[0.22.0] Moon Travel Tutorial 1.0.1

[blizzy78]

Looking for a plugin developer to take over this plugin! See this thread for details.

I've made a plugin that uses the interactive in-game tutorial system to teach how to fly to the Mun.

Download Moon Travel Tutorial 1.0.1

To start the tutorial, select Start Game > Training > Moon Travel from the main menu and follow instructions.

Please note that I plan to extend the tutorial by going to Minmus as the second flight. Of course this is even more involved than going to the Mun, so I chose to not implement this at this time.

Let me know what you think of the tutorial or what can be improved about it. Thanks!

In case you're interested, I've also made an in-game docking tutorial and an in-game rendezvous tutorial.

Changes:

1.0.1, 2013-09-25
- When setting up the maneuver node for the Mun transfer orbit, the player
  now gets more information displayed.
- The player is now prevented from going around the Mun in the west direction.

1.0.0, 2013-09-14
- Initial public release.

The Moon Travel Tutorial is licensed under the GNU GPL v3.

Edited November 25, 2014 by blizzy78

[HeadHunter67]

Thanks! Your tutorial missions have been very helpful to me. I've done Münshots before, landed safely and even managed a free-return trajectory once... but I've still got much to learn (like the most effective ways for LOI and landing orbits). I'll give this a try.

[blizzy78]

Please note that this does not include landing on the surface. I've thought about making a landing tutorial (not part of this one) before, but I think it's rather hard because giving instructions while the player is in the middle of doing something (trying to land) can quickly become a mess. In all of the three existing tutorials, it's rather giving instructions, player executes them, give another instruction, player executes it. That back-and-forth approach doesn't work for landings.

[HeadHunter67]

I understand - by "landing orbits" I was referring to what you're doing here. First problem: I set an intercept orbit by dragging the prograde handle until my Kerbin apoapsis was the same as the Mün's orbit (a little over 11.4 Mm), but no matter where along my parking orbit I drag the ring (even in the area where I have intercepts), I do not see a Münar "periapsis" marker that you refer to - and honestly, I don't think I ever have.

This may be why I've had problems with LOI before - I have to adjust my burn after encounter or I'll crash right into the surface. What am I doing wrong here? I was hoping this would teach me, but I'm not seeing what you speak of. Are you using different patched conic seetings than the default or something? All I see are Pe and Ap markers for my existing and projected Kerbin orbits, not for the Mün.

[EDIT: OK, I did manage to get a Münar Pe marker, but it required setting the initial orbit to quite a bit beyond the diameter of the Münar orbit - about 12.1Mm. That's a bit of a difference.]

Edited September 14, 2013 by HeadHunter67

[HeadHunter67]

OK, things are a little clearer to me now that I've done it. I guess my problems before were due to not making my initial LOI orbit large enough to make an intercept with a low PE rather than an impact trajectory. I'm sure if I knew more about actual landing techniques, a collision course would be OK. Trying to be economical with fuel, I guess. Thanks again for helping me to learn how it's done.

[Wice]

Thanks blizzy, good tutorial. Only thing is: I ended up in a counterclockwise orbit around Mün, which is why I couldn't figure out how to do the return burn you did. It wasn't until I put myself in a clockwise orbit (thanks to infinite fuel) that I could execute that maneuvre.

[BFGfreak]

For a landing tutorial, I'd suggest using minmus as that is much more forgiving to land on than the mun is.

[blizzy78]

I ended up in a counterclockwise orbit around Mün, which is why I couldn't figure out how to do the return burn you did.

I suspected that could happen. Guess I need to figure out how to prevent the player from doing that

For a landing tutorial, I'd suggest using minmus as that is much more forgiving to land on than the mun is.

Right, but still things can get messy if you're trying to land for the first time and read instructions while you're doing it.

[Payload]

I understand - by "landing orbits" I was referring to what you're doing here. First problem: I set an intercept orbit by dragging the prograde handle until my Kerbin apoapsis was the same as the Mün's orbit (a little over 11.4 Mm), but no matter where along my parking orbit I drag the ring (even in the area where I have intercepts), I do not see a Münar "periapsis" marker that you refer to - and honestly, I don't think I ever have.

This may be why I've had problems with LOI before - I have to adjust my burn after encounter or I'll crash right into the surface. What am I doing wrong here? I was hoping this would teach me, but I'm not seeing what you speak of. Are you using different patched conic seetings than the default or something? All I see are Pe and Ap markers for my existing and projected Kerbin orbits, not for the Mün.

[EDIT: OK, I did manage to get a Münar Pe marker, but it required setting the initial orbit to quite a bit beyond the diameter of the Münar orbit - about 12.1Mm. That's a bit of a difference.]

I have a crazy trick for you to try. Try pulling prograde until you get 837ms of dV on the nav ball then adjust your node time by dragging it around. See if it doesn't give you a decent capture every time. That seems to always work for me. Still I remember the days when you just burned when you saw the moon on the horizon of your orbit. We used to just keep checking the map to make sure we didn't completely blow it.

[HeadHunter67]

From a 200km orbit (as in this tutorial), that much dV gives me a 35.1 Mm orbit. I van get an intercept on a very narrow section of the orbit, takes a bit of finesse to get it down low enough - but a couple shots at a free return trajectory.

Is that a fuel-efficient burn? Sounds like that much thrust would waste a lot of fuel. But yes, it does work. Thanks.

[Dedjal]

landing is easy when you understand the navball.

Put yourself on a collision course. Point your engines towards the ground. Now, look at your navball and keep that blue marker in the middle of the blue half of the navball. Adjust it with RCS until right. Fire your engines (all depends on TWR you got, atmo on planet etc) and try to land at 5ms or under.

[Kerbal01]

Can you do a interplanetary tutorial?

[blizzy78]

Sure, it's not that hard, but it takes time to implement it.

[blizzy78]

Moon Travel Tutorial 1.0.1 is now available for download. It will require the player to go around the Mun in the east direction instead of allowing any direction. This is because subsequent tutorial steps will depend on this.

[Wice]

Can you do a interplanetary tutorial?

Sure, it's not that hard, but it takes time to implement it.

Any word on this?

[blizzy78]

Any word on this?

Unfortunately not, as I have been busy with implementing my achievements mod. (see signature)

[jpinard]

Will this work ok in .23?

[blizzy78]

I haven't tested it with 0.23 so far.

[blizzy78]

I have updated the OP to provide a new download location.

[blizzy78]

I've just posted a thread to announce that I'm looking for a plugin developer to take over this plugin.

Meanwhile, I'm halting all development on this plugin. It's been a good time so far. Thank you all for your input and support.