LameLefty

Read my reply to your question in the Questions forum. MJ can't really do it, at least not in one burn. Wait 'til the object is in Kerbin's SOI. Launch into plane. Manually plot a reasonably close intercept (a few hundred kilometers is probably as close as you'll get in the first burn). Once en route, use MJ to fine tune the approach to about 100m. Dock as usual. I've done it this way multiple times.

It's not. I've captured multiple asteroids passing through Kerbin's SOI. Here's the trick: track it until it enters Kerbin's SOI. Once it's inside the SOI, launch into the plane of the object's orbit. During your first orbit around Kerbin, fine-tune and correct as necessary at the appropriate node (ascending or descending). Now comes the tricky part (and do NOT trust MechJeb to do it; it just can't and not sure if Sarbian and the other current MJ developers consider it a priority). Plot a maneuver node manually and just play with it; add or remove prograde velocity, move it around your orbit around Kerbin, etc. It really helps to use a mod with a maneuver node fine-tuning editor where you can tweak by small amounts (down to even a tenth of a meter/sec) and move the planned maneuver node forward or backward in time by one second increments. Small differences in this first maneuver make a huge difference later. It's probably not possible to get a very close approach with the first burn but don't worry too much yet. Basically, play around until you get an intercept (marked by the two white markers on your orbit and the target orbit). Then tweak the node in very small amounts to get it as close as possible. Remember this is not a one-step process; once you've got the maneuver node close, just go ahead and make the burn. Now for step two: while en route, plot a SECOND maneuver to fine-tune the approach. MJ actually works well for this part - tell MJ to fine tune your approach to 100m or so and it should work fine. Then do your approach, rendezvous and docking ("Claw-ing?") as usual. Of course, once you've done that you're now effectively on the same hyperbolic trajectory as your target. So either have enough dV in reserve to capture the object into Kerbin orbit or be able to ket go of the asteroid and brake yourself if you intend to return. Good luck!

Actually, a user named OrbitalDebris has been recompiling RPM and MechJeb2RPM to work with each new MechJeb dev build as it comes out. Check the last page or two of the MJ release thread for his post with links. There IS a caveat however: the RPM.dll he includes is necessary for the MJ integration to work, but it breaks SCANSat integration. Yes, the SCANSat and MJ devs are aware but the problem has to do with the way KSP loads mods and in what order ... In short, you CAN have MJ integration with RPM using dev builds thanks to OrbitalDebris's efforts but it will screw up using SCANsat in IVA.

Basically in the real world, a number of upper-stage engines have been optimized for use in vacuum with 2-piece nozzles. The basic nozzle is attached to the combustion chamber throat as normal, while a much longer, larger-diameter extension skirt is mounted around it. Upon staging, extension slides downward (generally mounted on rails) and the top of the skirt matches up with the edge of the main fixed nozzle. Variants of the American RL-10 LH2/LOX engine have used this for years. Google the term "extendable rocket nozzle" for images and the combustion thermodynamics reasons for wanting a very high expansion ratio in a vacuum ...

I'm quoting this in its entirety because I experienced almost exactly the same issue yesterday and it only went away when I removed the stack RealChute from the top of my rocket (built with a large number of KW parts and Procedural Fairings). Immediately upon physics loading, the launch clamps fail and the rocket falls to the ground (well, the engine bells fall THROUGH the ground but without much damage). Upon liftoff, things go weird - time speeds up or slows down, parts fall off at random, etc. As soon as I removed the stack chute, things work fine. If anyone knows where the logs are stored on a Mac, I'll be happy to try to recreate the problem and post them.

In my case it's because I only discovered ALCOR with the 0.8 release.

My Jeb is currently en route for my first-ever crewed landing on Eeloo. Still a couple years away but he's got plenty of snacks.

Not really sure what you're asking; it's hard to parse without periods and sentences. The issue appears to be that, in order to keep RPM working with the dev builds of MJ, it's necessary to recompile BOTH MechJeb2RPM.dll as well as the core RasterPropMonitor.dll. Once the core RPM file is updated, it breaks SCANsat integration with RPM, though SCANsat itself continues to work just fine.

Bad form to quote myself but I've found the problem: A user named OrbitalDebris has been updating RPM.dll and SCANsatRPM.dll to keep them in synch with the dev builds of MechJeb as sarbian releases them. Unfortunately, doing so breaks RPM integration with the v6rc version of SCANsat.

First off, thanks for keeping RPM integration alive. Second, unfortunately, using your recompiled RPM.dll breaks technogeeky's v6rc build of SCANsat with RPM, even with his recompiled SCANsatRPM.dll included. So despite your best efforts, we still have to choose between keeping MJ integration with RPM or SCANsat integration.

The [rocket] really tied the room together, Dude. (Sorry Sarbian but I can't let a BIG LEBOWSKI reference pass unnoticed ).

Yep, sure did. Well, time to roll back to v5 and see if I can get it functional again, then try to narrow down what might be conflicting.

For some reason, the latest SCANsat package that technogeeky put together has stopped working with RPM for me ... version 5 worked, complete with incorrect map icons at all, but v6rc isn't. Either I get an error for no satellite connection, or else I get a completely black screen "map" that never updates. I can still access the maps from external views but not on the IVA displays. Any ideas for a quick, easy error I may have missed?

Oh dear $DEITY, thank you! The FTmN-280 is my favorite engine in the game period, stock or mod. But I need a better "fit" for 3.75m parts and larger spacecraft. That quad-cluster awesome, as does the NERVA II. I'm looking forward to seeing the final versions!

Yes. Use the most recent Dev version, linked at the first post of thread. That issue was fixed weeks ago.

Yay. That pleases me inordinately (having captured a random Class D last night just for giggles).

If you'd read the thread, you'd see that Navyfish has already acknowledged that providing Toolbar with his last version was probably a mistake and won't happen in future versions. Just don't overwrite Toolbar when you install, or install the new version of Toolbar right from that thread and overwrite the older, incorrect version. This really isn't a serious issue to resolve.

I may be missing something as well; in prior "2-nnn" versions, my KSP.log would show several hundred megabytes saved. Now, with 3-1 Aggressive installed, it showed 2MB (yes, 2 megabytes) saved.

Actually, yeah. I'm having that issue lately too. I think it started for me with one or two dev builds ago but I don't know for sure; I've updated several mods recently and can't be certain if it's related to any of them or not. MJ was working fine in the VAB a few days ago and now, I realize, it's not.

Improbable Astronautics >>>==> "Dream It, Build It, Crash it!"

This is some amazing work ...

Gorgeous, Astronomer. Just fantastic. Big thumbs up from me!

I asked about this a few days ago. Navyfish said it's on the radar but not for a bit. He's got a real job, you know.

Ditto! Me three.

In my current install, running my current save with 41 flights in progress (a bunch of which are mission flags), about 75 pieces of currently tracked debris, and a few space rocks being tracked, KSP is right now using 1.71GB. My complete mod list at this very minute is: Blizzy's Toolbar Active Texture Management ASET ALCOR Mk 3 Lander Pod with full internals Aviation Lights Environmental & Visual Enhancements Chatterer Kerbal Engineer Redux HullCameraVDS Rasterprop Monitor and Hyomoto's enhanced MFD layouts Procedural Fairings Kerbal Alarm Clock Kerbal Joint Reinforcement Kethane Kommit Nucleonics nuclear engine pack Kommit Octo-truss parts and tanks KSP Alternate Resource Panel KW Rocketry Mechjeb ModuleManager Navyfish's Docking Port Alignment Indicator R&S Capsuldyne Taurus 7-man capsule Real Parachutes ResearchThemAll SCANSat TextureReplacer with a couple of Green Skull's head and suit packs installed VesselView This is on a 3 year old MacBook Pro Core i7 quad-core running OS X 10.9.2 and 8 GB of RAM. It generally runs great for at least a few hours straight. After awhile I might get a hang when changing scenes from flight to the Space Center or if I'm messing around with something complicated in the VAB. I think a stray thread in one of my mods might have trouble "letting go" because the KSP music and sound track keeps playing but Activity Monitor will report KSP isn't responding.