Adjust for Eq orbit on a ballistic trajectory.

[Motokid600]

My craft just left Kerbin's SoI on an absolutely beautiful ballistic trajectory to Jool. But up until now I never realised the importance of a mid course burn trajectory. Because I can't for the life of me correct my orbit so that I get an equatorial orbit around Jool. My ship simply is not in the right spot to begin with. Now I just left the SoI, but I fear even if I wait until an AN/DN node I still will not be able to flatten out my orbit to Jool's plane. So what I'm thinking is I have to burn anti/normal and completely lose my perfect Jool periapsis. Just so my craft can cross Jools orbital plane THEN make the adjustment burn. Problem is..how will I know when my craft is nearing that point? Engineering redux gives me relative inclination, but only the orbits inclination..not the craft itself..I think.

That or I flatten the orbit as best I can. ( best I can manage is a periapsis about 15 degrees off Jools equator. Areobrake, then ..circularize? I'm going to laythe so should I level off the orbit before or after circularization?

I'm sorry guys I know its a mouthful, but ill take whatever insight I can get. Thanks.

Edited August 12, 2013 by Motokid600

[alacrity]

Laythe gravity is too high for a decent use of the KMU to hop up into the lander.

As for editing the craft file.... it would seem unlikely to work. The only way I could imagine adding ladders might work is to create a second craft file with the ladders, finding the ladder binding point in that file and trying to cut and paste it in...or create the craft and try to splice it's location and vectors into the persistent file.

BOTH solutions may, can, might, prolly will, break craft files, break your persistent, or break KSP. I would say the more fun answer is build a smaller unmanned lander/rescue mission craft and get it to laythe, have the Kerbal's transfer over to the new craft and do their landing./science, and thne head back up and transfer back for the return flight.

Alacrity

[Motokid600]

Well that..really sucks. But I wasn't talking about editing the craft file. The mmu packs themselves. Is there a way to up the thrust?

[rryy]

You can hit Alt+F12, click Hack Gravity, use the packs to get the Kerbals back into the craft, and then Unhack Gravity, but that may be "cheaty".

[Motokid600]

You can hit Alt+F12, click Hack Gravity, use the packs to get the Kerbals back into the craft, and then Unhack Gravity, but that may be "cheaty".

Ah well its something so frivolous I dont care. Thanks so much man. Saves me having to fly steps all the way out to Laythe lol

[numerobis]

"Houston, we've had a problem."

"This is Houston. Say again please."

"Houston, we've had a problem. Jeb forgot to bring his portable ladder."

[Motokid600]

I want to try and repurpose this thread. Hope it works out.

Edited August 12, 2013 by Motokid600

[Mr Shifty]

I want to try and repurpose this thread. Hope it works out.

Please don't do this; post a new thread instead. Changing the OP and title makes the thread make no sense.

[SRV Ron]

Mid course maneuvers are a must to assure proper equatorial alignment with the moons and planets of the Kerban system. The closer to midway they are done, the less fuel needed for the burn.

If you can get an encounter with one of Jool's moons, you can tweak a slingshot maneuver that will realign your orbital plane to the equatorial using very little fuel. It may take thrusters to fine tune the change as such maneuvers can be very thrust and angle critical. Slingshot maneuvers are a good way to get rid of excessive speed for closer end orbits, or to hit escape velocity while using little fuel.

Here is a retrograde slingshot maneuver that greatly slowed down my probe into the Jool system.

It is even possible to get a near capture maneuver without aerobraking. I got one around Laythe that only required a two second burn with thrusters.

Edited August 12, 2013 by SRV Ron

[numerobis]

I want to try and repurpose this thread. Hope it works out.

Don't do this! Now everyone is going to wonder what the first few posters were smoking when they replied. Just start a new thread -- it's not like they cost anything.

[Motokid600]

Don't do this! Now everyone is going to wonder what the first few posters were smoking when they replied. Just start a new thread -- it's not like they cost anything.

Lol, sorry guys I figured it was the smart thing to do since we were only five posts in. Thanks Ron gives me some things to try. My issue is that this is a very big mission. Four probes break off the mothership. Two will be diving into Jool's atmosphere. And two landers for Vall and Tylo. The mothership then orbits laythe and sends down a lander/rover/return stage. Now I don't want to control five ships at the same time so I gotta get each one exept the Jool landers into a parking orbit so I only have to worry about one at a time. It's gonna be tough, but ill do what I can with what I got. Thanks fellas.