find correct direction

[civillian1]

Hey guys i'm rather new with this game, so i might ask something that will answer itself soon... but at the moment i'm pretty stuck with this one.

when i launch a rocket it's very hard to determine how to go to certain locations for missions. is there something i can do to make this easier?

i'm talking both about the necessary amount of fuel so i don't overshoot my target but also (and especially) about general directions. it would be easy if a mission came with coordinates so i at least can rotate my rocket at the right direction before taking off.

[Kerbart]

Hello Civillian,

Welcome to KSP and the forum! KSP is a game with fairly realistic physics and that means that spaceflight does not work the TV and Movies have taught you. To stay in space you need to be in orbit, which means flying around in space at a speed that is sufficiently high enough to prevent you from falling back to the planet. "Coordinates" are useless at that point, since everything is in a constantly changing position. To meet up with another vessel you will need to:

* Be in the same orbit (basically the altitude and inclination, but there's more to it)

* Be in the same position at the same orbit.

Doing that is called a "rendez vous" and it can be tricky to do at first, although once you get the hang of it, it's fairly easy.

Your first goal should be to get your rocket into orbit. For that, you can steer in any direction you want, but a 90° is usually recommended for what's called an "equatorial orbit." Progress in the game is all about little steps; in the beginning making it into orbit is hard enough! Focus on that first, and then you can start working on a rendez-vous.

[civillian1]

hey kerbart,

thanks for your answer.

let me clarify a little bit. i'm not far enough in the game yet to do stuff in orbit lol. i just need to go to a specific point on the planet and do some temperature or pressure readings. but i often find myself a little bit in the wrong direction because there is no clear way to steer in the right direction except using a little educated guess. and once my rocket is out of fuel i can't adjust my trajectory anymore

[Zhetaan]

2 hours ago, civillian1 said:

Hey guys i'm rather new with this game, so i might ask something that will answer itself soon... but at the moment i'm pretty stuck with this one.

when i launch a rocket it's very hard to determine how to go to certain locations for missions. is there something i can do to make this easier?

i'm talking both about the necessary amount of fuel so i don't overshoot my target but also (and especially) about general directions. it would be easy if a mission came with coordinates so i at least can rotate my rocket at the right direction before taking off.

At the very start, your main goals are altitude-based, meaning that so long as you can find up, you can find the correct direction.  It very quickly moves to reaching space, and after that goes to staying in space, for which there are numerous tutorials (including in-game ones) to help you.

If you're talking about missions to conduct studies at specific places and altitudes for science, then I should warn you that most people find them easier to complete with aeroplanes rather than rockets--not that aeroplanes are easy, of course--and requires a completely different set of skills.  Trying to do it with a ballistic rocket is an exercise in frustration; it's solvable (with the same techniques used by launch planners during the Cold War, in fact) but you may stop having fun before you figure it out.

If, on the other hand, you are attempting to reach specific locations on the surface, then it is still difficult but I think I can help you.

You may find it easier to launch to a polar orbit and then try for a precision landing.  Polar orbit is good for that because over the course of an in-game day, you will pass over most or all of Kerbin's surface.  That makes it possible to land anywhere on the planet, so provided that you have a rocket capable of getting to polar orbit, that rocket can land anywhere on Kerbin.  Thus, you no longer need to design different rockets with different amounts of fuel for different ranges; a single model goes anywhere on the planet.  Since it's roughly the same distance to the surface from any point at low orbit altitude (approximately 75 - 80 km, and your surface altitude runs from sea level to about ten percent of that), the key to precise landings is repetition.  Use the same type of rocket and learn a standard ascent profile so that you can reach a consistent orbit with a consistent amount of fuel.  Then always deorbit the same way:  use the same amount of fuel and thrust, and always decouple your engine and fuel tank at the same time.  Always open your parachutes at the same time (you can adjust the settings so that they open at a predetermined altitude and pressure after you arm them).  Pick a target on the surface and try to land on it.  If you miss, then you can gauge and correct the error and try again.  Quicksaves and quickloads are a tremendous help with this.

Determining the correct direction for a rocket launch generally divides into three possibilities:

1. You're launching to what we may call a 'standard' equatorial orbit, which requires you to pitch east after launch.  This is the 90-degree direction on the navball (learning to read a three-dimensional compass is a new skill in itself).
2. You're launching to a polar orbit, which requires you to pitch either north or south (it doesn't usually matter which) and, after you get some experience, slightly west in order to refine the orbit.  This is either the 0-degree or the 180-degree direction.
3. You're launching to a retrograde orbit (this is normally only required for satellite orbit contracts where the target orbit is retrograde) and requires you to launch west, which is the 270-degree direction on the navball.

There are other cases that will arise under special circumstances and as you advance in skill, but these are usually for very specific purposes.

Keep in mind that a coordinate system is useless without a basis of reference (the KSC isn't necessarily at 0°N, 0°E), and even one with a basis becomes useless once you leave the sphere of influence (Kerbin-centric coordinates make no sense at Minmus and even less sense at Jool).  That doesn't touch the problem of things being in orbit also being in motion.

[civillian1]

allright!

i'll try to figure this out tomorrow.

jezus this game is complicated! but a hell of a lot fun lol

[Chequers]

Hi Civillian1, welcome aboard.

You're getting a lot of great advice about navigating in space - but it doesn't sound like you're out of the atmosphere yet. I imagine you're doing some of those 'temperature readings above/below a certain height at a certain place'? 

A few tips:

• Before launching, go into the map screen (M), and click on the target you're trying to reach. Then select 'Activate Navigation' - this sticks it on your navball.
• Your W A S D keys always control your direction on the navball - regardless of the way the camera is pointing. So focus on the navball to steer.
• Launch slow and stable. Use a liquid fuelled engine, and keep the throttle low. Make sure you have fins for stability.
• Once you've gone up a way, gently steer to point your nose at the target on your navball. Be gentle! Try and keep the prograde marker (green -O- symbol) close to where your nose is pointed.

I was exactly where you are a few weeks ago; I know it seems daunting, but stick with it - it all clicks, and soon you'll be ready for Mun landings!

Edited April 3, 2020 by Chequers