Flight Question Help with TransX

[edjohnbus]

Hello and thank you for reading my post. I'm trying to learn how to use the TransX MFD and found this really really great tutorial, but after writing down everything that the narrator of the video did, and taking off from any other location on the moon, I seem to get a trajectory which launches me randomly into space, so far 5 attempts and not any have resulted in my DGIV heading back to Earth.
The video I watch (and the person does a successful return to Earth) is: TransX Video Tutorials (Beginner to Advanced) - An excellent set of video tutorials by 'flytandem' good for both ORBITER 2006-P1 and ORBITER 2010-P1.

I set up my right MFD to generate an ejection plan, the left MFD does my escape plan, just as noted in the video. Is there something I'm missing concerning TransX MFD that I might be missing? I take off at the heading shown in the MFD, get my orbit to my PE distance, wait for the begin burn to reach 0, then burn at prograde until the DELTAV counts to 0.

If anyone can help me out, I would appreciate it. I'm trying to create my own base on the moon (challenger base) and right now not being able to have any successful return to Earth is frustrating. I don't want to fly to Brighton Beach all the time.

Thanks,

Edward

:thumbup:

 

[icedown]

I'd give the Lunar Transfer MFD a try. It's a lot easier to use than transX. It's a stripped version of the IMFD which is pretty good too.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/jarmonik/Orbiter.html


If you still want to use TransX, Flytandem has a very good set of tutorials here

http://flytandem.com/orbiter/tutorials/index.htm

 

[Rtyh-12]

LTMFD is good for, as its name suggests, lunar transfers. If you only want to fly through the Earth-Moon system, it's very good.

For anything else, my recommendation would be TransX. Here's how I do my Moon-Earth transfers with TransX:

1. Be in a lunar orbit. (or, launch to lunar orbit. Use a heading of around 90 degrees. I don't know of any way to determine this exactly, since the Earth doesn't orbit the Moon, but 90 degrees worked for me when I launched from Brighton Beach. YMMV)

2. Set up TransX so that the target is Escape.

3. Set one MFD on the stage that shows you in a lunar orbit and the other MFD on the stage that shows the Moon in orbit around the Earth (first and second stage, respectively).

4. In the first stage, activate Maneuver mode, then press VAR to see the different variables that you can set. Add some prograde velocity until you've got enough to escape the Moon.

5. When you reach enough prograde, you'll notice that the second stage shows a green line. That's the path you would have if you burned with that much prograde right now.

6. Play around with the different variables and try to bring the green line in stage 2 as close to Earth as possible (you can see how close it gets in the second stage as PeD, just remember that it's the distance from the Earth's center, so you want it around 7000 km)

And don't forget to set the maneuver time so that it's actually in the future, by default it's set to the moment when you first activate maneuver mode, so it's in the past.

 

[edjohnbus]

Thank you for the suggestions, I will check out both of them. I've only been playing Orbiter for about a week, I'm just trying to stick close to Earth and get the fundamentals of getting from point A to point B set before trying to go to Mars or other moons/planets. I really like the help and tips people share on here, it does make it a LOT easier to learn.

Thank you again for taking a minute to give a suggestion you ROCK!

 

[flytandem]

Sorry for the delay. Just saw this and will try to make wide fingers work this iPhone.
If you go back and pick another launch point as you suggest and then run the TransX plan and then make three saves and post them I would be happy to look at them. I would like the three as... Just before launch, in parking orbit aligned with plan and just after the eject burn. Thanks.

Hello and thank you for reading my post. I'm trying to learn how to use the TransX MFD and found this really really great tutorial, but after writing down everything that the narrator of the video did, and taking off from any other location on the moon, I seem to get a trajectory which launches me randomly into space, so far 5 attempts and not any have resulted in my DGIV heading back to Earth.
The video I watch (and the person does a successful return to Earth) is: TransX Video Tutorials (Beginner to Advanced) - An excellent set of video tutorials by 'flytandem' good for both ORBITER 2006-P1 and ORBITER 2010-P1.

I set up my right MFD to generate an ejection plan, the left MFD does my escape plan, just as noted in the video. Is there something I'm missing concerning TransX MFD that I might be missing? I take off at the heading shown in the MFD, get my orbit to my PE distance, wait for the begin burn to reach 0, then burn at prograde until the DELTAV counts to 0.

If anyone can help me out, I would appreciate it. I'm trying to create my own base on the moon (challenger base) and right now not being able to have any successful return to Earth is frustrating. I don't want to fly to Brighton Beach all the time.

Thanks,

Edward

:thumbup:

 

[Ripley]

Hi Flytandem.
I'm translating this tutorial for my website.

All that you wrote in the paragraph "CENTERING THE BURN", where you explain how long before "to lead" the start of the burn (30 seconds in that example): has it become kind of obsolete, since there is a new "Begin Burn" figure?
(just found it out)

Your image

My image​

 

[flytandem]

Yes the burn centering is obsolete. I wouldn't be surprised if there are other things that could be improved upon. That tutorial was written as I was still learning TransX. Anything else you notice please feel free to change whatever you think needs changing.

 

[Ripley]

I wish I was so competent with TransX!

Meanwhile ITA translation is online here.
Flytandem supercredited of course!

:tiphat: