Request A visual helper showing orbit path of planet or spacehip?

[ncc1701d]

Is there or could there be an addon that allows users to see a visual helper showing a circle line to represent the orbit path of the planets and the orbit of a satellite I create? I am trying to make my satellite orbit a certain way and I am changing numbers of eccentricity of orbit etc but I have no visual way of telling if my orbit paths are workable elipse paths other than from the point of view of my satellite which is inconclusive. Maybe their is another solution I am not seeing? thanks.

 

[Izack]

[ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=4864"]Videnie orbit drawing 1.0[/ame] is exactly what you're looking for, I believe.

I must ask, though, how is OrbitMFD not sufficient here?

 

[ncc1701d]

I have some problems relating to it spacially and three dimensionally. Its not a 3d display that I can look around in, but flattened and more mathematical.
thanks I will check out your recommendation.

 

[Izack]

If it's 3D visualisation, you might also want to try [ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=3992"]Map 3D MFD v0.7a[/ame]

 

[ncc1701d]

wow...2 great recommendations. thanks

On the first one you gave me do you know what it means in the documentation by :

Limitations:
-Only two-body elements are considered



what is example of a "two-body element" ?

 

[Bonanza123d]

what is example of a "two-body element" ?

Earth and moon are considered 2 body elements.

 

[boogabooga]

wow...2 great recommendations. thanks

On the first one you gave me do you know what it means in the documentation by :

Limitations:
-Only two-body elements are considered



what is example of a "two-body element" ?

The two bodies are the minor body doing the orbiting and the major body being orbited.

Examples would be your spacecraft (minor) orbiting earth (major), the moon (minor) orbiting the earth (major) and the earth (minor) orbiting the sun (major).

In a two-body system, the trajectory of the minor about the major will be either be a circle, an ellipse, a parabola, a hyperbola, or a straight line. These are the only shapes that Videnie can show, hence "-Only two-body elements are considered"

An example of what Videnie can NOT show is a full Earth-Moon trajectory. This is a three body system with both the Earth and Moon acting as major bodies at some point and your craft acting as the third, minor body. Trajectories can be sort of s-shaped, but Videnie may just show a changing ellipse around the earth, and won't show your trajectory around the moon until you get very close.