Flight Question getting into orbit?

[rocketdued]

i can get the space shuttle to launch and into space. but i can't get it to hold an altitude. what steps am i missing to stay in orbit? im coming into reentry befor i get one orbit done.

 

[garyw]

You aren't in orbit. What does orbit MFD say about your Peri and Apa?

 

[rocketdued]

spine cars?

well my per right now is 6.454m and the apr is 6.571m

 

[Urwumpe]

well my per right now is 6.454m and the apr is 6.571m

You have forgotten to do OMS-1 and OMS-2 maneuvers or just OMS-2 (in case you wanted a pretty low 200 km orbit).

 

[Cochise]

I had the same problem when I first started. Make sure you have the limited fuel option checked in parameters. Shuttle is too heavy fully loaded to get into orbit.

 

[Urwumpe]

Shameless OrbiterWiki link:

http://www.orbiterwiki.org/wiki/Orbit_insertion

---------- Post added at 10:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:57 PM ----------

I had the same problem when I first started. Make sure you have the limited fuel option checked in parameters. Shuttle is too heavy fully loaded to get into orbit.

That is not the problem, if you look at his orbit parameters. He just forgot to do the orbit insertion burns with the OMS.

 

[rocketdued]

well the launch auto pilot did the oms2 burn. but im slowly loseing altitude at the moment and rotateing as well.

 

[Cochise]

I usually do OMS 2 burn manually. The autopilot doesn't seem to do it right. Type in do_oms2 = false in the luaconsole mfd and do it manually.

 

[rocketdued]

oh ok. how long you do the oms2 burn?

 

[Urwumpe]

I agree, the orbit parameters look pretty poor for a successful OMS-2.

 

[Cochise]

I use the orbit MFD and try to get peri and apa almost equal. Ecc as close to zero as possible. Do the burn while in prograde, when you are getting close to apogee.

 

[rocketdued]

oh ok. yeah cause i tried the tutorial on the atlantis lauch. but it was really scetchy on the information as far as staying in orbit.

 

[flytandem]

FWIW, I started with the default DG just to keep things simple and to focus on navigation. I vowed to stay with the DG until I knew as much as possible about orbits and maneuvering. Still learning and flying the DG BTW. And loving it. YMMV.

 

[rocketdued]

oh ok. well yeah but wouldn't it have the same launch autopilot as atlantis has got?

 

[garyw]

oh ok. yeah cause i tried the tutorial on the atlantis lauch. but it was really scetchy on the information as far as staying in orbit.

This is why you should also be using things like 'Go play in space' to cross check what's going on. I tend to use 200-250KM above the surface as a good point for an initial orbit.

Final tip - Don't rely on Autopilots. Even real astronaunts double check everything just in case one of the autopilots has a bad day.

 

[rocketdued]

ah ok. so the next time i try to launch space shuttle atlantis do it manuly? i guess you could say im still learning this game. but so far i havn't done so good.

 

[garyw]

No, use the autopilot but check to make sure that it is doing what you expect it to do. Don't rely on it to be perfect.

 

[n72.75]

Here's a link to Go Play In Space.

Once you get good at orbital navigation and have a good understanding about orbital mechanics, then go back to the space shuttle.

 

[Urwumpe]

Also, even Shuttle astronauts need to learn the basics first. If you can't tell what Apogee and Perigee is, what do you actually know at all?

 

[rocketdued]

i know nasa won't be calling me any time soon to fly atlantis:lol: when i first found this game and tried to land it was ugly. i gave up on the space station v3.2 couldn't build it. so i started at square one. so if the the autopilots not doing what i need it to do how do i shut it off?