Precise landing /scooting

[SDIR]

I'm currently trying to build a Mun base, but I can't seem to get the hang of moving modules precisely. I specifically placed my hab area 3km from the main base/ landing area but still I am unable to land close to my target (it's just a flag). Does anybody have any ideas on how to hop closer to a target?

Edited June 10, 2013 by SDIR

[th3shameless]

practice, just keep practicing at it

[haltux]

Some advices:

- Put your base on the equator. Much simpler.

- Use the map and manoeuvre nodes as much as possible. The idea is to flight exactly above your target, at low altitude. So the point where your trajectory disappear in the planet should be just "after" your target. Don't aim exactly your target or it will be too "short" when you do the final break.

- When getting closer check that you go in the right direction with your marker. Prograde marker should be in the same vertical plan than target marker. It prooves that you are in the right direction. You can also use external view and see whether your target "slides" on the left or the right.

- Even close to your target, check the map often. Your displayed trajectory is helpful with a precision under a kilometer.

- When you are almost vertical (depending of your engine power) to your target at low altitude, thrust retrograd to kill your horizontal speed.

Final approach, if you wish to land less than a hundred meter of your target, is the most tricky part, especially because of the lack of satisfying view for the job. Honestly, the best advice is to quicksave and train.

It helps a lot to have Advanced SAS. Stay perfectly vertical most of the time and control your vertical speed. To change your horizontal direction, release ASAS, lean a bit, burn quickly, go back vertical and lock ASAS again. Some people use RCS to translate, I guess it is convenient, but never tried it. Extensively use your prograde marker, and speed indicator.

[Flaglore]

Another method is to construct a large rover capable of picking up and moving base buildings into specific locations.

[entaran]

Way overcomplicating things.

1. Start with something small and light for testing. Use like a pod on a FLT400 with a 90 under it and some legs. Put a light facing down or only train on the day side.

2. Pick a target, put a flag down, do whatever you want really.

3. Align your orbit (I'm assuming you're on the mun here) so it passes MORE OR LESS directly over the target. You want to be at 10km or slightly less if you can manage it, ie very very close to the surface. I usually come in at 6km but you need to be wary of mountains and when you come down that low.

4. Using a manoevre node purely for TIMING (1 minute 6 seconds from now!) etc, burn DIRECTLY retrograde approx 90 seconds or so from your target so it breaks your orbit and is " a little bit " to the side of your target, you want (by eye) to be about 900 metres above the target and the rest of the vector beside it. Any of the flight computer mods can really help maintain retrograde, otehrwise ASAS it.

5. Time accelerate to the point where you're about a kilometre or two to the side of your target, maintaining retrograde (you will stay retrograde the whole time btw), burn full power until your "surface" speed drops to almost zero. At this point your horiz speed is also nearly zero. Your retrograde marker should be near the very top by this stage.

6. Fall. at about 200 metres fire your motors and slow yourself down (at this point you ignore the retrograde marker and just try to stay dead vertical), when you drop to about 10-15 metres you can then adjust in small increments by tiltin gin the opposite direction you are "skidding" along the ground.

Heavier ships are MUCH harder to land (exponentially usually).

PRACTICE with something really light. And work your way up.

Quicksave BEFORE you start your descent (after you fix your orbit) and don't quicksave again until you land. Otherwise you'll become reliant on quicksaves instead of getting it into a fluid operation.

[Nibb31]

You could just add wheels to your base modules and drive them around. Or you could go with Bigelow's approach and dock the modules in lunar orbit and land the entire complex.

[RussaX]

You can try with mechjeb it will make your job easy. for sure if you trying to make big base it will be laggy

[Yuming]

Yes, an added side affect of being imprecise is that modules often land ~2 Kilometers away, cutting down on lag. Send them a rover if they need to go the distance to the other modules.

[MBobrik]

If you have something on the ground, you can first aim for it in the map view ( set the trajectory to slightly overshoot so that you will be exactly above at say 3 km ) when directly above, kill all horizontal velocity there, and then select the vehicle on the ground as the target then try to align target retrograde and your retrograde to the center. You can comfortably land within 100 meters from the target this way, but don't overdo it, because you might easily land on top of the target.

Edited June 9, 2013 by MBobrik

[MBobrik]

Also, if you want to use ASAS, then use RCS as well, and place your RCS nozzles against all good practice of docking ABOVE your COM. This way each time you use translation, your main engine's nozzle(s) automatically tilt in the direction that amplifies the RCS action and you will save a lot of RCS fuel that way.

[SDIR]

Thanks guys! That helped a lot, especially entaran mentioning practicing with a small craft. That I can do! Thanks for all of the tips, I'll definitely be using them.

[giltirn]

The hardest part during the hover/apply thrust diagonally part is figuring out exactly what direction you need to turn your ship. AFAIK there is no way to see what compass direction the camera is facing, so the navball is pretty much useless. I have tried in the past using trial and error but always end up crashing. It would be wonderful if there was some way of projecting the compass directions into the camera view, it would make this, and docking, so much easier.

[Rickenbacker]

The hardest part during the hover/apply thrust diagonally part is figuring out exactly what direction you need to turn your ship. AFAIK there is no way to see what compass direction the camera is facing, so the navball is pretty much useless. I have tried in the past using trial and error but always end up crashing. It would be wonderful if there was some way of projecting the compass directions into the camera view, it would make this, and docking, so much easier.

The closest you can get is probably to use Chase view (hit V until it comes up), and make sure that you point the camera "forwards" from the perspective of the spacecraft. But a compass tape gauge along the bottom or top of the screen might be useful in some instances, I guess.

[maltesh]

The hardest part during the hover/apply thrust diagonally part is figuring out exactly what direction you need to turn your ship. AFAIK there is no way to see what compass direction the camera is facing, so the navball is pretty much useless. I have tried in the past using trial and error but always end up crashing. It would be wonderful if there was some way of projecting the compass directions into the camera view, it would make this, and docking, so much easier.

You can target the object on the ground that you're trying to land nearby. An indicator of its position will then pop up on the navball, allowing you to plan your thrusting to bring things closer.

Back in 0.19, I threw together a Targeted Landing Practice scenario to help me develop my skills at bringing things down near other things, though with resources being pushed back, I haven't done much else with it. Should still be compatible, though.

[EmanonP]

Practice will get you within a few klicks. Having a Rover to pick you up and bring you to the party? Priceless....

[Xiphos]

Practice on minimus? Lower gravity should help you learn how to land closer to targets on the ground from orbit. All of your ships that can reach the mun and land should be able to make it to minimus no problem so you don't even have to redesign anything. Some of my most accurate landings (100m or so) have been on minimus. Minimus is also a great place to learn how to 'hop' your landers around to get them even closer. Good luck!