That's cool, Josh- my dad was kind of a geek Marine long ago. With little more than an 8th grade education, he was a self-taught chemist who eventually worked on the Manhattan Project, though he did his time in the Corp on one of those 'police actions' to Nicaragua back in the late '20's.
Bob- I haven't had time to go through all your site with the care & concentration I hope to eventually, but it's great stuff and answers alot of questions about orbital mechanics I've always had in the back of my mind. Nice work!
Since this thread has come back to the top, I'll re-introduce myself for all the new guys since I've been off-line awhile- and will try not to be too verbose!
Probably became a space fan even before Sputnik- watching Flash Gordon & such as a little kid. Went to work at the Cape in 1970 as an engineering tech in a lab doing Skylab prototype development- mainly on-board power, instruments, wiring, etc.- while I was still an oceanography major at Florida Tech. Since then have periodically been a consultant or contractor to NASA, primarily on underwater stuff- including the "LC-30 Mission" (about 1990?) which was a crew isolation study using an underwater habitat.... and the "Scott Carpenter Space Analog Station" (google it for details) from 1997 to 99.
Was chief construction tech for the world's first underwater hotel, "Jules Undersea Lodge," and also worked on "Marinelab"- another little underwater station still in operation.
Nowadays to pay the bills I'm with a marine electric company that primarily services big yachts & high-end sportfish boats for exceedingly wealthy idiots.
Since I now see the big SIX-OH rushing at me like a brick wall, trying to do alot of writing in my 'spare time'... memoirs, a text book or two, and of course some science fiction.