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abbreviations and general terminology


killernerd

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there are quite a few abbreviations and technical terms being thrown around here. Time to shed some light on them!

Some might be very basic but i'm sure someone will find them helpful.

Also: feel free to add your own!

VAB: vehicle assembly building (where you build your stuff)

LV-N: nuclear engine, typically efficiant but not alot of power

RCS: small thrusters used for docking and maneuvring

SSTO: Single Stage To Orbit, as the name suggests this is a vehicle that gets into orbit without using decouplers

VTOL: Vertical Take Off and Landing, here too it is, as the name suggests, a craft that can take off and land vertically though without the use of rotors (so they're not helicopters)

SASS: helps keep your ship stable, there are different kinds of SASS modules:

  • standard: only counters the current movement (using gyros?)
  • advanced: tries to keep your ship at the current heading and bank
  • the avionics pack: used on airplanes and smoothens your input to help keep your plane under control

pitch: how far "up" or "down" your nose is pointing

heading: the direction you're going

bank: how much you're leaning to the left or the right

gyros: or gyro stabilizer in full, uses a spinning disk or wheel in which the axle is free to assume any orientation (from wikipedia: click!)

LKO: low kerbin orbit

geosynchronous orbit or geostationary orbit: Orbit at which point the earth (or in this case kerbin) spins at the same rate as you. This means that you don't move relative to the ground directly below you.

periapsis: lowest point of orbit

apoapsis: highest point of orbit

burning prograde: firing your rockets while pointed in the direction you are going (accelerating basically)

burning retrograde: the opposite, breaking using rockets

aero breaking: using the atmosphere to slow you down without fully re-entering

kinetic kill: using a vehicle to destroy another but crashing into it

(TWR, ÃŽâ€v <- still have to look these up)

I've run out of time for now but I'll add in more later. Add your own if you want or improve on mine of you see a mistake :)

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Perikerb: Periapsis specifically when orbiting kerbin.

Apokerb: see perikerb :P

Kerbo-stationary orbit: An orbit that has the spacecraft stay in the exact same spot above kerbin at all times. (Kerbin specific)

Kerbo-synchronous orbit: An orbit that has the same period as Kerbin's rotation, but does not stay in the exact same spot at all times. (Kerbin specific)

Semi-Kerbo-synchronous orbit: An orbit with half the period of Kerbin's rotation. Will be over the same point at the same time each time kerbin rotates.

Parking orbit: An orbit a craft is put on as a means to store it in space for future use.

Direct accent: When between launch and transfer, parking orbits are not bothered with.

Transfer orbit: An eliptical orbit used to move between one orbit and another, or to get to another body.

RCS: Reaction Control System. Primarily for precision movements, or faster rotation compared to what can be achieved with a command pod or probe core's built in reaction wheels.

Delta V: Change in velocity. Defines a rockets capability to accelerate and decelerate.

TMR: Thrust to mass ratio. Determines how fast a rocket will accelerate when not slowed down by gravity or atmospheres.

TWR: Thrust to weight ratio.

Weight: The force experienced by an amount of mass due to gravity.

Aerobreaking: Using a planet or moon's atmosphere to slow yourself down. Useful for achieving orbital capture, or modifying an orbit. Use with caution.

Lithobreaking: Using a planet or moon's surface to slow yourself down. Not recommended for achieving orbital capture, or modifying orbits. Or for anything really.

Relative velocity: The velocity of one object compared to another.

That'll do for me.

Edited by Tw1
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