[Server-sky] Anybody want to process the NORAD two-line elements into potential server-sky colliders?

[Mike Zuhl]

I converted the program to C and signed up for the TLE data.  They  
said I should get approval in 1-2 days, at which point I can test the  
code.
				--MAZ

On Mar 21, 2009, at 12:38 AM, Keith Lofstrom wrote:

> I am currently building the wiki page http://www.server-sky.com/EarthOrbits
> There is a programming challenge on that page, with a few useful
> pointers.
>
> 1) Sign up for a registered account at http://www.space-track.org/
> This gives access to the NORAD database of 70 million two line
> elements, which describes the orbits of the satellites and space
> debris they are currently tracking.
>
> 2) Starting with the simple FORTRAN program for the SGP4 orbit
> model at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-line_elements
> write a C or Perl program to find the radius of the ascending
> and descending nodes for every tracked object up there.
>
> 3) Make a histogram of object density versus radius.  If you can
> manipulate the data into a list of node radii, I can write a bit
> more code to bin it, then plot it with gnuplot.
>
> 4) Find any orbits that pass through the fully-populated server
> sky region, a 500 km radius circle around the 12789 kilometer
> radius orbit of m288 .  That extends above and below the orbital
> plane by 2.4 degrees.
>
> I think you will find that 99.9% or more of the debris has apogees
> below 12789km, and is not worth worrying about.  But it would be
> nice to show that, since the question keeps arising.
>
> Keith
>
> -- 
> Keith Lofstrom          keithl at keithl.com         Voice (503)-520-1993
> KLIC --- Keith Lofstrom Integrated Circuits --- "Your Ideas in  
> Silicon"
> Design Contracting in Bipolar and CMOS - Analog, Digital, and Scan ICs
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