Jump to content

Hi everybody


MrTetra

Recommended Posts

Hey everyone.

 

I found KSP on the xbox dashboard 10 days ago and i haven't watched TV or played another game since. Hooked is the word to use.

I have some tech questions to ask but is this the right place?

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello, and welcome to the forum. And welcome to the addiction too :)

This forum is definitely the right place for all questions related to KSP.

Put tech questions in the technical support subforum.

cheers

Daf

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks guys,

Still finding my feet at the moment. With regards to game play I'm still experimenting with orbit speeds and angles. Any recommendations for noobs would be welcome. I started a Science game to find my feet and use it like a tutorial. When i reach the limit of what I can do, I unlock more to advance. So far I've put 3 stations in orbit of Kerbin and 1 around Mun. Next target is Minmus for a station and lander.

Can I build a larger platform in space using the docking ports. Link a few different pods together, in orbit and attach an engine. Then push the entire station out to Minmus?

When in orbit of say 150k and 300k, when is the best time to boost to escape orbit. It's been a bit hit and miss for me. Please feel free to use the technical definitions as I must learn these too.

I put a probe out into the solar system with the ion drive on the back. Its on the same orbit as Eve speeding along at 111kms but is cannot seem to get an encounter. My orbit is slightly higher than the planet's orbit around the sun. Should i be on the inside for more speed? This will also help with docking 2 parts.

Thanks again guys and I'll have more questions soon.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, MrTetra said:

Thanks guys,

Still finding my feet at the moment. With regards to game play I'm still experimenting with orbit speeds and angles. Any recommendations for noobs would be welcome. I started a Science game to find my feet and use it like a tutorial. When i reach the limit of what I can do, I unlock more to advance. So far I've put 3 stations in orbit of Kerbin and 1 around Mun. Next target is Minmus for a station and lander.

Can I build a larger platform in space using the docking ports. Link a few different pods together, in orbit and attach an engine. Then push the entire station out to Minmus?

When in orbit of say 150k and 300k, when is the best time to boost to escape orbit. It's been a bit hit and miss for me. Please feel free to use the technical definitions as I must learn these too.

I put a probe out into the solar system with the ion drive on the back. Its on the same orbit as Eve speeding along at 111kms but is cannot seem to get an encounter. My orbit is slightly higher than the planet's orbit around the sun. Should i be on the inside for more speed? This will also help with docking 2 parts.

Thanks again guys and I'll have more questions soon.

 

 

The best angle to get anywhere is to launch straight east. You'll save fuel and time if you launch yourself into a nice equatorial orbit.

It would be possible, but make the modules small, or make them go straight up and down the body of the station. The game doesn't like wobbly parts under acceleration, and would likely result in a kraken attack, or your station falling apart.

Pe of 150 and an Ap of 300, boost at Pe. Efficiency is higher, and you will save time. if you boost at 300 km Ap, you'll need to match your Pe before you start heading out.

The best thing to do for and Eve encounter is to wait until Eve is about 20-30 degrees BEHIND kerbin. By the time your probe passes through eve's orbit, the planet will have likely have caught up with the probe. 

 

For beginners, I recommend going to Duna. Its gravity well is smaller, and it's gravity is weaker, so you'll save a considerable amount of fuel.

Duna has to be ahead of you by the same (20-30 degrees) to get an encounter. Since you'll be going so fast, put yourself into a flyby of about 8-15 km from the surface. You'll aerobrake enough to get into orbit, Ike, however is like the Moon to earth. It's tidally locked, and huge. Don't be surprised if Ike tries to consume your probes, because it will. =/

 

Hope I helped you!

-TheKorbinger

Edited by TheKorbinger
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Indeed it did. I will reset my probe and try again. I now get what you mean boosting at PE as my speed will be at its lowest and any speed I add there will be increased by the fall into the gravity well. Awesome.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/8/2017 at 5:44 AM, MrTetra said:

Can I build a larger platform in space using the docking ports. Link a few different pods together, in orbit and attach an engine. Then push the entire station out to Minmus?

Yes, though you're going to have a time of it if the platform you're trying to move isn't symmetric-- if your thrust vector doesn't go straight through your center of mass, you'll get rotation every time you try to burn your engine.

As Korbinger mentioned, flexible parts can also create problems when a force is applied. I've had some luck using engine arrangements that "pull", rather than "push". It's the difference between trying to balance a broom in the palm of your hand (unstable equilibrium) versus holding the broom at the top and letting it hang down (stable equilibrium). That does create some design challenges though-- arranging the engines so they aren't blocked by the object being pulled isn't always easy. 

 

On 3/8/2017 at 5:44 AM, MrTetra said:

When in orbit of say 150k and 300k, when is the best time to boost to escape orbit. It's been a bit hit and miss for me. Please feel free to use the technical definitions as I must learn these too.

Korbinger is right, you burn at the low point of the orbit. But as an observation, 150 km x 300 km seems a bit high for a departure orbit. Because of the Oberth effect, burns executed at a higher initial velocity are more efficient. And lower orbits are faster orbits. I usually end up using a 100 km circular Kerbin orbit for departures, but the lower you can keep your initial orbit, the more efficient your departure burn will be. 

 

On 3/8/2017 at 5:44 AM, MrTetra said:

My orbit is slightly higher than the planet's orbit around the sun. Should i be on the inside for more speed?

If you're trying to catch up to the target, yes. Lower (inside) orbits are faster. Lower your orbit to speed up, raise your orbit to slow down. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...