Newbie questions

[faspina]

Hey all.

I am new to Orbiter. Basically I have not even run the simulation yet. I am exploring the web site, gathering information and printing a handful of tutorials and material before I jump in. Also waiting until I have 2-3 hours of un-interrupted time to devote to it.

To say that I am overwhelmed is a understatement, yet I am also amazed what that it seem this simulator can do.

I do have some questions:

There seem to be several different version of the Orbiter, and the addons found at orbithanger.com show the different versions. Are the addons for older versions compatible to some extent with the new versions?

If, do you MANAGE several different orbital version at one time just to take advantage of everything?

I have GO PLAY IN SPACE tutorial printed out, I figured I would start there. Is that the best place to start?

I am sure I will have more questions but this is off the top of my head after a few days of hunting and pecking.

Thanks
Frank

 

[Urwumpe]

I do have some questions:

There seem to be several different version of the Orbiter, and the addons found at orbithanger.com show the different versions. Are the addons for older versions compatible to some extent with the new versions?

Most older add-on still work, but for example planets for a version older than 2006 are no longer compatible. But thats a minor problem.

If, do you MANAGE several different orbital version at one time just to take advantage of everything?

Multiple Orbiter installations are recommended, but not because of different Orbiter versions. It is recommended for avoiding interactions between different larger add-ons and for keeping loading times low.

I have GO PLAY IN SPACE tutorial printed out, I figured I would start there. Is that the best place to start?

Yes, pretty much the best start.

 

[Chipstone306]

Welcome! I hope you have understanding family members cause you may lose contact with them soon Orbiter is VERY addictive

 

[Scarecrow]

Most older add-on still work, but for example planets for a version older than 2006 are no longer compatible. But thats a minor problem.

Multiple Orbiter installations are recommended, but not because of different Orbiter versions. It is recommended for avoiding interactions between different larger add-ons and for keeping loading times low.

I've found that I don't need to keep more than one orbiter installation. My policy for dealing with addons and such is to have a folder where I keep zipped up versions of all the addons I've downloaded, as well as a base installation of orbiter, and then another folder where I have orbiter. If some addon does something bad to my installation, I can rebuild it from the zip files in a few minutes (I've done this twice in my year and a half of orbiting), and if I can't remember any particular addon, then I probably don't care enough about it anyway.

Also, I find that compatibility issues can be solved by activating different modules at different times. For example, if I plan to be doing some variety of low altitude flying, I load orulex. If not, I deactivate it.

Yes, pretty much the best start.

Agreed. Though it's also good to check on the basic controls listed in the manual too of course.

 

[computerex]

Welcome to Orbiter! For the first few days, I would recommend you wear heavy padding on your head, because it is very likely that you might bang your head against the monitor in frustration after you have messed up doing a lunar transfer for the 6th time.

 

[Scarecrow]

Welcome to Orbiter! For the first few days, I would recommend you wear heavy padding on your head, because it is very likely that you might bang your head against the monitor in frustration after you have messed up doing a lunar transfer for the 6th time.

First few days only!? I was performing a direct reentry from the moon in the XR5 just yesterday, and everything would have been fine, except that at 60 km altitude and 10 km/s, the temperature sirens started blaring. I had forgotten to close my hover doors, retro doors and radiator. Needless to say, I became a hypersonic flying cinder. Oops.

 

[unussapiens]

Ahh, it's lovely to see a newbie thread without flames or a single instance of RTFM.

Welcome to Orbiter, I hope you enjoy your time with us (and there will be a lot of it). All questions are welcome and we will answer them as best as we can.

Also, make sure the padding for your head is good quality, and you may want to put a protective cage around the monitor so you don't break it either.

 

[Whippy]

Hi y'all, I'm new here too so guess this is as good a place as any to say hi since faspina's questions seem to be answered?

I am approaching the sim from a little bit of a different perspective it seems. What I am doing is just learning more flying and less technical stuff The tutorials are a big help but finding the proper ones for what I wanna do can be a lil frustrating.

I've been flying the sim for about 4 days and can now enter orbit, adjust the orbit and re-enter the atmosphere (though I usually end up landing in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean or in Argentina somewhere :rofl: ) Have learned a lot by tutorials and lots by trial and error and it seems to be working ok. I figure on getting proficient at this take off/orbit/landing thing before then moving on to intercept and docking, then on to the Moon

It's a very, very good sim!

 

[bujin]

Ahh, it's lovely to see a newbie thread without flames or a single instance of RTFM.

Of course, RTM (I don't think there's much need for the "F" ) is certainly a good bit of advice for Orbiter. If you want to get the best out of the sim, learning about orbital mechanics is a must! You won't get far off the planet if you don't understand what you're trying to do.

 

[unussapiens]

(I don't think there's much need for the "F" )

It's "Read the fine manual"

 

[polaris149Tiberius]

I like the approach

I like the approach Whippy has. Learn the fundamentals. Like NASA had to do. Use the scientific method and document everything. If you want to get into space, you must first learn to fly.

Try getting used to the Delta Glider just flying around in atmosphere. Its fun as hell with a joystick and you will want to be able to taxi, take off, fly a free flight, then paterned flight path, visual flight rules, and instrument flight rules and then be able to land on the runway no matter what path or rules you fly.

Then move on to tailsitters. If you want to orbit, you must take off and learn how to controll the launch vehicle. Then work on an orbit. Take down what you do to get into orbit and when. This will lead you to a good launch program.
Then you can work on azimuth. Make your launch program include a roll program that takes into account the time it takes to roll to a certain azimuth. See what different launch parameters get you into different altitude orbits...and so on.

I would like to say that I did all that but I cant. Not at first anyway. Eventually I had to but at first I mixed in these objetives with a little fun now and then. This is what I recommend. You will have to learn these processes eventually, I just think the way to do it is one step at a time which is what NASA did.

Welcome to Orbiter and good luck, god speed, and have fun see you on the Moon.

 

[RangerPL]

In Soviet Russia, manual reads YOU!!!

Welcome to Orbiter

 

[ar81]

If you are not familiar with Orbiter addons, I would advise you to install only two addons from http://orbiter.dansteph.com/index.php?disp=d
-Delta Glider IV
-Orbiter Sound
Later, as you find out more about addons, you might like to try more.

Orbiter is too unfamiliar, because the maneuvers in space do not attach to Star Wars physics, so you may have countless hours of joy and sometimes also some frustration because this is not Star Wars, so we need to understand concepts that we are not used too.

My first source of frustration was when I crashed against the moon in my first attempts to land.
Once I did it right, I ended up 3000km away from base...

In my first attempt to land on Mars I found myself bouncing against atmosphere, so I inverted my craft... and crashed...

In my first attempts to enter Earth atmosphere with a DG I always bounced back to space and when using Delta Glider IV I always burned...

So it is a matter of persistence, just like a challenging game... and you have a community here that could help you.

Welcome! I hope you have understanding family members cause you may lose contact with them soon Orbiter is VERY addictive

No, it happens that some orbinauts buy crappy comms equipment for their vessels... so if your wife is on Earth calling you for dinner, you might not listen if you are in Neptune.

 

[Black dog]

Welcome, welcome. What the people say is true, they WILL help you and answer your questions, and there are loads of answers on the forums already and stacks of tutorials on the web too.

It's an absorbing pastime with many avenues to explore, I sometimes remember to sleep...

 

[Woo482]

I thought I should ask this in this thread instead of starting a new one.
What part of my orbit should I burn pro grade to raise my orbit ?

 

[DaveS]

I thought I should ask this in this thread instead of starting a new one.
What part of my orbit should I burn pro grade to raise my orbit ?

Depends on which part you want to raise.

If you want to raise your periapsis, you burn prograde at the apopiasis.
If you want to raise your apopiasis, you burn prograde at the periapsis.

 

[Urwumpe]

Or simpler: When you burn prograde, you raise the part of the orbit opposite of your current position.

 

[Woo482]

I want to raise the highest part of my orbit (apopiasis?) is there any think on orbit MFD that tells me when I am at that point ?

 

[DaveS]

I want to raise the highest part of my orbit (apopiasis?)

Then just read my previous post or the manual or JPL's Basics Of Spaceflight: http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/basics/

 

[Woo482]

read the edit please