Flight Question Maintaing Stable Orbit with the Arrow

[kevinvr]

Hi All
The Arrow is a great ship and landing it is great. I do however need some help with keeping a stable orbit. I have tried to dock the dgiv into the Arrows bay, but I am struggling to keep the Arrow in a stable orbit so that I can align the Dgiv with it. When the Arrow is oribiting it seems to lose Alt and the Pea or Apa drops while I am flying the dgiv, especially if I use time warp.
Any help will be appreciated,
I gotta learn to fly this bird right
thanks!
Kevin

 

[Shadow Addict]

What altitude is it at? Are you using Orbiter 2006 or the 2009 beta? It's possible that it's encountering atmospheric drag.

 

[the.punk]

What altitude is it at? Are you using Orbiter 2006 or the 2009 beta? It's possible that it's encountering atmospheric drag.

Orbiter 2009 has a new atmospheric model also in higher altitudes. So this could be the problem if you use it. You need to go higher if you are too low in atmosphere.

 

[kevinvr]

I am using 2006 P1 edition. I have tried with vairous altitudes. 500k - 2500k. maybe I should try 4000k or 6000k then?
Is there any MFD I can use that will help keep a stable orbit or do I have to do that myself as I am trying to do?
Thanks for the help.

 

[Urwumpe]

What do you call a stable orbit?

 

[kevinvr]

One where the Pea or Apa doesn't continue falling all the time thus changing the altitude as I orbit earth. I'm trying to dock the DGIV to the Arrow , but the Arrow keps losing altitude and by the time I have aligned planes, synched orbit and begun docking the arrow crashes into the atmosphere. I have to kep going back to the Arrow and burn prograde to kep altitude and that makes it difficult to get the dgiv lined up and docked.
Thnaks for the help, I need it

 

[garyw]

Do you have non-spherical gravity sources turned on?

 

[kevinvr]

Do you have non-spherical gravity sources turned on?

If you can tell me what that is I will check, Thanks!
OK, sorry I found them.
No, Non-spherical gravity sources is not checked and gravity-gradient torque is also not checked. Are those contributing to my problem?

 

[garyw]

Sorry, They are under the parameters tab. If they were turned on it would cause your Apa and PeR to 'wander' due to the non-uniform gravitational attraction of Earth.

 

[Dambuster]

Have you checked that all your engines are turned completely off? Especially if you're using a joystick, Orbiter may 'think' that your throttle isn't in the zero position, when physically it is. If this is the case (there may be something wrong with your joystick if so, or it just isn't calibrated quite right), then that could cause what you describe.

 

[Urwumpe]

One where the Pea or Apa doesn't continue falling all the time thus changing the altitude as I orbit earth. I'm trying to dock the DGIV to the Arrow , but the Arrow keps losing altitude and by the time I have aligned planes, synched orbit and begun docking the arrow crashes into the atmosphere.

Sounds like you have engines left running on the arrow after you switched focus away. Small variations in the orbit parameters are normal, even without non-spherical gravity (eg, because of Moon and sun), but a complete decay in days can not be explained without thruster activity.

 

[kevinvr]

Have you checked that all your engines are turned completely off? Especially if you're using a joystick, Orbiter may 'think' that your throttle isn't in the zero position, when physically it is. If this is the case (there may be something wrong with your joystick if so, or it just isn't calibrated quite right), then that could cause what you describe.

Thanks. I did check that the engines are all off especially when using time warp. I don't have a joystick he he he I'm still one of those that use only the keyboard:lol:
It is interesting that the dgiv does not do this, only the Arrow.
OK I will go try it again.
Thanks for the help.

 

[Urwumpe]

Can you post a quick-save of your scenario while the Arrow decays?

 

[kevinvr]

Sounds like you have engines left running on the arrow after you switched focus away.

Thanks for the help, You are correct.
When in cocpit view the engines all seem to be off but if I go to external view the reverse thrusters are on a little bit.
I willl post that scenario, but i think that has been my problem all along because i've tried different scenarios and it always seems to decay when using timewarp.
I will post that autosave.

 

[Urwumpe]

When in cocpit view the engines all seem to be off but if I go to external view the reverse thrusters are on a little bit.

Did you hit the "kill all mother-friendly engines now" key?

 

[kevinvr]

Here is my scenario attached.

 

[kevinvr]

Did you hit the "kill all mother-friendly engines now" key?

Sorry, I don't know what you are talking about.:blush:

 

[Urwumpe]

Sorry, I don't know what you are talking about.:blush:

The key next to the one you use for switching from linear RCS to rotational RCS?

 

[kevinvr]

OK, WOW , I didn't know about that... just tried it and it works great!
Thanks for the help.
I will try running that scenario again and see what it does.
Just for fun I'm busy making a scenario where the Arrow takes off from Earth and then the dgiv docks with it , then goes to the moon, undock the dgiv and land at armston's moonbase with both.
Thanks again!