Launch your own (virtual) GPS satellite

6.4k · October 4, 2002

Just a silly little webpage I found here.

Click the mouse to launch a satellite. I found if ya give it a little "shove" as your launching it, it's easier to get a sustained orbit. Have fun!

Illegitimus non carborundum!

5k · October 4, 2002

Cool Mopar.

I got one to do a figure-8 around the earth and moon. Don't know how, but it's doing it.

Apparently I have a couple with orbits well outside the screen, because every once in a while, I see it (them?) come on the screen for a bit, and then disappear.

Jamie

3k · October 4, 2002

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Proud New Owner Of a Garmin GPS V Received on 10-03-02

3k · October 4, 2002

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Proud New Owner Of a Garmin GPS V Received on 10-03-02

1.8k · October 4, 2002

Gee, I hope all those satellites I've been crashing into the Earth are landing in uninhabited areas...

Yes, it looks like it still keeps track of the ones that you fling out into deep space because there are several that seem to take a wide swing around the planet every few minutes or so. Cool!

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Wisconsin Geocaching Association

1.8k · October 4, 2002

Gee, I hope all those satellites I've been crashing into the Earth are landing in uninhabited areas...

Yes, it looks like it still keeps track of the ones that you fling out into deep space because there are several that seem to take a wide swing around the planet every few minutes or so. Cool!

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Wisconsin Geocaching Association

October 4, 2002

I launched about 50 in rapid succession - looked like a swarm of flies around the earth!

You may not agree with what I say, but I will defend, to your death, my right to say it!(it's a Joke, OK!)

October 4, 2002

...or lack thereof after I'm at the helm of Mission Control.

I knew I should've paid more attention in Trig!

2.6k · October 4, 2002

A classic.

george

Pedal until your legs cramp up and then pedal some more.

October 4, 2002

There several more interesting demos on the same web site.

http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/index.pl

Click on "Applet Thumbnails"

5k · October 4, 2002

Has anyone gotten a satellite to orbit the moon? I've gotten a couple to make a couple of orbits, but they invariably crash into the surface.

Retrograde orbits are cool.

Jamie

3k · October 4, 2002

I've gotten one to partially orbit the moon.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Proud New Owner Of a Garmin GPS V Received on 10-03-02

8.9k · October 4, 2002

I launched several in rapid succession. I think I have seven in stable orbit. Four of them are in VERY near orbits, and the other three seem to be reaching their slowdown point just as the moon comes by and gives it a yank up. Pretty neat.

RIght before I came back here, I launched about 20 in random succession before I started typing, and then went back to check, and the original 7 that I mentioned are the only ones left.

I did have some orbit the moon, but only three or four times at most. Couldn't get one to orbit a solid five or more yet.

Markwell

Chicago Geocaching

1.8k · October 4, 2002

I'm trying to figure out if the satellites interact with each other, or if the Earth and moon and the only things with "mass"

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Wisconsin Geocaching Association

October 4, 2002

I took physics at CU Boulder (where this satellite website originated) and I don't remember the class being this much fun. Of course that was 30 years ago...

Most of mine have burned in re-entry.

Time Flies like an arrow. Fruit Flies like a banana

October 4, 2002

I took physics at CU Boulder (where this satellite website originated) and I don't remember the class being this much fun. Of course that was 30 years ago...

Most of mine have burned in re-entry.

Time Flies like an arrow. Fruit Flies like a banana

October 4, 2002

Man, you have to be a rocket scientist to get the hang of this thing.

I have 24 launched successfully, and I still can't find my car.

Serious cachers needed! www.theheavenlyhost.com/geocache

[This message was edited by Dru Morgan on October 04, 2002 at 10:08 AM.]

October 4, 2002

Has anyone managed to get one to orbit at a Lagrange Point? After literally thousands of tries I can't do it. You have to place it perfectly for it to work. And your best bet is L4 or L5. L1, L2, and L3 are inherently unstable. I do have one in a very stable retrograde orbit about 2/3rds of the way to the moon that is kinda cool. I keep thinking the moon is going to capture it but it never quite makes it.

Tony

Capitan, Team Bohica

1k · October 4, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by umc:
I've gotten one to partially orbit the moon.

Be careful! Don't you know what has happened to almost every monkey thats been sent into space????

Women are like guns, keep one around long enough and you're going to want to shoot it.

October 4, 2002

I've got two that are orbiting the moon, and have gone around the Earth about a dozen times. Oops, one just burned up...

Is that what they're supposed to do?

**********************

Geocaching by day...hockey at night!

Life is good

October 4, 2002

I've got two that are orbiting the moon, and have gone around the Earth about a dozen times. Oops, one just burned up...

Is that what they're supposed to do?

**********************

Geocaching by day...hockey at night!

Life is good

October 4, 2002

Wizmo does the orbital boogy quite nicely.

I use it for other things as well, but nothing gets my monitor into a flurry like balls in motion.

1.2k · October 4, 2002

Same concept, but you score points!!!

Lapaglia

"Muga Muchu" (forget yourself, focus).

1.2k · October 4, 2002

Same concept, but you score points!!!

Lapaglia

"Muga Muchu" (forget yourself, focus).

October 4, 2002

I've got one that's been in moon orbit for over an hour. I think I just got lucky. Of course, as I typed this it disappeared. I jinxed it.

October 4, 2002

I've got one that's been in moon orbit for over an hour. I think I just got lucky. Of course, as I typed this it disappeared. I jinxed it.

October 5, 2002

Thanks MOPAR. If you like to track sats. check this out. Especialy the J-track 3D

http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/RealTime/Jtrack/welcome.html

You can't be lost if you don't care where you are.

October 5, 2002

I launched several in rapid succession from the corner as the moon went by. Really cool patterns.

Just got two going in opposite directions.

[This message was edited by st_richardson on October 05, 2002 at 04:42 PM.]

October 5, 2002

Very Cool, I have sent the link to my friends and family. They will love it

October 5, 2002

Very Cool, I have sent the link to my friends and family. They will love it

October 6, 2002

I finally got one to stay in a stable but interesting orbit. I think I'll keep the computer on and see how long it lasts.

I forwarded it to a friend of mine and got the reply, "Thanks for removing 2 hours of my life."

4.5k · October 6, 2002

Well, i never got a satellite to orbit the moon for very long but i do have 5 birds that have been shooting around the Earth for about 2 hours now. Kind of a COOL waste of time,,,, .

4.5k · October 6, 2002

Well, i never got a satellite to orbit the moon for very long but i do have 5 birds that have been shooting around the Earth for about 2 hours now. Kind of a COOL waste of time,,,, .

October 6, 2002

Pretty Cool! I got 2 to orbit earth at the same time, 1 in a pretty circular orbit & one in a really wacky eliptical where it almost hits the surface then shoots off toward the edge then back.

I got one to orbit the moon about 3 times before gettin sucked in. If u sort of spin your pointer around the moon as it moves & launch a couple u can get pretty lucky. How can you make this a scren saver?

Wherever you go, there you are!

October 6, 2002

Pretty Cool! I got 2 to orbit earth at the same time, 1 in a pretty circular orbit & one in a really wacky eliptical where it almost hits the surface then shoots off toward the edge then back.

I got one to orbit the moon about 3 times before gettin sucked in. If u sort of spin your pointer around the moon as it moves & launch a couple u can get pretty lucky. How can you make this a scren saver?

Wherever you go, there you are!

9.4k · October 6, 2002

I had one that maintained a tight orbit around one side of the earth, which maintained a longer spin towards the moon. The moon's gravity maintained this weird orbit indefinitely (well, until I closed my browser). Pretty neat! Thanks

Now can anyone get 24 going at once?

Jeremy Irish

Groundspeak - The Language of Location

9.4k · October 6, 2002

I had one that maintained a tight orbit around one side of the earth, which maintained a longer spin towards the moon. The moon's gravity maintained this weird orbit indefinitely (well, until I closed my browser). Pretty neat! Thanks

Now can anyone get 24 going at once?

Jeremy Irish

Groundspeak - The Language of Location

October 7, 2002

Life is a relentless struggle with the odds stacked against you

October 7, 2002

Life is a relentless struggle with the odds stacked against you

October 7, 2002

But, I closed my browser. I got them going again today at 10:30 am PDT. I'll let you know when they die.

One is in a very tight orbit around the earth going the same direction as the moon. The other is going opposite with the moon around the earth about halfway through. It get close to the earth but the moon pulls it back every to normal every few revolutions.

Serious cachers needed! www.theheavenlyhost.com/geocache

9.2k · October 7, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy Irish:
Now can anyone get 24 going at once?

Dangit, Jeremy... now why'd you have to go and issue a challenge like that? Weren't you satisfied with "can anyone find all these Tupperware containers I listed on my little website?"

It took me a skipped lunch hour plus a half hour of work time, but I've got 28 satellites in stable orbit. Many lives and much hi-tech hardware crashed and burned along the way.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

What would life be like if there were no hypothetical questions?

9.4k · October 7, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by The Leprechauns:

quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy Irish:
Now can anyone get 24 going at once?

It took me a skipped lunch hour plus a half hour of work time, but I've got 28 satellites in stable orbit. Many lives and much hi-tech hardware crashed and burned along the way.

I got 100-some going last night, and 41 were still running 12 hours later. I'll check on them when I get home.

The trick is to fling a million of them and hope they'll stick around. I have yet to get one to orbit the moon for more than 3 or 4 times.

Jeremy Irish

Groundspeak - The Language of Location

1.8k · October 7, 2002

I've found what works well too is to pretend like you've launched them from Earth. Click near the surface of the planet and drag away and a bit in a circle. The trick is finding the balance between not enough dragging (where the sat makes a half-orbit and crashes) and too much drag (where the sat makes like that Mars lander that NASA lost track of).

I've got a blurry cloud on orbit right now.

What's fun is clicking without dragging and placing them within range of the moon I can get 3-4 orbits before the sat just spirals into its doom.

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Wisconsin Geocaching Association

3k · October 7, 2002

And just how the heck am I supposed to count them? Talk about wasting time. I could be complaining on the other thread right now, you know.

Cache you later,

Planet

3k · October 7, 2002

And just how the heck am I supposed to count them? Talk about wasting time. I could be complaining on the other thread right now, you know.

Cache you later,

Planet

October 7, 2002

I have one going, but the orbit is perpendicular to the screen.

1.8k · October 7, 2002

quote:
Originally posted by Planet:
And just how the heck am I supposed to count them?

Planet

If you click and hold, everything on the screen freezes. Count away!

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Wisconsin Geocaching Association

October 8, 2002

This is the best (biggest) time-waster I've seen in a while. I've been falling asleep during lunch at work, today I also fell asleep after fueling up a boat and was running the blower. Fortunately, it started to rain so I woke up in time to clock out and come home to play around more...zzzzzzzz.......

October 8, 2002

This is the best (biggest) time-waster I've seen in a while. I've been falling asleep during lunch at work, today I also fell asleep after fueling up a boat and was running the blower. Fortunately, it started to rain so I woke up in time to clock out and come home to play around more...zzzzzzzz.......

October 8, 2002

Here is another gravity based game to take up more of your day. It was good enough to grind the geochat to a halt. It should be good for a few wasted hours at work.

http://www.bigideafun.com/penguins/arcade/spaced_penguin/default.htm

Don't applaud, throw money.

Serious cachers needed! www.theheavenlyhost.com/geocache

Launch your own (virtual) GPS satellite

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