Any Help or tutorials on Positioning Satellites for Contracts?

[Orc]

Greetings to all,

 

I'm am (still) a noob. After getting one ridiculously easy 'Position Satellite' contract (equatorial, inclination = 0 degrees, Longitude of Ascending node = undefined, Argument of Periapsis undefined) I have gotten greedy for the easy money. Except the next contract is not nearly so easy.

 

So is there a tutorial or some hints on how to get a satellite into the right orbit. The one I'm looking at is:

Apoapsis = 6,774,192 meters

Periapsis = 5,189,134 meters

inclination = 153.2 degrees

Longitude of Ascending node = 255.1 degrees

Argument of Periapsis = 26.7 degrees

 

I figured it would be like going to a slightly more eccentric version of Minmus, without the ability to actually set something as a target. So I started by first getting the orbit to roughly the correct Apoapsis and Periapsis and then trying getting the inclination right. But obviously from my failed efforts that was only half the story.

 

Any hints?

 

Thanks and regards

Orc

[Vanamonde]

Thread moved to Gameplay Questions, as it is seeking help rather than offering it. 

[Weywot8]

So you've got a nice reference sat up and running!

There are many methods but my choice would be to try to first launch into the plane of final orbit. Which if you look in map view/tracking station, paying attention to the way the orbit line fades, is retrograde ---> you have to launch West instead of East.  It's also not directly West so the rocket might be hard to steer vs what you are used to, pack at least 500dV extra worth of fuel. Then take it from there.

The reference sat makes life easier especially if it's in LKO (~80x80km orbit) because you can use it to plot out all your maneuvers in advance. First step would be to plot the plane change maneuver for the reference sat so it lines up with the plane of orbit. This marks the ascending and descending node locations. When KSC is 5-10 minutes from being right under the node, launch your rocket into the right heading. 

From there, it should be all simple stuff because any minor errors you have can be easily corrected by targeting the reference sat  - it'll show you in relation to it's orbit the AN/DN  where you can burn to make the combined inclination + LAN adjustments (with reference to Kerbin). 

 

 

 

[bewing]

Do you understand that the An and Dn nodes on the satellite orbit are there to help you get the inclination right?

You might try something like this tutorial. There are others, and there is a ticky method that I use that is very fast and efficient. But I think you need a bit more expertise before you try tackling tricky methods.

 

[Spricigo]

I know you question is about placing satellite.  I offer a guide about something else :

The reasoning is: there is just two  differences between placing a satellite and rendezvous:

1. For satellite contracts you don't need to reach the target orbit at an specific time (with a some exceptions) 
2. Satellite contracts requires less precision. 

[Weywot8]

31 minutes ago, bewing said:

there is a ticky method that I use that is very fast and efficient.

Curiosity piqued - what is this fast and efficient 8-legged method* you use @bewing? 

*all kidding aside on the spelling, still curious though , always game for picking up new tricks.

[bewing]

Launch into the plane as best you can, of course. Circularize as low as you can. Line up the An and Dn by eye, and burn just before one of them to raise the Ap until it almost touches the satellite orbit. This will put your node just before the Ap on the outbound leg. Get the node to a 0.0 inclination using a standard burn before the Ap (don't bother with a maneuver node, just burn). Then lock prograde. Zoom in on your orbit vs. the satellite orbit. The most important point is the point where they are closest to each other. Burn prograde before you get to that point. This will slowly raise the part of the orbit just in front of you until it is even closer to the satellite orbit than it was before -- and it expands the other side of your orbit in exactly the right way at the same time. The nice thing is that you don't need to watch the whole orbit -- you just need to watch the little bit that's right in front of you. Stop burning before your orbit crosses the satellite orbit -- you want it really close, but not overlapping. Timewarp forward until you are almost to the closest point again, zoom in your view to see the gap between the two orbits, and then burn prograde again to make that gap as small as you can, and repeat. The whole process takes a tiny fraction of a satellite orbit to complete.