[PLUGIN+PARTS][0.23] SCANsat terrain mapping

[Audiopulse]

I just went over the "Still to do/fix" section again and read about inactive Vessels not drawing any charge.

Well, provided this mod wont work with preventing vessels from unloading - how about capping the scanners efficiency on inactive vessels? I wouldnt care if it took my flock of satellites a little longer to map a planet, if I can just scan the important places by hand.

[Mystique]

Is it normal that I can't recover science data from scanning equipment? Neither by recovering a vessel nor by EVA (there is even no option to download data on EVA)?

[lincourtl]

Where scanned data is being saved? Want to be sure I don't remove it if I replace mod with next update (I use JSGME to manage mods, so mod will be actually reinstalled in that case).

The data is actually stored inside your save file, so unless damny changes things in a future update, you should be fine.

[SmarterThanMe]

Is it normal that I can't recover science data from scanning equipment? Neither by recovering a vessel nor by EVA (there is even no option to download data on EVA)?

You have to transmit it back home.

[Taki117]

Question: Do these satellites Scan without being focused on them?

[Mystique]

Question: Do these satellites Scan without being focused on them?

Manual says they do.

Though strange thing: when I detach part of vessel that has scanning stuff (game stays focused on other half of the craft) and then swith to that part, equipment is in retracted state, even though I've surely deployed it prior to detachment.

Edited January 12, 2014 by Mystique

[SnappingTurtle]

I've downloaded Scansat 5 but I'm not able to see any maps. I put a RADAR Altimetry Sensor on a probe into orbit and then a MapTraq on a separate ship. No map shows up, and there's also no map in the raster prop monitor IVA.

Definitely a mod conflict, I copied my KSP folder and deleted several mods and ScanSAT began working. I'll start adding in mods one at a time and hopefully find the one that's causing the problem.

It appears to be Kethane.

Edited January 12, 2014 by SnappingTurtle

[TomatoSoup]

I've downloaded Scansat 5 but I'm not able to see any maps. I put a RADAR Altimetry Sensor on a probe into orbit and then a MapTraq on a separate ship. No map shows up, and there's also no map in the raster prop monitor IVA.

Definitely a mod conflict, I copied my KSP folder and deleted several mods and ScanSAT began working. I'll start adding in mods one at a time and hopefully find the one that's causing the problem.

It appears to be Kethane.

Have you updated Kethane? Older versions (as recent as 8.3, if memory serves) have known compatibility issues (as detailed in the very beginning of the thread).

[Nhawks17]

I've had this mod on my save for about a week now and I've scanned Kerbin and the Mun with no problems. I recently just sent a probe out to Jool to go scan the planet and every single instrument is on there but when I turn them on and try to get the map it wont scan. Its currently orbiting at 4 Mm and it has enough electrical charge. I don't know if I missed something with how high it can be but I don't remember seeing any restrictions. If anyone could help that'd be awesome, and just let me know if I need to give more information, thanks!

[Mecripp]

I've had this mod on my save for about a week now and I've scanned Kerbin and the Mun with no problems. I recently just sent a probe out to Jool to go scan the planet and every single instrument is on there but when I turn them on and try to get the map it wont scan. Its currently orbiting at 4 Mm and it has enough electrical charge. I don't know if I missed something with how high it can be but I don't remember seeing any restrictions. If anyone could help that'd be awesome, and just let me know if I need to give more information, thanks!

Jool Im pretty sure is a gas planet there isn't anything to scan.

[damny]

Well, provided this mod wont work with preventing vessels from unloading - how about capping the scanners efficiency on inactive vessels? I wouldnt care if it took my flock of satellites a little longer to map a planet, if I can just scan the important places by hand.

It's effectively already capped, I mean you still need to put them in a proper orbit for scanning and wait it out. I don't really see how making it take longer would add more fun; if I were to make it harder to map a planet I'd much rather do that by making it more important to get the right orbit.

Though strange thing: when I detach part of vessel that has scanning stuff (game stays focused on other half of the craft) and then swith to that part, equipment is in retracted state, even though I've surely deployed it prior to detachment.

Yeah, there's a bit of wonkiness there. Some amount of state is associated with the vessel ID the part is on and when you detach a part, it becomes its own vessel with a new ID.

Jool Im pretty sure is a gas planet there isn't anything to scan.

Correct, the game doesn't have terrain data or biomes or anything you could scan on Jool. As far as I know we don't know for sure what the cores of real life counterparts look like, and the Kerbals are in a similar position right now, they can't make instruments that can measure the core of a gas giant. (For all we know it could be a boring smooth sphere anyway, so altimetry would still return nonsense...)

[Nhawks17]

Jool Im pretty sure is a gas planet there isn't anything to scan.

I just thought there would be since there was a progress percentage in the settings of the map but I may be wrong. I'll play with it more later on and see what happens. Thanks!

[tanelorn]

Please add the capability of generating a marker on the map. I guess it would be the equivalent of generating a flag on the surface of a planet by clicking on the map. I'm sure many of us want the capability of plotting a course to a specific place on a moon / planet that they've spotted using the ScanSat map.

[likke_A_boss]

Please add the capability of generating a marker on the map. I guess it would be the equivalent of generating a flag on the surface of a planet by clicking on the map. I'm sure many of us want the capability of plotting a course to a specific place on a moon / planet that they've spotted using the ScanSat map.

Not a bad idea. Of course, this would probably take FOREVER to code, so maybe not, but I like the idea.

[brusura]

Could you make the big map and other windows not transparent? A pair of strained eyes would be grateful

[TelluriumCrystal]

Not a bad idea. Of course, this would probably take FOREVER to code, so maybe not, but I like the idea.

Maybe what we need is a proper set of navigational tools to go along with mapSAT. Something like a GPS would be a good start (plug in coordinates, GPS points to destination and gives distance to target).

[Mecripp]

It gives Coordinates now so it as GPS now .

[TelluriumCrystal]

It gives Coordinates now so it as GPS now .

No, not map coordinates, an actual navigational GPS. The one that tells you which direction to drive/fly to get somewhere. Like this one:

[Donziboy2]

No, not map coordinates, an actual navigational GPS. The one that tells you which direction to drive/fly to get somewhere. Like this one:

http://seniortechdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/garmin-gps.jpg

"Recalculating"

Erm no thank you lol.

[Shania_L]

Ok, I just got this and I'd like to sanity check my thinking.

I am playing career so I only have the Radar and Multispectral scanners researched as of yet.

I have put my survey sat around Kerbin in as close to a perfect 90deg (to Mun) polar orbit at as close to 75x75km as I could get as I thought this would be the best orbit to see as much planet in as little time as possible.

However I have orange flashing symbols for my ANOM and BIO scans, the LO RES RADAR seems to be working, the OP says orange means wrong altitude, but I cannot see where I can find the right altitude?

Also, what is the "Instruments" button on the small map for? all it seems to do is open a little box with a biome name in it.

Because everyone loves a picture.

[Geschosskopf]

Ok, I just got this and I'd like to sanity check my thinking.

The Multidspectral (aka biome and anomaly) scanner works best a bit over 250km, the top-end SAR works best a bit over 750km.

I spent the morning doing trial-and-error to figure out the best orbits for both of these for a lot of places, including Mun. Here's what I get for Mun:

Multispectral: 253km altitude @ 86^ inclination.

SAR: 771km altitude @ 87^ inclination.

[Mecripp]

SCAN RADAR Altimetry Sensor = min_alt = 5000 max_alt = 500000 best_alt = 5000

SCAN SAR Altimetry Sensor = min_alt = 5000 max_alt = 800000 best_alt = 750000

SCAN Multispectral Sensor = min_alt = 5000 max_alt = 500000 best_alt = 250000

SCAN Been There Done That = min_alt = 0 max_alt = 2000 best_alt = 0

and if you have downloaded the scanner on page 64

SCANSat Calypso Module = all 3 scanners are at min_alt = 5000 max_alt = 12000000 best_alt = 750000

thats from looking at the parts cfg you can open them with notepad.

[Shania_L]

Ohh wow, considerably higher than my orbit then,

The SAR is that the high res RADAR probe? I havent unlocked that one yet.

Do you get wider scan paths from higher up then? what do you mean by "works best" is it not and on/off thing?

You are deliberately putting an inclination in your orbit of 87? ohh wait, Mun, it doesnt rotate does it, I'm still ok using 90 on any rotating planet then?

MeCripp, minimum altitudes for all those probes are 5Km? so why is my BIO and Anom scan not working at 75Km?

[diomedea]

Mun, it doesnt rotate does it, I'm still ok using 90 on any rotating planet then?

Mun rotates, or you would not scan anything else than along one single orbital path, always repeating.

It is tidally locked with Kerbin, meaning its rotation period is the same as its revolution period around Kerbin.

[Mecripp]

Does the planet your scan have bio and if does the bio scan max was 2k but think it is also in the Multispectral Sensor scanner, but yes it gets wider at higher alt but u might start getting like a skip where u will need more passes to get it all so, I think thats why there is a best , but u get edit the files if u want, the 1 on page 64 is nice but you might want to change the tech lvl and you can make a cfg to add Kethane to 1 of the scanners to scan for it.