Rotating in Geostationary Orbit

[davidpsummers]

So I get to geostationary orbit and do a good job (nicely circular, right over the space center, etc.) and point my dish attenna at the space center. But it of course a 1/2 day later, it will be pointed the wrong way. Now I could put a slow rotation on the craft so that it turns as it orbits. But I don't see how I could get it to turn that slow?

Am I just pushing the details of the game too much?

[SkyRender]

You can't make objects rotate during timewarp. You pretty much either have to be satisfied with the dish not pointing the right way half the time, or install redundant dishes so it doesn't matter. Not that it actually DOES matter in stock, but still.

[Vanamonde]

Moved to gameplay questions.

[Taki117]

If you are Using RemoteTech (Which is why you have the satellite up in the first place) then it doesn't matter what orientation the satellite is in, just that it has a connection.

[phoenix_ca]

The only mod I know of where this matters is KSP Interstellar, and even then it only matters on the active vessel for receiving power, not transmitting or relaying.

[Red Iron Crown]

Even if you could get the rotation rate correct, it would be lost when you timewarp, change focus to another ship, or go to the Space Center; craft that are "on-rails" don't rotate.

If you use MechJeb, its Smart A.S.S. function is able to keep a ship oriented the way you want, but it will only work when you're focused on it.

[Lukaszenko]

How do they do it in real life? Straight up they tweak the rotation to be exactly once per revolution?

[Red Iron Crown]

As I understand it, real satellites sometimes use tidal forces to lock them in an orientation; otherwise their rotation rate can be set to match the orbital period and corrected as needed.

[Sirrobert]

In real life they don't have to worry about going on rails

[Red Iron Crown]

In real life they don't have to worry about going on rails

You sure?

[Sirrobert]

Smartass

[Claw]

You sure?

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61004449/KSP/proton-rocket-train.jpg

Haha.

---

But seriously, why would you need it to point a constant direction? If it isn't in focus (you aren't looking at it), then what does it matter where it is pointed? (I get that it might be an OCD thing.) Perhaps you'll have to pretend it's pointing the correct way when you're not looking?

Yeah, a lot of real world craft (including the ISS) maintain orientation because of the gravity gradient. As small as it is, there's actually slightly more pull on the bottom of a craft than on the top. I'm not sure about something like a micro satellite, but those do most of their pointing with reaction wheels anyway.

[draeath]

In real life they have star-tracking sensors and drive the reaction wheels with inputs from that.

[YNM]

Or gravity gradients. But that's slightly harder to be done precisely.

[Pursuedtank]

While this mod has not been updated recently, the author claims to be working on it, and it seems like it would solve your problem.

[SRV Ron]

Real life, there are gyros to keep the geostationary satellites on target. That takes very little force to keep things aligned. Thrusters can be used should the gyro become saturated. But, that is highly unlikely once the general orientation has been establish. (A moving object in a total vacuum will remain a moving object unless influenced by some external force.)

[Dedjal]

Except that total vacuum most likely does not exist outside a laboratory

[Lukaszenko]

Except that total vacuum most likely does not exist outside a laboratory[/quote

Space has a better vacuum than any laboratory can achieve.