Hitting Debris or Asteroids

[louross]

Got a more-or-less idea on the great program- quite a learning curve. I've used the DGIV to launch intoorbit from KSCX and then deorbit. On the deorbit (and I think the first time I was climbing into orbit) apparently I hit some debris- rock, meteor, or something. Is this possible? If so, how do I fly around it, or is it a luck thing. Thanks,
lr.

 

[tl8]

You actually burned up during reentry, try doing it at a shallower angle

 

[unknown_orbiter]

Haha man that got me too. With the original DG all of a sudden my aeorcontrol surfaces would cease to exist on re-entry. With the DGIV I just BOOOOMM. Use the de-orbit thingy (forgot the name) on the onboard computer to perform a safe de-orbit

 

[Kaito]

Yeah, your control surfaces really dont work to well during re-entry...better let the autopilot do it

 

[louross]

Okay, thanks for the help!.
lr.

 

[RisingFury]

Yeah, your control surfaces really dont work to well during re-entry...better let the autopilot do it

Blah!

Turn on RSC and control surfaces.
First, in your cockpit, set the DGIV control to control surfaces only (not atmospheric auto), then hit F8, to go to usual view and set the RCS to ROT.

That way you'll have 100% control over your ship.

 

[unknown_orbiter]

With the re-entry autopilot you can:
- Safely and easily re-enter the atmo
- Safely yaw the ship to a degree for precision landing location control
- Enjoy the flames lashing the window without having to worry whether the flames are actually lashing your helmet

 

[MJR]

I haven't messed with the DG-IV in a long time but I'll tell you, it is pretty hard executing a manual de-orbit. Follow the short checklists it gives you and then make sure that your speed it really low. Also look at your vertical speed. If I'm not mistaken, there is another checklst showing the limitations of the craft. Look at it and it should give you a good idea how fast you need to be going and all the other important things needed for re-entry. It is not impossible to get an AoA of 40 degrees but I have gotten it. Even if you can't get it to 40 try to maintain a 30 or 35 degree AoA. If I played it recently I could help you even better, but I haven't in a long time. You'll get the hang of it. Just remember, vertical speed, speed, AoA, and S turns. S turns helped me a lot because it bleeds off speed. Hope this helps.

 

[Dimkin]

If you'll even want to use XR5 tell me I'll explain how to deorbit it safely to earth 100km from target base!

 

[MJR]

Its fairly easy to use the XR5 or DG because they are like planes that can go to space. All you need to do is align your planes and get as close as you can. After that, just do atmospheric flight and you should get to the base quick.

 

[Dimkin]

Not so easy if you do it manually.

 

[RisingFury]

Not so easy if you do it manually.

Just as easy if you do it manually

 

[louross]

Well, lots of good responses- I'll copy some of these and add trhem to my "manual".
Thanks for all the help!
lr.

 

[Sherrif of Nottingham]

Wow, thats intense... hitting some kind of debris would suck right before reentry..

 

[ar81]

If your atmospheric entry is too steep (more than 1 degree) you are likely to burn.
If your craft burns, amterials will lose their properties and the ship will break apart and the remnants will be debris on fire.

 

[TMac3000]

Don't know if this is really pertinent, but here is the deorbit procedure I use in the stock DG.

1) First, I make a orbital plane change so that my path crosses the base I want to land at.

2) Configure for re-entry. Open retro doors (you will need them to make small adjustments), deploy airbrakes (so you will automatically start slowing down during re-entry), and make sure you are buttoned up (nose cone shut, airlocks secure, etc.). Set AF CTL to OFF.

3) Turn retrograde and perform your deorbit burn. Use the Map MFD. The red square is your impact point. Kill engines when it is slightly ahead of your target base, as it will move back toward you during entry.

4) Turn prograde and then HLVL. Set HUD for surface, right MFD to surface. Around 60,000 meters you will start to slow down. Set AF CTL to PITCH and RCS to OFF. You are now under partial aerodynamic control. Adjust pitch to maintain a vertical rate of around 200 m/s.

5) Do not restore full aero control until your speed is below 750 m/s (about Mach 2.5), and your altitude is under 17,000 meters. When these parameters are met, set AF CTL to ON, and test your controls with small pitch, roll, and yaw maneuvers. If all goes well, you have completed re-entry! It's all basic airplane flight from here.

This works every time for me.

 

[EliNaut]

If your atmospheric entry is too steep (more than 1 degree) you are likely to burn.
If your craft burns, amterials will lose their properties and the ship will break apart and the remnants will be debris on fire.

I do belive the DG's reentry limitations are 2 degrees. If it is greater than two degrees, the reentry AP refuses to run, the stubborn thing
My reentries average around 1.5 degrees anyway when I do it manually. Course i'm horrible at landing with precision - although i've been meaning to try it with Auto FCS.

Referring to the original post, considering with a collision system this would be pretty interesting to simulate.

 

[Arrowstar]

I've gotten good at deadstick landings with Greg's fantastic BigSpacePlane 4 addon. The trick with this (and other space planes) in my opinion is to keep an eye on that red dot in Map MFD that shows where you are going to hit if there was no atmosphere, etc. What I do is keep that dot a certain distance away from the base I am attempting to land at. That distance varies with my current altitude and velocity. As I get closer and slower, I bring it in gradually by pitching my craft appropriately, using the speedbrake, etc. Doing this, I've managed to nail deadstick (no thrust) landings at the Equatorial Bases that BSP launches from, as well as KSC, etc.

It's all about the energy management. Once you get that, you're golden.