How to show "What you did": Mission Profile Notation

[Thunderous Echo]

The generator is finally here! http://www.kerbaltek.com/missions/

Hello all!

Have you ever watched a YouTube video, or flipped through an Imgur album, but could not tell exactly what was going on?

Today I would like to pitch a way to represent complicated missions in a neat and easy manner: Mission Profile Notation.

This tool is also useful for planning missions in a visual fashion.

I imagine this will be especially useful (and was in fact created specifically for) Grand Tours.

For even bigger, more complicated missions, number maneuvers in chronological order. (Every undocking should be chronologically labelled, and every time the same vessel exits the same orbit more than once.)

You can also draw the same planet twice.

It might be useful to include screenshots of crafts in your arrow color key.

Planets can be included in the color key.

Launch two of the same craft? Totally kosher to use the same line color for both!

If the same vessel returns to approximately the same orbit around the same planet a second time, you only have to draw one orbit. Multiple arrows can enter and exit an orbit.

You can organize your symbols in a flowchart or linear fashion.

-In flowchart fashion, you stick your moons near your planets and your planets near your sun in approximately the right order and draw arrows between them. Usually, only one instance of each planet.

>This might be easier to understand to people who have never seen the notation system before.

-In linear fashion, each horizontal row shows the path of one craft, and they merge and separate when docking and undocking occur.

>This might be better organized for large missions.

or, you can throw both out the window and organize however you think works best.

If you wish, you can also label your planets with the first two letters of their names: Mo, Ev, Gi, Ke, Mu, Mi, Du, Ik, Dr, Jo, La, Ty, Va, Po, Bo, Ee.

You can denote asteroids as crafts or planets, depending on which is more convenient. You can use the abbreviation # Asteroid Class. For example, #C.

These were produced with Microsoft Office PowerPoint, but you could use any program or even draw them by hand. However, there is a generator here.

If I have missed any important and universal maneuvers, please leave a post on this thread.

A Completed Example: (flowchart fashion, but 2 instances of Kerbin)http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/102508-How-to-show-What-you-did-Mission-Profile-Notation?p=1591243&viewfull=1#post1591243

-Thunderous Echo

Edited February 23, 2015 by Thunderous Echo

[magnemoe]

Nice work, then some critic.

An arrow trough an body might get confused with flyby.

Perhaps an orbit ring with an and an vertical line, this can be red if an lander.

Red should also be decoupling not only docking, how about an Tylo lander who is typical singel use and is left after kerbal transfer to mothership?

[montyben101]

Oooooh I like this idea!

[Thunderous Echo]

Nice work, then some critic.

An arrow trough an body might get confused with flyby.

Perhaps an orbit ring with an and an vertical line, this can be red if an lander.

Red should also be decoupling not only docking, how about an Tylo lander who is typical singel use and is left after kerbal transfer to mothership?

Each color corresponds to a craft.

I will add a flyby symbol, and am also planning refueling symbols

Edited December 10, 2014 by Thunderous Echo

[Doctor Axel]

A generator for this would be hella awesome. ^^

[Thunderous Echo]

A generator for this would be hella awesome. ^^

Oh, yes. We need a generator.

As a programmer I am now morally obligated to see what I can do.

Failing that, we should contact KerbalTek and ask nicely.

[NASAHireMe]

YES. Great idea. I second the need for a generator, or else some way to 'draw' a mission profile without using Paint or an image editor, perhaps with a standardized series of text or symbols so that we can use a regular-old keyboard.

[Thunderous Echo]

YES. Great idea. I second the need for a generator, or else some way to 'draw' a mission profile without using Paint or an image editor, perhaps with a standardized series of text or symbols so that we can use a regular-old keyboard.

You can draw it by hand or take a picture of it. But a system of text symbols would be difficult to understand.

However, should you figure out a really smooth and simple text system, I will definitely post it here.

[StormKat]

Make it word based. It would be easier to code and easier to use.

"CraftName to Kerbin orbit. Transfer to Mun. Land on Mun. CraftName to Mun orbit. Transfer to Kerbin. Land on Kerbin."

[Doctor Axel]

If one can make a generator that outputs graphics, one can make a generator that outputs text - actually the latter would probably come first. ^^

Visually my only objection is that the notation for transferring, aerobraking, and landing seem easy to confuse with each other at first glance (though I do see what the distinctions are). Transfer is good, but I think the notation for aerobraking definitely needs to be different - perhaps something shaped like '--|--' (to denote passing into and then out of the atmosphere). Maybe? ^^

[Norpo]

This needs to happen.

Can someone with more programming experience than I make this? The graphics could be changed later on, as long as someone gets the UI for checkboxes etc done.

+rep for idea

[Thunderous Echo]

If one can make a generator that outputs graphics, one can make a generator that outputs text - actually the latter would probably come first. ^^

Visually my only objection is that the notation for transferring, aerobraking, and landing seem easy to confuse with each other at first glance (though I do see what the distinctions are). Transfer is good, but I think the notation for aerobraking definitely needs to be different - perhaps something shaped like '--|--' (to denote passing into and then out of the atmosphere). Maybe? ^^

Great idea! Aerobraking symbol has been changed.

Edited December 10, 2014 by Thunderous Echo

[Thunderous Echo]

I have contacted KerbalTek about a generator. Let's see if he smiles upon us.

[Ezriilc]

I have contacted KerbalTek about a generator. Let's see if he smiles upon us.

Hey, ya'all! This seems like a neat idea, and I'm flattered to be invited.

I'll put this project on my ToDo list, and even move it up next. But first, I need to finish an update to the Kerbaltek website I'm working on that includes the Craft Kitchen, and then I can start on this. Oh, and no guarantees for time or quality, but of course I'll try my best.

I must admit I know little of how this will be used, but I can learn as I go. I suppose a user will type out the steps into a text box and it should construct the graphics according to the rules here?

Thanks for letting me help, and I look forward to starting this project ASAP. It should be great exercise for me, and sounds like fun.

[Thunderous Echo]

Text box could be an option, but I think it would be easier to let the user move the planets around than try to do it for them.

Thank you for considering doing this!

[Superfluous J]

I went from "Terrible Idea" to loving this in about 3 minutes.

One suggestion: everything is left-right (or at least unidirectional or direction agnostic) except flyby seems like it must be 90 degrees. I suggest flyby follow the same pattern of left-right by coming in on the left, going up and over (or down and under) and then continuing off to the right.

The idea of programming this scares me. Good luck on that!

[Ezriilc]

Text box could be an option, but I think it would be easier to let the user move the planets around than try to do it for them.

Thank you for considering doing this!

Your wish is my command. Seriously - I like taking direction, so be as picky as you like. A good programmer can build to tight restrictions, and I want to get really good. However, I can be a little thick sometimes, so you'll need to spell out each specific detail for me to get it.

I don't quite know what you mean by "move the planets around". Would users drag images of planets around the interface?

[Ezriilc]

The idea of programming this scares me. Good luck on that!

I love a challenge - the bigger the better.

[Thunderous Echo]

Oh, shoot. There has been a massive misunderstanding that I will remedy soon.

This was not intended to be linear, it was intended to have each planet at certain point on your image and draw lines around. Orientation wouldn't matter.

And yes, users would drag planets around the interface.

Edited December 11, 2014 by Thunderous Echo

[Ezriilc]

Oh, shoot. There has been a massive understanding that I will remedy soon.

This was not intended to be linear, it was intended to have each planet at certain point on your image and draw lines around. Orientation wouldn't matter.

And yes, users would drag planets around the interface.

I'm going to assume you mean "massive MIS-understanding", rather.

Do you have a downloadable set of images I can get?

[Stratzenblitz75]

Yes! This would be amazing! This kind of planet mission profile "flow chart" would not only be incredibly useful for visualizing missions, but for planning them as well.

I'd like to be able to make something like this, but less confusing and with "planet" graphics.

Also, congrats in getting Kerbaltek involved! I have no doubt that he'll be able to bring this idea to life.

[Ezriilc]

I'd like to be able to make something like this, but less confusing and with "planet" graphics.

Less confusing... yes, yes.

Also, congrats in getting Kerbaltek involved! I have no doubt that he'll be able to bring this idea to life.

Aww, shucks. You people are going to give me a fat head.

[Empiro]

I like this idea. My suggestion would be to use curved lines to denote descent / ascents (since your trajectory when taking off and landing are curves), and always show separate arrows for landings then takeoffs. I thought that was the only thing that wasn't intuitively clear when looking at your original example.

I actually like the suggestion that it mostly be linear -- it would be a nice way to summarize a mission in a compact form. Having a massive flowchart would only make it harder to quickly read. I can see the benefit of having small branches to denote crafts splitting off each to do their own mission, but I would argue that usage case would be the exception rather than the common case.

Edited December 11, 2014 by Empiro

[Thunderous Echo]

I like this idea. My suggestion would be to use curved lines to denote descent / ascents (since your trajectory when taking off and landing are curves), and always show separate arrows for landings then takeoffs. I thought that was the only thing that wasn't intuitively clear when looking at your original example.

I actually like the suggestion that it mostly be linear -- it would be a nice way to summarize a mission in a compact form. Having a massive flowchart would only make it harder to quickly read. I can see the benefit of having small branches to denote crafts splitting off each to do their own mission, but I would argue that usage case would be the exception rather than the common case.

I cannot take your curved suggestion because everything is pretty small. And separate arrows make it more cluttered and complicated.

However Ezriilc, please add this thing to your list: Option for linear vs. flowchart mode.

[StormKat]

Flyby could be simpler: