How do i create a precise maneuver node?

[max_42]

When transferring to another planet, nodes i create and/or mechjeb will get close but not that close. I usually end up over 1,000,000 meters away from the planet. Sometimes mechjeb will not even get me into the SOI, or puts me in a reverse orbit, which is annoying. I waste DV burning to get to a much lower 100k orbit around target body.

when I create nodes at my parking orbit (usually 100k) how do I make them precise enough to get within 1-200k altitude of the planet/moon I am trying to reach?

I feel like I cannot zoom in enough or I am missing something.

thank you

Edited November 1, 2015 by max_42

[Snark]

A few things:

First, you can zoom in on the target! Once you have your node good enough that you have an SoI intercept on the target planet, click on that target planet and choose "Focus View." The map view will center there, and by zooming in you can see your path past the planet. Then just rotate the camera view around until your maneuver node is on-screen, and you can nudge it to get the target Pe where you want.

Second: you can fine-tune a node by mousing over one of the grab handles and scrolling the mouse wheel up and down instead of clicking on the node.

Third: you don't have to get it perfect on your initial burn out of Kerbin. Just get it reasonably close, and then when you're, say, still 50 days out, make your correction burn then. It will only take a tiny burn to do what you want.

[max_42]

Thank you very much, exactly what i needed to know!

[Harry Rhodan]

mechjeb

MJ also has a maneuver node editor you can use to manually fine tune your nodes.

[Graveworks]

A few things:

Second: you can fine-tune a node by mousing over one of the grab handles and scrolling the mouse wheel up and down instead of clicking on the node.

.

2 months playing this game and a fair bit of times on the forums and YouTube and I just discovered this by mistake a few minutes ago! Makes life so much easier. I understand there is a mod called Precise Node also, but now that I've learned this, I think I'm ok.