Thanks, Stephen, for the celestial mechanics tips. I've been raiding the wikipedia files a lot these days. I'll look up those terms you suggested.
Several days ago in the midst of my celestial programming challenges I had come to the same preliminary conclusions (and practical solutions) as you had suggested in regards to how best to reduce chaotic behavior when satellites approach too closely to the gravitational body. In a highly idealized universe, where no 3rd body influences threaten to muck things up, perfect circular & elliptical orbits can be maintained forever it would seem. Well, perhaps not... I suspect Einstein's theory of General Relativity would eventually reveal subtle perturbations, such as the charting of Mercury's orbit around the sun. Alas, perfection will always remain a thing beyond our grasp to perceive. ;-) This is probably a good thing! I'm hoping that my simple iterative calculations are reasonably accurate models of real conditions, assuming I take healthy precautions. To be honest, my current interest is in allowing a subtle level of CHAOS to influence my celestial bodies. I've discovered that allowing just a pinch of CHAOS into the picture introduces surprising results. Some of my simulations have generated unexpectedly beautiful manifestations. Another unexpected discovery was that often the introduction of just a little CHAOS inevitably results in the satellite, sooner or later (sometimes MUCH later!), being eventually ejected from the stable elliptical orbit. This has led me to speculate (perhaps incorrectly) that there might be a similar analogy going on with the "mechanics" of radioactivity, where, for example, if too many variables (protons & neutrons) are introduced into the "body" the characteristics of CHAOS eventually begin to show their influences causing, eventually, radioactive decay as subatomic particles are eventually "ejected" from their unstable orbits. But that's obviously just creative speculation on my part. Putting my radioactive musings aside I've no doubt stumbled into some obscure branch of CHAOS theory and associated Fractal geometry. Much studying is going on in my noggin right now. Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com
