Stock Maneuver Node - "Ejection" field

[EasyAce]

I find it quite interesting, that while KSP has been around for so long, seemingly nobody has taken time to create a video or explain the different fields in the "new" maneuver node controller.

Apoapsis, Periapsis and Period is very easy to understand, but what about "Ejection", "LAN" and "Arg PE". 

Yes I know, it got tooltips, but I find those hard to understand how we are supposed to use them...

 

Anyone know where to read detailed info?

The "advanced orbital info tab" is what I am talking about.

 

[bewing]

LAN and Arg PE are Keplerian Orbital Elements: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_elements

You don't actually need those numbers for anything in KSP. They are only there for completeness.

Phase angles and Ejection angles are described very well here: https://ksp.olex.biz/

You do need the ejection angle when setting up an interplanetary transfer burn.

Edited November 21, 2020 by bewing

[AHHans]

11 hours ago, EasyAce said:

Apoapsis, Periapsis and Period is very easy to understand, but what about "Ejection", "LAN" and "Arg PE". 

I haven't (yet?) found a practical use for the "Ejection", "LAN" and "Arg PE" values as displayed in the orbital info tab, so I just ignore them.
In contrast to RL space navigation in KSP I don't use background stars to navigate my spaceships, I just take a look at the map-screen.

[EasyAce]

3 hours ago, AHHans said:

I haven't (yet?) found a practical use for the "Ejection", "LAN" and "Arg PE" values as displayed in the orbital info tab, so I just ignore them.
In contrast to RL space navigation in KSP I don't use background stars to navigate my spaceships, I just take a look at the map-screen.

So do I, but I started to guess that the Dev's had added those field for a reason... seing them vould bring some kind of value to the players.

As nobody are able to describe them, nobody have mentioned them in Youtube videos... or anywhere else... I guess they have no value then. Should be removed from the game to avoid nonsense

[AHHans]

16 minutes ago, EasyAce said:

So do I, but I started to guess that the Dev's had added those field for a reason... seeing them would bring some kind of value to the players.

Well, I see some value in motivating players to look into the definition of orbital elements and phase- / ejection- angles. Just for the added knowledge, not because it's useful in game. But I may be a little weird that way.

Other people might find it useful to have the values that the game uses internally when it puts a craft "on rails" displayed in the game.

[Edit:] In the end I guess I prefer to have these values displayed over having empty UI space.

Edited November 21, 2020 by AHHans

[OHara]

There are two bug reports on the bug-tracker suggesting to make 'Ejection' match what the planning tools use.

There is a suggestion on the bug tracker to  take the numerical  longitude of the ascending node, and argument of periapsis, out of contracts to put things in orbit, because the numbers are not useful in the game.  So long as they are in contracts, having them in the 'advanced' tab is consistent.