egg changed the topic of #principia to: Logs: https://esper.irclog.whitequark.org/principia | <scott_manley> anyone that doubts the wisdom of retrograde bop needs to get the hell out | https://xkcd.com/323/ | <egg> calculating the influence of lamont on Pluto is a bit silly…
<queqiao-->
Reply to "beb: y'all ever code a ground tracks sim to plan out your molniya constellations"
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> No but now I kind of want it 😄
<queqiao-->
Reply to "Kaga: accidentally made a sun synchronous-ish orbit on the moon"
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> I want those orbit properties
<queqiao-->
Reply to "Kaga: I just have to “execute node” and it should work right?"
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> Yes but to have «active engine» working you must have it staged active.
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> How hard is Earth-Moon L2 to achieve, and what kind of precision are we talking here? Is it stable-ish or will it drift out of the orbit often?
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> i was thinking about setting one up as a relay for the dark side of the moon
<queqiao-->
Reply to "Tivec: I want those orbit properties"
<queqiao-->
<Kaga> its by accident but the orbital inc is retrograde like 110deg
<queqiao-->
Reply to "Kaga: its by accident but the orbital inc is retrograde like 110deg"
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> accidental orbits are best orbits 😄
<queqiao-->
Reply to "Tivec: accidental orbits are best orbits 😄"
<queqiao-->
<Kaga> sadly this is only sim so, i might not be able to replicate it again
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> so moon L2 is almost impossible to maintan?
<queqiao-->
<egg> (From the pinned book.)
<queqiao-->
<egg> Who said anything about L2? This is about a sun-synchronous orbit.
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> ohhh
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> i read "J2" and thought that was L2.. my brain is dumb today
<queqiao-->
<egg> As for trajectories around L1, L2, or L3, those are unstable, so fundamentally they won’t stick.
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> right, but it's possible to create an L2 orbit that last for a while at least. then i can plan the next station keep manoeuvre and add that to the alarm clock
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> bloody heck, i wish i had enabled stage lock
<queqiao-->
Reply to "Tivec: right, but it's possible to create an L2 orbit that last for a while at least. then i can..."
<queqiao-->
<Damien> It varies a bit but you're looking at stationkeeping once a month in EML2
<queqiao-->
<Damien> And once every 1-2 years in Sun- Earth L2
<queqiao-->
<Damien> Same figures for L1
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> not too shabby then. but i do need to have reaction wheels on this satellite core, it's way too fidgety using RCS to rotate...
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> though i don't understand where on the orbit i'm supposed to do the station keep burns
<queqiao-->
<Kaga> Are lagrange points meant for some sort of special mission in the game or is it just there as a feature
<queqiao-->
<egg> The question is strange. They just are there, because they are a consequence of the laws of physics. We couldn’t prevent them from being there if we wanted.
<queqiao-->
<egg> They are not a separate feature. Now, the reference frame with the equipotentials that makes them easier to see, that is a feature. But the points themselves just fall out of the equations.
<queqiao-->
<Kaga> Why is it strange? I just wanna know when to use lagrange points for some types of missions/ what case/scenario should i use it for
<queqiao-->
<egg> The strangeness is in the use of the verb to mean, and of the noun feature. You just cannot help but have them if you have 𝑛-body gravitation, they are not somehow a separate feature.
<queqiao-->
<egg> Now, what are they good for is a different question.
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> how do you reach that kind of orbit
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> I think its just a retrograde orbit at high altitude
<queqiao-->
<haysox> Regarding station keeping, do people just use the predicted trajectory and then set an alarm or something for when you need to go back in and adjust the orbit?
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> i never needed it once so far lol
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> i'm trying to do a suicide burn style brake on moon impact, and the burn finishes at like 5km up, which means it takes a lot more than 200m/s to brake and land safely. any recommendations here? how do i manage the planning for it?
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> will i have time to zero out the horizontal speed though?
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> and increase the prediction accuracy on the flight plan to atleast centimeters
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> oh, that is probably a good plan
<queqiao-->
Reply to "Tivec: will i have time to zero out the horizontal speed though?"
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> idk what you mean, your braking stage should take all your speed and leave you at a standstill as close to the surface as possible :v
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> then you do terminal descent on generics
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> i wouldn't call it periapsis 😄
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> but i'll roll with it
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> nope, that made things worse. dropped me at 5.7km and started spinning because speed was nulled out and the node decided to move heh
<queqiao-->
Reply to "Tivec: it's just that my save is 2 minutes before burn 😄 don't have that much time to play ar..."
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> You can plot with the game paused
<queqiao-->
Reply to "Tivec: i wouldn't call it periapsis 😄"
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> Tuat is a periapsis tho, it means that you are stopping before getting to the surface
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> pausing brings up menus and makes it impossible to control camera...
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> The menu can be moved and you can setup the camera in a comfortable place before pausing :v
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> yeah
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> seems like it wants to flip the thing over when i get to the hover point, have to hit abort node execution if i get to slow
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> You need to fire manually
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> Also if you are late you can burn rcs to act as throttle. If you are early you cant do much
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> i almost made it. 40m/s this time on impact, so.. will have to replan. again 😄
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> how am i going to do this live and succeed...
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> How far are you stopping from the surface is what matter, ideally sub 500m :v dont forget to set radar altitude instead of msl
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> yeah, hoping for < 500m this time
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> was at 1km, so i'm getting closer
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> also, i think i need to have some engine that isn't ullaged for the brake stage :/
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> Btw to get 0ms impact step by step:
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> -Check the initial impact, create a braking node of exactly that much
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> -Move the timing back and forth till you find the moment at which the impact speed is minimal
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> -add this impact speed to your braking dv
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> -rinse and repeat
<queqiao-->
Reply to "Tivec: also, i think i need to have some engine that isn't ullaged for the brake stage :/"
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> Just need strong enough thruster that the ullage in instantaneous
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> right, thrusters are NOT strong enough lol
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> does it perform as good when the angle to the surface is less than 10deg tho? :v
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> this time i had an expected periapsis at the predicted impact, 0m/s, and it still dropped me off at over 1km so uh... not sure how this is supposed to be done at all, heh.
<queqiao-->
Reply to "Tivec: this time i had a planned periapsis at the predicted impact, 0m/s, and it still dropped m..."
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> consider that the ullage is taking speed away and reducing the mass, so its effectively doing double work in changing the burn, so you need to delay a little bit, remember you can always burn rcs to compensate being late
<queqiao-->
Reply to "ezsnack: does it perform as good when the angle to the surface is less than 10deg tho? :v"
<queqiao-->
<Butcher> Yeah works for most angles you can reasonably approach from
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> the "active engines" button considers the active engine with the current craft mass, if the mass changes the prediction is not relevant anymore, its gonna be slightly off
<queqiao-->
<Butcher> ullage shouldn't be that much difference tbh
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> hrm, okay, will do a slighly later burn
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> like, a second or so maybe
<queqiao-->
Reply to "Butcher: ullage shouldn't be that much difference tbh"
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> not that much but can be 500m tbf
<queqiao-->
<Butcher> But also, I consider anything under 1 km at the end of main braking burn "good"
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> i live on low margins so its 300-500 or bust xd
<queqiao-->
<Butcher> Trying to stop your main engines at 50m is likely to cause lithobraking if the performance fluctuates at all.
<queqiao-->
<Butcher> That vid is 350m stop and needs a little over 30 m/s for final descent, I normally plan more like 100 m/s
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> btw theres a trick that can be used together with eyeball mk2, the MJ landing prediction
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> it is wildly wrong but you can try to converge the altitude going to 0 and the suicide burn timer going from negative to 0 to happen at the same moment by burning rcs
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> wow. okay uh... so, i started ullage (which takes ~2 seconds) on burn time and that was the difference between 700m/s impact 😄
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> (you still rely on principia to now when to ignite tho)
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> so ullage at 2 seconds prior to ignition, and pray.
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> oh btw, ignition. is that supposed to be "engine is now burning" or does that include spin up?
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> ehehe good question, idk but it can definitely be off by 1-2 seconds
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> well, now i don't start early enough at all..
<queqiao-->
<kuzinat0r> Interesting solar panels orientation
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> 520m this time, hit too hard and rolled, but hey
<queqiao-->
Reply to "kuzinat0r: Interesting solar panels orientation"
<queqiao-->
<Butcher> Yeah, 😬
<queqiao-->
Reply to "kuzinat0r: Interesting solar panels orientation"
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> oh my oh my i didnt even realize 🤣
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> yikes, yes. those panels... Erika starts playing in the background
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> i soft landed!
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> so i think the best way for me on this is to plan for an impact with around 25m/s, seems to deposit me around 500m.
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> so uhm... if i have loaded a sim save, how do i get back to VAB? or do i just hit space center when done, since i don't have a revery option now
<queqiao-->
Reply to "Tivec: so i think the best way for me on this is to plan for an impact with around 25m/s, seems ..."
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> dont forget that you can achieve 25m/s in more ways, it can be not enough braking dv and correct timing or correct dv and too early or too late timing :v
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> true, but if i am off by too much time-wise i slam the surface,
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> try also from a different angle to the surface of the moon to see if its still true :v
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> right, sideways might not be the best option for me, for the actual mission i'm going to aim for a much more vertical approach, should help killing the speed too
<queqiao-->
Reply to "ezsnack: oh my oh my i didnt even realize 🤣 now i cant unsee"
<queqiao-->
<Butcher> Nor did I when I built it. :p
<queqiao-->
Reply to "Tivec: right, sideways might not be the best option for me, for the actual mission i'm going to ..."
<queqiao-->
<ezsnack> actually more horizontal is easier cuz timing is not critical, you can stop at any point that your trajectory is below 1km which is a bigger time window the more horizontal the trajectory is
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> ah i see
<queqiao-->
<Tivec> holy shoot, uncrewed moon landing is 250 applicants? don't mind if I do!
<queqiao-->
Reply to "Clayel: woah, pretty cool! send source!"