[Answered] Space Junk [realism]

[Mapoko]

Hello. After gaining enough confidence in the game and a little mishap (Reinstalled - Lost everything.) I started over and I no longer have Normal Career. Only one on Hard.

I am trying to keep the realism to as much as I can, so when I rescue a kerbal I tag the capsule as Debris before I save it.

Some day I am planning to organize a "Triple C Team" (Cleaning Claw Crew), but nowadays I have other priorities and not much excess funds.

*Writing this I am realizing I also lost all my screenshots*

http://imgur.com/a/c2XfY (not sure how to post imgur album, please a mod help me)

So, there are kerbals stranded on modules that are not command ones, so I can not tag them as junk and their orbital lines are starting to interfere with my good gaming experience.

I know there is the option to simply destroy them from the tracking station and I did that in my Normal save, but now I will not.

So, Except CCC deorbiting them is there another way ?

Edited May 22, 2015 by Mapoko

[dryer_lint]

Anti-satellite missiles?

[luizopiloto]

Small probes to deorbit them using cargo bays... you trap the target inside, do a deorbit burn, release the target, put probe in orbit again, rendezvouz to another target or go to a refueling station...

[problemecium]

Two things:

- Try renaming them from the Tracking Station: click the capsule, then click the "i" on the right, then click the name in the orange bar to change it and reclassify it as debris or whatever else.

- If that bar is blue, the capsule is still being counted as an "unowned object" in which case you can't reclassify it, but you can at least "stop tracking" and once the contract is finished it will disappear.

[Mapoko]

Two things:

- Try renaming them from the Tracking Station: click the capsule, then click the "i" on the right, then click the name in the orange bar to change it and reclassify it as debris or whatever else.

Thank you very much ! I will clean those up some day, but did not want to cheat. Reclassifying from Tracking station worked !

Small probes to deorbit them using cargo bays... you trap the target inside, do a deorbit burn, release the target, put probe in orbit again, rendezvouz to another target or go to a refueling station...

Well, there are various ways to do it, but as I mentioned I do not have the extra funds (or time) to do it at this moment.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Mapoko

[Pax Kerbana]

Two things:

- Try renaming them from the Tracking Station: click the capsule, then click the "i" on the right, then click the name in the orange bar to change it and reclassify it as debris or whatever else.

- If that bar is blue, the capsule is still being counted as an "unowned object" in which case you can't reclassify it, but you can at least "stop tracking" and once the contract is finished it will disappear.

Wat.

*facepalm*

[AbacusWizard]

A couple of mods you might find useful for space junk disposal:

KAS (Kerbal Attachment System) has winches and grappling hooks and harpoons and electromagnets, which I find more flexible (and more fun) than the stock klaw.

KIS (Kerbal Inventory System) has tiny but potent explosive charges that EVA engineers can plant on orbital debris. Just make sure you jet the heck out of there before the hidden countdown triggers...

[katateochi]

I've been pretty successful with shunting them. using a craft with a docking port (but anything with a flat surface at the front will do), very gently approach the module as close to its mid-line as possible and start pushing. Once you're against the module start pushing with greater force and that will hold it in place enough to de-orbit it. In some cases I've needed to turn the module around which I've done by bumping into it with an EVA kerbal (and admittedly using some time-warp abuse to stop the module turning once its the right way).

[Sky_walker]

There's no point deorbiting junk.

Once I intentionally demolished entire space station into dozens of derbies and then put another space station on an overlapping orbit - never got any collision happening, no matter if I spent in-game weeks looking at my station in a hope something will collide or went out and spent few months at maximum time acceleration testing if collisions can occur while you are in a space center.

De-orbiting junk is a waste of time in KSP. Space is huge and a risk of collision is tiny. If you'll be very lucky you might see a close fly-by. But collision is way too unlikely to bother preventing it.

[WinkAllKerb'']

Deorbited all the debris from rescue mission here. *Kessler inside* xDr

(for the accuracy anecdote after many partially afk launch with the "nyan cat" i once had a collision between two craft ; ) it could happen oops ; ) hehe )

Edited May 22, 2015 by WinkAllKerb''

[Mapoko]

A couple of mods you might find useful for space junk disposal:

KAS (Kerbal Attachment System) has winches and grappling hooks and harpoons and electromagnets, which I find more flexible (and more fun) than the stock klaw.

KIS (Kerbal Inventory System) has tiny but potent explosive charges that EVA engineers can plant on orbital debris. Just make sure you jet the heck out of there before the hidden countdown triggers...

Thanks, I am aware of that, but I am trying to stay stock in my hard save. Only using EVE for joy of the eye, KER for building. not in flights. and Window Planner. I used KAS/KIS in 0.90 and probably will in my normal save someday.

[cicatrix]

KAS is great for that!

I used harpoon (though there are many other options available):

[KerbMav]

I used harpoon (though there are many other options available)

This ... is the smallest most menacing looking ship I have seen in this game ... *shudder*

[AbacusWizard]

Looks like you're loaded for whale. Space whale. Good hunting!

[Hannu]

De-orbiting junk is a waste of time in KSP. Space is huge and a risk of collision is tiny. If you'll be very lucky you might see a close fly-by. But collision is way too unlikely to bother preventing it.

You are right but you can say that all computer gaming is waste of time. There is no real threat in game if somebody do not use computer program to generate millions of debris on low orbits but roleplay is essential part of KSP. I like realism but I also feel interesting to see how debris accumulates during long game. Therefore I do not try to prevent debris.

[Gerandar]

You are right but you can say that all computer gaming is waste of time. There is no real threat in game if somebody do not use computer program to generate millions of debris on low orbits but roleplay is essential part of KSP. I like realism but I also feel interesting to see how debris accumulates during long game. Therefore I do not try to prevent debris.

if the game was all about realism wouldnt the orbits of the debris decay over time and deorbit themselves? but they dont so screw wasting time making a tug to deorbit when you can just "rp" blowing up some sort of explosive planted on all debris.

[Mapoko]

if the game was all about realism wouldnt the orbits of the debris decay over time and deorbit themselves? but they dont so screw wasting time making a tug to deorbit when you can just "rp" blowing up some sort of explosive planted on all debris.

Well, to be honest I was planning to RP some cleaning up crew waaay later in the game when I am out of ideas. But in reality isnt blowing up debris leaving big amount of smaller debris ? Not in the game ofc.

In any case having a way of classifying them as debris, so their orbit lines do not ruing my experience on the Map worked well for me for now.

And about KAS/KIS Those are 2 of my favorite mods, but they make the game easier and I will add them much later in the game when I feel complete, because now I am trying to make it as hard as possible, although I am reluctant to install TACLS.

In my new save Jeb and Bob had a mishap while taking off the Mun they went out of fuel on 6-2 orbit, but luckily enough they managed to achieve 6-6 orbit on EVA thrusters, so I launched rescue mission to save them in a hurry.

But when I did send my lab with barely 4600dV (and no parachutes, because who needs parachutes on LKO Lab, right ?) I had unlucky white shirt on board. I started my tilt 1km too early and it flipped. Poor Soul.

I hope I will have funny and tense moments when I de-orbit stuff later, when I have good amount of funds, full research and no idea what to do next.

But for now what fixed my problem is the reclassifying from Tracking Center !

[FancyMouse]

The KIS explosive doesn't sound right to me - realistically isn't it just producing more harder-to-handle smaller debris which KSP program just simply doesn't track?

[Francesco]

if the game was all about realism wouldnt the orbits of the debris decay over time and deorbit themselves? but they dont so screw wasting time making a tug to deorbit when you can just "rp" blowing up some sort of explosive planted on all debris.

You make your own roleplay. It's a nice little challenge you give to yourself, to keep LKO debris-free.

[Wesreidau]

I try to keep space clean with good staging practices. But may I recommend BahamutoD's Armory? There's a laser...