While writing Orbital Ring Engineering, Vol. 1, I started with a set of assumptions that turned out to be completely wrong. Some of the issues I encountered could be solved analytically, but the time-dependent processes, like orbital ring deployment, really needed iterative solutions.

That process led to some very surprising results, which I describe in Chapter 6 of the book. I did the numerical analysis using simple Python code, running it repeatedly to hone in on results that actually worked.

The code was crude but magical at the same time. This got me thinking: why not create an open source project on GitHub to optimize various space-based applications like orbital rings, space elevators, and mass driver systems?

Eventually, I want the application to go beyond optimizing these specific space infrastructure projects, towards subjects like trajectories, such as a 4g launch from an orbital ring based on the ring’s specific parameters. The goal is to build a Python interface that people can download and run on their own computers. The interface will show the equations involved and explain how they work.

People can improve the code, and if the community likes the improvements, they get added to the repository. It’s both a design tool and a learning tool, meant to inspire curious minds who want a deep understanding of this technology and what it takes to build it.

Here is the link to our Orbital Ring Python coding community on GitHub, join us today!