Current Orbital Elements From 2-Line KEPs...

[jholley309]

Greetings all!

Okay, I know this subject has had to have come up before, but a search for "updating orbital elements" resulted in an ungodly number of wildly unrelated threads and posts. So, here's a coupla questions:

1. Is it possible to use current TLEs (2 line elements, or KEPs) to generate reasonably accurate satellite orbits in Orbiter? For instance, updating the HST's elements so that its current orbit is accurately represented (with an eye towards simulating STS-125...)

And...

2. HOW?!! Is there a calculator floating around out there (say, an Excel/Open Office spreadsheet, perhaps?) Or even possibly a website with a Javascript app or something similar?

Thanks!

Jim

 

[Quick_Nick]

Reverend used to have a site that would give you the elements(in Orbiter format too ) of the ISS and I think other satellites, but I'm not sure what happened to his latest site.(the new one he put up after the official closed)
Anyways it is possible to get an accurate position of a satellite so long as you update the elements every so often to compensate for the lack of drag produced in orbit in Orbiter.
Um, EDIT?: I found that the TLE to Orbiter elements converter is available here: http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID=orbmisc&DLID=66429&Cookie=1
(let me know if the link works)
And this page has better info on how to use it:
http://orbit.m6.net/forum/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=3155

 

[reverend]

Yeah, i'm having an awfully hard time keeping my websites up! lol
the program you are looking for is called eq2ecl.exe by Alex Frost. This lets you provide text file with TLE's in it and it'll convert them to orbiter ELEMENTS lines for a scenario.

 

[jholley309]

Reverend used to have a site that would give you the elements(in Orbiter format too ) of the ISS and I think other satellites, but I'm not sure what happened to his latest site.(the new one he put up after the official closed)

Thanks! I knew I remembered something like that, just couldn't find it.

Um, EDIT?: I found that the TLE to Orbiter elements converter is available here: http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID=orbmisc&DLID=66429&Cookie=1
(let me know if the link works)

Yep! Link works; apparently either AVSIM "found" all the Orbiter files again or that one didn't go missing like the rest. BTW: did anybody ever figure out why AVSIM went wonky with the Orditer files, or is it just one of those mysterious things (like Galaxy 26's "power anomaly"?) that never got explained?

Thanks again!

Jim

 

[flying coffin]

Scenario Editor TLE

I use scenario editor TLE. It's much easier to use (and find) than the command line utility.

available here http://orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=2617

-Chris

 

[Quick_Nick]

Awesome find!