Orbital Mechanics

NOTE

This cache requires specialized and expensive props for your enjoyment. Please follow the instructions provided and do not break, bend, disassemble, or steal components. In addition, giving or receiving hints, spoilers, partial or full final coordinates to/from other cachers is considering cheating. If you are unable or unwilling to respect these caveats, please pass over this cache. Thanks.

Welcome to GC7D67Z Orbital Mechanics, a mystery cache with a research and field puzzle. Solving the research puzzle is required to find the actual coordinates, and once there, a field puzzle is required to gain access to the container and log. Please be prepared for terrain and weather conditions typical with this part of the Rocky Mountains. Note the listed attributes. Despite the “available in winter” attribute, snow will still complicate your movement, hunt, and ability to do the field puzzle. In order to maximize your preparedness and chance of success, the cache description is divided in into a Background, Pre-Flight, and In-Flight sections.

Background

In 2008, geocacher Lord British published the first geocache in space, GC1BE91 International Space Station . By 2013, geocacher AstroRM made the find on this first space cache. This was quickly followed by over 1,100 geocaching events and a special souvenir issued by Groundspeak to celebrate the FTF. Despite that geo-space clearly represents the future of the hobby, no new geo-space initiatives have been conducted since then.

In order to address this deficiency, the National Geospace Agency (NGA, not to be confused with the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency) was established in 2014. The NGA mission is to train and educate the next generation of Space Geocachers, develop equipment and techniques for space geocaching, and support U.S. Space Policy by increasing commercialization of space. By 2017, the NGA terrestrial infrastructure includes a small launch annex at the Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG) northwest of Kourou in French Guiana, and a mission control and headquarters building in Colorado Springs, CO. In April 2017, the K Trackers Space Station (KSS) was launched and put into a Geosynchronous Orbit. The NGA must now initiate the first replenishment mission to resupply the KSS, mission number GC7D67Z (sustainment).

The NGA is currently looking for a Mission Director for the GC7D67Z Mission. Cachers that are selected to lead the mission and can successfully sign the replenishment log on the resupply rocket will be rewarded with a “Found It” for this cache and the right to display the NGA Mission Director’s Patch (see picture gallery) on their profile page. Any geocacher interested in applying to lead this mission should proceed directly to the Pre-Flight checklist.

Pre-Flight Checklist

In order to qualify as Mission Director, you have to complete the questions on the Pre-Flight Checklist. Completing the Pre-Flight checklist ensures you have the minimum knowledge of Orbital Mechanics to lead the mission and gain the coordinates to Mission Control (the final). Click on the hyperlinks for the Pre-Flight Checklist Questions and the Pre-Flight Checklist Answers . The coordinates needed to get to Mission Control are:

N39 AB.CDE W105 VW.XYZ

You can use the resources of NGA to check your calculations: NGA Supercomputer.

In-Flight Checklist

Once you have the coordinates, proceed directly to the Directors Terminal at Mission Control to read the In-Flight Checklist. When you arrive, you will see the resupply rocket on the status monitors, but don’t get distracted. Acquire and read the checklist first. The checklist is located in the “K” file storage canister. Please follow the checklist to ensure your safety and that none of the NGA’s expensive equipment is damaged.

The current situation is that the Launch Team has launched the resupply rocket from the Centre Spatial Guyanais Annex and parked it in a Geostationary Orbit. Your job as Mission Director is to:

1. Move the rocket into a Hohmann Transfer Orbit so that it can enter a Geosynchronous Orbit with the KSS

2. Affect a rendezvous and physical dock between the two spacecraft

3. Sign the log to verify the supplies have been transferred to the KSS

4. Put the rocket back into its starting, Geostationary Orbit

Unfortunately, Ionospheric Scintillation is preventing the automated navigation system on the rocket from downloading the required data. As a result, you will have to use your knowledge of Orbital Mechanics, Physics, Astrophysics, and Space Operations to figure out how to manually perform these tasks.

While serving as Mission Director, you will likely have a “Apollo 13 moment,” as many unexpected situations can arise during space operations. As well documented during the Apollo 13 Mission, Mission Control engineers had to figure out how to get a circular CO2 scrubber to fit into a receptacle designed for a square CO2 scrubber. Those engineers were constrained to only use equipment the astronauts had in the Lunar Module. As you deal with your own, unique “Apollo 13 moment,” you will be constrained to use only equipment you bring with you (hence the “Special Tools” attribute for this cache).

As the whole globe looks skyward to watch your efforts, we wish you the best of luck and hope you enjoy the puzzle, hunt and short hike.

Additional Waypoints