I <3 Orbits

[Corgin]

Hello, my name is Corgin, and I\'ve just recently come back to KSP.

I first heard about this game when quill18 (you should check that guy out, he\'s an amazing Let\'s-player on Youtube) made some vids about it. At that time, version 8 (I think) was the most recent one, and even getting into a basic orbit was an adventure. I actually tried really hard to get into one (using the KSP orbit calculator), but I failed miserably. So I was left with just shooting rockets straight up, which wasn\'t that satisfying.

Eventually I got bored and uninstalled KSP. However, a few days ago I stumbled upon this website again, and voilà, KSP has an orbit map.

THAT IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!

I managed to get into an almost circular orbit (time compression ftw!) after 1 1/2 hours with just stock parts. A few days later, I bought the game (it\'s definitely worth buying if you ask me), and I\'m now trying to construct an orbiter from stock parts which I can use to train altering orbits and stuff.

So, see you on the launchpad!

[Ascensiam]

Welcome aboard the highly flammable forum express!

[Corgin]

Highly flammable?!

but I just wanted to ignite my booster.....

too bad

[Capt'n Skunky]

Welcome to the KSP Forums!

Happy Launching!

Arrr!

Capt\'n Skunky

KSP Community Manager

[VincentMcConnell]

You can go to the Mun now, too.

[mincespy]

Welcome back.

-Mincespy

[Corgin]

btw, while playing, I stumbled upon an interesting problem:

I can\'t control the rocket sufficently enough to achieve a perfectly equatorial orbit, which is needed to get to mun.

So is it possible to change an equatorial orbit into a polar one and vice-cersa?

EDIT:

Just managed to get a circular orbit, deviation between apoapsis and periapsis is about 2km. I had to use the orbit calculator, because there is no way to do this without knowing the exact speed.

Now THAT\'S ironic. I came back because of the map feature and I still end up using the calculator. I guess once the devs implement space stations and rendez-vous\'s, everyone will have to use it.

[GoodGuy]

what did ya mean you cannot control your rocket???? aim straight up, go straight up, reach 70~KM and start turning towards 90 at the nav ball. if you cant do that, stick some SAS and RCS thingies on your ship

[VincentMcConnell]

btw, while playing, I stumbled upon an interesting problem:

I can\'t control the rocket sufficently enough to achieve a perfectly equatorial orbit, which is needed to get to mun.

So is it possible to change an equatorial orbit into a polar one and vice-cersa?

EDIT:

Just managed to get a circular orbit, deviation between apoapsis and periapsis is about 2km. I had to use the orbit calculator, because there is no way to do this without knowing the exact speed.

Now THAT\'S ironic. I came back because of the map feature and I still end up using the calculator. I guess once the devs implement space stations and rendez-vous\'s, everyone will have to use it.

I can make equatorial and circular orbits without a calculator... It\'s extremely easy... I launch straight up, pitch towards the East at ~6500 meters and then slowly pitch my rocket towards the East more and more until my Apokee is 100KM. With a wide trajectory, I then wait until I reach my Apokee and burn at full throttle until my Perikee levels out. People can still Rendezvous. I was able to do it. It\'s not that hard if you know how to do it.

You shouldn\'t need an orbital calculator for any of this. I have personally never used one. If I want to calculate something in orbital mechanics in KSP, I do it on graph paper with a pen...

[VincentMcConnell]

If you need to properly control your spacecraft, use RCS thrusters and pitch slowly and carefully. Most of the launch phase is a somewhat carefully orchestrated series of maneuvers, but not so much as serious as a lunar landing. During the Lunar landing, that is probably the most fine controlled thing you can do. You have not just vertical velocity to kill, but lateral and the body is drifting away from you as you land, so you are constantly killing velocity. You also have mountains to worry about, so you have to pick a landing site off of your normal trajectory about 30% of the time.

I remember being frustrated when I had trouble with orbits and Mun flights, but you will eventually get it. Practice and give it time and you will realize that it isn\'t as hard as you think.

[Polecat Industries]

I Tried the calculator, but it didn\'t help.

[Corgin]

@VincentMcConnell

Yeah, a lot of my problems will probably be solved with experience, but I\'ll probably keep calculating speeds with the software just because I lack the mathematical and physical understanding to do that stuff manually.

[VincentMcConnell]

@VincentMcConnell

Yeah, a lot of my problems will probably be solved with experience, but I\'ll probably keep calculating speeds with the software just because I lack the mathematical and physical understanding to do that stuff manually.

You don\'t need to know the speeds of your orbit, really. It\'s not that important. In theory, if it could ever be done, a perfect 100KM orbit around Kerbin results in a velocity of 2245.6 m/s or so. Most of my 100KM orbits have only gotten to within about 30 meters of being perfect.