[1.12.x] Transfer Window Planner v1.8.0.0 (April 11)

[AlexinTokyo]

Hey TriggerAU, just wanted to drop in and say thanks for this awesome mod. Along with KER, KAC, and Precise Node this pretty much completes my 'core' mod pack. Seriously awesome stuff.

Now for the almost obligatory feature request:

Would it be possible to add 'zoom' buttons (or trap mouse wheel) to zoom the pork-chop plot around the current selected transfer so you can fine tune it?

Also (and I'll put this here to save you having to look at two separate posts in to threads) is there any chance that Alarm Clock will get support for the stock toolbar/app launcher? Or is that difficult because of the tracking station visibility?

[TriggerAu]

Hey TriggerAU, just wanted to drop in and say thanks for this awesome mod. Along with KER, KAC, and Precise Node this pretty much completes my 'core' mod pack. Seriously awesome stuff.

Now for the almost obligatory feature request:

Would it be possible to add 'zoom' buttons (or trap mouse wheel) to zoom the pork-chop plot around the current selected transfer so you can fine tune it?

Also (and I'll put this here to save you having to look at two separate posts in to threads) is there any chance that Alarm Clock will get support for the stock toolbar/app launcher? Or is that difficult because of the tracking station visibility?

Moving/zooming would be nice I agree, and might be possible, but hard when you are trying to cod eth egui by script. For now you can adjust the text fields, but I'll put it on the list

KAC, yep in v3 - already coded that function working on the API so I can link this to it

[Renegrade]

I'd really like to be able to create nodes to help people out, but I will have to get some better maths skills to work it out. The best thing I've come across is to think of this tool - and all of them - as giving you a window of when efficient transfers occur, and some guidance on approx values for the ejection/injection, but I will do my best

I'm cool with it the way it is now.. slightly better time controls would be my only wish -- like that suggestion a few pages back to defaulting to 'right now' for the initial departure, and also having some way of having a button to set the latest departure to it's default interval from the initial departure (ex: If you choose say day 200 for a Moho transfer, being able to click a little 'default' button by the Latest Departure to automatically update it to 268)...

Also one little bug report or oddity report: The orbit parameters seem to like to move into the Initial Orbit field. Example: If I set a KErbin->Moho transfer, and specify 40km for Moho's destination trajectory, but then change "Moho" to "Eve", Kerbin ends up with an orbit of 40, and Eve 100..

Anyhow, it's still serving me quite well. I finally completed an all-planets-landing tour (was a bit lazy about certain places like Eeloo or Tylo), and transfers were much faster and more efficient with this tool.

[DuoDex]

I don't understand how making the node requires higher math skills. Shouldn't it be a simple matter of plugging in the data already generated into the node?

[Superfluous J]

I don't understand how making the node requires higher math skills. Shouldn't it be a simple matter of plugging in the data already generated into the node?

Only if the player was nice enough to set up his orbit to be exactly 100km apoapsis and periapsis.

[Red Iron Crown]

Only if the player was nice enough to set up his orbit to be exactly 100km apoapsis and periapsis.

...and with a mean anomaly appropriate to arrive at the correct angle to prograde at the specified time.

The problem is less trivial than it first appears.

[DuoDex]

Only if the player was nice enough to set up his orbit to be exactly 100km apoapsis and periapsis.

I see. But what if we are nice enough to get a say, 101km apogee and a 99km perigee. The maneuver node could still be created and we would need only minor adjustment in interplanetary space.

[ModZero]

The anomaly is the issue here: you'd end up with the node on the wrong side of the planet.

[Mulbin]

Does anyone know which mods this conflicts with? I get a crash to desktop before the main menu with this mod installed. Removing it makes my game run fine.

Other mods I have...

Atmos enhancements

Chatterer

Dangit

Distant Object

Engineer

Fine Print

IFI life support

Kerbal construction time

Kerbin side

Final Frontier

Remotetech2

Steam gauges

Any clues would be great!

[Superfluous J]

...and with a mean anomaly appropriate to arrive at the correct angle to prograde at the specified time.

The problem is less trivial than it first appears.

The anomaly is the issue here: you'd end up with the node on the wrong side of the planet.

Actually I don't think that's much of a problem. Assuming the orbit is 100x100 like the calculator expects, just look forward to that time and see where the ship is, then put the node either ahead of it or behind it in the same orbit. Being off by 20 minutes doesn't matter one bit in an interplanetary transfer.

I don't do code enough to know, but I think the best way to tackle the situation is to make the 100x100 node as I said above (at the right place, close to the right time) and then see what speed and direction the ship is going when it leaves Kerbin's SOI. Then do some magic* to make a node on the actual orbit that achieves that same speed and heading at the Kerbin SOI boundary.

*All right. I did the hard part TriggerAu. Your turn. Just code it so it does that

[TriggerAu]

Only if the player was nice enough to set up his orbit to be exactly 100km apoapsis and periapsis.

And the timing of the orbit needs to also have the vessel at right ejection angle at the time of the transfer too - thats probably more important that the exact distance from memory

[Superfluous J]

And the timing of the orbit needs to also have the vessel at right ejection angle at the time of the transfer too - thats probably more important that the exact distance from memory

It really shouldn't. Ejecting at T=0 versus T=+/-15 minutes in a trip to Jool isn't going to matter a lick. Just* set up the maneuver node at the exact right time and then snap it to the correct ejection angle either plus or minus on the orbit depending on which one is closer.

*Note: When it comes to coding I don't know how hard things are. "Just" doing something that is "only" so hard are estimations on my part.

[regex]

It really shouldn't. Ejecting at T=0 versus T=+/-15 minutes in a trip to Jool isn't going to matter a lick. Just* set up the maneuver node at the exact right time and then snap it to the correct ejection angle either plus or minus on the orbit depending on which one is closer.

This. A ballpark time works plenty fine. Even in the tiny, terrible stock system, you can fudge by a few hours even and generally get the maneuver close enough to fidget into an encounter. Hell, I've used those figures to set up a node a few days in advance or past that I can then adjust slightly into a proper encounter.

*Note: When it comes to coding I don't know how hard things are. "Just" doing something that is "only" so hard are estimations on my part.

That should be pretty easy to do with the right math. The Ejection Angle code in PreciseNode was updated by Alex Mun while I was still maintaining it and it should be solid for future orbits. You'd just need to do a little math.

[Kolago]

Is it right to say that the problem is to place a maneuver node at the right ejection angle near the UT of the transfer window? That shut do the trick. Ok, you have to be in a circular orbit at a specific hight but this is easy. Maybe PreciseNode can have a field to set the node at the next occurrence of the ejection angle from the UT of the transfer window?

Edited September 18, 2014 by Kolago

[TriggerAu]

It really shouldn't. Ejecting at T=0 versus T=+/-15 minutes in a trip to Jool isn't going to matter a lick. Just* set up the maneuver node at the exact right time and then snap it to the correct ejection angle either plus or minus on the orbit depending on which one is closer.

*Note: When it comes to coding I don't know how hard things are. "Just" doing something that is "only" so hard are estimations on my part.

That is what I meant, but didnt write it too well on the train. If I set up the man node on exactly the UT generated then the mean anomaly at epoch would have to be "just so" to get the ejection angle at that time - totally impractical. Finding the time on the orbit when the ejection angle is right, nearest the UT from the Planner is the bit I'd have to figure out

[O Nerd]

Awesome mod!

Just a question, is it backwards compatible (can I use the 0.24.2 version at 0.23.5)?

[TriggerAu]

Awesome mod!

Just a question, is it backwards compatible (can I use the 0.24.2 version at 0.23.5)?

Its compiled against the 0.24 binaries and was not released prior to 0.24 so no sorry.

You could try and compile it yourself, but it might be better to just use the web app for prior versions

[Lilienthal]

Great Mod!

If I may make a suggestion: Trigger, you mentioned on Sep 15, "The Lambert Solver in this and most KSP tools uses inclinations of 0 degrees, and you need to be close to that for the values to be exactly right. If I get the time and knowledge to get it to read the vessel orbit and give you exact values based on that then you could plug them in directly, but until then its unfortunately limited."

If you could get there, that'd be great!

Background is: In RSS I am building a station in an Earth orbit that's coplanar with the ecliptic. I figured that from there launches to the planets should be cheapest. (I hope I am right, what do you people think?)

It'd be great if I could get perfect optimization for leaving from this orbit also. One option might also be to use an orbit in the ecliptic plane instead of one going around Kerbins equator. (In stock they are identical, but not in RSS.)

Thanks.

[Fyrem]

wow, I never knew Porkchops look so... informational.

Actually I remember the first attempts at pockchop graphs , by various people (via web pages)...

I am glad that it is now available IN GAME.

.. here is hoping it works in .25, and/or that a .25 version will be out soon.

[Starwaster]

wow, I never knew Porkchops look so... informational.

Actually I remember the first attempts at pockchop graphs , by various people (via web pages)...

I am glad that it is now available IN GAME.

.. here is hoping it works in .25, and/or that a .25 version will be out soon.

It works fine in the latest dev versions of MechJeb 2. (yes, MJ now has porkchop plotting to maneuver nodes)

[TriggerAu]

v1.1.0.0 Now Available - Download from GitHub or Download from Curse* or Download from Kerbal Stuff * Once it's approved

Recomiled against 0.25 binaries and two changes:

• Added Ejection Burn Details and fiddle Start Date calcs
  
• Added KAC Alarm Integration * Requires at least KAC 3.0.0.5 (Issue #16)
  

If you have KAC 3.0.0.5beta installed (or greater then you will get an extra button next to copy details so that you can create an alarm in KAC from the TWP interface

[Superfluous J]

If you have KAC 3.0.0.5beta installed (or greater then you will get an extra button next to copy details so that you can create an alarm in KAC from the TWP interface

I am having your babies.

This is not an offer. Its just happening. Like right now. I should call a hospital or something.

[smunisto]

Yet another amazing mod. I had forgotten about that site long ago exactly because it was online, not in-game. Now I get to use it in-game.

You should accept 5thHorseman's proposal. We need more of your genes around.

[dak180]

v1.1.0.0 Now Available - Download from GitHub or Download from Curse* or Download from Kerbal Stuff * Once it's approved

Recomiled against 0.25 binaries and two changes:

• Added Ejection Burn Details and fiddle Start Date calcs
  
• Added KAC Alarm Integration * Requires at least KAC 3.0.0.5 (Issue #16)
  

If you have KAC 3.0.0.5beta installed (or greater then you will get an extra button next to copy details so that you can create an alarm in KAC from the TWP interface

The kerbalstuff link gets me a 401 (Not Authorized) error.

[CalculusWarrior]

dak180 said:

The kerbalstuff link gets me a 401 (Not Authorized) error.

It doesn't look like the mod is available on KerbalStuff yet; perhaps it still needs to be uploaded?

EDIT: Hmm, I can see the mod by going to TriggerAu's profile page: [removed link to defunct website] but clicking on it results in the same Unauthorized error. Perhaps it is a bug with KerbalStuff then?