How do I find survey locations?

[Oddible]

I have two survey missions which require me to take a crew report in the vicinity of two different named locations on Kerbin. How do I know where these are? The two are Sheldred's Lament and EF7DK0. I googled but no idea how to find these places. These are good paying missions but if I can't find them then they're just going to take up space in my mission queue.

Edited March 7, 2015 by Oddible

[xXIndestructibleEVAXx]

you have to accept the contract, find the nodes in map view, then launch the mission. The nodes are generated procedurally.

[superm18]

You dont have to accept the for it to show. also use the tracking station to see the contract locations

[cantab]

The location names are randomly generated. So my "Manley Hill" could be in a totally different place - even on a totally different planet - to your "Manley Hill".

They show in the Tracking Station once the contract has been offered. Sites for different contracts are in different colours so you can easily distinguish them, and they have an icon indicating which experiment needs doing there.

Once you have accepted a contract the sites will also show in Map View. You can click on them and choose "Activate Navigation", and an icon will appear on the navball showing you the direction to go.

[Oddible]

OK, new question. The Activate Navigation feature sucks... the thing doesn't even show up on my navball unless I'm facing nearly completely horizontal. I'd love it if it showed a pip in the direction I need to go. Is there a better navball mod that does this?

[DeMatt]

I don't know of any navball mods that help; however, Waypoint Manager does make the waypoint visible while you fly.

Edited November 30, 2015 by DeMatt

[cantab]

NavHUD shows the location marker. Keep in mind that it shows the direction not the position, which makes a difference if you zoom out a lot.

[Srpadget]

The stock Activate Navigation feature works fine IF you are in a rover (with forward-facing control module) or a plane (i.e., the typical setup for executing these contracts on Kerbin) or if it's an "in flight" waypoint which can be done from orbit (so the vehicle can be pointed independently of trajectory). But yes, it's pretty useless for a typical lander.

[Huntn]

I've been playing KSP for a short while and am frustrated with taking wags. My impression is that a space program requires computers and calculations, not eyeballing it and holding a wet finger into the wind as the primary means of navigating. This game is not alone. I get the same feeling in Elite Dangerous where the ships have no autopilot (although there is a docking computer). Back to KSP, I've tried one survey mission, to fly over a location above an altitude multiple times without success. I've activated navigation to the point (Map window) and most of the freaking time, the marker is not visible on Nav Ball. It's on the edge and covered by the display at the top of the Nav Ball. For the developers- activating navigation should place a cursor on the edge Nav Ball that is visible no matter what direction you are heading that guides you in the right direction until the marker itself if visible. Also, when in visual mode, a marker on the horizon seems appropriate.

It's looks to me I've flown close enough, I mean I can see the entire hemisphere, but the conditions are not met. One tip I'll throw out for newbies, in flight there is a small contract window that can be opened by holding the cursor on it and when conditions are met, they get a green check mark. And when the conditions are no longer met, if you have not competed the terms of the contract, the green check mark goes away.

I've noted the Waypoint manager mod and will give that a try. Any other suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!

[Captain H@dock]

I've noted the Waypoint manager mod and will give that a try. Any other suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!

For Kerbin ground locations, I navigate with a plane and use the navball. I do an approach pass (several) and watch the "you've entered/left area ...." to have a general idea of where to land. On landing I taxi until I see the "you've entered...". Some location might require terrain permissive aircrafts... I've never had a plane stranded but you better be able to do short takeoff and landings... Worst case, you can try a touch an go science reading, but without action groups it is very tricky (I was using tier 1 SPH and runway anyway).

For Kerbin Air locations, most are fine, but for the highest I approach them from cruise altitude and zoom climb into them. Again watch for the "Entering ..." and to get the reading right away.

For other body ground location, the lack of retrograde navigation marker is really a pain. You have to flip around your craft to check where you're going to land, no very safe IMO. So i send a target probe first, which is light and can hop around to the exact location, then I target it with my lander...

As for EVA (think multiple ground sample location), this if dead reckoning (estimate where the N is using the milky way, go in the general direction of the navigation point according to map view), ... Quite a pain indeed, and you might get short on monoprop. Doing these on the dark side of a body is only adding to the difficulty. I then once lost all ship marker in the main view (game bug, I guess). Getting back to the ship wasn't nice...

[Huntn]

For Kerbin ground locations, I navigate with a plane and use the navball. I do an approach pass (several) and watch the "you've entered/left area ...." to have a general idea of where to land. On landing I taxi until I see the "you've entered...". Some location might require terrain permissive aircrafts... I've never had a plane stranded but you better be able to do short takeoff and landings... Worst case, you can try a touch an go science reading, but without action groups it is very tricky (I was using tier 1 SPH and runway anyway).

For Kerbin Air locations, most are fine, but for the highest I approach them from cruise altitude and zoom climb into them. Again watch for the "Entering ..." and to get the reading right away.

For other body ground location, the lack of retrograde navigation marker is really a pain. You have to flip around your craft to check where you're going to land, no very safe IMO. So i send a target probe first, which is light and can hop around to the exact location, then I target it with my lander...

As for EVA (think multiple ground sample location), this if dead reckoning (estimate where the N is using the milky way, go in the general direction of the navigation point according to map view), ... Quite a pain indeed, and you might get short on monoprop. Doing these on the dark side of a body is only adding to the difficulty. I then once lost all ship marker in the main view (game bug, I guess). Getting back to the ship wasn't nice...

Thanks for the info! The Waypoint Manager does the trick! Devs- this mechanism should be included in the game!