Better to drop or Orbit

[Korizan]

So I am playing around with some rockets and I am down to maybe 32 - 120 /ms left to make a 80 km orbit.

Now I could add a little fuel to the stage so I could complete orbit or

I could just expend a little fuel from the interplanetary stage.

One option leaves me with less fuel granted a tiny bit but

the other option will leave debris in space and add some cost.

It really is a flip of a coin but I am just wondering if others have asked this same question (or I don't care is a valid response) and if so what was your final conclusion.

[Superfluous J]

Drop the ascent stage. It'll burn up in the atmosphere and leave you no debris. If you have no debris already on as an option, turn it off and then do this on purpose from now on

If you add m/s to anything, add it to the upper stage so you still get to drop your ascent stage into the atmosphere.

[xrayfishx]

Add that bit of fuel and also add solid fuel retrorockets which will deorbit the last stage once it has taken you to orbit. That's what I do when I don't want to leave debris or use fuel from the payload.

[SpaceChipmunk]

A personal viewpoint, just leave the debris and take the small cost hit. No point in worrying about debris unless you are launching thousands of ships to the same orbit and constantly dropping debris, even then it still shouldn't be a problem! 32-120m/s is a very tiny amount of dV. Is it really worthwhile dragging yourself up the extra few hundred meters either?

[brianorca]

Another option: add a probe core and about 200m/s of dv, and you have a booster that can fly home and be recovered. (Note: I have not yet attempted this in the new aero.)

[Delrey]

My last launch I ditched the insertion stage with fuel in to avoid debris and used 20 or so m/s of my payload for final insertion.

I don't want debris up there. I don't terminate it the tracking station. It's just a personal preference.

I like xrayfishx's idea of having the insertion stage equipped with retro rockets to deorbit it. I'm on my phone but I'll rep ya at home.

Nick

[Volix]

In real life the ascent stage would be left to fall into the atmosphere. After all, even paint chips stay in orbit and pose a very real threat. http://www.nasa.gov/missions/shuttle/f_debris.html

In the game though I see it more as a gameplay choice. As SpaceChipmunk says, you'll probably never accumulate enough debris for it to be an issue. In my 0.90 game I was very careful to plan my launches so that no debris would be left in orbit (as long as nothing went wrong ). In 1.0.x I've been purposefully ignoring such planning and just letting the debris accumulate. I'm finding it kinda fun to see old debris whiz by during launches. Closest encounter so far has been around 10km.

[KerikBalm]

I try to not leave any debris, if for no other reason than because I think too many vessels (even if classes as debris), has a negative impact on game performance for my computer.

Early in career, this means stages that are discarded just before orbit.

A bit later it also means stages that collide with Mun/Minmus.

And a bit later, it means SSTOing everything.

[magnemoe]

Another option: add a probe core and about 200m/s of dv, and you have a booster that can fly home and be recovered. (Note: I have not yet attempted this in the new aero.)

This was standard in 0.90, in 1.02 I have problems with accurate landings.

Making progress with airbrakes, overshoot target with say 10 km then use the airbrakes to kill speed and get an good landing.

So far I have left three 2-2.5 orange tank sized stages in LKO as fuel dumps. They need probe core, power docking ports and optionaly KAS connectors and winches. RSC is also nice.

[problemecium]

My vote is to go to a lower orbit, e.g. 71km. It's a smidgen less safe, but some moderately careful driving should get you around it easily enough.

If that doesn't work, I vote you make the ascent stage orbit-capable, and perhaps attach a probe so you can later turn it around and send it back down, possibly for recovery.

[Spatzimaus]

Another option: add a probe core and about 200m/s of dv, and you have a booster that can fly home and be recovered. (Note: I have not yet attempted this in the new aero.)

Exactly this. All of my boosters are like this, now. Remember, you don't need to aim exactly; just get in the general ballpark of KSC to recover most of your money.

[Beowolf]

In sandbox, I build fancy landable/reusable boosters, though don't often bother actually landing them once I know they work right. I don't tolerate debris, to the extent of occasionally flying a mission to rendezvous, grab, and deorbit any that does get left in orbit.

In career, I seldom have money for such luxuries, so anything goes.