# Satellites **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 1, 2003, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590 "2003-07-01T15:11:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/1 "2003-07-01T15:11:24Z")
If you don’t want to waste a lot of time, don’t click [here](http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/applets/satellites.html). And if you do accidentally click there, don’t click on the app, whatever you do. ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/2 "2003-07-01T15:33:58Z")
I got 7 orbits going at one time. Once I had an orbit going around both the earth and the moon, but it eventually crashed. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/3 "2003-07-01T15:38:57Z")
Cool! ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/4 "2003-07-01T15:47:57Z")
Great, now I’ve got that song stuck in my head. It’s a good song but I don’t know the words. ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/5 "2003-07-01T15:48:51Z")
argh! why did you remind me?! i lost days of my life to this months ago. now its all happening again. :smack: For christ sake don’t show it to **Angua** - we’ll never hear from her again! ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/6 "2003-07-01T16:29:42Z")
Ack! the moon keeps eating my satellites!! Big Meanie! ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/7 "2003-07-01T18:44:46Z")
I’ve had three going for the past several minutes, two in the same direction as the moon and one opposite. Found pretty quickly that near-earth orbits seem to have the most success. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/8 "2003-07-01T18:57:33Z")
Oh, cool! I just got this little thing to slingshot _three times_, around the earth, then to the moon, then back to the earth again, only to be lost out in space! This kicks ass! Tripler Thanks **ultrafilter**! ---
**Author:** ![DreadCthulhu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DreadCthulhu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadCthulhu)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/9 "2003-07-01T19:05:43Z")
Neat little app. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/10 "2003-07-01T20:00:58Z")
I got one satellite to orbit the moon seven times before crashing in. Looks like I’ve got a new goal… ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/11 "2003-07-01T21:47:01Z")
I have two that are in a moon orbit exactly opposite the moon. Coooool! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/12 "2003-07-02T00:02:17Z")
How 'bout duration? I’ve got one right now that’s been circling for almost two hours. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/13 "2003-07-02T00:25:10Z")
I’ve got one in an elliptical orbit with a period of 1.997 seconds, which so far seems stable. It’s been going about 10 minutes now. We’ll see if it’s still going in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/14 "2003-07-02T00:52:12Z")
I’ve got one that ranges from about 140º ahead of the moon to about the same behind it that goes off screen and then gets about 2/3 of the moon-earth distance away from the earth. Let me check…, still goin’ at seventeen minutes. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/15 "2003-07-02T01:07:41Z")
You can get a really cool effect by holding the cursor in one of the corners and clicking like a doper possessed. Keep doing this for at least one lunar orbit. You’ll start with a steady stream of satellites being drawn towards Earth, but when the moon sweeps by, it’ll do some cool stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/16 "2003-07-02T01:16:49Z")
I managed to get one that was actually orbiting outside the window! Every so often it would come flying back in… ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/17 "2003-07-02T01:20:23Z")
Still going at 45 minutes… ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/18 "2003-07-02T01:21:49Z")
This kicks ass. ---
**Author:** ![Rasa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rasa/32/3578_2.png) [@Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rasa)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/19 "2003-07-02T01:22:11Z")
Wow, there go my delusions of grandeur. I suck at this! ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/20 "2003-07-02T01:23:08Z")
About 1 hour, 10 minutes so far. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590.md?page=2)