Transfer Windows - Consoles

[Swacer]

I have been doing a lot of reading on the site about transfer windows when going beyond Minmus, but one thing I've noticed was a lot of people were using mods on their PC in order to know when the appropriate time was to utilize these windows. Since the mods (like Kerbal Alarm Clock) can't be used on the consoles, how does one go about finding these transfer windows and be able to utilize them?

[Magzimum]

First of all, you can have a look at this website: http://ksp.olex.biz/. It shows you a picture of what the Kerbol system should look like to get to Duna, but on the right side you can enter other planets, and it will update the pic. So, that already allows you to eyeball it.

For early career, I prefer the calendar. It allows you to simply warp ahead to the right date, and be on your way. Of course, the one I linked to only lists 10 years. But that's enough to do your first couple of missions (at least Duna and Eve, including their moons) until you are more comfortable with the whole game.

I play the PC game, but I have no mods installed either. Just a regular web browser, and a paper print-out.

[Spricigo]

This

[Alshain]

2 hours ago, Magzimum said:

For early career, I prefer the calendar. It allows you to simply warp ahead to the right date, and be on your way. Of course, the one I linked to only lists 10 years. But that's enough to do your first couple of missions (at least Duna and Eve, including their moons) until you are more comfortable with the whole game.

That is an incredibly bad calendar.  I don't think half those launch windows exist.  Out of the first 5, Eeloo was the only correct one.

[Swacer]

28 minutes ago, Alshain said:

That is an incredibly bad calendar.  I don't think half those launch windows exist.  Out of the first 5, Eeloo was the only correct one.

Is the first link valid?

[Magzimum]

29 minutes ago, Alshain said:

That is an incredibly bad calendar.  I don't think half those launch windows exist.  Out of the first 5, Eeloo was the only correct one.

Ooops... I did not create the calendar, and I haven't had the chance to check them all. I checked the few on which I launched myself to Eve and Duna, and those were correct... so I assumed that the rest works too. 

Can you post a link to one that you have verified is correct entirely? 

[Alshain]

49 minutes ago, Magzimum said:

Ooops... I did not create the calendar, and I haven't had the chance to check them all. I checked the few on which I launched myself to Eve and Duna, and those were correct... so I assumed that the rest works too. 

Can you post a link to one that you have verified is correct entirely? 

It may just be old.  I vaguely remember something about the starting positions of the planets changing long ago, which of course would alter the days that launch windows appear.  I haven't seen a calendar like that before, that is the first. 

If you want something more specific than the first tool you linked, AlexMoon's tool gives you a "porkchop plot" which allows you to hone in on specific departure dates as well as target trip Delta V.  Once you have the departure date and ejection delta V, you can usually find an encounter.  Just create a node, expand it out till the dV next to the navball reads the same as the ejection dV and then move the node around Kerbin till it looks like your trajectory makes a pass with your destination's orbit.  After that set the planet as a target and fish around a little  for an encounter.  That works for everything except Moho and Eeloo (whose inclinations and/or low gravity make it much more complicated) ... maybe Dres but I've never had a problem finding a Dres encounter.

 

50 minutes ago, Swacer said:

Is the first link valid?

Yes.  The first link is valid.

Edited August 18, 2016 by Alshain

[Spricigo]

BTW,  if you are interested in a full-fledged guide,  I found This blog and This video .  

[DD_bwest]

http://ksp.olex.biz/

i see its already  been mentioned but it is definitely the way to go if your not going to use mods.

[IWanttobeEVA]

The above website, and a printed out protractor (no joke). If you have any transparent film that will work the best but thin paper will work too. 

Here is a good 360 degree on that you can scale. 

http://www.blocklayer.com/protractor-print.aspx

 

 

 

[GoSlash27]

A more immersive way to do it without using websites:

Launch a probe just barely outside Kerbin's SoI but on it's orbit around the sun. You can then use the maneuver node to find transfer windows to various planets.

HTHs,
-Slashy

 

10 hours ago, Alshain said:

That is an incredibly bad calendar.  I don't think half those launch windows exist.  Out of the first 5, Eeloo was the only correct one.

I think that calendar is on the old 24h clock. Take the days it gives you and multiply by 4.

Best,
-Slashy

[Alshain]

18 minutes ago, GoSlash27 said:

I think that calendar is on the old 24h clock. Take the days it gives you and multiply by 4.

Best,
-Slashy

That might possibly explain it.

Edited August 19, 2016 by Alshain

[Magzimum]

But in order to keep the learning curve of interplanetary missions a little less steep, does anyone know of a correct transfer-window calendar? (Remember that for us newbies all the other aspects of getting to another planet is also new!!)

Personally, I started using the tools that were linked to:

http://ksp.olex.biz/

https://alexmoon.github.io/ksp/

But I think it is important not to overload newbies with information... and a calendar is just that little bit easier when you try your first Duna mission. (Yes, yes, I agree that the 2nd tool I linked to here will give you a date just the same, after only a few clicks... that is not the problem. The main issue is that you gotta invest time to read the whole page, understand where you got to click and enter data, then get the result... on top of figuring out interplanetary maneuver nodes, dV calculations, probably docking problems, unknown aerobraking issues, wobbly rockets, etc., etc.)

[/rant]