Hello,
No proper simulation there, but it setup I am having fun with : you control the probe, and try to organise rendez-vous with the starbase orbiting the moon (spend 24 hours less than 1km away from the starbace), and come back to orbit the planet.
Once you have performed it, you can try to improve on 2 parameters :
- The quicker the better.
- The les DV used the better.
The catch : no electronic calculator allowed. Guess and fly !
To make things easier, that moon is rather heavy (10% of earth mass).
Some help : For those who don't master orbital flight, here are a few hints that might help you :
- to meet the station, there are 2 steps to perfom : first move away from the planet to get into orbit around the moon. Then manage to get close enough to the starbase and stay there.
- It will probably be easier if you might limit yourself to 4 differents burns :
- Prograde at Apoapsis (when you are closest to the planet) : this will raise the periapsis
- Retrograde at Apoapsis : this will lower the periapsis
- Prograde at Periapsis : this will lower the Apoapsis
- Retrograde at Periapsis : this will lower the apoapsis (don't make it too strong, or you might crash in the planet).
- To get an idea of how much DV you need to add, look at your velocity around the planet. You'll reach the escape velocity if you add prograde 0,41 times that value. So, the idea, is to add just enough to reach the moon, but less than the escape value, or you'll leave the planet's attraction. You've got time, so you are allowed to perform multiple orbits before reaching the moon.
- To get an idea of the moment to burn (if you wanted to reach the moon on first orbit), here are some rule of thumbs : the closer the moon's orbit form yours, the smaller the angle Moon-Planet-Probe must be (with the moon ahead of you : when you are closer you orbit more quickly, so you'll catch her up). The further you are from the moon's orbit, the closer that angle must to 116° (that angle would be the maximum)
- Once you are close to the moon, switch the reference to the moon (for the burn, view, and distance/speed box), and try to get into a nice orbit using the prograde/retrograde burns.
- With the prograde/retrograde burns try to get the exact same orbit as the starbase
- Once this is done, if you are ahead of the starbase, burn slightly prograde : you get more speed, but you will actually slow down compared to the starbase because it'll make youl orbit a bit further from the moon. Burn retrograde if you need to catch up the base.
- Once very close to the base, you can change you reference (for the 3 panels : burn, view and distance/speed) to the starbase, and this time use the "toward/away burns"
Don't get too close, or you'll crash...
Youhou !! Well done ! You have made your first rendez-vous !
If you want to read more, the manoeuvers performed there are close to a
Hohmann transfer. Also, I might try to make tutorial using the autopilot.
Let me know what you thought of the little challenge !
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Challenge : meet the starbase (Read 2266 times)
