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Maneuvre node direction shifts during large burn


tomf

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During a large burn the position of the maneuvre node on the navball shifts around meaning that burns that significantly change the direction of the craft aren't executed as expected.

Impact

Large accurate burns are impossible.

Reproduction

This affects every maneuver to some extent but can be very clearly with the following reproduction

  • Place a craft with a high TWR into a 100 km equatorial circular orbit of kerbin. (I used a mod to get my test craft into orbit)
  • Create a maneuver node to plane shift the craft into a polar orbit. This should have a deta-v total of about 3181 (again using a mod I can see -2246 prograge, +2246 normal and +126 radial)
  • Observe that the predicted orbit is now a polar orbit with 90 degree inclination and ~ 100km AP and PEWIXXnOr.png
  • Use SAS to orient the craft
  • Try to execute the maneuvre
  • Observe that the burn progress bar decreases to about half way then starts going up again.
  • Continue the burn for the predicted length of time (in my case this burn was predicted to take 29 seconds
  • Observe that you are now completely the wrong trajectoryJXJvdwJ.png

Analysis

The issue appears to be that as the burn was executed the maneuvre node moved in order to stay fixed relative to the current velocity of the craft. However the projected trajectory line (and the KSP 1 behaviour) shows the result of the burn at a fixed direction relative to the body being orbited. For this maneuvre I would expect the burn to be fixed at a 45 degrees north while the velocity markers will migrate from initially having prograde at 90 degrees moving upwards to 0 degrees at then end with prograde passing under the maneuvre marker half way through the burn.

Workaround (untested)

Use SAS to allign with the node and then switch to SAS locked heading mode and ignore the maneuvre node wandering.

Edited by Anth12
adding version
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Just to add - this could be a useful advanced  feature for very low TWR burns where the craft needs to spiral out with a single burn lasting a significant fraction of the orbit, but the maneuvre node predicted orbit needs to support it and definitely shouldn't be a default.

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Can confirm that having SAS on “attitude hold” mode instead of “point at maneuver” mode is a functional workaround. The maneuver aimpoint does indeed seem to rotate and maintain angle relative to your current velocity instead of your initial orbit.

Edited by Sea_Kerman
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