Wind and radiation

[aldarion]

Will the new Orbiter version enable to simulate wind and radiation influence?

 

[Loru]

Will the new Orbiter version enable to simulate wind and radiation influence?

There were experiments with wind already and probably wind will end up in next Orbiter.

What do you mean by radiation influence? Radiation pressure is already implemented (solar sail). As for interfering with spacecraft' systems, it's rather in departament of add-on developers.

 

[aldarion]

Cosmic rays and solar particles

 

[Urwumpe]

Cosmic rays and solar particles

Thats add-on developer territory. Orbiter does not know, how the spacecraft look inside, it only handles the mechanical interaction with the world outside.

 

[Loru]

What do you think they should cause?

 

[aldarion]

Also for instance planets radiation like Jupiter radiation belts.

Radiation could be calculated in the orbiter core. It could then influence the ship in such way:
Ship surface and power density per m2 of the radiation could allow to calculate total radiation.

The effect could be the necessity of using kind of shields or repositioning of the ship against the radiation. All doors need to be closed and radiator stowed during e. g. Solar wind. Long term influence on crew could be interesting too.

 

[Urwumpe]

The effect could be the necessity of using kind of shields or repositioning of the ship against the radiation. All doors need to be closed and radiator stowed during e. g. Solar wind. Long term influence on crew could be interesting too.

That can only be done inside the add-on. Orbiter does not even know if a spacecraft is manned.

 

[aldarion]

True, but the radiation could be calculated similarly like air drag for instance.
It influences the ship surface.
Air drag cannot be calculated without the atmospheric description inside orbiter. Same with radiation power inside the ship which cannot be calculated without the known radiation intensity outside the ship.

Intensity and direction of course.

Another example. We know a pressure or temoerature for instance. Their influence can be specified by an addon but their value must be given by the orbiter core first.

There could be in general three sources of radiation in orbiter: sun, planets and background radiation from outside of the solar system.
First two will have a particular source in space and the third one could be simply ambient.

 

[Urwumpe]

Same with radiation power inside the ship which cannot be calculated without the known radiation intensity outside the ship.

It is not a single "radiation power". It is a complex mix of many different forms of radiation. And what effect the radiation has, is not a simple "x bq of radiation cause this" rule.

What effect can be caused and how the radiation environment Around a ship looks like (because the ship alters it) is very complex and very hard to simulate.

 

[aldarion]

Yes, but it would be great to have this in orbiter.

We have different radiation types, but in the end their total energy is the most important.

 

[Loru]

As pure eyecandy add-on is in developement already.

For now it's just visual stuff for electromagnetic shielding (aurora effect) but I'm sure intensity could be modulated by external sources.

http://www.orbiter-forum.com/showthread.php?t=32811

 

[Urwumpe]

We have different radiation types, but in the end their total energy is the most important.

No, it is not. You could have a few mJ of gamma radiation passing through your body, but a few pJ of alpha radiation breathed in could cause deadly injuries.

 

[malisle]

I guess aldarion is asking about something similar to what Precession MFD has for calculating Earths magnetic field.

It would be useful if addon developers had access to class of values (for example planetary albedo [W/m2], magnetic field intensity, irradiation, rough approximation of different forms of radiation...) dependent on position of the spacecraft. But on the other hand, I enjoyed myself the most when I was learning about that stuff and translating it into Orbiter.