Introduction
The spacecraft used in completing this tutorial were Greg Burch's Orbital Taxi and Hispaorbiter's Pinzon MK01 Lunar Booster - Link. However the tutorial is valid for any spacecraft capable of trans-lunar flight.
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Transfer MFD |
Instructions |
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Display the
Transfer MFD (Shift X).
Next display the Select target dialogue (Shift T) and select Moon. Two stages above already done in Orbital Taxi scenario - See Here. The Transfer MFD should look like this. Note: Your ships orbit is the tiny green circle in the centre of the MFD. The solid green line (current src position) is your ships current position extended outwards to the point where it intersects the Moons orbit - the yellow circle (target orbit) . The solid yellow line (current target position) indicates the Moons current position in its orbit around the Earth. |
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Display HTO (Hypothetical Transfer Orbit
) - Shift X again. Only the HTO data appears on the LHS of the MFD along with a dashed green line (eject Indicator). |
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Extend the
HTO (Shift +) outward until it
intersects the Moons orbit. When it intersects the Moons orbit a grey line (intersection indicator) appears along with a dashed yellow line (target at intersection).
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Rotate the HTO about its central axis (Shift < or >) until the grey line covers the dashed yellow line. You may loose intersect during this procedure. If so just extend the HTO a little further (Shift +). |
In summary:
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Now wait
(advance time as necessary) until the solid green line overlaps the
dashed green line and DTe = 0. When it
does fire your main engine/s prograde.
Note: As the above time approaches it may be necessary to slightly re-adjust the position of the grey line over the dashed yellow line. |
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Continue
thrusting prograde until Dv = 0, then cut main engine/s. Fine adjustment can be made to Dv with linear thrusters. You are now on you way to the Moon. |
We wont need the Transfer MFD for the rest of the journey, so you can close it down now. Advance time or wait 5 days or so and observe your approach to the Moon in the Orbit MFD. You will think at first that you have gone off too soon, as the gap between the Moon and your position seems too large to make a rendezvous possible. However note that your velocity has been reducing continuously since you left Earth orbit and will approach zero at apoapsis. But the Moon is not decelerating, it is approaching you fast! Remember also that only the first half of the transfer orbit is relevant as when we are captured by the Moon things will obviously change. It is in these last few hours of the journey that all the action takes place.
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Orbit MFD |
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It is around
this point that we can make a correction burn to lower our
periapsis.
Bring up the surface HUD, note its angle and turn 90 degrees towards the Moon. If you have the Orbit MFD displayed (Ref Earth) you will appear to be loitering around the apoapsis point for some time. This is where the Moon catches you up. |
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Burn your
main engine/s until the periapsis (PeD) looks a respectable
distance.
Turn retrograde and wait until it is time to make your main engine burn that will place you into Lunar orbit. |
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At PeT = 40
begin a retrograde burn.
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Your orbit will begin to curve inwards towards the Moon until capture. |
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Continue the retrograde burn to reduce your apoapsis distance. |
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Cut main engine/s. |
Flight Statistics: Date Start - Feb 4 @ 04:39 Fuel Start - 99.5% Fuel Remaining - 43.1% Date Adjustment Burn - Feb 10 @ 00:24 Fuel Remaining - 34.5% Date Arrived - Feb 10 @ 03:11 Fuel Remaining - 24.8% |
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