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[PART, 1.0.2] Anatid Robotics / MuMech - MechJeb - Autopilot - Historical thread


r4m0n

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So im looking for some advice as to how I can make a SpaceX style stage recovery. BDArmory provides me with a 500km load distance and it works great. So good I nearly hit myself for not having tried it awhile ago. And to make it even better MechJeb WILL split into two entities and control each craft individually. The only hurtle now it seems is the MechJeb LandingGuidance doesn't seem to want to reverse the trajectory to boost back to the KSC. Ive already done it manually. Works just like it should. The problem here is having to switch back to a craft that's a 100km downrange. It will explode. Or try too. So I need to set the first stage booster to auto land then switch back to the second stage ( which is what I really need to put the payload where I want it ) while there still close together.

And its strange somehow I can switch to and from craft within the atmosphere. Now I just need a good camera that track a target.

Edited by Motokid600
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Anyone else having issues with Ascent Guidance not disingaging when it's supposed too, at the desired orbit height? Cause mine gets into Orbit just fine, but then wont stop the engines when it gets there, and just keeps going. :/

It wont circularize the orbit either.. it's like it stops right before that step, doesn't even get to the "coasting to orbit" stage. And I don't think I've changed anything from the default setting, but I'll try reinstalling or something in a bit. :/

Another one of those sometimes things. Did it to me last night lifting off Moho. It did the circularization burn then instead of stopping it cut the throttle to just off the bottom and pointed the engines at Moho. I disengaged the autopilot, then removed all nodes with Maneuver Planner. Then I went to Rendezvous Autopilot and it persisted with the same end of burn issue.

F5 is your friend, always. Always quicksave before liftoff, starting to land, starting a rendezvous etc. Seems to be that once MechJeb starts not ending burns properly it will keep doing it until you reload the last quicksave.

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What is the magenta debug arrow for exactly? It always stays in the same direction regardless of the ships position.

I'm trying the latest dev build and the landing accuracy in atmosphere seems even worse, although then again, I'm landing at the poles of kerbin. Also, I'm noticing that the landing guidance now turns on RCS, regardless of whether you have RCS or not. This particular lander doesn't have RCS, but I guess I'll stick RCS on and see what it does.

Edit: It's doing things with the RCS in atmosphere that make no sense, like using it during re-entry when it's no help and other things that don't make no sense, besides, it's pretty much useless when hanging from a parachute. Also, could you make it not force RCS control on, while in atmosphere at least? Maybe you'd want to actually conserve the RCS for something since it wastes it with abandon, even with RCS balance on.

I'm noticing that the solar panels no longer automatically toggle when landed, I guess that's intentional?

Edited by smjjames
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@Halaberiel

If you are playing in Career mode with KSP 0.90, there are some upgrade requirements on the KSC buildings that you must do before all of the MechJeb capabilities are available. This requirement is a Squad decision. If you do not like it, either play in sandbox mode or complain to them.

skips

Do you happen to know the upgrade requirements so I know what to upgrade first?

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Another one of those sometimes things. Did it to me last night lifting off Moho. It did the circularization burn then instead of stopping it cut the throttle to just off the bottom and pointed the engines at Moho. I disengaged the autopilot, then removed all nodes with Maneuver Planner. Then I went to Rendezvous Autopilot and it persisted with the same end of burn issue.

F5 is your friend, always. Always quicksave before liftoff, starting to land, starting a rendezvous etc. Seems to be that once MechJeb starts not ending burns properly it will keep doing it until you reload the last quicksave.

Yup, that's about how I have to deal with it too. heh

But sadly, it's not "sometimes" for me.. It's almost every time. I get lucky if it works. So now I've been flying manually, using the ascent guidance as a target on the sphere to follow. which is fine, just hope this bug gets fixed.

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Did you delete it once? It "usually" defaults to 0.5 for me. I have found that if I change settings on something once, it seems to take that as the new permanent setting. Once in a very rare while, it will change to a new setting if I change it again, but usually it stays set to my first custom setting when I launch new vessels.

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You're not controlling the vessel from a docking port. Right click the port you want to use for docking on the active vessel and select "Control from here."

yeah the strange thing is i am controlling from the docking port but for some reason mechjeb says im not:(

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That's supposed to only change textures however.

Not so. He actually remodels the parts.

I know from experience that MechJeb is easily confused if you don't set up the docking port transforms correctly. There are 2 transforms that control how the port works and they don't use the same axis. The result is that one can appear to point perpendicular to the part's up axis.

The fault is definitely with Ven's part. He needs to go back and fix that.

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Not so. He actually remodels the parts.

I know from experience that MechJeb is easily confused if you don't set up the docking port transforms correctly. There are 2 transforms that control how the port works and they don't use the same axis. The result is that one can appear to point perpendicular to the part's up axis.

The fault is definitely with Ven's part. He needs to go back and fix that.

Confirmed when i removed Vens pack everything works as expected thanks man

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Having docking problems, forgive me if I'm not posting in the right place. I'm trying to add a module that's basically a fuel/RCS tank with some solar panels on it to my space station, pictured. I'm trying to connect to one of the docking ports in between the larger radial sections, but whenever I engage the docking autopilot it starts moving towards the port then just flies right past it out into space. I cannot figure out why it does this- I've attempted the docking probably a half-dozen times now. It didn't have this problem docking any of the other parts. RVxqob8.jpg

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So. I was hoping to come back to KSP after about a year off, and find that Mechjeb was workin great!. Sadly after reading a few pages it seems not to be so. So I love KSp..spent about a few hundred hours in it, but nerver made it to the far planets because .sadly i suck at docking. I can land, orbit, even launch small stations, landed a plane on minmus.. Had Tons of fun :cool: So as i start to play again..cause there is really nothin like KSP for me,If anyone out there cares, is there a good docking Mod. really..sigh. Someone. Im installing Mecjeb..but i dont have much hope for it.

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So. I was hoping to come back to KSP after about a year off, and find that Mechjeb was workin great!. Sadly after reading a few pages it seems not to be so. So I love KSp..spent about a few hundred hours in it, but nerver made it to the far planets because .sadly i suck at docking. I can land, orbit, even launch small stations, landed a plane on minmus.. Had Tons of fun :cool: So as i start to play again..cause there is really nothin like KSP for me,If anyone out there cares, is there a good docking Mod. really..sigh. Someone. Im installing Mecjeb..but i dont have much hope for it.

Manual docking is easy, with the aid of Smart A.S.S. Control each craft from the docking ports you want to connect. After you rendezvous you need to get to 150 meters distance. Switch between the two crafts and rotate the view until you can see the other craft from each.

Right click the controlling docking port then hit [ or ] to switch. Click the Set as Target button then right click the current craft and switch back to set the other port as target.

Now open the SASS window and change to target mode and click the TGT+ button. Do this on both ships. Optionally, use the Force Roll function if the ships orientation to each other is critical.

Of course you must do all this rather quickly as the ships will be moving relative to each other and you don't want them passing and moving apart, or worse, colliding uncontrolled. If they are on a collision course, they'll dock themselves - assuming they both have enough control power to rotate fast enough to stay aimed at one another. If they are moving together too fast, use some reverse RCS thrust to slow down. If they aren't on a collision course you'll need to use a bit of engine or RCS thrust to speed up a little.

What you don't want is a sideways grazing impact of the ports. You want the direction of approach to be somewhat aligned with the orbital direction.

With the Docking Autopilot the "trick" is to set the ship you are docking *to* to KILL ROT in SASS. That makes MechJeb attempt to keep the craft from turning in any direction. If you set both to TGT+ and try to use DAP, both ships will try to chase each other's targeting corrections and they'll both be wobbling all around.

With a highly maneuverable docking craft, DAP is now good enough that it can usually figure out how to fly around another craft to a port on the far side or otherwise not in line of sight or directly aimed at it.

If the default safe and starting distances are causing trouble, use the overrides. I generally use 5 for safe and 10 for starting. Starting the docking from too close can cause DAP to try to fly past the port. Back up a ways then try again.

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My prefered lazy / relaxed mode SmartASS assisted manual docking:

Set target (larger) vessel to ORB, + or -NML so that any orbit induced rotation will be on the docking axis.

Switch to docking vessel and get close, possibly using +TGT.

Zero relative velocity using TGT +/-RVEL and main engine, trim with RCS foward/back translation.

Target destination docking port and set TGT -PAR, use RCS translation to get into alignment. You can take your time here.

Translate foward to dock.

Using this method I can usually dock with 2/3 or 1/2 the RCS propellant the autopilot would use, though it does take me a little longer.

FWIW, the autopilot docks just fine for me, but less RCS fuel on board means more delta-V :)

Edited by steve_v
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So. I was hoping to come back to KSP after about a year off, and find that Mechjeb was workin great!. Sadly after reading a few pages it seems not to be so. So I love KSp..spent about a few hundred hours in it, but nerver made it to the far planets because .sadly i suck at docking. I can land, orbit, even launch small stations, landed a plane on minmus.. Had Tons of fun :cool: So as i start to play again..cause there is really nothin like KSP for me,If anyone out there cares, is there a good docking Mod. really..sigh. Someone. Im installing Mecjeb..but i dont have much hope for it.

The thread is mostly only used by those with bugs so it's no surprise that it may sound negative. Try it in game and then post if it did not work. Because in the last year there was work done on the docking AP and it works great most of the time for me.

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I certainly do not understand 'all' of the negative posts. I typically ONLY use MJ and while there are a few hickups now and then (mostly caused by myself or conflict with another mod) I have no problems with it's auto docking and other higher brain functions....

I am running a very heavy modded ksp via the opengl function.. 50+ mods.

I guess the MJ gods shine favor and good will in my direction...

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