Current biome calculated incorrectly based on eccentricity

[evilwombat]

Hello. Passing through Duna's atmosphere (say, at 25k alt) while on an orbital / suborbital trajectory causes the current biome to be reported as "flying low" (as it should be). However, passing through Duna's atmosphere (again at 25k) on an aerocapture / escape trajectory (eccentricity > 1.0) causes the current biome to be treated as "in space near", even though my craft is only at 25km altitude, and flame effects are in full swing. This seems like a bug - in both situations, the craft is in essentially the same location.

I am running v1.0.5, with MechJeb2 (2.5.4-522) and TimeControl (v1.0.4-hotfix2) installed, though I can't imagine either of these having an impact on this problem.

[Nansuchao]

That's the way KSP calculate orbits...

[cantab]

It's a fairly well known issue that's been around for several versions IIRC. Whether it's deliberate or not I don't know.

[evilwombat]

Fair enough. I would have imagined this to be a bug rather than a feature. I expect the intention of the biome mechanic would be to allow for different science data to be gathered depending on where your craft is LOCATED, rather than how it is moving. For example, if I want to collect an atmosphere reading while passing through some body's atmosphere, the craft should be able to do it as long as it's deep enough in the atmosphere, regardless of the trajectory. I expect this is how it would work "IRL"

[cantab]

To clarify, "Flying Low" and "In Space Near" are not biomes but situations. The biomes are the horizontal regions of the planet or moon, for example "Poles" or "Lowlands", while the situations are broadly speaking where you are vertically, but with some wrinkles like the one you found.

[evilwombat]

Ah, that makes sense. Thanks!