Need Help figuring out nodes

[Readerty2007]

I was completing a contract to place a satellite in munar orbit. I successfully got the orbits to line up with ~200 m/s of dV to spare. Periapsis, Apoapsis, and inclination all match within 200 meters. 

 

The game hasn't given me my prize.

 

My conclusion is that the Longitude of Ascending Node is wrong by process of elimination. This is baffling, because I believed that would change the inclination. Any help would be appreciated.

[Dirkidirk]

hmmm, I'm not sure, but it could be that the contract wanted you to put it in an orbit around the mun, not just the same orbit as it, as most of those kind of mission contracts would. 

if you did put the satellite in orbit around the mun, then, I dunno. 

Edited March 14, 2020 by Dirkidirk
spell

[AHHans]

55 minutes ago, Readerty2007 said:

I was completing a contract to place a satellite in munar orbit. I successfully got the orbits to line up with ~200 m/s of dV to spare. Periapsis, Apoapsis, and inclination all match within 200 meters. 

Well, the classic mistake is to have your satellite orbit the other way around than the requested orbit. Did you check that?

If that's nor the problem, then could you look which of the green tick-boxes are and which aren't checked when you look at the contract summary while controlling your satellite? Well, and let us know what's what there.

I'll also recommend to the moderators to shift this thread to the Gameplay Questions and Tutorials section of the Forums.

[Geonovast]

Moved to Gameplay Questions.

[Superfluous J]

3 hours ago, Readerty2007 said:

I was completing a contract to place a satellite in munar orbit. I successfully got the orbits to line up with ~200 m/s of dV to spare. Periapsis, Apoapsis, and inclination all match within 200 meters.

How does it compare to the drawn orbit in map mode?

I never ever pay attention to the numbers (except to tell contracts apart when I have multiple for the same world) and just make my satellite's orbit match the drawn orbit lines in map mode. Easier, less error prone, and works every single time.

Making sure you're going the correct way is also important, but this is also easier using the drawn orbit line. If you look at it closely you'll see it's spinning in the direction you want to be orbiting.

[OHara]

4 hours ago, Readerty2007 said:

My conclusion is that the Longitude of Ascending Node is wrong by process of elimination.

If that is the only parameter that doesn't match, and if the target inclination is not zero,
then the portion of the orbit that is above the equator, is the wrong portion of the orbit, and you should be able to see the difference in map view.  That is, the orbit might be inclined the desired amount, but below the equator where the goal was to have it above the equator. The place where your current orbit and the target orbit cross is the place where you can align the orbits with one normal or antinormal burn.

If the target inclination is zero or very close to zero,
then the orbit can visually match the target with the 'Longitude of the Ascending Node' being different because that longitude is not very precisely defined (and shouldn't be a criteria for contracts).  

That very easy classic mistake, to make your orbit exactly backwards, would show up as the inclination being  180° different to the target.

Edited March 14, 2020 by OHara

[bewing]

The target orbit has nodes on it. Those nodes are relative to the vessel that currently has focus. If those nodes say 180 degrees when you hover your cursor over them, then you are orbiting the wrong way around. The nodes on your target orbit need to say zero (or actually, 2 is always good enough, but getting it to zero helps with matching the other orbit parameters).