[WEB] Visual RemoteTech Planner for MOD RemoteTech

[Opstal]

Thank you for this! It's very helpfull.

But something puzzles me, and I can't figure it out...

Why is it that the battery requirements and night time increase when I increase the altitude?  In my mind, the higher the orbit above a certain body, the less time will be spend in darkness, right?

Is it just me, or am I missing something?

[Poodmund]

As your altitude increases, your orbital velocity decreases and therefore your Orbital Period (time taken to make a full revolution) increases dramatically. Due to this effect, you are travelling a lot slower past the planet when you are occluded from the Sun and therefore your 'Dark Time' length increases.

I hope this makes sense.

[Chabadarl]

@Opstal As Poodmund said, you are slower therefore spend more time. However in proportion you spend a lesser percentage of your orbit in the night.

When you look at the scheme for the night in this visual RT tool.The chord is always the same (C=2 Rkerbin).
As C=R*sin(Theta)
the arc is A= R*Theta
and the orbitale speed is v= squareRoot(mu/R) where mu is a constant. 

If you has that Theta is small so sin(Theta)~Theta.

You have Tnight = A/v ~ C/v= 2 * Rkerbin* squareRoot( R/mu).  So Tnight increase with the square of your demi axis.

Theta , however, equals 2Rkerbin/(Rkerbin +altitude) and decreases  as the propotion of the night (=Theta/2*Pi %).

Edited October 2, 2016 by Chabadarl
squareRoot instead of square

[NeuroticGamer]

@ryohpops Thank you very much for this web page.  I've been doing a lot of math trying to deal with the new CommNet in KSP 1.2.  This makes it possible for me to start dropping large constellations in Kerbol orbits between planets so that I can get near 100% science return on remote missions.  

I understand the multiple-launch view but I'm not sure how the single launch idea actually works.  Is there a good link to background info on that launch technique?  I don't even know what keywords to Google for.

[ryohpops]

16 hours ago, NeuroticGamer said:

@ryohpops Thank you very much for this web page.  I've been doing a lot of math trying to deal with the new CommNet in KSP 1.2.  This makes it possible for me to start dropping large constellations in Kerbol orbits between planets so that I can get near 100% science return on remote missions.  

I understand the multiple-launch view but I'm not sure how the single launch idea actually works.  Is there a good link to background info on that launch technique?  I don't even know what keywords to Google for.

@NeuroticGamer Sorry for the lack of documentation. I don't have enough free time at all.

The single launch idea is far simpler than the multiple launch. It should be used when you are going to launch satellites one by one, which is an popular method on early-game network constructions.

1. Satellite A is inserted directly into the target orbit.
2. Satellite B is launched into a parking orbit.
3. Target Satellite A and setup a rendezvous maneuver, which is also valid as a hohmann maneuver to the target orbit.
4. Here is the "slide" values come in: move the maneuver forward or backword by one of the values which are representing the same span.
5. Execute the maneuver and circularize at the target altitude.
6. Satellite B now achieves the target orbit with 90-degrees (for 4 satellites) separation to Satellite A.
7. Launch another satellite, target the last satellite and slide the maneuver to the same direction.

You can also use the dV values to design your multi-satellite launcher which has enough dV to reach the target altitude. Launch it and achieve Ap of the altitude, then bring up Pe to the lower altitude on Multiple Launch View, consuming "dV to lower".

[NeuroticGamer]

@ryohpops Thanks for the details!  I think I understand it.  I will play with it in a sandbox over the next few nights.

In my case I want to put satellites in Kerbol (not Kerbin) orbits.  If I understand the math correctly, the single launch mode (even though I have a adapter with 6 or 7 satellites making the delivery to parking altitude around the Sun/Kerbol), will result in the final constellation being fully deployed far faster than the multiple launch mode.  It appears that the trade-off is needing more delta-V on the individual relay satellites as they peel off from my main adapter stage.