aren't the geeks the ppl who ONLY LOOK like they're nerds? i dunno....hope this is not too nerdy...
maybe some of you are interested in space flight? to be honest: i don't think you are, but 'you never know'...
if you are, check this:
http://orbit.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/index.html this is the real shit, so don't look any further!
i spend a lot of time years ago on that. still i can handle the basics, but many knowledge is forgotten...
a few months ago i tried an own mission-task, wich was to get morning musume to a moonbase for a concert.
every aspect of that mission worked out well in training scenarios, except of calculating a good trajectory to the moon for TLI from an 7000km altitude circular orbit. i might give it a try in the future again...
mission steps were:
1. delta glider with 4 passenger seats and cargo load from cape canaveral to a fictive giant transporter waiting at near equatorial orbit.
unload 4 momusu members and cargo, undock, reentry, landing at CC refuel & new cargo & new members (repeat this step until you got all kameis and gakis etc aboard the transporter.
2. perform trans-lunar-injection with the transporter when all members are aboard.
3. mid course correction maneuvre to reach desired inclination and perigee altitude.
4. when at perigee burn retrograde for a circular moon orbit.
5. take a delta glider, previously docked at the transporters bay to place a landing-signal-beacon for the transporter
6. let the transporter perform automated landing
7. unload momusu at the base to perform a concert. play your fave tracks....
8. get back to earth, land the members safely at cape canaveral via delta glider (transporter is NOT designd for atmospheric flights!)
!: takes abot a week or so....all worked in my training scenarios but a didi not manage to compute a TLI from a 7000km earth orbit. dunno what went wrong....
!: don't let following pics fool you. this ain't a game. its real physics simulation.
!: when using ummu add-on all passengers will have vital functions. so turn up the heating. and oxygen is 21%!!!! DONT MESS THIS UP when u got mame abort!!! AND BE CAREFUL WITH THAT AIRLOCK! HELL....!
!: NO! u cannot shoot sth in this....
!: you cannot imagine how satisfying this is when doing the magic with the numbers for hours, and in the end all works fine! flying 100.000 of km with pin-point accuracy. pretty hard to start, i know, but when you can handle it all it is just awesome!
Pics (not from me)- arrow freighter:
http://orbiter.dansteph.com/screenshot/dansteph/2012Arrow83.jpg- arrow freighters bridge:
http://orbiter.dansteph.com/screenshot/dansteph/2012Arrow33.jpg - delta glider:
http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121231003258/orbiterfanfiction/images/3/35/DeltaGliderSeriesMainImage.jpg- delta glider cockpit:
http://orbiter.dansteph.com/downloadround/tempdgIV/gallery/DeltaGliderIV-cockpit.jpg - please reduce crashes to when musme NOT aboard:
http://orbiter.dansteph.com/screenshot/dansteph/2012Arrow131.jpg EDIT: a better(!) vid (currently watching this)