Offset the vessel!

[Turf]

Well, I was thinking a way to move TT18-A Launch Stability Enhancer. Later, I remembered when I offset a vessel and ended up in the ocean.

Aaaaaaaaaand now, prepare for the ultimate offset the vessel:

First, acquire a rocket in VAB.

Second, ensure if there is a TT18-A Launch Stability Enhancer.

Third, offset your vessel so that the rocket is outside the VAB.

Finally, offset as far as you can get!

But there is one fact that makes offsetting looks cool:

See? Offset works in straight line while Kerbin is round.

In that case, offsetting very far will cause the vessel altitude start high.

But beware! Offset very far will make your ship cease launching.

Offsetting more farther (mine got 600 km altitude) will make the vessel start shaking.

And more higher? I don't know. Maybe the Kraken awaits.

[Skorpychan]

That seems impractical, considering that you'll be starting with no velocity at that height. You'll just plummet.

[moogoob]

Abusing offset for fun and/or profit.  I like it!  I'd love to see some screenshots of your "teleport to altitude" launch exploit method.

[Red Iron Crown]

29 minutes ago, Skorpychan said:

That seems impractical, considering that you'll be starting with no velocity at that height. You'll just plummet.

I'm not sure if this would work, but you should have the velocity of Kerbin's rotation. So if you managed to offset the craft to geostationary height or higher it should stay in orbit.

[Turf]

If the altitude is too low, the TT18-A Launch Stability Enhancer will clip to the ground, or possibly, the ocean bottom.

Or else, the TT18-A Launch Stability Enhancer will just float in the air, while the vessel is still 'landed'

[Rocket In My Pocket]

You don't actually need the launch clamps, you can just build it out of whatever and keep resetting the root part to the lowest part.

Even with a relatively short test tower, the results are...pretty hilarious.

 

[numerobis]

9 hours ago, Skorpychan said:

That seems impractical, considering that you'll be starting with no velocity at that height. You'll just plummet.

Sure, but you only plummet at 2.5 m/s^2 at that altitude, so it's not so bad.

[cantab]

I once tried to build a causeway to the airfield island with the aid of the offset tool. Got it several kilometres in length too, before it bugged out the SPH. To be honest it was rather tedious work.

[FullMetalMachinist]

@Rocket In My Pocket I like how in the fourth picture the stack looks like a question mark. As if the game is asking you "what are you trying to accomplish here?"

[Hobbes Novakoff]

On 4/5/2016 at 4:23 PM, numerobis said:

Sure, but you only plummet at 2.5 m/s^2 at that altitude, so it's not so bad.

KSP doesn't account for that. Gravity is the same everywhere within each SOI.

[swjr-swis]

On 4/5/2016 at 4:33 PM, Red Iron Crown said:

I'm not sure if this would work, but you should have the velocity of Kerbin's rotation. So if you managed to offset the craft to geostationary height or higher it should stay in orbit.

As an extension to that (almost literally): if you add enough mass past geostationary height, you may have just built the first stable space elevator...

[pandaman]

6 hours ago, Hobbes Novakoff said:

KSP doesn't account for that. Gravity is the same everywhere within each SOI.

Really? 

I thought it varied with altitude as IRL.

 I know the SOI boundaries are arbitrary because of the patched comics. 

[Freshmeat]

6 hours ago, Hobbes Novakoff said:

KSP doesn't account for that. Gravity is the same everywhere within each SOI.

I am afraid you are mistaken. Gravity falls with the square of radius, as it is supposed to. SOI just marks the border where the game decides what body you are attracted to, to save the computing time of proper n-body simulation.

[Jhawk1099]

On 4/5/2016 at 8:33 AM, Red Iron Crown said:

I'm not sure if this would work, but you should have the velocity of Kerbin's rotation. So if you managed to offset the craft to geostationary height or higher it should stay in orbit.

Those "put a satellite in geostationary orbit around Kerbin contracts just got wayyy easier  

[max_creative]

I think Scott Manly did this? 

Keostationary orbit it so easy now. 

Edit: yep. Found the video.

 

Edited April 7, 2016 by max_creative

[Rocket In My Pocket]

I'm not sure about the practicality of putting things in orbit via offsetting them.

At a certain distance the offset tool arrows disappear from view and can no longer be interacted with.

If someone has managed to use the offset tool to actually get something into space I'd certainly like to see a screen shot of it.

[Hobbes Novakoff]

9 hours ago, Freshmeat said:

I am afraid you are mistaken. Gravity falls with the square of radius, as it is supposed to. SOI just marks the border where the game decides what body you are attracted to, to save the computing time of proper n-body simulation.

Huh. I always thought it was constant.

[Rocket In My Pocket]

2 hours ago, max_creative said:

I think Scott Manly did this? 

Keostationary orbit it so easy now. 

Edit: yep. Found the video.

Did you actually watch the video?

He has to glitch the physics into turning off just to make it sort of work. (Not to mention this video is so ancient, and from such an old version of the game, we can't really count on it as reliable.)

Not to mention what he says at the end of the video, and I quote "Anyways, the whole point of this was space elevators, great idea in practice...but they are not gonna work in Kerbal Space Program."

[moogoob]

2 hours ago, Hobbes Novakoff said:

Huh. I always thought it was constant.

You can check it at any time with the readout from the Gravioli detector.

[Xyphos]

This reminds me of the time I attempted to build a "space elevator" (and failed due to KSP's weak, flimsy and non-humorous physics)