Mining the Moon - Pt. 3

[Staiduk]

Pt. 2 is here.

"While we've got you here...."

Yiiiii!!!!!

If there's ever a sentence that guarantees you lots of hassle; it's that one. After escorting my 4 passengers into the Brighton Beach airlock and assisting them through desuiting, decontam and customs processing procedures;

[SaVas]

So is this done in real time? Does it take a while to get to the moon?

[Staiduk]

So is this done in real time? Does it take a while to get to the moon?

There is a time-acelleration feature; that can speed things up from 10X to 10,000X normal speed. (10,000X is a bit risky; since it tends to throw orbiting facilities out of orbit.)
Though I have to mention - even at 10,000X speed; my trip from Earth-Saturn took hours - it's a pretty long way.

For myself; I do orbital work (I.e. intercepting this here station) in real-time; speeding things up only if i have to wait several orbits for a window; or if I'm travelling between bodies. Normal time; a fully tricked-out DGIII can do the Earth-Moon run in a bit less than two days; with time acelleration; around half an hour - not including capture; circularization, alignment and landing.

[SaVas]

There is a time-acelleration feature; that can speed things up from 10X to 10,000X normal speed. (10,000X is a bit risky; since it tends to throw orbiting facilities out of orbit.)
Though I have to mention - even at 10,000X speed; my trip from Earth-Saturn took hours - it's a pretty long way.

For myself; I do orbital work (I.e. intercepting this here station) in real-time; speeding things up only if i have to wait several orbits for a window; or if I'm travelling between bodies. Normal time; a fully tricked-out DGIII can do the Earth-Moon run in a bit less than two days; with time acelleration; around half an hour - not including capture; circularization, alignment and landing.

And the floogiemafloppin thingamagigie needs to speed up the coptabulations of the grethnamagiddy right?

man that was all greek to me but I get the gist of it

[jordonj]

You'd think that will all this advanced technology, they'd make a computer image to avoid collisions with the solar arms...

[Staiduk]

And the floogiemafloppin thingamagigie needs to speed up the coptabulations of the grethnamagiddy right?

man that was all greek to me but I get the gist of it

ROFL!

OK; look at it this way:

Orbit is basically falling to the ground and missing; with apologies to Douglas Adams. If you're falling at exactly the same speed the ground is dropping away from you; you're in a circular orbit - the most stable kind.
So travel from one body to another is accomplished in several steps.
1 - takeoff and achieve orbit: self explanatory.
2 - Circularize the orbit: make the orbit as circular as possible; the more eccentricity (i.e. the more oval); the less stable and predictable.
3 - Planetary Alignment: (Optional) Unless you're taking off from the equator; you've got to fly to the equator and line up with it. Since most planetary bodies orbit along one plane - the plane of the ecliptic - lining up with the equator lines you up with your target as well.
4- Target alignment - fine tuning your alignment so you're lined up with your target. If you're over the Earth and are going to the moon; this means aligning with the moon.
5 - Recircularization: All that fiddling around with alignment will have thrown your orbit out - you've got to correct it. If not; ou might find yourself descending when it comes time to burn for your destination - a waste of energy.
6 - Burn for target: Once you've lined up and all; you've got to figure out where and when and in what direction to burn for your target. When your calculations say burn; light 'em up and head for your target.
7 - Course Correction (Optional): If your travel burn wasn't accurate enough; you'll have to correct your course along the way. The longer the distance; the greater the chance you'll have to do this.
8 - Capture: If you leave things as they are; you'll just go whizzing straight past your destination without stopping. You've got to burn retrograde (slowing down) until its gravity can catch you and pull you into orbit.
9 - circularization - see above
10 - Alignment - see above (Except this time you're lining up with you're ground destination.)
11 - landing. Self-explanatory. Except for the tiny detail that on an airless world it's easily the hardest thing to get right. And in a big cow like the A-type; it's a pain in the butt just lining up. Takes a lot more practice than getting into orbit does.

Cheers!

[Staiduk]

You'd think that will all this advanced technology, they'd make a computer image to avoid collisions with the solar arms...

True - not as much fun though.


Ooo - actually; better mention; they are lighted - they both have a pair of blue lights at their tips. Looks quite striking in the deep back; let me tell you. They just didn't show up in shot #6 because they extend off the edges of the picture. (and the far ones are behind the ship.)

[Ben_M_K]

Awsome!

[Travis]

Note the auxiliary pods rolling back to provide angular thrust.

This is the feature I think has been remiss with FS for awhile now.  They know we love to fly aircraft of ALL types, and there are now several aircraft out there that utilize vectored or rotating thrust to land and take off.  I don't know for sure, but I think it wouldn't be too hard to do this.  After all, a freeware simulator has it . . .

[Staiduk]

[quote]

This is the feature I think has been remiss with FS for awhile now.

[lemoncat]

superb staiduk it looks incredible.
are all the planets included..i know you mentioned saturn..

[Staiduk]

superb staiduk it looks incredible.
are all the planets included..i know you mentioned saturn..

Yes - though I'm not entirely sure whether Uranus, (and/or) Neptune are in there - there in my sim; but I can't remember if they're stock or addons.

Mercury, Venus Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn (and a whole whack of moons - not all of 'em; after all Saturn's got I think 21 on the lil' buggers) are all rendered as stock though.