How to get Sat in correct orbit

[Dan Kerman]

First satellite contract...  Simple enough... place relay sat in orbit around the Mun. Ap, Pe are no brainers at this point. Inclination I understand but ow to get an inclination indicator with respect to the Mun? And, Long of AN. Since this is an inclined orbit, wouldn't that point constantly change as the Mun rotates?

 

[Plusck]

The simple answer is: you can't.

In the stock game, there is no way to display anything other than the AN/DN of the target orbit. Since you're using KER, you can see all the details of your current orbit using the floating KER window.

The longitude of the AN of the orbit is, as I understand it, with reference to the game's absolute coordinates which you cannot see. I'm guessing that there is maybe part of the starscape background that you could identify as the direction of "zero longitude", but I doubt it would really help much.

So the only way to do the satellite contracts, as far as I know, is to eyeball it. The tolerances for completing the contracts are generally quite generous. The only real problems people generally have are (a) getting the orbit the wrong way round, and (b) eyeballing the intersect points for solar orbits which are particularly fiddly to view.

Still, I'm a bit confused with your image there. I don't see any target orbit... and I don't understand those "fast forward" arrows on Ap/Pe. Is this a mod, and is the contract part of the mod?

Edited February 28, 2019 by Plusck

[Dan Kerman]

22 minutes ago, Plusck said:

Still, I'm a bit confused with your image there. I don't see any target orbit... and I don't understand those "fast forward" arrows on Ap/Pe. Is this a mod, and is the contract part of the mod?

When I read up on satellite contracts, I expected to see, what some people called, a shadow orbit to shoot for. None on my map. The little arrows come from the KAC mod. This is KSP 1.4.5 Linux.

[Dan Kerman]

OK...  I'm an idiot. I'm sitting here with my satellite orbiting the Mun...  contract is to put it in orbit around Minmus. Sigh <hanging head>

[linuxgurugamer]

1 minute ago, Dan Kerman said:

OK...  I'm an idiot. I'm sitting here with my satellite orbiting the Mun...  contract is to put it in orbit around Minmus. Sigh <hanging head>

Happens to all of us

[Aegolius13]

2 minutes ago, Dan Kerman said:

OK...  I'm an idiot. I'm sitting here with my satellite orbiting the Mun...  contract is to put it in orbit around Minmus. Sigh <hanging head>

Ahh, that explains the mysterious lack of a target orbit visual.

[Zhetaan]

40 minutes ago, Dan Kerman said:

When I read up on satellite contracts, I expected to see, what some people called, a shadow orbit to shoot for. None on my map. The little arrows come from the KAC mod. This is KSP 1.4.5 Linux.

You should see the target orbit.  If you don't, then you ought to check to see whether you still have the contract (or, indeed, ever took the contract in the first place).

Edit:  Well, that answers that.

Longitude of the Ascending Node (LAN) refers to celestial longitude.  In earthly terms, the celestial directions are fixed in space with certain reference stars or other markers to point the way.  For example, longitude for Earth is measured from the vernal equinox.  This reference point exists completely independently from Earth's rotation--which ought to make sense; the 'landmark', as it were, shouldn't move while you're trying to measure from it.

In KSP, there is a celestial longitude as well, but there is no way to see it as a particular star or other object in Kerbin's sky.  The problem is that KSP's skybox is essentially painted on the interface at infinity, but that direction is measured relative to the vessel, not the sun or anything else.  The only way to know your LAN in KSP is by use of a mod.

Edited February 28, 2019 by Zhetaan