Simple crafts without SAS in orbit

[lajoswinkler]

Have you tried that? Either you leave out a SAS capable vehicle, or you disable it and rely on keeping stability by manual RCS operation.

I've made this cute little box with solar panels for shifting the center of mass and then I pushed it into tumbling and released the Kerbal from the seat.

After I've activated the engines of the vehicle (to deorbit it) that has launched the box into orbit and then quickly exited it, I still got plenty of delta v, so I had to rendezvous the Kerbal with the box craft. It's very difficult to mount the seat if it's tumbling.

It took me more than 10 minutes to reduce it before I could enter it.

Try it, you really get this feeling of "manual" and it shows you how difficult spaceflight would be without computers and stability systems. You can never cancel out all rotational momentum.

It also shows you how difficult it would be for an astronaut to approach a tumbling satellite.

The view is great.

Later I've deorbited the craft using RCS thrusters, which is quite difficult because nothing is keeping you steady.

Edited November 20, 2013 by lajoswinkler

[RocketPilot573]

You mean without a probecore/pod? I've done that too many times...

[The Destroyer]

I've done an entire Gilly misson without SAS and I was mostly fine aside from the landing, too much thrust.

It's not hard.

[Azereiah]

I ripped off my solar panel on the surface of the Mun and kept going until I was in an eliptical orbit above Kerbin with no fuel the otger day. Does it count as going manual to get out and push until periapsis is at 40k meters?

[Johnno]

This thread feels like it'd fit better in Mission Reports, simply asking "have you tried this?" doesn't change it into a general discussion thread, there's not much to discuss. Please consider carefully where you place new threads, Rule 2.4 is in effect.

Thread moved.

[lajoswinkler]

You mean without a probecore/pod? I've done that too many times...

It can be with it, but SAS has to be turned off as well as reaction wheels, though only having an open space seat, RCS thrusters and some fuel is much more fun because it's stripped down to essentials. This was literally a poorly made metallic box with a strut as a visual fence.

I ripped off my solar panel on the surface of the Mun and kept going until I was in an eliptical orbit above Kerbin with no fuel the otger day. Does it count as going manual to get out and push until periapsis is at 40k meters?

I guess the effort counts pretty much, because you feel the manual side of it all. I'm expecting Whackjob's input on this.

This thread feels like it'd fit better in Mission Reports, simply asking "have you tried this?" doesn't change it into a general discussion thread, there's not much to discuss. Please consider carefully where you place new threads, Rule 2.4 is in effect.

Thread moved.

Ok, no problem.