The Konecny Station Parameters calculator computes the physical parameters associated with a Konecny Space Station that orbits a planet.
INSTRUCTIONS: Choose units and enter the following:
(R) Planetary radius (default Earth (6378 km))
(g) Acceleration of gravity on planetary surface (default: 1 g = 9.8 m/s2)
(d1) Altitude of lower station (default: 200 km above Earth's surface)
(m1) Mass of lower station (default: 10000 kg)
(m2) Mass of upper station (default: 10000 kg)
(geff) Effective gravity on upper station (default 0.25g = 2.45 m/s2)
Konecny Station Parameters: The calculator returns the following:
d2: Altitude of upper station in kilometers
ds: Distance between stations in kilometers
dg: Altitude of zero g point in kilometers
P: Orbital period in minutes
N: Number of revolutions per day of satellite
l1: Distance of zero gravity point to lower station in kilometers
l2: Distance of zero gravity point to upper station in kilometers
CT: Cable Tension in Newtons
These all can be automatically converted to compatible units via the pull-down menu next to the answer provided.
The Math / Science
The Konecny space station concept envisions a pair of tethered space stations at different orbital distances from the center of the Earth. Because of the tether, the lower station orbits more slowly than an untethered station will, and the upper station more rapidly. Both lead to a net "artificial" gravity that people on the station experience, due to the imbalance of "centrifugal" with gravitational force.
