Best way to move an asteroid?

[Wizard Kerbal]

I captured an E-Class asteroid, in an elliptical  and, I forgot the terminology, but non-equatorial orbit.

I don’t know an efficient way to get it from it’s 200x4,000km non-equatorial orbit to a 180x180km equatorial orbit.

Nuclear tugs have so low TWR, even though they were on they effected the orbit by centimeters. I had to strap 49 to a fuel tank with 1,100 DV to get a TWR of .10

Even though they’re inefficient, do I just use moar, bigger engines?

 

Edited June 11, 2021 by Wizard Kerbal

[king of nowhere]

why would you? unless you get bored easily, you don't need higher thrust. You may need more fuel, though.

But the most efficient way to bring your asteroid to equatorial orbit is to wait until apoapsis, and then lower your periapsis inside the atmosphere - from apoapsis it should not be particularly expensive, maybe 100 m/s. from there, aerobrake. Aerobrake gradually, don't get too low in the atmosphere, you don't want to stop completely the first time. Then, when your apoapsis is lowered to 200 km, raise periapsis, and you can get your 180x180 orbit with maybe 300 m/s. and a bit of patience.

if you have no patience, only then you need to send up more fuel tanks and more engines.

[Single stage to ocean]

use physics warp if it is strong enough or just suck it up. plane change at apogee and use aggressive aerobraking(always quicksave.)

[AHHans]

10 hours ago, Wizard Kerbal said:

I don’t know an efficient way to get it from it’s 200x4,000km non-equatorial orbit to a 180x180km equatorial orbit.

The biggest issue is probably the plane change: 4000km apoapsis isn't all that much. So the order of business is to: a) align the nodes with the AP/PE, so that the following burns can both lower AP/PE and change planes, b) lower PE if needed, c) intermediate plane change burn if needed, d) lower AP plus final plane change.

So the first step would be to push the nodes of the orbit to the AP and PE. If the orbit is around Kerbin, then you can set the Mun as the target to have the orbit's nodes displayed in the map view. Then burn (anti)normal about a quarter orbit away from a node on the outward half of the orbit (where the orbital velocity is lower) to move the nodes around. With some fiddling around you may include lowering the PE to 180km into these burns (but I wouldn't sweat that part). I don't do that as one single full thrust burn, but several low thrust burns, pushing the nodes around bit by bit.
Once the nodes are at AP / PE and the PE still needs lowering then set up a node at AP to lower the PE, add as much (anti)normal dV as you need retrograde dV to adjust the plane (i.e. whenever you burn, add some (anti)normal component until the plane is matched).
When the PE is in position then set up a maneuver node to lower the AP and match the planes. If the (anti)normal dV is larger than the the retrograde dV then you want to do some plane changing at the AP first. If the planes are too different then it may be better to first raise the AP. (Yes, that's a thing!)
Finally once everything is in place do the combined lower the AP & match planes burn(s). If the burn is too long, then you want to split it over several orbits: for each orbit set up a maneuver node at PE to get into the final orbit, but execute only a part of that.

[Space Kerbalisation Tech]

it depends on the asteroid weight, because according to the asteroid weight, class Es go from 854 tons to 3828 tons.

you can get about 1000 mammoths and the huge tanks and dock them all with the asteroid, then follow the instructions from the posts above to get it into the desired orbit or just use mechjeb.

but thats a rubbish and impractical solution and it wont work unless you have a week of spare time and a quantum supercomputer (if you can actually do it like that then u r a ksp pro)

SO INSTEAD

you could use nuclear pulse engines if u r willing 2 go 4 the modded approach, such as one from the mod 

which includes isru  (astroids have ore) for the engine so the engine can burn almost infinitely.

u can also try the epstein drives or the Daedalus engines from 

 

These are all high thrust and high efficiency engines for all your astroid moving needs

(warranty void if used in space, on Kerbin, in ksp or when it explodes. FYI there is no warranty)

The following would be the most KERBAL solution for the biggest asteroids 

But if u are just doing stock, then i suggest you leave it in that orbit and use all that time, energy and CPU processing to do something else (like a class A asteroid) instead.

I hope this helps and if it doesn't, try the debug/cheat menu.