Asteroid Size / Radius

[AHHans]

Does anyone know how the size / radius of asteroids are determined? Does this change with the mass of the asteroid or is this fixed with the class? (In other words: if a 600 t class-D asteroid doesn't fit into a certain space, does a 200 t class-D asteroid have a chance of fitting in there?

[bewing]

AFAIK, the average radius/volume is fixed with the class. So the answer to your example question is not really. The shape is randomized, so if you could handle a longer skinnier asteroid in the space it might work.

Edited December 8, 2019 by bewing

[AHHans]

49 minutes ago, bewing said:

AFAIK, the average radius/volume is fixed with the class.

That's kind of what I thought after looking at the savefile(s).

Well, I guess I'll have to settle for a smaller class... (And use another craft for that one contract.)

[Laie]

6 hours ago, AHHans said:

if a 600 t class-D asteroid doesn't fit into a certain space, does a 200 t class-D asteroid have a chance

Definitely.

Asteroids are only really created once you get into physics range. You can saveload just before you get close and try again until you get one that suits you -- I had reason to do that just recently. While I didn't take measurements, it was obvious that some were much bulkier than others (at similar mass).

By and large, size scales with mass: a 100t rock will certainly be smaller than a 4000t one. But it may be possible for a 500t and a 1000t asteroid to both have about the same size.

[AHHans]

Waaahhh! Maybe I should read more often, it actually says so in the description in the tracking station:

Quote

Class D objects are quite large. Expect them to be no smaller than 12m in radius, and up to 18m. [...]

Also:

On 12/8/2019 at 11:15 PM, Laie said:

By and large, size scales with mass: a 100t rock will certainly be smaller than a 4000t one. But it may be possible for a 500t and a 1000t asteroid to both have about the same size.

So my guess is, that the size of an asteroid depends a) mostly on the class, and b) on the exact "seed" that determines its shape, but not really on the actual mass that it has. So I guess that a 200 t class-D asteroid can actually be slightly smaller than a 600 t class-D asteroid, but an 800 t class-D asteroid will always be significantly smaller than an 800 t class-E asteroid.

(I now actually bothered to measure my craft: it can accommodate asteroids of about 11 m diameter, so no chance to fit a class-D in there...)