A good and efficient way to probe/map for kethane

[Dudeman1420]

Hello fellow kerbinauts! So I'm in search of a decent/fast/efficient way to map for kethane. I have my probe set up at most places I want to mine,with a large kethane detector.I turn it on and start to probe but only get pretty straight lines. i try pointing my scanner in different places,but i'm not sure if it is doing anything effective or im just wasting rcs and time.Should i be moving my inclination around?And if so whats a good "cycle"? Or is that a waste of fuel/rcs and time?Any other pointers would be kickass too.I just want to learn and get better! thanks for the help ~the dude abides!

Or if i missed a tutorial that explains this,could i get a link to or pointed in that direction?

thanks again!

Edited April 29, 2013 by Dudeman1420
added more questionz!firezeecannnons!

[That guy who builds stuff]

The best I can tell the fastest way to scan is to place the probe in a circular polar orbit at the minimum altitude you can get without hitting the atmosphere or mountains.

Other then that it's all patience.

[drakesdoom]

I would aim for highest altitude the scanner will work at in a polar orbit 85 degrees or higher inclination, hit x50 time acceleration and go have lunch. You may have some gaps in your map but deposits are kinda big.

[Ringer]

It depends on the body. If you have something that rotates very slowly, like Moho or most of the smaller moons, it will take hours to cover all longitudes. I addressed this by taking a polar orbit to covering an orbit or two at a given longitude, adjusting my inclination to move east slightly near the equator, then readjusting to a polar orbit. Of course, this requires fuel and some attention (I scanned Moho while watching a movie and bumping the orbit over every few minutes). The most efficient way to 'bump' the polar orbit east or west would probably be to make a normal burn at 45 degrees south, then make an antinormal burn at the 45 degrees north, assuming you're traveling north in that portion of your orbit. If you decline 4 degrees, the next polar orbit would be 1 degree east, right? Damn it, I just use the map.

I suck at orbital mechanics, however. I never fully understood why a polar orbit can't naturally rotate in the same way a body spins; why is it relative to the ground? A planet's own rotation is relative to its parent body, right? I suppose as you orbit one thing, you are also in a child orbit of its parent. Can anyone explain this to me like I'm 5?

[Sovek]

Anytime you are mapping things, you want to stick it in a an 80-90° polar orbit. This way, you are mapping different parts of the planet as it rotates around its axis, but your orbit stays fixed.

[Dudeman1420]

So did what the first person responded with and got this result, which tells me i was way off in my idea's lol.And want to thank everyone for the responses.I think this way is pretty efficient ,so far, and will continue to tinker/adjust it, and keep this thread informed .So please feel free to still comment .Its all a huge learning experience for not only me but alot of others to!

[Sovek]

yep, thats the ticket, Just gotta let it run as the planet/mun rotates, more the map gets filled in.