I finally made a burn to orbit launch!

[VincentMcConnell]

So you know how most times, we burn until our AP hits 100KM and then wait until AP and make the circularization burn? Well I finally managed, I\'ll admit, the pitch was REALLY dramatic, to, on one single burn, make it all the way into orbit from start to finish. The only time I MECO\'d was to separate stages, but afterwards, the engine was right back on again. I also had to use really small amounts of thrust in short impulses, but keeping it running the whole time.

So, if you manage to accomplish this, let me know. I\'d like to see if someone could come up with some good techniques to do a burn to orbit of 100KM circularized. That\'s all!.

[foamyesque]

I direct burn into munar injection orbits all the time. Direct burning into a circular orbit is... harder. Using the map & throttle wisely would probably be key; let Kerbin claw back the vertical rise and burn slowly for orbit. In fact, I think it might even be feasible to wind up descending somewhat before finishing your orbital burn, since once you\'re at the 2000m/s+ mark horizontal velocities rapidly translate into vertical changes.

[rkman]

My waiting until AP usually involves low thrust to not lose orbital velocity.

Does that count as 'one burn to orbit'?

[VincentMcConnell]

My waiting until AP usually involves low thrust to not lose orbital velocity.

Does that count as 'one burn to orbit'?

I guess so.

[Kosmo-not]

I find it easy to do a single burn to LKO.

If you really want, I can make a video showing how it\'s done.

[VincentMcConnell]

I find it easy to do a single burn to LKO.

If you really want, I can make a video showing how it\'s done.

Yes. I\'d like that a lot.

[Kosmo-not]

Yes. I\'d like that a lot.

Would you consider 83km AP and 91km PE a success? It\'s kinda hard to get a near circular orbit with a lot of thrust on full throttle. But I do show that I was at AP right before finishing the burn, so you can get it circular if you time it just right.

[VincentMcConnell]

Would you consider 83km AP and 91km PE a success? It\'s kinda hard to get a near circular orbit with a lot of thrust on full throttle. But I do show that I was at AP right before finishing the burn, so you can get it circular if you time it just right.

Yeah, that\'s a success. I could just use a Hohmann transfer to put that to 100 after already being in orbit.

[Kosmo-not]

Here you go:

http://youtu.be/VV4pP2_94Io

[VincentMcConnell]

Here you go:

http://youtu.be/VV4pP2_94Io

That made me want to do this and say, 'SECO!' when I cut off that engine. So is the goal here to run parallel to your local horizon, hitting the desired altitude as soon as you reach the orbital velocity of such an altitude? This seems very calculated. Any way you\'d be able to release a more detailed flight plan, explaining the maneuvers and then show how you built that ship? This was a great video.

By the way, are you, by any chance, an astronaut or a cosmonaut, because your profile picture and your seemingly endless knowledge and help makes me think you may be some kind of professional in space flight of some kind...

--EDIT--

I just made 100x58, of course, not a stable orbit, but it took like two seconds of burning on a very low throttle to get that rate up. I have just discovered fuel lines and I\'m loving them. You\'re probably the most fuel efficient person, though, Kosmo-naut. If you are able to type out a flight plan when you\'re not busy, I\'d probably do better. But thanks for you help anyway!

[Kosmo-not]

Don\'t put me up on a pedestal; I\'m only human. I did not calculate anything for that flight. I\'ll tell you something that might make space flight a lot easier for you.

Think about your velocity vector. You can visualize it as an arrow, with a length of your velocity and pointed in the direction you are going. Understand how changing the direction and/or magnitude will effect your orbit. Also, knowing how to add vectors will help.

All I was trying to do was to get above the atmosphere and get the velocity vector level with the horizon as I got to orbital speed.

Orbital mechanics seem very complicated at first, until we understand that it\'s just an application of simple concepts.

[VincentMcConnell]

Don\'t put me up on a pedestal; I\'m only human. I did not calculate anything for that flight. I\'ll tell you something that might make space flight a lot easier for you.

Think about your velocity vector. You can visualize it as an arrow, with a length of your velocity and pointed in the direction you are going. Understand how changing the direction and/or magnitude will effect your orbit. Also, knowing how to add vectors will help.

All I was trying to do was to get above the atmosphere and get the velocity vector level with the horizon as I got to orbital speed.

Orbital mechanics seem very complicated at first, until we understand that it\'s just an application of simple concepts.

I\'ve been learning quite a lot about orbital mechanics lately. I think the biggest issue is that our instrumentation in this game is rather basic, and so flight trajectories are harder to plan. I can get slightly eccentric orbits with a BTO launch, but nothing too circular. Hey, a little off topic, but would you mind trying a stock craft I just posted in the spacecraft exchange and giving me some feedback? Thanks.

[vexx32]

Yeah, the instrumentation is incredibly basic. What amuses me is that nobody was sure anyone could even make it to the Mun with some primitive instrumentation, let alone land... and yet here we are.

[Kosmo-not]

Yeah, the instrumentation is incredibly basic. What amuses me is that nobody was sure anyone could even make it to the Mun with some primitive instrumentation, let alone land... and yet here we are.

We\'re also doing orbital rendezvous too.

[DonLorenzo]

Is the burning towards the ground bit not wasteful? Sure it gets you a one-burn-to-orbit, but you\'re actively killing vertical velocity, where you could\'ve also cut engines and waited until at the desired altitude. This also isn\'t ideal, but it feels to me like you\'ve overshot on the vertical speed and are actively \'braking\' as it seems to compensate. Which can\'t be that fuel efficient, right?

[VincentMcConnell]

We\'re also doing orbital rendezvous too.

It is actually kind of hard to believe we can rendezvous with the instrumentation provided.

[Kosmo-not]

Is the burning towards the ground bit not wasteful? Sure it gets you a one-burn-to-orbit, but you\'re actively killing vertical velocity, where you could\'ve also cut engines and waited until at the desired altitude. This also isn\'t ideal, but it feels to me like you\'ve overshot on the vertical speed and are actively \'braking\' as it seems to compensate. Which can\'t be that fuel efficient, right?

The single burn to orbit I did is not the most fuel efficient way to get to orbit, and that\'s why I don\'t do it. I also was never braking. I was accelerating and increasing velocity the whole time when the nose was below the horizon. I was just turning my velocity vector.

[DonLorenzo]

Yeah i get that you burned towards the ground in order to aim your velocity vector, that notwithstanding is still (partially) burning in a direction opposite to the direction you burned in just a minute ago. Hence \'braking\'.

[Endeavour]

I think it is cool that you can get a circular orbit in a single burn, but is there any real use for it? It does not seem to be the most efficient way to get a circular orbit. And by the way, Kosmo-not you have a gift for making great, easy to understand, and actually useful tutorials.

[vexx32]

Aye, orbital rondezvous, another thing which was pretty much considered impossible until someone tried it. Now, we\'ve got plenty of guides for it xD

And yeah, despite being a single burn to orbit, having to brake is a bit of a waste of fuel.

[Guywithpants]

I would assume that the most effective way would be to somehow time your tilting so perfectly that you stay right with the Ap. Basically, you\'d need to take a LONG time to pitch over completely. My guess would be to get only a few thousand meters up then very slowly pitch over, so that by the time you\'re leaving the atmosphere you\'re nearly horizontal. I think the key here is patience, above all else.

[VincentMcConnell]

I would assume that the most effective way would be to somehow time your tilting so perfectly that you stay right with the Ap. Basically, you\'d need to take a LONG time to pitch over completely. My guess would be to get only a few thousand meters up then very slowly pitch over, so that by the time you\'re leaving the atmosphere you\'re nearly horizontal. I think the key here is patience, above all else.

What you\'re supposed to do is stay at your Apokee the entire time and hit your desired altitude with your nose facing the local horizon... all at the EXACT moment you hit orbital velocity. That will place you into a perfectly circular orbit.

[Zephram Kerman]

I think it is cool that you can get a circular orbit in a single burn, but is there any real use for it? It does not seem to be the most efficient way to get a circular orbit.

The only scenario I can think of is a ship with only one stage of solid engines. But why do that?

And by the way, Kosmo-not you have a gift for making great, easy to understand, and actually useful tutorials.

Agreed! 8)