Satellite Contract, how to make empty orbit as target?

[VonCede]

So I got a satellite contract, on the polar orbit.

I upgraded my Tracking Station and Mission Control for maneuver nodes.

I launched my rocket 2 minutes before prefect window (Yes, I was eyeballing it) and I went to polar orbit that is about 6° in wrong inclination.

How do I select the empty orbit as target, so I can see my AN and DN to fix my inclination?

[Plusck]

You can't unfortunately.

The orbit itself should show AN and DN (though if I remember correctly it's from the satellite's point of view - so reversed compared to what you'd see if it were a target). You have to eyeball it...

[Madscientist16180]

Indeed, and i think it's quite fun to do.

Those contract would be awfully easy if we could target the empty orbits. 

As Plusck said, you do see AN and DN from the "target point of view" on the empty orbit. You can use them to "accuratly" eyeball where you should put your nod. Just put Kerbin level in your map view, then center on either one of the nodes. The point where your craft orbit intersect with the node is where you wanna burn.

 

[Blaarkies]

The requirements are not as exact as they seem at first, sometimes the satellite just needs to be in a "similar" orbit. The difference between the contract orbit and the satellites actual orbit could differ by 10km and like 5' inclination(approx numbers).
 

As Madscientist16180 said, you just have to line up kerbin's center and the contract's AN/DN node in your map view(overlap those spots). Now, if you cannot get focus to Kerbin just press TAB. This will cycle camera focus through the planets/moons of the solar system. Press BACKSPACE to reset focus to your ship.

[Plusck]

5 hours ago, Blaarkies said:

The requirements are not as exact as they seem at first, sometimes the satellite just needs to be in a "similar" orbit. The difference between the contract orbit and the satellites actual orbit could differ by 10km and like 5' inclination(approx numbers).

I am currently trying to get a satellite to:

• sun orbit
• Ap: 90Mkm / Pe: 50Mkm
• inclination: 138 degrees

So I am truly hoping that it'll let me off with more than a 10 km difference

 

[Blaarkies]

42 minutes ago, Plusck said:

I am currently trying to get a satellite to:

• sun orbit
• Ap: 90Mkm / Pe: 50Mkm
• inclination: 138 degrees

So I am truly hoping that it'll let me off with more than a 10 km difference

I hope you get paid reeeeally well for that...on the bright side, anything past 90' inclination doesn't matter anymore, but i imagine lining up your escape trajectory with the correct timing is going to take a lot of patience.
50-90Gm, that is well past Dres? a Jool slingshot could help, if you don't mind timewarping that much

[Plusck]

1 hour ago, Blaarkies said:

I hope you get paid reeeeally well for that...on the bright side, anything past 90' inclination doesn't matter anymore, but i imagine lining up your escape trajectory with the correct timing is going to take a lot of patience.
50-90Gm, that is well past Dres? a Jool slingshot could help, if you don't mind timewarping that much

Actually I got the numbers wrong. It's 105Gm x 59Gm. It's well past Jool - but difficult to place since it's impossible to zoom in much. until I get closer to it.

It doesn't pay all that well - I just want the rep

The trouble is that I only have about 20 years to do it - so I will only be able to visit Ap and Pe once, at the very most (an orbit and a half looks to be more than 20 years total). I just hope the burn I make when I intersect the orbit is good enough for the contract to complete.

Spoiler

 

Edited April 1, 2016 by Plusck

[Starhawk]

22 hours ago, Plusck said:

It doesn't pay all that well - I just want the rep

I believe that is the worst paying contract that I have ever seen.

Unless the date of the post is significant.

Happy landings!

[Plusck]

27 minutes ago, Starhawk said:

I believe that is the worst paying contract that I have ever seen.

Unless the date of the post is significant.

Happy landings!

No, no, its legit.

I reasoned that if I got it right from the first intercept, I'd be able to complete the contract in a bit more than a year. The advance (even without the cash-for-rep strategy active) wouldn't have covered the cost of the launch, but I'm wallowing in cash and want more rep, having lost a ton due to an ill-advised mix of admin strategies (oddly, adding a 65% leadership initiative was giving me negative rep on every successful contract...).

So it seemed worth it - only slightly more time-consuming than making a base for Duna, for example.

[Kerbart]

On 4/1/2016 at 8:57 AM, Plusck said:

I am currently trying to get a satellite to:

• sun orbit
• Ap: 90Mkm / Pe: 50Mkm
• inclination: 138 degrees

So I am truly hoping that it'll let me off with more than a 10 km difference

 

Getting sloppy, eh?