Ta Da!
Here is my time-to-orbit calculator. I've
attached it as an Excel Spreadsheet. It contains no macros...just
calculations. If anyone wants me to post it in another format please let
me know and I will do my best to accomidate you.
I was going to explain everything in this email,
but I detailed all the steps out in the spreadsheet so, hopefully, it should be
fairly self-explanitory. I am fully expecting people to have lots of
questions and/or comments about it so feel free to ask. There is a chance
I've done something wrong in the calculations and, if that's the case, I would
actually like to know it so I can fix it...assuming I can.
The one thing I will mention about it is this: For
the sake of simplicity I have simply calculated the time it would take to
accellerate and travell in a strait line to half the hieght of the orbit,
then to travell and de-accellerate to the full height of the orbit, and added
that to the time it would take to achieve orbit from a stand-still. The
result is probably a bit more then reality, but I figured that this might
account for varriables that I left out like drag.
To use the time-to-orbit calculator simply enter a
percentage of the worlds radius as a decimal in the "Orbital Distance #" feild,
an accelleration in G's, and an Accelleration Multiplier, and then look up the
time in minutes to orbit. The Orbital Distance # is used to calculate the
height of the orbit based on the radius (not diameter) of the world.
Accelleration should be obvious. Accelleration multiplier is just in case
you want to account for drag or something else I forgot. It multiplies
accelleration in the atmoshpere by itself.
I hope I didn't miss anything. Have fun...I
know I did.