., 1989-1991
All rights reserved.
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 10
STSORBIT MAIN MENU
------------------
Once the map coordinates have been stored internally, STSORBIT
presents its Main Menu:
Program STSORBIT
Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation
Version 9122
Current time: 16:34:56 PDT 23:34:56 UTC
Current date: 05/21/1991 05/21/1991
F1 Program STSORBIT Demonstration
F2 Read NASA/NORAD 2-Line Elements (from *.TXT File)
F3 Read Prior Mission Information (from *.INI File)
F4 Enter New Orbital Information (Simple Orbital Model)
F5 Adjust Launch Time and/or Launch Date
F6 Display MET & Launch Times (now 2-Line Epoch Times)
F8 Set program TIME and/or DATE
F9 DOS Shell (CAUTION: DOS Version 3.x+ ONLY!)
F10 Set STSORBIT Program Options and Features
ENTER Resume Mission (STS-40 (est) [STS40D01])
ESC Quit STSORBIT and Save Current Mission
Select desired function:
F1 Program STSORBIT Demonstration
-------------------------------------
The F1 command may be used to demonstrate the operation of STSORBIT
and to verify that the program will operate correctly. No other information
is required. The demonstration automatically sets up the data to simulate a
mission and clears the screen. A slight delay may follow while the program
calculates the initial parameters of the orbit. Then the world map is
drawn, the ground track for the first three orbits (approximately) is drawn
as a series of dots (green for color monitors), and mission data is
displayed at the bottom. Mission Elapsed Time (MET) is set to shortly
before launch time and counts down to zero.
When MET reaches zero, the shuttle symbol appears over Cape Canaveral.
For CGA and HGC systems, the shuttle will blink; for EGA and VGA systems,
the shuttle will be steady. At first the shuttle will move along the ground
track very slowly, simulating the ascent phase of the mission. After
several minutes the shuttle reaches orbital altitude and proceeds along the
ground track normally, passing a dot every minute. Press F (for Fast time)
once or twice to speed up the progress of the simulation. Press ENTER to
return to the Main Menu.
Data are displayed by STSORBIT in standard formats:
4/05/1990 Date in month/day/year
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 11
14:33:00 Time in hours:minutes:seconds
3/09:23:15 MET in days/hours:minutes:seconds
-69.34 Longitude and Latitude in degrees
WEST longitude and SOUTH latitude are negative
320.50 nm Altitude in nautical miles
F2 Read NASA/NORAD 2-Line Elements from *.TXT File
------------------------------------------------------
In order to read the NASA/NORAD 2-line elements, you must have a file
with that data. Typical files from my BBS system have names such as
"NASA769.TXT" where the "769" corresponds to the particular NASA data set
and may change several times per week. A sample file is included with the
normal distribution of STSORBIT.
Entering the F2 command will display the following prompts:
Read NASA/NORAD 2-Line Element File
Press ENTER to enter the current default
name as shown in square brackets [...].
Enter 2-Line Filename [NASA769.TXT]:
Enter desired Satellite Name [HST]:
In each case, pressing ENTER will select the default choice shown
inside the square brackets. For the example shown, the defaults are the
file NASA710.TXT and the satellite HST. If you wish to change the
information (or if no default is shown), enter the required information
followed by ENTER. For the filename, if no filetype is included, STSORBIT
will automatically add ".TXT". For the satellite, only sufficient letters
to unambiguously identify the desired satellite, upper or lower case, are
required. For example, "Alou" would select "Alouette 1". Once this
information has been entered, STSORBIT will attempt to locate the specified
file and the data for the requested satellite. Once a satellite matching
the requested name is found, the data is displayed:
Satellite Name: HST
Elements File: NASA769.TXT
Elements Record #: 91
Elements Epoch: 90312.61189795
8 NOV 1990 @ 14:41:08 UTC
Orbit # at Epoch: 2946
Satellite Number: 20580
Launch Year: 1990
Launch Number: 37
Launch Piece: B
Element Number: 327
Inclination: 28.4715
RA of Ascend Node: 50.186
Eccentricity: .0006172
Arg of Perigee: 184.0423
Mean Anomaly: 176.0412
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 12
Mean Motion: 14.85441208
Press ENTER to ACCEPT this satellite, OR
Press any other key to REJECT and continue searching:
If this is the satellite you wish, press ENTER and the data will be
entered into STSORBIT. If, on the other hand, a different satellite is
desired, press any other key (such as the SPACE BAR) and STSORBIT will
search for another name matching the requested satellite. For example,
there are a number of NAVSTAR Global Positioning Satellites usually
included in the file with official names such as "GPS-0001", "GPS-0002",
"GPS BII-01" and so forth; requesting "GPS" will allow you to cycle through
all the available choices. The file NASAnnn.TXT is an ASCII file; it may be
helpful to print the file to show the available satellite names.
Once the satellite has been selected, STSORBIT will require a brief
time to calculate certain required orbital parameters, then will proceed
directly to the display of the ground track.
As a point of interest, the NASA 2-line elements for the Hubble Space
Telescope used in the example here are as follows:
HST
1 20580U 90 37 B 90312.61189795 .00004882 00000-0 53771-3 0 3278
2 20580 28.4715 50.1860 0006172 184.0423 176.0412 14.85441208 29461
F3 Read Prior Mission Information from *.INI File
-----------------------------------------------------
The F3 command displays all files in the current directory with a
filetype of .INI and then prompts the user to enter the name of the desired
data file. File STSORBIT.INI is the file which has the data from the last
time the program was run; to use file STSORBIT.INI, press ENTER. STSORBIT
will automatically supply the filetype .INI if you do not include a
filetype. If the requested file is not present, an error will be reported.
To create new .INI files, enter the desired data then exit STSORBIT and use
the DOS COPY command to copy STSORBIT.INI into a file with a the desired
name.
Additional .INI files may be included with the distribution files for
satellites of interest at the time of release. These files will have names
such as STS28.INI and STS30.INI. Since Space Shuttle missions normally last
only five to ten days, using these files at later dates will generate
"unusual" mission elapsed times and orbit numbers! Note that the launch
time in these files use Coordinated Universal Time (UTC); prior releases
(Version 9019 and earlier) of these files included the launch time in
PACIFIC standard or daylight time and had to be converted to your local
time.
STSORBIT also expects your computer clock to be set to the correct
local time and date; use the DOS TIME and DATE commands. See the F10+F10
command below for information on setting the UTC Zone Offset. Of course,
you may "fool" STSORBIT by setting your computer time and date to a desired
time and date using the DOS TIME and DATE commands, but be aware that for
most computers using MS-DOS/PC-DOS 3.3 or greater the hardware clock is
also set with these commands. Instead of setting your computer clock to
some fictitious time, use STSORBIT's internal time setting functions (F7 on
the Main Menu) to set a desired simulation time. This method does not
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 13
affect your computer's internal hardware or software clocks.
F4 Enter New Orbital Information (Simple Orbital Model)
-----------------------------------------------------------
The F4 command uses the "simple" orbital model and allows the user to
enter the orbital altitude, inclination, launch time, and launch date
using your local time or UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) or GMT (Greenwich
Mean Time, essentially identical to UTC for the purposes of this program)
to determine the orbital parameters. If you enter the time and date using
local time, it will internally be converted to UTC so that the .INI file
will be valid in any time zone. To manually enter orbital data, you will be
prompted for the required information.
Program STSORBIT
Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation
Version 9122
Current time: 16:34:56 PDT 23:34:56 UTC
Current date: 05/21/1991 05/21/1991
Enter mission title: STS Mission Simulation
Enter orbit altitude (nm): 160.00 nm ( 296.52 km)
Enter orbit inclination (deg): 28.450 degrees
Enter Launch Time (HH:MM:SS): 15:58:12 PST 23:58:12 UTC
Enter Launch Date (MM/DD/YYYY): 11/13/1990 11/13/1990
Press ENTER to accept, SPACE BAR to repeat: _
The sample above illustrates the data required to generate the simple
orbital model. A brief discussion follows for each item.
Enter mission title:
Enter the title of the mission, such as "STS-30 ATLANTIS" without the
quotation marks. If you press ENTER, the title "STS Mission Simulation"
will be used.
Enter orbit altitude (nm):
[Add 'km' for altitude in kilometers.]
Enter the orbit altitude (or average orbit altitude for non-circular
orbits), in nautical miles. If you wish to use kilometers, add the letters
"KM" (upper or lower case) at the end of the number.
Enter orbit inclination:
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 14
Enter the inclination of the orbit in degrees; a decimal fraction is
allowed. For example, STS-30 was flown at an inclination of 28.85 degrees
and STS-28 used an inclination of 57 degrees. Press ENTER to use the
default value of 28.45 degrees.
Enter Launch Time (HH:MM:SS):
[Press ENTER for ASAP; add 'U'or 'G' for UTC/GMT]
Enter the time in the format shown using 24-hour notation and local time.
Add the letter "U" to signify UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) or the
letter "G" to signify GMT (Greenwich Mean Time, essentially identical to
UTC for the purposes of this program). If you enter "U" or "G", the
abbreviation used in the menus will be set to "UTC" or "GMT" respectively.
One or two digit numbers may be used as required. [The comma is also
acceptable as a separator in place of the colon.] You may omit seconds [or
minutes and seconds] if desired. For example, an entry of "16" will be
entered as 16:00:00 or 4:00 PM. Press ENTER for "launch" ASAP, as soon as
possible; depending upon the system, this will be in from 30 to 60 seconds
from the current time.
Enter Launch Date (MM/DD/YYYY):
[or press ENTER for TODAY]
Enter the date in the format shown. Note that if you requested UTC or GMT
when entering the time, the date is interpreted as the UTC/GMT date. The
full four digit year is required and be sure to use the SLASH "/" rather
than the MINUS "-" as the separator; STSORBIT's internal date algorithms
will interpret the minus sign as just that and some rather strange dates
can result! You may also use relative dates: -1 will use the prior day, +2
will use two days hence, and so forth. Press ENTER to use today's date.
Press ENTER to accept, SPACE BAR to repeat:
When all data have been entered, the program pauses for your approval. If
all data are correct, press ENTER. Press the SPACE BAR to start over.
F5 Adjust Orbital Parameters
--------------------------------
ADD/CHANGE LAUNCH DATE AND TIME (2-line elements)
The full F5 command assumes the "simple" orbital model and is
abbreviated when using NASA 2-line elements; only the LAUNCH DATE and
LAUNCH TIME may be set when using NASA 2-line elements; all other orbital
parameters are included in the 2-line elements and may not be altered
within STSORBIT. A 2-line element set must have been previously loaded
using the F2 command on the Main Menu before the launch date and time may
be set or changed.
Since NASA 2-line elements are usually available within about 24 hours
after a space shuttle launch and are far more accurate than the manually
entered "simple orbital data", those data should be used when available.
However, since most events occuring during a space shuttle mission follow
the MET (Mission Elapsed Time) timeline, the time elapsed since launch, it
is convenient to show MET. This requires that you obtain the launch date
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 15
and launch time independent of the 2-line elements and manually enter that
data into STSORBIT.
Enter Launch Time (HH:MM:SS):
[Press ENTER for ASAP; add 'U'or 'G' for UTC/GMT]
Enter the time in the format shown using 24-hour notation and local time.
Add the letter "U" to signify UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) or the
letter "G" to signify GMT (Greenwich Mean Time, essentially identical to
UTC for the purposes of this program). If you enter "U" or "G", the
abbreviation used in the menus will be set to "UTC" or "GMT" respectively.
One or two digit numbers may be used as required. [The comma is also
acceptable as a separator in place of the colon.] You may omit seconds [or
minutes and seconds] if desired. For example, an entry of "16" will be
entered as 16:00:00 or 4:00 PM. Press ENTER for "launch" ASAP, as soon as
possible; depending upon the system, this will be in from 30 to 60 seconds
from the current time.
Enter Launch Date (MM/DD/YYYY):
[or press ENTER for TODAY]
Enter the date in the format shown. Note that if you requested UTC or GMT
when entering the time, the date is interpreted as the UTC/GMT date. The
full four digit year is required and be sure to use the SLASH "/" rather
than the MINUS "-" as the separator; STSORBIT's internal date algorithms
will interpret the minus sign as just that and some rather strange dates
can result! You may also use relative dates: -1 will use the prior day, +2
will use two days hence, and so forth. Press ENTER to use today's date.
Press ENTER to accept, SPACE BAR to repeat:
When all data have been entered, the program pauses for your approval. If
all data are correct, press ENTER. Press the SPACE BAR to start over.
Once the launch date and time have been set, this information is
saved in file STSORBIT.INI. However, use caution when changing from one
satellite to another since this information is NOT cleared automatically.
ADJUST ORBITAL PARAMETERS (Simple Orbital Model)
When the orbital parameters change in mid-mission for the "simple"
orbital model, use this command to adjust the orbital period/altitude,
orbital longitude, and time along orbital track. This technique allows the
"launch time" to remain correct, which in turn assures that Mission Elapsed
Time is correct, while adjusting the orbital parameters so that the
position is displayed correctly in later orbits. The following items may be
adjusted; in each case, the required units or input format is shown in
parentheses (...) and the current value of the item is shown within square
brackets [...]. Press ENTER to leave an item unchanged.
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 16
Program STSORBIT
Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation
Version 9122
Current time: 16:34:56 PDT 23:34:56 UTC
Current date: 05/21/1991 05/21/1991
Enter MISSION TITLE [STS Mission Simulation]: STS Mission Simulation
Enter LAUNCH TIME (HH:MM:SS) [23:58:12 UTC]: 15:58:12 PST 23:58:12 UTC
Enter LAUNCH DATE (MM/DD/YYYY) [11/13/1990]: 11/13/1990 11/13/1990
Enter ORBIT INCLINATION (degrees) [28.4500x]: 28.4500x
Enter ORBITAL ALTITUDE (nm) [ 160.00]: 160.00 nm ( 296.52 km)
Enter LONGITUDE adjust (deg) [ 0.000x]: 0.000x
Enter TIME adjust (min) [ 0.000]: 0.000
Press ENTER to accept, SPACE BAR to repeat:
In order to make these adjustments, the current orbital altitude is
required, along with the longitude and time of one or more equator
crossings (obtained from the NASA Television wall map). NASA is not too
good about making sure that the map is on the screen when the Shuttle makes
an equator crossing (Northbound is Ascending Node, Southbound is Descending
Node); they have a distressing tendency to cut away just before the
crossing. With sufficient patience, however, the data can be interpolated
from the television screen. In the case of STS-30, the orbital time at
Orbit 34 changed to 90.85 minutes and the longitude of the descending node
was approximately -36 degrees, crossing at 2/2:18:00 MET. See the section
ADJUSTING ORBITAL PARAMETERS below for more information.
F6 Set Elapsed Time Option
------------------------------
When using NASA 2-line elements, STSORBIT normally displays the time
elapsed since the epoch date of the elements in the upper right portion of
the data block. This is marked on the display as "T+Epoch". While this
information is not of particular value for satellite viewing purposes, it
does indicate the relative age of the orbital data. As a general rule,
especially for lower Earth orbits, the effects of orbit decay make position
predictions less accurate as time passes. Data which are more than 10 or 20
days old may produce less accurate positions.
For a space shuttle mission, however, all mission events are scheduled
against the mission timeline and are reckoned in Mission Elapsed Time
(MET), the time elapsed since launch. It is therefore useful to be able to
display MET during the course of a mission or to review the flight post-
mission. Unfortunately, the standard NASA/NORAD 2-line element format does
not include the launch time and launch date and therefore this information
must be secured independently and manually entered into STSORBIT. Once
entered, STSORBIT saves the information in file STSORBIT.INI.
The F6 command may be used to switch the display between Time Since
Epoch ("T+Epoch") and Mission Elapsed Time ("MET"). The command description
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 17
on the Main Menu indicates which mode will be selected if Function Key F6
is pressed:
F6 Display MET & Launch Times (now 2-Line Epoch Times)
F6 Display 2-Line Epoch Times (now MET & Launch Times)
The first example (the default) indicates that MET will be displayed if the
function key is pressed; the second example indicates that the display will
return to Time Since Epoch if the function key is pressed. The elapsed time
option may also be switched at any time during the tracking display by
pressing the "T" key.
The F6 command checks that you have already entered the launch time
and launch date or that it has been read from a previous STSORBIT session
from file STSORBIT.INI. However, since the launch time and date are not
included in the 2-line orbital elements, no validity check can be made; if
you change satellites, be sure to either clear or change the launch time
and date. If no launch time and date are present, you will be prompted for
the information as if you had pressed function key F5 (see above). The F6
command is inactive unless you have read in 2-line elements using function
key F2.
F8 Set Program TIME and DATE
--------------------------------
It is often convenient to set the TIME and DATE within STSORBIT to
something other than the current system time and date, or to return to the
current system time and date if the program time and date have been
changed. Press F4 to go to the TIME and DATE Menu:
Program STSORBIT
Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation
Version 9122
Current time: 16:34:56 PDT 23:34:56 UTC
Current date: 05/21/1991 05/21/1991
ACTUAL SYSTEM DATE AND TIME SHOWN ABOVE
F1 Restore SYSTEM date and time (use "real time")
F2 Set DOS SYSTEM CLOCK using calendar date and time
F3 Set SIMULATED date and time using calendar date and time
F4 Set SIMULATED date and time using Mission Elapsed Time
ENTER Return to MAIN MENU
Select desired function:
The Date and Time Menu, shown above, displays the available time
setting functions along with the actual system date and time as determined
by the DOS software clock in your computer (even if simulated time is in
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 18
effect). Both your local date and time, "PST" or Pacific Standard Time in
the example, and "UTC" (Coordinated Universal Time) date and time are
displayed. If times have been set using the letter "G", the abbreviation at
the right will be "GMT" (Greenwich Mean Time).
If you wish to execute STSORBIT in "real time", cancelling any
simulated time that may be in effect, use the F1 command. This will restore
the time and date used for the tracking display to that shown at the top of
the menu.
If the actual system date or time displayed is incorrect, use the F2
command to correctly set your system clock. If the zone abbreviation or UTC
date or UTC time is incorrect, use the Set Program Options command from the
Main Menu (F10+F9) to correctly set the UTC Offset and the Daylight Flag.
Some organizations, NASA for example, continue to use the wording
"Greenwich Mean Time" or "GMT" for what is now usually referred to as
"Universal Time" or "UT" (and sometimes, depending upon the application, as
"UT1" or "UT2"). STSORBIT uses Coordinated Universal Time or "UTC", the
time used for civil timekeeping and broadcast by radio stations such as WWV
and the BBC. Although technically these different time standards are not
exactly the same, the difference is only a maximum of 0.9 seconds and the
program treats them all as identical. STSORBIT defaults to the abbreviation
"UTC" but if you prefer to use "GMT", enter any simulated time using F3 and
include the letter "G" (upper or lower case) at the end. The time
abbreviation at the top of the screen will change from "UTC" to "GMT" and
will continue using that abbreviation until a time is entered suffixed with
"U".
Times are always entered as "HH:MM:SS" where HH is HOURS, MM is
MINUTES, and SS is SECONDS. The time entry format is very flexible. Leading
zeroes are not required. The comma (",") may be used in place of the colon
(":") as a separator if desired. SECONDS or MINUTES and SECONDS may be
omitted if desired. Time entries are assumed to be local time; to enter UTC
or GMT times, add the letter "U" or "G" (upper or lower case) respectively
following the entry. For example, the following are valid time entries:
Entry Interpreted as
------ --------------
12 12:00:00
13,1 13:01:00
4:1:15 04:01:15
1,1,1 01:01:01
13,45U 13:45:00 UTC
1:20g 01:20:00 GMT
Dates are always entered as "DD/MM/YYYY" where DD is DAYS, MM is
MONTHS, and YYYY is the full four-digit year. The full date must always be
entered; leading zeroes are not required. The date entered is assumed to be
for the same time zone as the time entered. If local time is entered, the
date will be treated as the local date; if UTC (or GMT) time is entered,
the date will be treated as the UTC/GMT date.
After a time or date entry has been read (after you press the ENTER
key), STSORBIT reformats the entry to its standard format, clears the
characters you entered, and replaces them by the standard format. This
provides a double check that the program has interpreted your entry as you
wished.
Press F1 to restore the program date and time to the system date and
time. This command reads the DOS clock and restores the program to "real
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 19
time" operation. If the program date and time have not been changed with
the F3 or F4 commands, this command will have no effect.
Press F2 to set the DOS system clock. Use this command if you wish to
change the actual date and time on your system. Note that on many systems
using DOS 3.3 or higher, this command will set BOTH the software clock AND
the hardware clock.
Program STSORBIT
Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation
Version 9122
Current time: 16:34:56 PDT 23:34:56 UTC
Current date: 05/21/1991 05/21/1991
CAUTION: This function will change the computer's SYSTEM CLOCK!
Press ENTER to leave an item unchanged
Enter TIME (HH:MM:SS): 12:37:38 PST
Enter DATE (MM/DD/YYYY): 11-11-1990
Press ENTER to accept, SPACE BAR to repeat: _
The sample above shows the screen after the time and date entries have been
completed. The current ACTUAL system date and time are displayed for
approval. Press ENTER to accept the time and date displayed, or press the
SPACE BAR to repeat the entries.
Press F3 to set a simulated date and time. The date and time may be
either in the past or in the future. This command does NOT affect the DOS
clock in your system! Use the F2 command above to restore the date and time
to "real time".
Program STSORBIT
Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation
Version 9122
Simulated time: 13:00:08 PST 21:00:08 UTC
Simulated date: 11/08/1990 11/08/1990
Press ENTER to leave an item unchanged
Enter SIMULATED TIME [12:05:06]: 13:00:00 PST 21:00:00 UTC
Enter SIMULATED DATE [11/11/1990]: 11/09/1990 11/09/1990
Press ENTER to accept, SPACE BAR to repeat: _
The sample above shows the screen after the time and date entries have been
completed. The new SIMULATED date and time are displayed (and counting) for
approval. Press ENTER to accept the time and date displayed, or press the
SPACE BAR to repeat the entries.
Press F4 to set a simulated date and time using MET (Mission Elapsed
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 20
Time). Note that this command will appear ONLY if the mission name begins
with the letters "STS", signifying a Space Transportation System (Space
Shuttle) mission.
Program STSORBIT
Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation
Version 9118
Simulated time: 00:17:18 PST 08:17:18 UTC
Simulated date: 10/09/1990 10/09/1990
Enter desired Mission Elapsed Time (MET)
Enter MET DAY (NN): 3 day(s)
Enter MET TIME (HH:MM:SS): 04:30:00 MET
Press ENTER to accept, SPACE BAR to repeat: _
The sample above shows the screen after the day and time entries have been
completed. The Mission Elapsed Time is immediately converted to actual date
and time and the current SIMULATED date and time, based upon the MET just
entered, are then displayed (and counting) for approval. Press ENTER to
accept the time and date displayed, or press the SPACE BAR to repeat the
entries.
Press ENTER to return to the Main Menu with the date and time as
displayed on the screen (Current or Simulated).
F9 DOS Shell (CAUTION: DOS Version 3.x ONLY!)
-------------------------------------------------
If a system function is desired at the Main Menu, press F9 to execute
QuickBASIC's DOS SHELL function. This will return you to a DOS prompt and
most DOS commands may be executed immediately. When the Shell is executed,
STSORBIT remains in memory and the map data will not be re-read when you
return. However, this means that a substantial amount of memory is in use
and not available to DOS during the shell operations. Enter "EXIT" (without
the quotation marks and followed by ENTER) at the DOS prompt when you wish
to return to STSORBIT.
CAUTION: The QuickBASIC SHELL function is only reliable for versions
of DOS of 3.0 or higher! Systems with less than 640K memory may fail
to execute the shell and applications requiring large amounts of
memory may also fail.
F10 Set STSORBIT Program Options and Features
------------------------------------------------
A number of program features and display options are set using the F10
Program Options Menu. These selections are further described in the section
"Program Options Menu" below.
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 21
ENTER Resume Mission
---------------------
Pressing ENTER resumes the current mission shown in parentheses to the
right of the command on the Main Menu. The 2-line elements file from which
the data was read is shown in square brackets.
ENTER Resume Mission (STS-41 [STS41F])
Any manually entered data is retained. "ENTER" means the key marked ENTER,
RETURN, or with a left pointing arrow -- but not the backspace or cursor
position keys which may also be marked with arrows! (I am afflicted with
too long a memory; once upon a time this function was known as Carriage
Return and was often shortened to RETURN or even CR. With the advent of
electronic typewriters, video terminals, dot matrix printers and all the
rest, "Carriages" have long since disappeared but old habits die hard! Most
PC keyboards are now marked with "ENTER".)
Use ENTER to resume plotting a mission in progress after returning to
the Main Menu to perform some change (such as enabling the node display,
enabling the NASA tracking stations, or adjusting the time or date).
ESC Quit STSORBIT and Save Current Mission
---------------------------------------------
Press ESC (the key marked "ESC" or "Esc", not the letters E+S+C) to
quit program STSORBIT. If you press ESC to quit the program and have
manually entered orbital data, STSORBIT will save all required mission data
in file STSORBIT.INI prior to terminating. This will be the data available
with the ENTER key the next time you execute the program. The demonstration
data will not be saved, preserving any previously saved mission data.
When you have finished with STSORBIT, press ESC at the Main Menu to
return to DOS. The data (and any adjustments you have made) for the current
mission are saved in file STSORBIT.INI, but the map data is lost and will
be re-read when you next use program STSORBIT. NOTE: If you have neither
entered data (with the E command) nor read a previously saved .INI file
(with the F command), no data will be saved when you exit STSORBIT.
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 22
PROGRAM OPTIONS AND FEATURES MENU
---------------------------------
A number of program features and display options are set using the F10
Program Options Menu. When used with CGA displays, the features shown below
as selected by function keys F3 and F4 are not available because of the low
resolution of the CGA display. The following Options Menu is displayed when
the F10 command is entered from the Main Menu:
Program STSORBIT
Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation
Version 9122
Current time: 16:35:25 PDT 23:35:25 UTC
Current date: 05/21/1991 05/21/1991
F1 Program STSORBIT Information
F2 Set New Local Coordinates (Calaveras County, CA)
F3 Select Display Features
F6 USA Set Map Center (USA/Europe)
F7 OFF Set for SLOW COMPUTER or NO COPROCESSOR
F9 -7.00 Set UTC Time Offset and Daylight Flag
F10 OFF Enable/Disable Printer Logging
ENTER Return to MAIN MENU
Select desired function:
F1 Program STSORBIT Information
-----------------------------------
Function Key F1 displays information about program STSORBIT including
the copyright notice, version number, my name and address, and the
telephone number of my RPV ASTRONOMY BBS (Bulletin Board System). The
current version of STSORBIT is always posted on the BBS. The BBS has a
power controller; if it hasn't answered after the THIRD RING, hang up and
call back in two minutes. The BBS is available 24 hours per day at 2400 and
1200 baud.
F2 Set New Local Coordinates
--------------------------------
In order to perform the calculations related to satellite visibility
and altitude/azimuth, STSORBIT must know the geographic coordinates for the
user's location. The name of the current location is shown in parentheses.
When STSORBIT is first started, the default coordinates are set to Rancho
Palos Verdes, California, near Los Angeles. The current location is
indicated by the name in parentheses on the Options Menu. The program
provides two methods for setting your own coordinates: reading a file of
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 23
city names and coordinates (STSORBIT.CTY); or manually entering the
information.
Pressing F2 will display the following reminder:
STSORBIT will search for the CITYNAME you enter anywhere in the city
names in the file. For example, 'SAN' appears in 'SAN FRANCISCO', 'SAN
DIEGO', 'SANTA ANA', 'THOUSAND OAKS', etc. Press ENTER to cancel the
search or enter '*' to enter a new city name and coordinates.
In other words, when you enter a name or partial name, STSORBIT will
attempt to match that group of characters anywhere in the names which
appear in the city file. For example, 'SAN' matches 'SAN diego' as well as
'SAN jose' and 'thouSANd oaks'. To get 'SAN FRANCISCO' on the first try,
enter 'SAN F' with a space between the 'N' and 'F'. Case is not
significant; upper and lower case letters are treated identically. If you
change your mind and wish to cancel the operation, simply press ENTER by
itself. Use BACKSPACE to make corrections.
To begin the search, enter the desired name after the prompt. In the
example which follows, the name 'ran' was entered for the search.
Enter CITYNAME to search for: ran
Processing record 1
City Name: Rancho Palos Verdes CA
Latitude: 33.7675
Longitude: -118.4033
Elevation: 186 meters
Press ENTER to ACCEPT this city as your location, OR
Press TAB to also display this city's location, OR
Press SPACE to search for next city: _
If the city displayed is the one you wish to use as your local
coordinates, press ENTER. If you wish to display this city as a second
location on the display, press TAB. The data will be entered into STSORBIT
and subsequently saved in file STSORBIT.INI. If you wish to search further
in the file, press the SPACE BAR.
NOTE: The elevations contained in file STSORBIT.CTY are almost all
zero except for Rancho Palos Verdes, CA and Calaveras County, CA,
locations for which I have accurate elevations above mean sea level.
If you know the correct elevation, edit the file using any ASCII text
editor and change the last number on the line. STSORBIT.CTY contains
over 800 cities and uses a different format than the .CTY files for
program ASTROCLK (the elevation has been added to each entry). If
users send me their correct elevations (or additional cities they wish
added), I will incorporate that data into subsequent versions of file
STSORBIT.CTY.
To enter location data manually, press "*" (without the quotation
marks) followed by ENTER. You will be prompted for the city name, latitude,
longitude, and elevation. Latitude and longitude may be entered using three
different formats for convenience (note the use of comma and decimal
point):
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 24
DDD.DDDDD Degrees and decimal fraction
DD,MM.MMM Degrees, minutes and decimal fraction
DD,MM,SS.SS Degrees, minutes, seconds and fraction
Note that SOUTH latitude and WEST longitude must be entered as NEGATIVE
numbers as measured south of the equator or west of Greenwich,
respectively. The default unit for elevations is meters above mean sea
level; add "F" (upper or lower case without the quotation marks) if you
wish to use feet.
After the elevation has been entered, the data will be displayed for
approval. All data are converted to degrees or meters as appropriate,
regardless of the units used on input.
City Name: Rancho Palos Verdes CA
Latitude: 33.7675
Longitude: -118.4033
Elevation: 186 meters
Press ENTER to ACCEPT this city, OR
Press SPACE to cancel this data: _
Press ENTER to accept the data as shown or SPACE to cancel the data and
return to the Options Menu. If the data is accepted, STSORBIT will ask if
you wish to append (add) this city/location to the existing file
STSORBIT.CTY so that it will be automatically available thereafter.
Do you with to append this data to file STSORBIT.CTY (Y/n): _
Press "Y" or ENTER to append the data to the file, or press "N" to not
modify the STSORBIT.CTY file.
F3 Set Display Features
---------------------------
A number of display features may be enabled or disabled using a
separate sub-menu. See complete description below.
F6 Set Map Center (USA/Europe)
----------------------------------
The F6 command changes the center of the displayed world map. By
default, the map is centered on the United States at 90 degrees West
longitude. Most Americans are accustomed to viewing the map in that
orientation, but it is sometimes convenient to shift the map center when
the Space Shuttle is near the edge of the map. If you prefer to have the
map centered at the prime meridian or zero degrees (Greenwich, England),
use the F6 command or use the /EUR command line option when starting
STSORBIT. Each time you use the F6 command the map center is changed to the
alternate meridian and the map data is re-read from disk.
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 25
F7 Set for SLOW COMPUTER or NO COPROCESSOR
----------------------------------------------
Particularly since the addition of the calculations related to 2-line
element sets, it has become increasingly difficult for very slow computers
or computers not equipped with a math coprocessor to keep up with real time
orbital calculations being performed by STSORBIT. For example, my vanilla
Zenith Z-148, operating at 4.77 MHz and no math coprocessor, takes
approximately 4.5 seconds to make a full set of orbital position
calculations; when switched to 8.0 MHz, the same calculations require only
2.5 seconds. In either case, the program gets hopelessly behind itself and
can never catch up.
While perhaps not the "ideal solution" as compared to having a math
coprocessor, setting STSORBIT for Slow Mode can help in all but the most
severe cases. Instead of attempting to update its position calculations
every second, the update is slowed to every five seconds in this mode. This
allows the computer to more or less keep up at a cost of not having data
quite in real time on a second-by-second basis. Except for the frequency of
updates, all program features are unchanged. When STSORBIT is operating in
the Slow Mode, the phrase "SLO" appears at the lower right of the tracking
display.
F9 Set UTC Time Offset and Daylight Flag
--------------------------------------------
STSORBIT uses UTC or Coordinated Universal Time, an adjusted version
of Universal Time (which STSORBIT considers the same as GMT or Greenwich
Mean Time), for certain functions such as launch time. The difference
between UT, UT1, UT2 and UTC is never more than 0.9 seconds. UTC is used
because it is the standard for civil timekeeping and agrees with standard
atomic time, TDB or Terrestrial Barycentric Time, used by astronomers.
However, NASA continues to use the GMT designation, a holdover from earlier
days before the introduction of UTC. Using UTC permits critical data to be
used across many time zones without conversion. However, it also means that
STSORBIT must know what number of hours to add to UTC in order to obtain
your local time, and whether or not you are currently using daylight
savings time (summer time in the UK).
When prompted, enter the time offset in hours from your local time to
Coordinated Universal Time. Examples are shown for most time zones in North
America. STSORBIT then asks if you are using daylight savings time; enter
"0" if not, and "1" if so. The sum of these two values is shown on the Main
Menu; for example, if the computer is set to Pacific Daylight Time (UTC
offset is -8.00 hours and Daylight Flag = 1), the sum will be -7.00. For
most time zones in North America, the correct zone abbreviation will be
shown on the ground track display for Local date and time. When you change
your computer from/to daylight savings time, use this command to update
STSORBIT. The following shows the display when using the F9 command:
Set UTC TIME ZONE OFFSET and DAYLIGHT FLAG
STSORBIT must know the difference between your local time zone
and Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), also sometimes known as
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). With this information, STSORBIT can
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 26
automatically adjust launch or Epoch times and dates for your local
time zone. In addition, STSORBIT must know if your computer is now set
to STANDARD or DAYLIGHT time.
First, enter the difference between your STANDARD time zone and
UTC in hours. Do NOT include the hour for daylight time if you are now
on DAYLIGHT time; it will be entered separately. For most time zones
in the United States and Canada, the entries required are:
Eastern Standard Time EST -5.0
Central Standard Time CST -6.0
Mountain Standard Time MST -7.0
Pacific Standard Time PST -8.0
Enter UTC Offset (hours): -8
Enter DAYLIGHT Flag (0=OFF, 1=ON): 1
Once this information has been entered, it will be saved in file
STSORBIT.INI and will not be requested again. If you change from Standard
to Daylight Time or vice versa, use the F10+F9 command to update the
Daylight Flag. INI files obtained from other users may be from a prior
version of STSORBIT and the time information may have to be corrected.
F10 Enable/Disable Printer Logging
-------------------------------------
I have found it interesting to log the orbital data and the ascending
and descending node information on my printer when analyzing the mission
data over long periods of time. The F10 command toggles the printer logging
function on and off. The first page of the log includes the current orbital
data and subsequent pages contain only node information. In addition to the
information presented on the display, the printer log also calculates the
current orbital time, the time from one ascending (descending) node to the
next. A typical log is shown below.
IMPORTANT: BE SURE THE PRINTER IS TURNED ON PRIOR TO ENTERING THE
F10 COMMAND.
STSORBIT: Space Shuttle Tracking Program, Version 9122 Page 1
ORBITAL DATA for STS-31 Discovery/HST
Launch Date: 04/24/1990
Launch Time: 05:33:52
Orbit Inclination: 28.4695
Orbit Altitude: 329.50 nm
Adjust Longitude: 9.80
Adjust Orbit Time: 8.40 min
ORBITAL
LOCAL DATE TIME ORBIT LONG MET TIME
04/28/1990 20:32:52 Ascend Node: 70 -69.95 4/14:58:07 1:36:55
04/28/1990 21:20:52 Dscend Node: 70 97.64 4/15:46:35 1:36:55
04/28/1990 22:09:52 Ascend Node: 71 -94.77 4/16:35:02 1:36:55
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 27
When printer logging is enabled and the ground track is displayed, the
word "LOG" will appear in red at the right of the text area. Enabling
printer logging also automatically enagles the display of ascending and
descending node information.
When a printer log is prepared for 2-line orbits, the Adjust Longitude
and Adjust Orbit Time entries will not be shown in the header data. The
Launch Date and Launch Time entries are given if that information has been
entered indepentently. The Epoch Date and Epoch Time are always shown for
2-line element simulations. Note also that the orbit altitude shown is the
altitude at the time the log was started and will not be correct for
subsequent entries, especially if the satellite has an elliptical orbit
(high eccentricity).
A printer log may be prepared in advance of a mission by enabling
printer logging from the Set Options Menu (with the F10+F10 command),
setting the desired simulation time (F8+F3 command), then starting the
ground track display with ENTER; once the ground track has appeared on the
screen, pressing the F key twice to set STSORBIT in the X60 fast time mode
will generate the date relatively quickly (although the UT TIME printed may
be off by as much as one minute in the X60 mode). Allow the simulation to
run for the desired length of time, then press ENTER to return to the Main
Menu. While the ground track is active Function Key F3 performs the same
function as the F10+F10 command to enable or disable printer logging.
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 28
SET DISPLAY FEATURES
--------------------
Depending upon the satellte and personal preferences, a variety of
display features may be enabled or disabled. Not all features are available
with monochrome or CGA monitors. Pressing F3 on the Set Program Options and
Features Menu will display the following menu:
Program STSORBIT
Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation
Version 9122
Current time: 16:35:52 PDT 23:35:52 UTC
Current date: 05/21/1991 05/21/1991
F2 ON Display TDRS Coverage
F3 OFF Display Additional Map Grid Lines
F4 OFF Display NASA Tracking Stations
F5 OFF Show Ascending & Descending Node Data
F6 ON Display Spacecraft Circle of Visibility
F7 ON Display South Atlantic Anomaly Zone
F8 ON Display Terminator, SUN, and Spacecraft Lighting
F9 NM Select Distance Units: NM or KM
F10 A/A Select Satellite Coordinates: RA/DEC, Alt/Az or XYZ
ENTER Return to MAIN MENU
Select desired function:
F2 Display TDRS Coverage
----------------------------
This command will display the approximate communications coverage for
the Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS) EAST and WEST. The coverage
boundaries overlap between the East and West TDRS satellites and Mission
Control may select either satellite during the overlap period. STSORBIT
assumes, as is often the case, that TDRS East will be selected when it is
available.
F3 Enable/Disable Additional Map Grid Lines
-----------------------------------------------
This command is not available for CGA systems. The basic world map
includes the equator and the meridians at 0 degrees, 90 degrees, and -90
degrees shown in blue on color monitors; the equator and the prime meridian
are shown in bright blue. Turning on the map grid adds lines of longitude
every 30 degrees and lines of latitude every 10 degrees. Displaying the
additional grid lines on monochrome monitors usually makes the screen too
"busy" and is not recommended.
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 29
F4 Display NASA Tracking Stations
-------------------------------------
The F4 command enables/disables the display of NASA's 14 ground
tracking stations; this command is not available for CGA monitors. For
additional discussion, see the section Ground Track Display.
F5 Show Ascending & Descending Node Data
--------------------------------------------
The nodes of an Earth orbit are the points on the ground track where
the path crosses the equator. The ascending node crosses from South to
North and the descending node crosses from North to South. Orbit numbers
normally increment at the ascending node. This command adds two additional
lines of data at the lower left of the screen giving the time (MET or time
since epoch) and longitude of the most recent ascending and descending
nodes. This information is useful when comparing STSORBIT's data against
other sources such as the wall map in Mission Control.
F5 Display Spacecraft Circle of Visibility
----------------------------------------------
STSORBIT can calculate the approximate circle of visibility from the
orbiter, the area of the Earth's surface which is visible from the cockpit
windows and television cameras. This feature may be enable for space
shuttle missions and for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), Gamma Ray
Observatory (GRO), and the Soviet MIR Space Station. This feature may also
be enabled or disabled during the ground track display using Function Key
F7.
F7 Display South Atlantic Anamoly Zone
------------------------------------------
The South Atlantic Anamoly (SAA) is an area in the southern hemisphere
lying between southern tip of Africa and South America which can cause
severe electromagnetic disturbances on spacecraft. For example, the
semiconductor memory on the Hubble Space Telescope (which regularly passes
through the SAA) was being changed by this phenomenon until a patch was
uplinked to work around the problem. The area is shown on the ground track
as an ellipse for simplicity; its actual outline is more nearly shaped like
a kidney bean and varies somewhat with spacecraft altitude.
F8 Display Terminator, Sun, and SpaceCraft Lighting
-------------------------------------------------------
Many types of observations, especially Earth observations, often
require that the targeet or terrain be in sunlight. The solar terminator
is a series of yellow points on the display which represent the line at
which the center of the Sun is at an observer's horizon for mean sea level.
Although a quick glance outside should suffice to determine which side of
the terminator line is in sunlight and which in darkness, EGA and VGA
systems also display the Sun as a small yellow circle. These solar display
features are updated every 60 seconds. Because of the additional
calculations and plotting required, these solar features may not be
suitable for slow processors or computers without a math coprocessor. NOTE:
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 30
Only the terminator is available with CGA systems.
The terminator is sometimes confused with a line denoting sunrise and
sunset. Two factors make the terminator only an approximation: first, the
terminator is based upon the center of the Sun while sunrise and sunset use
the upper limb of the Sun; and second, the terminator is calculated for
mean sea level rather than a specific local elevation. These two factors
combined can result in a difference of ten minutes or more, sunrise being
earlier and sunset being later.
The performance of solar panels and certain other instruments on a
spacecraft is dependent upon whether or not the Sun is in view. Similarly,
it is usually impossible to visually see a spacecraft which is not in
sunlight. STSORBIT calculates whether the spacecraft is in full sun,
penumbra/refracted sunlight, or umbra (full shadow) and adjusts the color
of the spacecraft icon accordingly: white, yellow, and bright white
respectively. This feature is not available on CGA and HGC monitors.
F9 Select Distance Units: NM or KM
--------------------------------------
Spacecraft altitude, range, and satellite geocentric rectangular
coordinates (X, Y, and Z) may be expressed in either nautical miles (nm) or
kilometers (km). This feature selects which units will be displayed for
those data. You may also use Function Key F9 while the ground track display
is in progress to switch between units of distance measure.
F10 Select Satellite Coordinates: RA/DEC, AltAz or XYZ
---------------------------------------------------------
This feature selects between topocentric (referenced to the Earth's
surface and in this case the current local geographical coordinates)
horizon, equatorial coordinates for the satellite's position (Right
Ascension and Declination), or geocentric rectangular coordinates (X, Y,
and Z, referenced to the center of the Earth). Press F10 until the desired
coordinate system is selected. The abbreviations "R/D", "A/A", and "XYZ"
are used on the menu. You may also use Function Key F10 to switch between
coordinate systems while the ground track siaplay is in progress. NOTE: The
geocentric rectangular coordinates are only available when using 2-line
orbital elements.
For most purposes, such as aiming an antenna or visually spotting the
satellite, the horizon coordinates of Altitude and Azimuth are desired. If
you wish to determine the star background, however, the equatorial
coordinate system of Right Ascension and Declination (referenced to the
epoch of date) is needed. For both of these coordinate systems, the range
from the current local coordinates to the satellite is also given,
expressed in either nautical miles or kilometers as selected by F9 above.
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 31
USING GROUND TRACK DISPLAY OPTIONS
----------------------------------
Once the orbital display is in progress, a number of keys are active:
ENTER Return to Main Menu (cancel this simulation).
F1 On-line HELP. Press F1 to display a help screen in the lower
portion of the screen. Press F1 again to resume normal data
display.
F2 Toggle the BLINK mode of the space shuttle or satellite
symbol between blinking and steady.
F3 Enable or disable printer logging. If logging is enabled,
the word LOG appears in the lower right of the screen. Be
sure the printer is turned on BEFORE using the L command.
The "L" command automatically enables the display of
ascending and descending node information.
F4 Toggle FAST mode from x1 to x10 to x60 to x1, etc. When
either of the fast modes is enabled, "(x10)" or "(x60)" will
appear at the upper right of the data block in red. This
feature operates in both the normal (real or simulated time)
and PAUSE modes.
F5 When using 2-line elements, the elapsed time may be switched
between "T+Epoch" and "MET" by using the "T" command. If no
launch time and date have been entered, the "T" command will
have no effect.
F6 Enable/Disable PAUSE mode; only the local date and time are
updated. The plot is frozen at the current position and the
"+" and "-" commands are enabled.
F7 Enable or disable the spacecraft circle of visibility for
space shuttle missions, Hubble Space Telescope, Gamma Ray
Observatory, or the Soviet MIR Space Station.
F8 Enable or disable the SUN, solar terminator, and spacecraft
lighting feature. NOTE: The SUN and spacecraft lighting are
not available on CGA systems.
F9 Change units of distance between kilometers (km) and
nautical miles (NM).
F10 Change satellite coordinates between Altitude and Azimuth,
Right Ascension and Declination, and Geocentric Rectangular
(XYZ) systems.
+ During PAUSE mode only, moves the satellite to the NEXT
calculated position based upon the FAST mode then in effect:
simulated time is advanced 1, 10, or 60 seconds. (NOTE: The
"=" key may be used instead of "+" to avoid the SHIFT KEY.)
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 32
- During PAUSE mode only, moves the satellite to the PREVIOUS
calculated position based upon the FAST mode then in effect:
simulated time is backed up 1, 10, or 60 seconds.
NOTE: Since this "-" or reverse feature was implemented
primarily for testing and demonstration, the ground track
logic does not recognize these reverse movements and will
become slightly confused. To restore the ground track and
current times properly, press ENTER TWICE to stop the
display and then to resume the mission.
R Resynchronize MET or T+Epoch with Local Time. Resets plot to
real time.
NOTE: The Resynchronization was feature was originally
intended only for testing and should only be performed when
the simulated time and local times are reasonably close to
each other. The plot may otherwise have some extraneous
pixels left around! This feature has not been extensively
tested. To restore the ground track completely, press ENTER
to stop the display and return to the Main Menu, then press
ENTER again to resume the mission.
The simulated time, taking into account any fast time that may have
been in effect up to that point, is shown at the lower left of the screen.
For reference, the launch or epoch time and the actual local time (as
determined by the computer's internal DOS clock) are also displayed. The
MET (Mission Elapsed Time) or T+Epoch display at the lower right of the
screen shows the current elapsed time in the mission and will include an
additional message, "(x10)" or "(x60)", when fast time is in effect.
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 33
THE STSORBIT GROUND TRACK DISPLAY
---------------------------------
One of the principal objectives of STSORBIT is to graphically display
the position of the space shuttle or satellite relative to a map of the
world. In addition to the map itself, a number of other items of interest
are displayed. Some features are available only with higher resolution
displays (EGA and VGA) in order to avoid cluttering the display screen.
Other features may be enabled or disabled according to the user's
preference. The following sections discuss these various features.
On-line Help
------------
Thanks to numerous suggestions, an on-line help screen may be
displayed during the ground track display to remind the user of the
available functions and which keys to press to trigger those functions.
When the ground track display is active, press Function Key F1 to display
the following help information at the lower portion of the screen.
F1 Resume Data F6 Pause Display ---------+ During PAUSE:
F2 Satellite Blink F7 Circle of Visibility | + Move Forward
F3 Printer Logging F8 SUN and Terminator | - Move Backward
F4 Time Step F9 Distance Units
F5 MET/T+Epoch F10 Satelitte Coordinates STSORBIT
The ground track display will continue to be updated in real time
while the help screen is displayed. If only the graphical display of the
ground track is of interest, the help screen may be kept on the display
continuously. Press Function Key F1 again to return to the normal data
display in the lower portion of the screen.
Versions prior to 9122 used various letter keys to select the various
functions during the ground track display. While many of these keys are
still active, I have switched to the function keys in an attempt to better
organize these operations.
World Map
---------
The STSORBIT ground track display includes a map of the world centered
on either the United States or Europe and extending from approximately +80
degrees North latitude to -80 degrees South latitude using a linear
cylindrical projection. Omitting the two 10 degree bands at the poles
permits better detail in the mid latitudes where all space shuttle orbits
and many other satellite orbits are concentrated. Ground track details very
near the poles are therefore sacrificed for a better display in the main
portion of typical orbits. The vertical resolution of the display is
automatically adjusted for the type of display system in use from 200 lines
(CGA) to 480 lines (VGA).
The world map consists of a series of some 7500 coordinate pairs. The
equator and lines of equal longitude at 0, 90, and -90 are also shown.
Additional lines of longitude and latitude may be added on EGA and VGA
monitors by enabling that feature using F10+F3+F3. When used with an EGA or
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 34
VGA color monitor, the coastal outlines are in cyan, the equator and
longitude grid are in blue with the equator and Prime Meridian highlighted
in bright blue.
Spacecraft or Satellite and Orbit Projections
---------------------------------------------
The focus of the display, and the reason for program STSORBIT, is to
show the position of the spacecraft or satellite. For the space shuttle
(and provided the mission name begins with the letters "STS"), a symbol has
been chosen which resembles that spacecraft. For all other satellites, a
symbol has been chosen which resembles the Hubble Space Telescope. In
either case, the symbol is shown in the following colors (EGA and VGA
displays only):
Satellite is sunlit Light White
Satellite is in penumbra Yellow
Satellite is in umbra White
For better visibility, the symbol will normally "blink" on CGA monitors;
the symbol may be made to blink on any system if desired by pressing the
"B" key while the ground track is displayed.
Just seeing the spacecraft or satellite on the map display yields
information as to its present position. However, for satellite viewing and
planning purposes, STSORBIT calculates the predicted orbital ground track
for approximately three hours in the future and displays the past orbital
ground track for approximately one and a half hours in the past. The future
ground track is shown in light green, and the past orbital ground track is
shown in light red.
The orbital ground track consists of a series of dots plotted at one
minute intervals. These dots "move" as the spacecraft or satellite changes
position; one new dot is added to the predicted track each minute and one
dot is removed from the past track at the same time.
User's Circle of Visibility
---------------------------
Centered around the user's geographic location, and marked with a
small cross on EGA and VGA systems, is a magenta "circle" of the
approximate line of sight visibility for the mission in progress. The
circle appears on the display as an ellipse because of the scaling factors
used by the map projection. The radius of this circle of visibility is
calculated for each satellite based upon its altitude at the instant the
map is drawn as well as the user's elevation above mean sea level and
corresponds to "line of sight" visibility for that satellite.
When a satellite is within the circle, direct visual, radio or radar
communications with the satellite should be practical. Actual visibility,
of course, depends upon more than simply whether or not the satellite is
above the viewer's horizon. Most important is the sun to satellite to
viewer geometry; the satellite must be in sunlight and the viewer in
darkness for reasonable visibility. Almost as important is the size and
geometry of the satellite itself; a large, bright-metal satellite with huge
solar arrays reflects far more sunlight than a small dark satellite. In
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 35
addition to the satellites themselves, many booster rockets and other
"spare parts" are orbiting the Earth. Since they are not attitude
stabilized, booster rockets usually are tumbling and may therefore appear
to flash on and off as they pass over.
For the Space Shuttle as well as most other satellites with near
circular orbits, the circle of visibility calculations are reasonably
accurate; however, the position of the sun and the effect of atmospheric
refraction are not taken into account, only whether or not the satellite is
in line of sight view from the observing location. For highly eliptical
orbits, however, the accuracy is substantially degraded since the radius of
the circle of visibility changes dramatically depending upon whether the
satellite is nearer apogee or perigee at the time the calculation is made,
and the period of the orbit. In the course of a single orbit, the altitude
of such a satellite may change by thousands of miles. Satellite "DE 1",
usually included in the NASAnnn.TXT 2-line elements file, is in a highly
elliptical orbit with long period and illustrates the problem.
Spacecraft Circle of Visibility
-------------------------------
The spacecraft circle of visibility is calculated using the same
alrorithm as for the user's circle of visibility. Like the user's circle,
the spacecraft circle appears on the display as an ellipse because of the
scaling factors used by the map projection. The difference is that the
spacecraft circle moves with the spacecraft and illustrates the approximate
area visible from the spacecraft at any given moment. The circle is updated
at the same rate as the spacecraft symbol, normally every ten seconds.
Comparisons with a VGA display system during the STS-35/ASTRO-1 mission in
December, 1990 confirmed that the circle shown is quite close to that shown
by one of the special graphics displays occasionally shown on NASA Select
TV.
TDRS Satellite Features
-----------------------
TDRS Satellite features are shown only on HGC, EGA and VGA monitors.
The three TDRS satellites (Tracking and Data Relay Satellites), used for
most communications to and from the Space Shuttle and the Hubble Space
Telescope, are each shown as a dot inside a small yellow circle on the
equator. There are three TDRS satellites in geosynchronous orbit, TDRS East
at approximately 72 degrees West longitude and the TDRS West Cluster
consisting of two satellites at approximately 170 degrees West longitude.
Both of the TDRS West Cluster satellites have partially failed but between
them they can provide the facilities of a fully operational satellite.
Each TDRS location provides communications coverage for almost half of
the Earth. However, since the ground station is at White Sands, New Mexico,
the coverage overlaps to provide good communications. This, in turn, means
that there is a narrow band, known by NASA as the Zone of Exclusion, off
the East coast of Africa which is not covered by either TDRS. Four slightly
curved vertical red lines on the display show the limits of coverage for
each TDRS location. With the map centered on the United States and scanning
from left to right, the red coverage lines are acquisition of TDRS East,
loss of TDRS West, loss of TDRS East, and acquisition of TDRS West.
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 36
During most of an orbit, the satellite being used for communications
will be shown in the data block opposite the title "Com:"; the messages
"TDRS-West" or "TDRS-East" will appear. Approximately five minutes before
the spacecraft reaches loss TDRS East, the message will change to "LOS
5:07" with the numbers indicating the minutes:seconds until anticipated
signal loss. Once the signal is lost, the message will change to "AOS 7:35"
to show the time remaining until acquisition by TDRS West. The algorithm
used for the calculation of the TDRS coverage is very approximate but is
usually accurate to within approximately 30 seconds.
NASA Ground Tracking Stations
-----------------------------
NASA maintains a number of ground tracking stations around the world.
Some of these tracking stations are essential for the ascent or landing
phases of a space shuttle flight; others are used for in-flight
communications. Each ground tracking station is shown as a small symbol
surrounded by a brown or light yellow "circle" which gives the approximate
area of antenna coverage and shows how small a proportion of each orbit can
be monitored without the TDRS system. When for some reason the TDRS system
is down (as has occurred during infrequent computer failures at White
Sands, New Mexico, the TDRS Ground Station), these ground tracking stations
become the only means of communication with the Space Shuttle. Because of
budget constraints, many of these ground tracking stations may be (or have
already been) shut down. Some, such as MIL and BDA (see list below) will be
retained because they are required for the ascent phase of a space shuttle
mission. Others, such as HAW, CTS and GWM, are operated jointly with, or
independently by, the U. S. Air Force.
The antenna range circle is displayed on the screen as an ellipse
because of the scaling factors used by the map projection. For all systems
except CGA, the locations of the three TDRS (Tracking and Data Relay
Satellite) are shown as small circles on the equator at -41 degrees and at
-171 degrees; on CGA displays the TDRS coverage is NOT shown in order to
avoid confusing the display. The following table lists the ground tracking
stations as of early 1989 which are shown along with their abbreviations
and approximate map coordinates (longitude, latitude):
MIL -81,28 Merritt Island, FL
BDA -64,32 Bermuda
DKR -17,14 Dakar, Senegal
ACN -14,-8 Ascension Island
MAX -5,41 Central Spain
IOS 56,-5 Indian Ocean
HAW -156,20 Hawaii
GWM 145,14 Gwam
VAN -122,35 Vandenberg, CA
YAR 115,-29 Yargidy, Australia
CAN 149,-36 Canberra, Australia
GDX -116,34 Goldstone, CA
CTS -105,38 Colorado Springs, CO
AGO -71,-34 Santiago, Chile
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 37
STSORBIT'S ORBITAL MODELS
-------------------------
The initial version of STSORBIT was prepared without reference
materials of any kind and the simplest possible orbital model was therefore
selected. The primary objective was to duplicate the NASA wall map at
the Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas. This "simple" model assumed
that the orbit was perfectly circular at a specified altitude and
inclination which never degraded due to other factors such as drag or
perturbation. Some simplifying assumptions were incorporated to handle the
initial ascent portion of a mission and the launch site was hard coded to
Cape Canaveral, Florida. With only minor modifications, the program was
essentially unchanged for the next year.
The launch of STS-31 and the Hubble Space Telescope highlighted the
need for improved accuracy because of public interest and the length of the
mission. The orbital calculations were modified (STSORBIT Version 9015) to
include the J2 factor, the perturbation of low Earth orbits due to
variations in the gravitational field related to the non-spherical shape of
the Earth (among other factors); omission of the J2 factor caused errors in
longitude of approximately -5 to -7 degrees per day. That is, the orbital
track drifted Westward from its true position by that amount. More accurate
models of low orbits also include the J3 and J4 perturbation factors,
atmospheric drag, and a host of other less significant items.
Although by now reasonably accurate for the first day or so of a space
shuttle mission, the "simple" model is by no means ideal. In calculating
the current orbital longitude, for example, the "simple" model assumes a
circular orbit with an orbital inclination of zero degrees. For orbits with
low inclinations, as is typical for launches from Kennedy Space Center,
these errors are not particularly significant and are probably overshadowed
by the fundamental uncertainties in orbital parameters and by the
limitations imposed by display resolution. Orbits with higher inclinations,
as would be the case if near-polar launches from Vandenburg AFB in
California are ever initiated, would have much larger periodic errors which
would be both noticeable and objectionable. More important for longer
missions and for general satellite tracking is the fact that due to the
method used, errors in the orbital calculations tend to be cumulative.
Although it may be the only method available at launch, after about a week
the errors can become unacceptably large.
The real problem with the simple method, of course, is that the Earth
is not a perfect sphere and actual satellite orbits are never perfectly
circular. Satellite orbits are significantly perturbed by the non-spherical
gravitational field of the Earth, by the Sun and Moon, atmospheric drag,
and other factors. Accurate satellite tracking over longer periods of time
therefore demands more accurate data and a more rigorous treatment of
satellite orbits. The only practical alternative is to use the NASA/NORAD
2-line orbital element sets. Not only are these data readily available
publicly, but they are relatively accurate and are updated regularly. 2-
line element sets for non-military space shuttle missions are typically
available by the second or third day of the mission. Amateur astronomers
and satellite tracking experts often generate "unofficial" 2-line element
sets even for military missions.
Six quantities are required by classical gravitational theory to
completely characterize the orbit of one body about another in time and
space, the "Two Body Problem". These six quantities, often referred to as
Keplerian orbital elements, are included in the NASA/NORAD 2-line element
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 38
sets along with other numerical and statistical data. NORAD, the North
American Air Defense Command headquartered in Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado,
developed the 2-line element format many years ago as part of their
satellite tracking efforts and NASA subsequently adopted the same format --
more or less. My own analyses of 2-line element sets obtained independently
from other NASA centers indicate that NASA and NORAD do not always use the
same definition for revolution (orbit) numbers; NASA frequently gives a
number one greater than NORAD, calling the first partial orbit number one
while NORAD calls that same partial orbit number zero. Except for short
duration missions, such as the Space Shuttle, revolution numbers are of no
practical importance.
Having timely and accurate orbital data is of little help without a
computer model or program which can use those data. NORAD has rather
arbitrarily divided satellite orbits into two categories: near Earth orbits
and deep space orbits. Near Earth orbits are defined as those with orbital
periods of 225 minutes or less and deep space orbits are all others.
Computer models are described in the literature for each category. STSORBIT
employs the SGP4 Near Earth Model only, using a composite of code of my own
combined with translated Fortran and Basic source supplied by Paul Traufler
and C source by Paul Hirose. Not only are the near Earth orbits generally
of more interest to observers, but the errors associated with deep space
orbits processed with the SGP4 model (rather than the correct SDP4 model)
are not particularly significant for the purposes of a program such as
STSORBIT. Further, watching a geostationary satellite orbit on the screen
is not unlike watching grass grow and is about as exciting.
For the past several years, T S Kelso has been making the NASA/NORAD
data available as a public service on his Celestial BBS at (513) 427-0674.
The 2-line element sets are downloaded by Kelso directly from NASA Goddard
Space Flight Center by special arrangement. I regularly post a slightly
edited version (certain introductory text material is removed so that the
file may be used directly by programs such as STSORBIT) of the current
element sets on my own RPV ASTRONOMY BBS as file NASAnnn.TXT, where "nnn"
is the NASA bulletin number. Kelso provides data for several categories of
satellites: Amateur Radio, Earth Resources, Manned Spacecraft, Navigation,
Weather, and NASA's 30 Day Specials (which contain objects launched within
the last 30 days and are often easy to spot visually). More specifically,
these include the following satellites or satellite series: OSCAR, Radio
Sputnik, UOSAT, Cosmos, LandSat, SeaSat 1, SPOT, Mir, Salyut 7, Soyuz,
Space Shuttle, NAVSTAR (GPS), GOES, Meteor, and NOAA.
The Canadian Space Society BBS, (416) 458-5907, also regularly posts
NORAD 2-line elements. Note that the CSS format is slightly non-standard,
having additional information on the first (title) line for each satellite,
and may have to be edited for use with some tracking programs. The CSS
files also have considerable additional text material (including current
satellite news) before and after the actual 2-line elements data.
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 39
ADJUSTING ORBITAL PARAMETERS (Simple Orbital Model)
---------------------------------------------------
NOTE: This section applies ONLY if you are using the simple orbital
model for simulation. When using 2-line elements, all orbital
parameters are completely defined by the 2-line elements and may not
be modified from within STSORBIT.
The original "simple" orbital model used in STSORBIT is imperfect, to
say the least. The data generally available from NASA prior to launch often
does not describe upcoming shuttle orbits at all precisely. In particular,
STSORBIT's initial orbital calculations, those related to the time from
liftoff to orbital insertion, are more or less guesswork. Once a mission is
established in orbit, it may be therefore desirable to adjust the orbital
parameters to make STSORBIT's displayed ground track correspond more
closely to that displayed on the wall map in Mission Control Center. To
make the adjustment, use the following procedure:
1. Start program STSORBIT. After the map data has been read in, select
the program options command, F10, then press F5 to enable display of
the data for the ascending and descending nodes. Enter the original
launch time and orbital data using the F4 command or restore prior
data using the ENTER key or F3 command if no adjustments have been
entered. The plot will appear on the screen.
2. Observe the crossing time and longitude of the node of interest and
calculate the difference from the desired crossing time. Note that
NASA performs all orbital calculations referenced to the Ascending
Node, the point at which the ground track crosses the Equator in a
North-bound direction. In order to view a given node crossing
repeatedly, you may find it convenient to reset the DOS clock to a
minute or two prior to the expected time.
HINT: Use the F9 command to go back to DOS, then use DOS's TIME
command to set the clock. BE SURE TO RESET YOUR COMPUTER CLOCK WHEN
YOU HAVE COMPLETED ALL ORBITAL ADJUSTMENTS!
3. When adjusting orbital parameters, it is preferable to adjust the TIME
before adjusting the LONGITUDE. This is because the longitude of the
node is affected by the rotation of the Earth (by 15 degrees per hour)
when the time is changed. Calculate the difference between the time of
the observed node crossing and the time of crossing plotted by
STSORBIT. If the observed time is earlier than the plotted time, the
time adjustment must be positive, otherwise it must be negative. The
time must be calculated in minutes and decimal fractions of a minute.
4. Press ENTER to return to the Main Menu, then press F5 to enter
adjusted data. Enter the new orbital altitude in nautical miles (or
altitude in kilometers by adding "km"); usually, the orbital altitude
has not changed and you should press ENTER to leave this item
unchanged.
5. Press ENTER to leave the longitude adjustment set at zero.
6. Enter the calculated time difference for the node crossing as the time
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 40
adjustment (in minutes).
7. Press ENTER to leave the launch time unchanged.
8. Inspect the data displayed to be sure it is correct. If it is not,
press the SPACE BAR to re-enter data; if it is correct, press ENTER to
accept the data. STSORBIT will immediately begin plotting the new
ground track. If necessary, interrupt the plot with the ENTER key,
reset your computer's clock, return to STSORBIT, and press ENTER to
resume current mission.
9. Again observe the plotted time of crossing and repeat from Step 4 if
the time is not correct. If the time is correct, note the longitude of
the node and calculate the difference from the observed longitude. If
the plotted longitude is less than the observed longitude, the
adjustment must be positive, otherwise it must be negative. The
longitude adjustment must be entered in degrees and decimal fractions
of a degree.
10. Press ENTER to return to the Main Menu, then press F5 to enter
adjusted data. Enter the calculated longitude adjustment, then press
ENTER twice to leave the time adjustment and launch time unchanged.
11. Inspect the data displayed to be sure it is correct. If it is not,
press the SPACE BAR to re-enter data; if it is correct, press ENTER to
accept the data. STSORBIT will immediately begin plotting the new
ground track. If necessary, interrupt the plot with the ENTER key,
reset your computer's clock, return to STSORBIT, and press ENTER to
resume current mission.
12. This procedure should enable you to set the orbital parameters with
considerable accuracy. However, even minor changes of the orbit in
flight can cause a significant cumulative error in the ground track
displayed by STSORBIT. If all this seems like too much effort, just
enjoy the program "as it comes from the box"!
13. During the course of a non-military mission, I normally watch NASA
Select TV (if I'm around!) and post updated .INI files from time to
time on my BBS. You may call the BBS and download the updated .INI
files; these files typically have names such as STS31A.INI, STS31B.INI
and so forth. Use the F3 command to read the updated .INI file into
program STSORBIT. Also, within a day or two of a Space Shuttle launch,
the 2-line elements for the mission will usually be available on my
BBS.
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 41
STSORBIT REVISION HISTORY
-------------------------
Program STSORBIT underwent multiple revisions during the first days of
the STS-30 Atlantis/Magellan mission (May 1989) and the process was
repeated during the STS-28 Columbia mission (August 1989). At one point, I
was releasing new versions every couple of hours! Lacking any equations or
data for the first minutes of a typical mission, the first tries were
largely guesswork and needed to be refined considerably. After all of that,
comparison of STSORBIT's plot with the NASA wall map data (as seen on NASA
Select Television) and interpolation of that data shows good agreement
through about the first ten orbits. However, after orbital maneuvers, such
as occur with the deployment of a satellite or spacecraft, the initial data
is much less accurate. Unfortunately, the NASA wall map is not always on
the screen and orbital information may otherwise be difficult to obtain
during the first day or two of a mission.
The launch of the Hubble Space Telescope (May 1990) and the
availability of the NASA/NORAD 2-Line Element Sets has prompted a major
revision of the program at Version 9022 to permit accurate tracking over
longer periods of time using these data. This has required a major rewrite
of the program which required many days of effort. As with any major
software change, not all problems and bugs are detected in the first
releases. User feedback and patience will be appreciated.
Each released version of STSORBIT uses a four digit revision code
such as 9118. The first two digits indicate the year and the second two
digits indicate the week of the year. In some cases, an additional letter
suffix is added to distinguish changes occurring within the same week. A
partial week at the beginning or end of the year is counted as a full week.
Using this method, a year will typically have 53 weeks although it is
possible to have 54 weeks in a leap year (1972 is an example). The current
year-week revision code is shown on the Julian Date display, Display Mode
7, in my program ASTROCLK.
This file records the revision history of program STSORBIT through all
of the minor twists and turns that usually accompany the evolution of such
a program. It illustrates the tortuous process of maintaining and refining
a program as ideas and problems are reported from every quarter. The early
versions were rushed to meet the launch schedules, probably too much so.
These notes may also be helpful to users who are upgrading from one version
to another to find out what has changed.
David H. Ransom, Jr.
9122A 05/27/91
-----------------
-This is a minor fix for HERCULES USERS. The persistent bug that caused the
program to halt with an error message unless the "/M" command line option
was included has, I hope, finally been found and fixed.
-There are no other differences from Version 9122.
9122 05/23/91
-----------------
-This is a MAJOR UPGRADE to the program. Version 9022 incorporates new
features tested in Beta Version 9021 (see also below) as well as other new
features added as a result of testing that version and user suggestions.
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 42
-Added on-line help during the ground track display and changed the keys
used during that display to Function Keys. The following keys are active
during the ground track display:
F1 Resume Data F6 Pause Display During PAUSE:
F2 Satellite Blink F7 Circle of Visibility + Move Forward
F3 Printer Logging F8 SUN and Terminator - Move Backward
F4 Time Step F9 Distance Units
F5 MET/T+Epoch F10 Satelitte Coordinates
(Although the "old" individual letter keys are still active, they will be
discontinued in subsequent versions and only the Function Keys will be
used.) Thanks to Mike Gardner and others for their persistent requests for
the help screen.
-In response to numerous requests, I have added the SUN and the solar
terminator to the ground track display (solar terminator only for CGA). The
Sun is shown as a yellow circle at the subsolar point and the terminator is
shown as a series of yellow dots marking the points at which the center of
the sun is at the horizon for observers at mean sea level; both features
are updated every 60 seconds. Toggle this display feature using F10+F3+F8
from the Main Menu (which also selects the spacecraft lighting effect for
EGA/VGA systems). The additional calculation time is substantial and this
feature may not be suitable for slow processors or computers without math
coprocessors. This feature is automatically disabled if the SLOW flag is
set. Thanks to Rob Matson for providing example code for the terminator.
-Changed map file to STSORBIT.MPT and changed method of loading map data to
eliminate the prior time consuming method. Map file now loads with a single
disk access. If the /R command line option is given, the title screen will
then appear for two seconds; otherwise, the title screen will appear for 15
seconds. Press any key to continue immediately.
-The spacecraft circle of visibility may be added to or removed from the
ground track display using Function Key F7. In prior versions, this could
only be accomplished from the menus. This feature is now also available on
CGA and HGC systems.
-The SUN and terminator may be added to or removed from the ground track
display using Function Key F8. In prior versions, this could only be
accomplished from the menus.
-Distance units may be switched between kilometers (km) and nautical miles
(nm) using Function Key F9.
-Satellite coordinates may be switched between Altitude and Azimuth, Right
Ascension, and Geocentric Rectangular coordinates using Function Key F10.
-Added Geocentric Rectangular satellite coordinates: SatX, SatY and SatZ
set by F10+F3+F10. Switch between nautical miles (nm) and kilometers (km)
using F10+F3+F9. NOTE: XYZ coordinates are available only with 2-line
orbital elements.
-Corrected a bug in the Hubble Space Telescope icon (used for all non-space
shuttle missions) which caused it to be displayed incorrectly; right place
but faulty icon.
-Spacecraft circle of visibility is now allowed for Hubble Space Telescope
(HST), Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO), and the Soviet MIR Space Station (MIR)
in addition to space shuttle missions.
-Fixed bug that caused minor error after demo. Program now rereads the .INI
file after demo to correctly restore all data.
-Sun and terminator now displayed for simple orbital model prior to launch
time.
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 43
9121 05/21/91
-----------------
-This is a non-public BETA RELEASE to test several new features.
-Repaired minor bug when switching between MET and T+EPOCH which caused
that time data to be incorrect for one calculation cycle.
-Repaired bug with HGC displays that required the use of the /M command
line option for Version 9118. HGC systems should now operate correctly
without the /M command line option.
9118 04/29/91
-----------------
-Moved Display Features to a new sub-menu on Program Options using Function
Key F3. All options are now saved in the .INI file.
-Shuttle circle of visibility now an option in Display Features menu for
EGA/CGA monitors.
-Added satellite coordinates in topocentric Right Ascension and Declination
(R/D) on Display Features menu. Coordinates may now be displayed as either
Altitude/Azimuth (A/A) or RightAscension/Declination (R/D), referenced to
the local coordinates as of the epoch of date.
-Added distance toggle between nautical miles and kilometers on Display
Features menu.
-Added feature to display the location and circle of visibility for a
second city. Select F10 for Program Options and Features, then F2 for Local
Coordinates and proceed as usual. When you have selected or entered the
name and coordinate information for the second city, press TAB to ACCEPT.
To clear the second city, press F10+F2, then "*" for manual data entry,
enter SPACE (press only the SPACE BAR followed by ENTER) as the city name,
press ENTER for the coordinates and elevation, then TAB to clear the second
city.
-When used with a CGA monitor (or when CGA mode is forced with the /CGA
command line option), the text screens are now in color. To display all
screens in monochrome on the CGA, use the /M command line option. Note that
whether or not color is used for text, GRAPHICS (the map and ground track)
will ALWAYS be in monochrome for CGA monitors!
-Split main source code into two modules for compiler memory problems.
9117 04/27/91
-----------------
-Corrected a serious typographical error introduced in Version 9116. The
program would not execute with HGC or CGA monitors.
-EGA and VGA monitors now display the SAA (South Atlantic Anomaly) in white
between South America and the tip of Africa. This is a rough approximation
of the area of the SAA.
-Added capability to display the location and circle of visibility of a
second location. Use F2 as you would for changing local coordinates except
press TAB instead of ENTER for this feature. Enter a city name of one or
more spaces, then use TAB to disable this feature. Thanks to several users
for this suggestion.
9116 04/18/91
-----------------
-Added code to detect an EGA equipped with a MONOCHROME monitor, QuickBASIC
screen mode 10. (Thanks to Brian Kornfeld for reporting the problem.)
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 44
9114 04/03/91
-----------------
-Corrected a problem with Version 9112 (and probably 9049 as well) which
caused an incorrect date to be entered with Main Menu F4. No matter what
date was entered, the date appeared as the year 4713. The following will
work around the problem for Version 9112: Accept the "bad" date, then press
F5 to adjust the launch date to the desired date.
9112 03/30/91
-----------------
-Added calculations to determine if the satellite is sunlit (2-line element
mode ONLY). Special thanks to Rob Matson for his assistance! The satellite
color changes depending upon the lighting (EGA and VGA):
Light White Fully lighted
Yellow Penumbra (including Refracted Sunlight)
White Umbra
9049 12/04/90
-----------------
-Added spacecraft circle of visibility for STS missions, EGA/VGA ONLY!
-Corrected the logic associated with printer logging so that TDRS Com: data
is properly updated when logging is ON. Thanks to Jay Hickman for reporting
the bug!
-Corrected negative Mission Elapsed Time (MET) in both orbital models. Time
BEFORE launch time and date was incorrect.
-Changed MET input routine (F8+F4) to allow negative MET dates and times. I
don't really know why anyone would want this, but ...
-Program now saves presence/absence of additional grid in STSORBIT.INI.
-Documentation updated to reflect program changes and additions. The
description of the ground track display has been rewritten for improved
clarity.
9048 11/25/90
-----------------
-Corrected a problem with the "simple" model that caused it never to "catch
up" at certain times which were a function of the current local time versus
UTC. (Yet another time/date problem! Things were simpler before I added all
the UTC code. I hope this is the last bug in that department...)
-Added fiducial mark at the center of the circle of visibility.
-Added 150 selected international cities to STSORBIT.CTY.
-Removed time zone changes when changing local coordinates.
9047 11/17/90
-----------------
-Modified the routine that reads 2-line elements to substitute 0.0000001 if
the supplied eccentricity is zero. (An eccentricity of zero resulted in
division by zero, error #11, and an abort to DOS.)
-Blank lines in 2-line element files are now ignored. Lines which begin
with a dash ("-") are now treated as a comment and displayed. BULLETIN.TXT
files downloaded from Celestial BBS may now be read without editing.
-"F" key now changes the fast time mode correctly during PAUSE.
-Changed Main Manu F5 display to reflect simple versus 2-line mode.
-Changed Main Menu F6 display to show current time/date mode, MET or
T+Epoch.
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 45
9046C 11/15/90
-----------------
-Further changes and corrections to try and "bullet proof" the time and
date entry process. Main Menu commands F4 and F5 modified.
9046B 11/15/90
-----------------
-Corrects a problem with UTC vs. local dates when entering simulated time
and date (F8+F3). Thanks to Matt Merrill for reporting the problem.
9046A 11/14/90
-----------------
-Corrected minor bug that caused TDRS communications coverage not to
display under some circumstances.
9046 11/13/90 (MAJOR UPGRADE)
----------------------------------
-The current or simulated local time and date and UTC time and date are now
shown on all menus. GMT is assumed equal to UTC.
-The "catch up" phase when plotting is started has been rewritten to all
but eliminate that delay. The past and predicted ground track is still
plotted but the satellite immediately begins from the approximate current
position. This change will be particularly noticeable on slower computers
and has been made in response to user comments. The bell no longer sounds
when the system begins tracking in real time.
-Function key F8 has been added to the Main Menu to allow the user to set
internal time and date functions. The method used does NOT affect the
system clock. The program may be set to a simulated date or time using
local or UTC/GMT time, Mission Elapsed Time (provided a launch time and
date are present), or the program time and date may be returned to real
time as determined by the system clock. The system clock may also be set to
a new time and date.
-Function key F5 has been modified to allow the user to input a Launch Time
and Launch Date when using 2-line elements. Note that this information is
NOT included in the 2-line elements and must be determined independently.
-Function key F6 has been added to allow the user to select between "Time
since Epoch" (the time elapsed since the epoch date of the 2-line element
set, normally used for satellites other than the space shuttle) and
"Mission Elapsed Time" (time since launch). Press F6 to toggle between the
two methods. Use caution when changing from one satellite to another since
this information is not changed when different 2-line elements are read!
-The "T" command has been added during the ground track display to switch
between Time Sinc Epoch and Mission Elapsed Time (See F6 addition above).
-When changing local coordinates (F10+F2), the program now attempts to
calculate the correct time offset from UTC/GMT based upon the longitude of
the new location. The program time is automatically adjusted for the
change and is marked "simulated" if the time difference is non-zero.
-Somehow a conversion factor (from kilometers to nautical miles) has been
incorrect for several versions! This has meant that the altitude above the
Earth's surface has been incorrect (although the plotted position was
correct).
NOTE: PRIOR .INI FILES MAY NO LONGER YIELD ACCURATE RESULTS!
Since .INI files use spacecraft altitude in nautical miles as one of
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 46
the orbital parameters in the "simple orbital model", this means that
past .INI files may no longer yield accurate results with Version
9046 and higher. 2-line elements files will continue to operate
correctly but the spacecraft altitude will now be correct. Thanks to
Ron Parise of the STS-35 crew for finding and reporting the problem!
-The program now displays the TDRS satellite being used for communications
relay for space shuttle missions (satellite name must begin with "STS") in
the upper right corner of the data block. The approximate transfer points
are: -138 degrees for TDRS West to TDRS East; 57 degrees for LOS TDRS East;
and, 90 degrees for AOS TDRS West. The algorithm used takes into account
the curvature of the Earth which changes those positions by up to about 3
degrees toward the poles. The TDRS communications information is shown only
in normal display, and not in x10 or x60.
-Approximate TDRS coverage is now shown. Curved red lines appear at -138,
57, and 90 degrees. (This is a VERY rough approximation, accurate to only a
couple of degrees.)
-TDRS positions updated per 2-line elements as of 5 OCT 1990. Added TDRS-1
to the right of TDRS-West, the on-orbit spare TDRS. The spare TDRS was used
during mission STS-41 and is still active.
-When 2-line elements are displayed for approval (using F2 from Main Menu),
the Elements Epoch is shown as conventional date and time in addition to
the NASA/NORAD shorthand notation (i.e. 90262.9155368).
-The routine to set the UTC Offset (F10+F9) has been corrected so that the
current values are displayed. Press ENTER to leave an item unchanged.
-The "F" key now changes step time when in PAUSE as well as during normal
operation. Step time returns original value upon exit from pause.
-Cosmetic corection: Screen now cleared with F10+F6 (change map center).
-Corrected location message and color after PAUSE.
9027 7/01/90
-----------------
-Rewrote main menu to use Function Keys and added new secondary menu for
program options. Special keys used during map display are unchanged.
-Documentation extensively revised to reflect menu changes and additional
features.
-Added Slow Mode for very slow computers or systems without a math
coprocessor. Position calculations performed every five seconds rather than
every second when in this mode.
-Added circle of visibility to map showing the approximate area about the
observing location through which the current satellite may be seen.
-Added Range, Altitude and Azimuth to current position calculations.
-Added local observing coordinates and ability to read STSORBIT.CTY with
approx. 720 city locations. NOTE: The city file includes the local
elevation but all elevations are set to zero since I don't have that
information. Location data may also be input manually.
-Added graphics clipping to restrict graphics to map area for orbits with
high inclinations. (Example: Alouette)
-Adjusted top edge of map to top of screen.
-Revised CGA HST icon for faster drawing and better proportions.
-"/R" is now sufficient for RESUME command line option.
-Added "/S" command line option to force space shuttle icon. Requires less
time to draw than HST icon for slower computers.
-Adjusted blink timing for more reliable blinking. If computational delays
are too great (especially 2-line orbits which require more than twice the
STSORBIT Space Shuttle and Satellite Orbit Simulation Page 47
calculation time compared to simple orbits), blinking is defeated.
-Two sample PIF files are included for use with Windows 3.0, one for 386
enhanced mode and one for normal mode. Files must be edited to set correct
drive/directory names.
[Intermediate revision notes removed to save space. Available on request.]
8916 4/24/89
-----------------
-Initial BETA VERSION Release.