Flight Question DG - Nav Questions

[Omne]

I've been able to get the hang of flying the Delta-Glider from the earth to the moon, but I can't figure out how to set the instruments to figure out a course to head back (Transfer on the MFD).

I would also like to try my hand at interplanetary travels (I'd like to launch a mission to Mars at the moment) but I need some help with the instruments there as well. As far as Transfer goes, do I set the Sun as the REF and Mars as the target or do I need to go about it in a different way?

 

[Evil_Onyx]

I would advise you to look at the Tutorials section as there are some very good tutorials there that can help you.

As far as Transfer goes, do I set the Sun as the REF and Mars as the target or do I need to go about it in a different way?

If you are going to use Orbit MFD then yes, but that is by no means the easiest way of navigating between planets. TransX and IMFD are the tools most used in planning and executing interplanetary trips.

 

[TMac3000]

I do Moon-Earth trips Apollo style: just align with Earth using Align MFD, then when Earth rises above the horizon, burn until you escape lunar orbit. It's not very efficient, and you'll have to make a passel of mid-course corrections, but it will get you there

I gave up on using Transfer MFD for the planets a long time ago. I recommend you give IMFD a try instead.

 

[Cras]

Lunar Transfer MFD (LTMFD) is made by the same guy who made IMFD, and it is incredibly accurate for Earth to the Moon and back again. I recommend giving both LTMFD and IMFD a look. They are great great tools.

 

[Omne]

Thanks for the suggestions I've been trying to learn TransX but I'll look into IMFD as well.

 

[Omne]

I've been playing around with IMFD and I managed to get my Arrow freighter into Mars orbit...only once though. I have been trying again with no luck and I can't remember precisely how I did it the first time. I've been using the Orbit Eject function and once that is done, I've used the Course function to try and set off to Mars but inevitably the ship just doesn't make it. Seems like it gets to a certain point and just stops.

 

[blane]

For IMFD try this great tutorial video by Rdenny "Europa to Callisto".

http://solo.dc3.com/orbiter/video/EuropaToCallisto

The same method can be applied for an Earth to Mars transfer.

For TransX, try Flytandems tutorials: http://flytandem.com/orbiter/tutorials/

 

[PhantomCruiser]

...I've used the Course function to try and set off to Mars but inevitably the ship just doesn't make it. Seems like it gets to a certain point and just stops.

A problem I was having when travelling to Mars... During the course correction, the reference was always set to Phobos, not Mars. That would always throw the course off towards, well, nowhere. I had to make myself a checklist for travelling towards anything with a moon, to change it to ensure that the planet was the reference, not the moon.

 

[statickid]

what do you mean, "stops"?? can you really stop?

 

[blane]

He probably refers to IMFD course plotting.

 

[Ripley]

Lunar Transfer MFD (LTMFD) is made by the same guy who made IMFD, and it is incredibly accurate for Earth to the Moon and back again. I recommend giving both LTMFD and IMFD a look. They are great great tools.

While we're at it, in my immense noobiness I've followed jarmonik's LTMFD tutorial "LunarTransferTutorial.mht" (in the Doc\LunarTransferMFD folder), and getting to the Moon - not to mention, already aligned with the base target - is a piece of cake.

I said "Hey, there's a TEI program as well! It should stand for Trans Earth Injection right?", and I plunged in, trying to get home again (from Brighton Beach) this time without knowing well what numbers to aim for, and, guess what, miserably failed.

Is there any LTMFD moon->earth tutorial, or are you willing to point me on the right path?