Voyager 1

[Bunsen]

Is it possible to reach solar escape velocity by doing a slingshot fly-by of Jool?

Quite. That's exactly what my probe was doing in that first picture. I burned off the last few drops of propellant also, but it didn't make a lot of difference compared to the slingshot.

[Francesco]

2:you only need 5000m/s from kerbin orbit to solar escape

last time I checked it was actually a lot less than that: 2.7 - 2.8 km/s from LKO.

where did you get the 5k value?

Is it possible to reach solar escape velocity by doing a slingshot fly-by of Jool?

yes, if you want to go through the effort.

as stated above, it really doesn't take that much to reach solar escape velocity: something like 7.2 km/s from the launchpad.

[csiler2]

I'm pretty sure that solar panels are based on distance and angle to the sun, and yes it's possible to leave the Solar System, but the Sun's SOI is infinite.

Plus, voyager 1 had an RTG power source so it was less reliant on solar energy as it went further out. You can certainly get an escape trajectory though.

If I recall correctly, most of the interplanetary/interstellar probes launched in the 60s, 70s, and 80s used RTGs as opposed to solar panels. Voyager 1, 2, and Pioneer 10 used RTGs and not solar panels as their power source.

[fortraan]

You could use an extrasolar (or extrakerbolar?) planets mod, and try to visit some planets there. Maybe even send a Voyager 3 to that star, and then launch it out from there.

[DChurchill]

On 6/15/2013 at 1:35 AM, csiler2 said:

If I recall correctly, most of the interplanetary/interstellar probes launched in the 60s, 70s, and 80s used RTGs as opposed to solar panels. Voyager 1, 2, and Pioneer 10 used RTGs and not solar panels as their power source.

Juno is the first probe even as far as Jupiter to use solar. I imagine as solar technology continues to improve that the usable distance from the sun will only increase.

[algeo]

1 hour ago, fortraan said:

You could use an extrasolar (or extrakerbolar?) planets mod, and try to visit some planets there. Maybe even send a Voyager 3 to that star, and then launch it out from there.

The thread is almost three years old.  

[DChurchill]

2 minutes ago, algeo said:

The thread is almost three years old.  

Oh jeez I didn't even notice that. I however am not the necromancer, just the replier.

[algeo]

Just now, DChurchill said:

Oh jeez I didn't even notice that. I however am not the necromancer, just the replier.

I figured as much, which is why I didn't quote you.  

[Sereneti]

the question is:
is it still possible, or are there gamechanges, that changed this?

 

[JonathanPerregaux]

Using HyperEdit to add velocity to my craft, I attained a distance of hundreds of yottameters from the sun (the odometer rolled through all the Metric System prefixes up to Y). That's over 10²⁴ meters (over 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000). At that distance, the sun was clearly visible but everything around me started shaking, probably due to rounding errors. And yeah, solar panels at about one yottameter do not work.

Edited May 18, 2016 by JonathanPerregaux

[Wallygator]

10 minutes ago, Sereneti said:

the question is:
is it still possible, or are there gamechanges, that changed this?

 

Aha! And with this clever question this thread has a slim chance to live again with new and updated information.  Uh, unless there is none...

i don't think I have seen any references to changes to the basic configuration of the sun Soi and/or the planetary system except to adjustments to atmosphere heights, Densities etc. 

[Snark]

Yes, the thread's three years old... but rather unusually for a thread revival after such a long time, it's actually still accurate and relevant.

Nothing has changed in the basic "rules of the game" since the thread first started.

• Yes, you can quite easily get on an "escape trajectory" out of the sun, such that you will keep on going outwards forever and never come back.
• No, you can't "escape the sun's SoI" because the sun's SoI goes outward to infinity.

This topic comes up from time to time, and I think the reason for it is that a lot of folks have confusion about exactly what "escape" means, IRL.  This may be a combination of two things:  KSP's use of "SoI" as a (non-realistic) simplifying mechanism for the game, and misconceptions people have about orbital physics.

"Escape" doesn't mean where you are, it means how fast you're going (relative to where you are).  "Escape" just means "you're on a trajectory that will not form a closed loop, but just go on forever outwards."  Or, put another way, "your net energy relative to the body (potential plus kinetic) is positive rather than negative."

If you're 200 km above Earth's surface, and going faster than 11 kilometers per second... then you have escaped Earth.  Not "yes, you're eventually going to escape when you get past some notional SoI boundary", but you have already escaped.  On the other hand, if you're 500,000 kilometers from Earth and going slower than 900 m/s relative to it... then you have not escaped.

So if you mean "can you escape the Sun" in that sense, then yes, you certainly can.  If you're at Kerbin's distance from the sun, just boost your sun-relative speed to something higher than sqrt(2) times Kerbin's orbital velocity, and you have escaped.

But if you mean it in the sense of "can you escape the sun's SoI in-game", then the answer is "no, you can't because it goes to infinity."

[OhioBob]

There is actually a contract in the game for placing a spacecraft on a solar escape trajectory.

[Draco T stand-up guy]

On 14/06/2013 at 11:46 PM, Claytsuk said:

Is it possible to achieve an escape velocity from Kerbin (I think that's right (the sun)) and simulate a Voyager type scenario. Where the probe eventually will pass into interstellar space?

Would Solar Panels stop working at some point?

??

Yes, this thing is quite capable of leaving the Kerbol solar system *Escaped.

and yes, solar panels do stop generating power as you go further from Kerbol.

On 14/06/2013 at 0:04 AM, allmappedout said:

Plus, voyager 1 had an RTG power source so it was less reliant on solar energy as it went further out.

You can follow Voyager on Twitter @NASAVoyager

Yes, after 40+ years, it's still operational.

Edited May 19, 2016 by Draco T stand-up guy

[samstarman5]

On 6/14/2013 at 0:19 PM, DarthVader said:

Yes it is possible to escape kerbols SOI, I've done it 4-6 times (using frizzank's totally OP magic egg pod)

It is possible to achieve escape velocity. But Kerbin's Sun's SOI is infinite so you will never actually leave it.

OT: Both Voyagers are powered solely by their RTG's, as solar panel technology at the time of their inception was rather lackluster. The panels would have been useless beyond the orbit of Mars and therefore deadweight through their primary mission.  Even Galileo, the next probe to visit Jupiter after Voyager 2, was only powered by an RTG.  It wasn't until the probe Juno when it was felt solar panel tech was advanced enough to actually provide enough power to the probe out that far.

If you want a solar-powered probe for Jool and Eeloo, you will definitely need the large solar panels, as even the smaller banks will be useless and you won't want to put too many on as that would just turn into weight you would need to compensate for in fuel.

It would definitely be fun to go for a gravity-assist by Duna to get to Jool.  Just don't be surprised if Ike butts in and throws you either into Duna or on a perpendicular course of the plane of the system.  Ike is very naughty like that.