Kerbin has 3 moons

[Fr8monkey]

Started new game, looked into the observatory and found a 3rd moon. Actually a captured asteroid that I never touched!

Orbit 64,788 KM x 188KM slightly polar orbit. This ever happen to anyone?

Edited April 7, 2014 by Fr8monkey

[FenrirWolf]

Yup, sometimes an asteroid will come into the system and get captured by interacting with the Mun or Minmus.

It will eventually get flung out again though, since its orbit will eventually produce another encounter with the body that first affected it.

[vexx32]

That could take aeons to occur, though. You've usually got plenty of time to redirect its orbit to somewhere permanently stable.

[Fr8monkey]

Yup, sometimes an asteroid will come into the system and get captured by interacting with the Mun or Minmus.

Yeah, I guess; but the thing was there from day 1....

[FenrirWolf]

I'm guessing it somehow got generated right up close to Kerbin/Mun/Minmus' SoI and got pulled into orbit soon after.

[Rakaydos]

I had the same thing happen- it had an apoapse just inside kerbin SoI while still outside minmus orbit, so there couldnt have been any moon-related interactions.

[Trann]

This one had a bit of an inclination above Mun's orbit...

I can't imagine an intercept that'll ever work for this one. Goodbye, ice caps and coasts...

[NeoMorph]

I had one that was like that and I managed an intercept. You just have to launch your rocket into the same inclination as the orbit and then make a slightly smaller one and go out and loop back down behind it (remembering to figure out which way it is orbiting... my first launch I realised I was going to be going the wrong way and wouldn't be able to slow down in time lol... "Do a Danny" comes to mind.

[Nuke]

im actually going to set up multiple asteroids in concentric orbits so i can jetpack all the way from lko to minmus, making refueling stops at each asteroid.

[Stazi]

This one had a bit of an inclination above Mun's orbit...

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/PokerTrann/KSP/polar-asteroid_zps22cc2636.png

I can't imagine an intercept that'll ever work for this one. Goodbye, ice caps and coasts...

So far 2/3 of my .23.5 saves have had a Class A get spawned in like that in an extreme polar orbit. The orbit is well inside the orbit of Mun so there wasn't any SoI changes from it to cause the orbit. I guess sometimes they just spawn in at that one spot to get thrown into orbit without any outside help.

[TMS]

Conics in tracking station are often drawn as a closed loop - even if they aren't.

[Jananton]

That could take aeons to occur, though. You've usually got plenty of time to redirect its orbit to somewhere permanently stable.

Hmm, I seem to have two of those in my new started 023.5 career game, obviously I'm nowhere near catching any of those. ;-)

Greets,

Jan

[HeadHunter67]

Goodbye, ice caps and coasts...

What makes people think that even Class E asteroids would have apocalyptic effects if they impact? The one that came down over Chelyabinsk last year was about the size of a Class E, and I don't remember it causing a nuclear winter or global die-out or anything. People have been watching too many movies.

[Barklight]

im actually going to set up multiple asteroids in concentric orbits so i can jetpack all the way from lko to minmus, making refueling stops at each asteroid.

I'd like to see this, actually. Sounds like it would be fun.

CHALLENGE MODE: Use life support plugin so your kerbal spacewalker has to replenish every 24h or less.

[kola2DONO]

I found a class E asteroid in a nearly circular equorital kerbin orbit, i think that may be a glitch.

[KerbMav]

Not so much a glitch but a question of parameters for the spawning of asteroids.

I actually hope that these parameters are (made) available for modding to have asteroids not only fly alongside Kerbin, but also coming in at a retrograde orbit (so really fast relatively to the planet) and such things.

And yes, I too had a game (one of only two right now, so it is happening in 50% of all games!!! ) with an asteroid starting out in a close orbit around Kerbin.

[Trann]

What makes people think that even Class E asteroids would have apocalyptic effects if they impact? The one that came down over Chelyabinsk last year was about the size of a Class E, and I don't remember it causing a nuclear winter or global die-out or anything. People have been watching too many movies.

Personally, I was joking (and I have no intent on saving Kerbin from a polar strike). Just sharing a "funny" discovery of the asteroid generation randomness.

[Hyomoto]

im actually going to set up multiple asteroids in concentric orbits so i can jetpack all the way from lko to minmus, making refueling stops at each asteroid.

That ... is ambitious. And insane. AND FREAKING AWESOME. Make sure you document this, I think a lot of people would love to see it set up!

[LethalDose]

Orbit 64,788 KM x 188KM slightly polar orbit. This ever happen to anyone?

Technically, this orbit shouldn't be stable since it dips below 70km, and therefore will catch some atmosphere, leaching orbital energy.

This probably won't be an issue, though, since I think atmospheric drag is ignored when the object is inactive/on rails.

[Kuldan]

Technically, this orbit shouldn't be stable since it dips below 70km, and therefore will catch some atmosphere, leaching orbital energy.

This probably won't be an issue, though, since I think atmospheric drag is ignored when the object is inactive/on rails.

He is speaking american, which means he wanted to say 67 thousand and something (AP) by 188 (PE)

[Fr8monkey]

That is 64,788 Kilometers,not meters...

[Whirligig Girl]

In theory, if you've got an asteroid at almost the same velocity as Kerbin, and near Kerbin, and intersecting, and some other comparison to Kerbin, the asteroid would get into an orbit automatically. It's how Mars got Phobos and Deimos.

[Nuke]

aerocapture is your friend.

[Superfluous J]

Most likely, the asteroid spawning logic just puts the asteroid near Kerbin heading around Sun in a similar orbit to Kerbin's. Sometimes, those asteroids are actually IN Kerbin's SOI and 1 clock tick after they are created, they switch SOI from Sun to Kerbin and when their relative velocities are converted, they're in orbit.

[LethalDose]

That is 64,788 Kilometers,not meters...

It's a typo in the OP somewhere because:

1. The periapsis shown in the image is below the Mun's orbit (12,000 km)
   
2. A periapsis of 64,788 km would be a periapsis outside minmus' orbit (47,000 km)
   
3. An apoapsis of 188,000 km is outside Kerbin's SOI (84,159 km), but the image shows it under Minmus' orbit.
   

If you actually look at the OP's posted image, there's no way it has a periapsis of 64,788 km. If you think there's no mistake in the OP's posted orbit, then the whole thread is wrong because it wasn't captured.

Its much more likely the OP just screwed up the units. But the apoapsis really doesn't look like 188 Km, either.