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Here at ORBIT Academy, you will be trained
in preparation for your launch.
The first thing you need is a computer,
which obviously you have if you are reading this.
Next a VRML viewer is
in order. If you don't see the earth in the box below, you need a
VRML plug-in.
For detailed instructions on how to use
Cortona, review the information that comes with the viewer.
To understand the form on the launch page
you will need to learn a little astronomy. UTC is the time in Greenwich, England on the
prime meridian. For example, if you live in the Eastern time zone, add 5 hours to get UTC
or 4 hours during the summer (daylight savings time).
The navigational computer items will make
more sense when you see them in action. The Celestial Equator is a projection of the
earth's equator into outer space. The Ecliptic is the path the sun appears to take through
the sky as the earth rotates around it. The celestial grid is like longitude and latitude
in space. The horizontal numbers are Right Ascension, measured in hours, beginning where
the sun appears to cross the celestial equator in the spring. The vertical numbers are
Declination or degrees up from the celestial equator. To understand star
coordinates and other astronomical details, visit Starship
101. The planet symbols are:
For interstellar travel, the Galactic Charts
option can be useful. It displays 20°-wide maps of the Milky Way galaxy using
different wavelengths.
The Star Magnitude Limit increases the
performance of the simulation by reducing the number of stars in the sky starting with the
dimmest stars. The brighter a star, the lower its magnitude number. (It's an astronomer
thing).
Good luck on your mission!
[Welcome]
[Academy]
[Launch] [Feedback]
[Starship 101]
[MegaKids]
[Computer Parenting]
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Mercury
Venus
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto