The atmosphere has no effect on the debris?

[Cesrate]

I have several debris orbiting Kerbin at about 70*40km, but they seemed not to be affected by atmosphere at all…

[ROFLCopter64bit]

They have to be active to have any effect by atmosphere (As in you have to be flying them). That's what happens to me.

[Felsmak]

Physics is only applied to them when you're around. Otherwise, they're on rails.

[joppiesaus]

so I can have a debris (or a ship) orbit at 10 km in kerbin, as long as I just not get close to it?

[Quasar]

Inactive craft some distance from you, or craft under time-warp, are put "on-rails". This essentially means that their physics isn't computed and their position is determined by simple orbital calculations. This is why a single ship with loads of parts can lag the game to heck, but 50 similar ships will have no effect if they're all in orbit.

Unfortunately, atmospheric interaction is not part of the "on-rails" computation, so debris will act as if the atmosphere doesn't exist. (so you can, in fact, achieve an orbit in the atmosphere in KSP, so long as you don't switch back to the craft. Which would make for an *excellent* challenge post, now that I think of it...).

Since you can't switch to uncontrolled debris via the map view, the only way to de-orbit these pieces is to rendevous with them, switch to them using "[" or "]", and then stay focused on them until their periapsis dips below 0. (which is still a darn sight easier than getting rid of ones in proper orbit. Does anyone have any methods or mods for that, by the way?)

[Guest]

so I can have a debris (or a ship) orbit at 10 km in kerbin, as long as I just not get close to it?

They disappear below certain altitude (30km or so).

[ROFLCopter64bit]

Since you can't switch to uncontrolled debris via the map view, the only way to de-orbit these pieces is to rendevous with them, switch to them using "[" or "]", and then stay focused on them until their periapsis dips below 0. (which is still a darn sight easier than getting rid of ones in proper orbit. Does anyone have any methods or mods for that, by the way?)

I have no problem with selecting debris from map view. You also can't switch to/from vessels that are in the atmosphere.

[Felsmak]

so I can have a debris (or a ship) orbit at 10 km in kerbin, as long as I just not get close to it?

Debris is deleted at a certain altitude, but I don't know what it is. Though theoretically, yes. You could establish an orbit deep within the atmosphere.

[drakesdoom]

There was a mod around that gave a part to delete nearby debris and add any fuel in it into your fuel tanks and only worked on the ground. More importantly it also had a plugin to slowly remove debris from kerbin surface and atmosphere. It was named salvage something or rather, can't find it now.

[tommygunyeah]

Just change the debris limit in the Main options (unless you're trying to be legit), load the game then you can go back and change it. Should work

[Whirligig Girl]

Should they be deleted in the atmosphere?

[ROFLCopter64bit]

Well, yes, as the rails thing isn't completly accurate (Not much to say in the least), so automatic deletion is needed.

[DarkGravity]

Maybe you can "fly" the debris from the Tracking Station to get it to interact with the atmosphere? Maybe I'll try that on this one piece I have orbiting on an elliptical orbit. Sometimes it is below 70k, sometimes not. Usually I just Terminate debris from the tracking station and pretend I'm using a giant ground-based laser to vaporize the trash. Maybe there should be a cost to fire the laser? I wish there were an option to keep the debris around, but not have it displayed all the time, like when you're trying to do a mission where the debris is irrelevant.

[Snark]

The rule for eliminating debris (or your spacecraft, for that matter) when they're "on rails" is this: there's a certain critical altitude (I think it's defined as "1% of Kerbin sea-level atmospheric pressure," something like that), above which they completely ignore the atmosphere, and below which they simply disappear (are destroyed). If you have something with a periapsis in the upper atmosphere, you have to "fly" it to get aerobraking.

[merendel]

Maybe you can "fly" the debris from the Tracking Station to get it to interact with the atmosphere? Maybe I'll try that on this one piece I have orbiting on an elliptical orbit. Sometimes it is below 70k, sometimes not. Usually I just Terminate debris from the tracking station and pretend I'm using a giant ground-based laser to vaporize the trash. Maybe there should be a cost to fire the laser? I wish there were an option to keep the debris around, but not have it displayed all the time, like when you're trying to do a mission where the debris is irrelevant.

you can click off debris display in the map view so it wont show there. You'll still see their target boxes if you get close enough in normal view (or the item itself if you get really close) but in most orbits you shouldnt be seeing many pieces at any given time unless you've been litering that orbital zone.

Unless the PE of a bit of spacejunk drops down to about 23-24km it will stay in orbit in the stock game as long as it stays on rails. Thats for performance reasons but personaly I have no problem just nukeing them from the tracking station if its passing through the atmosphere. I figure their orbits would decay naturaly anyway if the simulation was compleat. Anything else I either leave or push outa orbit manualy although I generaly design missions to not leave random flotsam in orbits baring the ocasional transfer stage that ends up in a solar orbit.