Voyager 1

[Claytsuk]

Is it possible to achieve an escape velocity from Kerbin (I think that's right (the sun)) and simulate a Voyager type scenario. Where the probe eventually will pass into interstellar space?

Would Solar Panels stop working at some point?

??

[leax256]

It's unofficially called Kerbol, I believe there is a limit on it's SOI. so yea.

[mk78123]

At the far reaches of the solar system solar panels produce much less energy, so there would be a point where the energy they produced would be zero or near zero

[Neomatt]

It's unofficially called Kerbol, I believe there is a limit on it's SOI. so yea.

It's the Sun actually.

Also, I'm pretty sure the Sun's SOI has no limit (you only quit it when you enter another SOI), so:

- passing into interstellar space: if you mean escaping the Solar System, yep, it can be done.

- I actually forgot if solar panels work less, more or the same depending of the distance (I think they work less if you're really close to the sun). All in all, you should have less light if you're really far, so less energy. Don't see it going to zero though.

Edited June 14, 2013 by Neomatt

[allmappedout]

I'm pretty sure that solar panels are based on distance and angle to the sun, and yes it's possible to leave the Solar System, but the Sun's SOI is infinite.

Plus, voyager 1 had an RTG power source so it was less reliant on solar energy as it went further out. You can certainly get an escape trajectory though.

[allmappedout]

Just as an aside, I found this fairly cool image of a voyager-look-a-like in KSP that some dude called Bustneck made:

[Richy teh space man]

If you get far enough out from Kerbol, you'll find that the gravity is 0 or close enough to 0 so that you can have a speed of 0 without moving anywhere, even with time warp.

And yes, at that point solar panels stop working. You can actually see this by the solar panels on ships you have orbiting various planets, those close to Kerbol (such as Moho) generate a lot more power then those around somewhere like Jool.

[DisarmingBaton5]

There is a limit to Kerbol's SOI, but I have not been there.

Theoretically, photovoltaics should continue to produce power indefinitely, with an infinitesimal amount of energy at an infinite altitude.

[Spartwo]

a couple of things

1:at twice the distance of eeloo panels stop producing energy

2:you only need 5000m/s from kerbin orbit to solar escape

3:Its worth waiting to get to the end.

4:should probably use ion engines(sure it`s a long burn but you can`t overshoot so just do something else like watch a movie)

Edited June 14, 2013 by Spartwo

[Kerbal01]

Yes it is possible to escape kerbols SOI, I've done it 4-6 times (using frizzank's totally OP magic egg pod)

Edited June 14, 2013 by DarthVader
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[leax256]

It's the Sun actually.

The general comunity knows it as kerbol. look on the wiki.

[Tiron]

I've got one of these on an escape trajectory at the moment...

Edit: Wrong link: http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/0-18-4-hermes-deep-space-probe/

Edited June 14, 2013 by Tiron

[trippytripp]

I'll just leave this here.

[Uberick]

I've sent one probe on an escape trajectory. . . so it can be done. There's nothing to do out there though

[Qumefox]

The general comunity knows it as kerbol. look on the wiki.

The devs call it the sun. It's called the sun in the game. They've stated when asked before that none of the dev staff wants to call it kerbol. Generally only people hung up on naming everything k-names call it kerbol.

Wiki's are player edited. Just because some people call it kerbol, doesn't mean it's right, or that it's what everyone calls it.

Though honestly.. calling the sun kerbol still sounds significantly less retarded than people using the terms 'apokee' and 'perikee'.

[Spaceisbeautifulul]

Yes it is.

Unfortunately I just deleted my save and started fresh, so I no longer have it.

Take my word for it though, and everyone else's.

[Spartwo]

I'll just leave this here.

so will I

EDIT:once you escape the screen goes black,the velocity says^,the navball goes black,and altitude counts down from 99999 to 11111.

Edited June 14, 2013 by Spartwo

[Promii]

Solar panels in KSP are a bit odd, in that they don't obey a proper inverse-square law. The power they generate is interpolated between three points, one of which, as mentioned, is zero power.

[Kerbol Prime]

Once you leave the SOI...the kraken will come for a visit.

[NeoMorph]

I've had a Hermes probe which is actually named Voyager 1 zoooooooooming out of the solar system for a while now.

[NASAFanboy]

I've had a Hermes probe which is actually named Voyager 1 zoooooooooming out of the solar system for a while now.

Yeah, I have some mummified Kerbolnauts somewhere far out past the orbit of Eeloo. Probably not an good idea to retireve them.

I call it a manned probe.

[allmappedout]

I call it a manned probe.

How delightfully cruel!

[SRV Ron]

My Nova designed four stage rocket with a probe, has just hit escape velocity prior to third stage burnout. This is not escape from Kerbal, it is escape from the solar system with a fully functional fourth stage, no heavy atomic engine. Due to a rotational instability from the four first stage engines, they feed fuel to the second stage that is also firing, I could not do a gravity turn, so I waited until dawn to get into a launch window for solar system escape. Note, the spin reverses, then stabilizes upon continued burn of the second stage. A short burn of the third stage puts the probe into solar orbit. A full burn hits solar system escape. I have currently oriented the space craft to point back to Kerbal as the long range dish antenna is on the nose of the probe.

Is a voyager mission possible? Most definitely and with a launch vehicle that is not all that complex or big.

BTY, you will want to use a nuclear battery to power the probe and its instruments. (assuming that solar panels would quit functioning from such a distance.) The real Voyager use Plutonium batteries which are still powering them as they slowly expire.

[Bunsen]

Just as an aside, I found this fairly cool image of a voyager-look-a-like in KSP that some dude called Bustneck made:

I guess that's a common thing for us space geeks; this is the first thing I ever sent outside Kerbin orbit [edit: Well, intentionally anyways. They were brave souls all, and let us never speak of them again.]:

It was last seen hauling ass into interstellar space. I don't know exactly when it forgot how to gravity, but it was a while ago:

The accelerometer simply reads 00.00 m/s^2

Edited June 15, 2013 by Bunsen

[Pipcard]

Is it possible to reach solar escape velocity by doing a slingshot fly-by of Jool?