Navigating a station - Unable to make nodes!

[DanHeidel]

OK, I just completed my first station.

I'll pause a moment to let the thunderous applause die down.

OK. So far this little station is pretty sweet. I'm getting ready to fly the sucker to Mun and Minmus but I've run into a problem. When I'm in the orbital display, I cannot place maneuvering nodes on the orbits anymore. I can click but nothing happens.

I've got a pilot on board and I can set it to prograde, retrograde, etc and all that works just fine.

I assume the game is confused by all the engines and potential command nodes on the station. Is there anything I should be looking at in particular to restore the ability to set maneuver nodes?

I mean I *could* just eyeball it to the moons. I did that on my first Munar flight, just manually lined up prograde and fired the engines since I hadn't unlocked patched conics yet. However, when trying to fly a nearly 100 ton station, that seems like it might be a bit of a headache...

[Meecrob]

I get the same issue sometimes. To solve it, I exit to the space centre, then go to the tracking station and resume my flight. Annoying, but it seems to restore the ability to set maneuver nodes.

[G'th]

^ That. Its a bug that's existed for a long time, typically comes up with part heavy ships (which stations tend to be).

[Ruthgar]

One thing I've also found that does work when I can't place a node within the first 45-90 degrees of the orbital path that the craft is going to take, but I can place it farther on, is that you place the farther node then just drag it back to where you need it, afterwards the ability to place nodes anywhere is restored as well. If you can't place a node anywhere on the orbital path than yeah go back to the space center and go use the tracking station to fix the problem.

[KrazyKrl]

Another workaround is to EVA a Kerbal; then re-enter the ship.

[Gargamel]

Unless a) Your lander has the same mass as your science "wing" and you have a third lander on the 4th docking port we can't see...... This is going to be a real pain to fly.

[katateochi]

I get the same issue sometimes. To solve it, I exit to the space centre, then go to the tracking station and resume my flight. Annoying, but it seems to restore the ability to set maneuver nodes.

^^This

One thing I've also found that does work when I can't place a node within the first 45-90 degrees of the orbital path that the craft is going to take, but I can place it farther on, is that you place the farther node then just drag it back to where you need it, afterwards the ability to place nodes anywhere is restored as well. If you can't place a node anywhere on the orbital path than yeah go back to the space center and go use the tracking station to fix the problem.

^^very much that.

Unless a) Your lander has the same mass as your science "wing" and you have a third lander on the 4th docking port we can't see...... This is going to be a real pain to fly.

^^ also these

and on that note, (and just me being silly) but maybe because it's a "station" the game feels that it's orbit should remain stationary? But seriously, stations are often asymmetrical (with regard to their center of mass) and tend to be more flimsy so they're difficult to move once built. Whereas a "ship" (assembled in orbit) is generally designed to have it's COM central and directly inline with it's COT and has a more ridged design (typically things being more inline with each other, rather than having heavy parts off to the sides and joined with large docking ports).

And finally, Welcome to the Forums!

[Sharpy]

Instead of outright eyeballing, undock the lander, calculate the node with it, remember the values, dock it back.