SOLAR SAIL NAVIGATION SCHOOL
Learn the basics of Interplanetary Navigation with Solar Sails. Quite soon,
a virtual solar sail race will be organized. Get trained...
To learn how to use this JAVA Applet, click here.
A new version is now available.
Main features added to the previous version (Glenans3):
- the size of the applet window has been extended to 800 x 600 pixels, enabling
to enlarge the orbit display window, to progress towards feeling like being
onboard the sail (the shadow on the window is linked to the sail orientation)
and a display of the sky backround as seen from the sail,
- the general layout has been modified in order to have a more logical display:
on the left, the applet control, at the bottom, the sail control and on
the right, the orbit and sail control panels,
- it is possible to show (SHOW button) simultaneously the set of reachable
trajectories (in yellow) and the one corresponding to the current sail orientation
(in green),
- a velocity diagram has been added in order to allow using the current
orbital geometry of velocity and acceleration for steering the sail,
- a porthole has been added on the right, figuring the sky that can be seen
from the sail, in the half space directed towards the Sun. The Sun is symbolized
by a yellow circle and the Eath, when visible, by a smaller blue circle,
- a fine tuning of the sail orientation is possible (1 degree step) by clicking
on one of the two small squares above the copyright,
- during the orbit animation, the path of the Sail is shown by a dotted
line.
The text which is available in the HELP file and the Help windows has not
been changed so there can be some discrepancy between the explanations and
the applet itself.
Enjoy your space trip.
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