How do you interplanetary?

[Tidus Klein]

I was reading some threads below and had the idea to ask this question.

How do you travel to other planets.

Wait for a window.

launch and hope

Or just chill around the sun till you get and intersect?

I normally just launch whenever ( as soon as i finish my contraptions)

and play with the maneuver nodes till i get a intercept.

how about you guys?

[Hannu]

I use the nerdy way and select correct launch window and return window by using Porkchop plots, calculate burns, estimate needed corrections and safety margins (Mostly due to KSP's inaccurate orbit calculation) and plan a ship to do that.

Porkchop plots can be calculated here.

[Scotius]

Maneuver nodes FTW Usually i check on the map view if there is any possible window opening soon. If i see something promising i launch the ship into Kerbol orbit, then play with MN changing inclination, setting up encounter etc. It's not most fuel effective method, but i tend to overbuild my ships anyway. And one of first things i do after reaching another planet is setting up logistics train - small refuelling stations, automated tankers, kethane mines and so on.

[Tidus Klein]

same here but I don't bother normally with orbiting I just areobrake right in for the landing

[M.Wolfy]

I chill in sun's orbit, for reasons of saving d/v and not being bothered to wait for a launch window. Of course when i do a grand tour i'll wait for windows though.

[Sapphire]

I just chill in the sun's orbit. Don't have to wait for windows, and I generally leave my Kerbals plenty of living space, so they should be fine! ...Right?

[Tidus Klein]

better then an open seat I would say!

[Monkeh]

Launch when the awful thing I've cooked up is ready to go. Play with maneuver nodes. Accept a long burn time for increased delta v. Roll myself a...cigarette whilst burning, press f5, profit.

[maltesh]

Set a window reminder in Kerbal Alarm Clock, wait for it to occur while doing other things and preparing, and then throwing the missions.

I believe that's roughly 80% of the objects I'm throwing at Duna in this window.

Edited September 16, 2013 by maltesh

[Tidus Klein]

O.O (slams head in to monitor staring at all the gorgeous lines)

[maltesh]

I chill in sun's orbit, for reasons of saving d/v and not being bothered to wait for a launch window. Of course when i do a grand tour i'll wait for windows though.

Chilling in solar orbit doesn't save delta-V. It costs you more delta-v than going directly from a low orbit over your origin world to a low orbit over your destination during a Hohmann window, thanks to the Oberth effect.

[Awaras]

Chilling in solar orbit doesn't save delta-V. It costs you more delta-v than going directly from a low orbit over your origin world to a low orbit over your destination during a Hohmann window, thanks to the Oberth effect.

Well, to be fair, it does save dV compared to 'playing with the movement nodes' to get an intercept outside a window for a proper hohmann transfer...

IF you don't have the patience to wait for a launch window and don't mind keeping your Kerbals in interplanetary space for months at a time at high timewarp, this is the fastest and easiest way to get anywhere (in RL time, not in-game time) - get out of kerbin's SOI and fiddle with the maneuver nodes from there...

[M5000]

I usually aim for a single-burn Hohmann transfer directly to my destination SOI. Obviously I have to wait till a launch window clears up to do this, but it's much more direct. I honestly usually just aim for an intercept, and skip the mid course correction burn, and then just adjust once I'm in the SOI. Inefficient? Possibly, but only marginally. I need to start doing inclination adjustments mid course.

But yeah, I've never done a return mission, so so far I've just done Hohmann transfers. I imagine I'd do it the way back the same way.

-M5K

[ForumHelper]

I usually aim for a single-burn Hohmann transfer directly to my destination SOI. Obviously I have to wait till a launch window clears up to do this, but it's much more direct. I honestly usually just aim for an intercept, and skip the mid course correction burn, and then just adjust once I'm in the SOI. Inefficient? Possibly, but only marginally. I need to start doing inclination adjustments mid course. But yeah, I've never done a return mission, so so far I've just done Hohmann transfers. I imagine I'd do it the way back the same way. -M5K

I do it like this most of the time. Single hohmann transfer into my target's SOI. However, then I do a mid-course correction or a burn about 10-20 days before intercept. Works pretty well(waiting for a window is necessary of course). I often try to set my nodes in such a way that for example allows me to get into a polar orbit well before entering target's SOI.

[boxman]

It varies a bit for me... I usually launch whenever and wait for the proper alignment in solar orbit. Sometimes if I have enough thrust and fuel i even skip the orbit around kerbin and burn straight up until i reach escape velocity just to save time.

[Guest]

I use a launch window planner to generate a pork chop plot, choose the window I want within my delta-V budget, wait for the correct date and time, and launch at the correct angle. A small correction burn is often needed once outside Kerbin SOI which is also used to fine-tune the encounter.

[Zeroignite]

Set a window reminder in Kerbal Alarm Clock, wait for it to occur while doing other things and preparing, and then throwing the missions.

Same. Installing KAC has really changed my playstyle. Rather that going to max warp to wait for whatever planet I want, missions are simultaneous and queued up in advance. My second Duna window opens in about a week, and I'm planning on sending at least four vessels, probably more.

(Does anyone know how much delta-v it takes to get from Ike's surface to Duna aerocapture? Might build a base there too.)

This playstyle also gives a much better sense of the time things take... my two initial mapping probes are still en-route for the Joolian system.

Also, from what I understand, Squad is planning to eventually have career mode space programs run similar to this, i.e. multiple simultaneous missions with alarms.

[Shania_L]

I launch whenever I have inspiration to go to another planet, having said that I have only ever visited EvE and Duna, although there is no reason this methodology wouldn't work for the other planets too.

I usually end up doing what I think is termed a "sun-dive" so my route is planned from the point of launch however it consists of an escape and then a correction burn on the opposite side of the sun often of similar delta-V to the initial one. Very inefficient in terms of fuel but I have never calculated the Delta-V of a single one of my creations anyhow

[AmpsterMan]

Single Hohman Transfer burn from LKO to target SOI. Then correction burn to put me in desired orbit inclination/periapsis.

[Tidus Klein]

wow more people wait for a window then I thought.

Any who I also like to sling shot using the mun to aid in travel saves tons of Delta V if done right.

[Masked Turk]

Erm. Newbish question (though I'd like to think I'm not one): How do you recognise a window?

[lajoswinkler]

Sometimes the window, sometimes I drag the future movement node around to see what happens. I rarely visit distant stuff, so I don't really need windows.

Erm. Newbish question (though I'd like to think I'm not one): How do you recognise a window?

http://ksp.olex.biz/

Edited September 16, 2013 by lajoswinkler

[Felsmak]

I wait until the phase angle looks sort of right. Then I go to something that's already in LKO, play around with maneuver nodes and timewarp, and once I get my encounter I launch.

[DChurchill]

Erm. Newbish question (though I'd like to think I'm not one): How do you recognise a window?

In very general terms, a window is based on the phase angle of two bodies. Basically, where two bodies are in their orbits in relation to each other. Duna's window is generally in the neighborhood of 45 degrees ahead of Kerbin. It's not quite a simple as that, due to orbital inclinations and eccentricities, but as a general rule it's good enough.

Here are a couple calculators. I'm sure there are more.

http://ksp.olex.biz/

http://alexmoon.github.io/ksp/

There's currently nothing in KSP that will give you the information that you need other than the eyeball you were born with. Several mods have features that will help you.

[Kerbal01]

Wait for a window hyperedit into orbit, warp till im on the right side of the planet, burn like crazy and hope for the best.how can I get it to show a Duna periapsis from my escape trajectory? Set the conics mode higher?