Polar orbit

[DJ Freeman]

Hey guys, I was just wondering how you can get in a polar orbit around other planets (not kerbin)... F.E. I want to go to Mün... how is it possible to get a polar orbit? Links for youtube tutorials are welcome but I can't find any :/
Thank you

[Zefnoly]

You just burn your encounter when you get close in a way you encounter it on the top or bottom. It's shouldn't be any hard.

[strask]

Yeah not to be dismissive of your question, but I don't understand what trouble you are having with it. Have you attempted it yet?

Assuming you have not tried yet, here's what I would do for a first attempt:

Get into an equatorial orbit of kerbin to start with, so that your inclination compared to Mun is close to zero.

Plan a manouver node to intercept Mun and get a collision, hopefully right through the center of Mun so that your projected orbit shoots far out of the kerbin system after the encounter.

Then adjust the manouver node a little bit up or down (normal or anti-normal) so that instead of colliding with Mun, your course flies over or under it with a close approach.

Execute the manouver, fly to Mun, burn retrograde at periapsis to circularize, then make adjustment burns as needed when you are crossing the equator of Mun to make your orbit more exactly polar. But this method should get you sort of close to start with.

If you have already attempted, and are still having trouble, then we probably need more description or a screenshot of the problem to figure out what you are asking.

[Zefnoly]

Originally posted by strask:

Yeah not to be dismissive of your question, but I don't understand what trouble you are having with it. Have you attempted it yet?

Assuming you have not tried yet, here's what I would do for a first attempt:

Get into an equatorial orbit of kerbin to start with, so that your inclination compared to Mun is close to zero.

Plan a manouver node to intercept Mun and get a collision, hopefully right through the center of Mun so that your projected orbit shoots far out of the kerbin system after the encounter.

Then adjust the manouver node a little bit up or down (normal or anti-normal) so that instead of colliding with Mun, your course flies over or under it with a close approach.

Execute the manouver, fly to Mun, burn retrograde at periapsis to circularize, then make adjustment burns as needed when you are crossing the equator of Mun to make your orbit more exactly polar. But this method should get you sort of close to start with.

If you have already attempted, and are still having trouble, then we probably need more description or a screenshot of the problem to figure out what you are asking.

Cant be harder than that ^^ Actually quite easy.

[Toastie Buns]

When you get your encounter, switch your focus to the celestial body in questoin (Tab will do this if double clicking decides to not be your friend) and make a node a minute or so in front of your craft (you can do this before you switch focus if you like)

Next, start messing around with radial/anti-radial (blue) and normal/anti-normal (pink) until your encounter 'sits' underneath or above said celestial body. You may need to use prograde/retro, but normally (assuming equatorial encounter) the 'rules' I stated above work fine.

Backspace returns to your craft view.

Here's a little gif to try and explain it using THE POWER OF PICTURES.

http://i.imgur.com/P7LL3nU.mp4

....Ninja'd while making the gif.

Oh well.

[strask]

Originally posted by Toastie Buns:

Here's a little gif to try and explain it using THE POWER OF PICTURES.

http://i.imgur.com/P7LL3nU.mp4

....Ninja'd while making the gif.

Oh well.

But it's a really nice illustration. Great work! :)

[Toastie Buns]

Originally posted by strask:

Originally posted by Toastie Buns:

Here's a little gif to try and explain it using THE POWER OF PICTURES.

http://i.imgur.com/P7LL3nU.mp4

....Ninja'd while making the gif.

Oh well.

But it's a really nice illustration. Great work! :)

Thanks. I cut the gif short because I executed the burn immediately after using my good 'ol "ignore the node, you know how to get to the moon" approach and immediately afterwards realised that doesn't set a good example for ANYONE. Generally speaking however, if you want to eyeball the crap out of it, you can burn just ahead or just below anti/normal, as this adds the element of anti/radial that you need for said burn. If it looks like it's going too far wide, spin yourself more towards radial (or cut the burn and do a quick pure radial burn) This is great for times when the nodes decide they just don't feel like being made (I'm sure if you don't know what I mean....you will eventually)

The navball is incredibly powerful once you get used to it.

[mrChips]

Originally posted by Toastie Buns:

When you get your encounter, switch your focus to the celestial body in questoin (Tab will do this if double clicking decides to not be your friend) and make a node a minute or so in front of your craft (you can do this before you switch focus if you like)

Next, start messing around with radial/anti-radial (blue) and normal/anti-normal (pink) until your encounter 'sits' underneath or above said celestial body. You may need to use prograde/retro, but normally (assuming equatorial encounter) the 'rules' I stated above work fine.

Backspace returns to your craft view.

Here's a little gif to try and explain it using THE POWER OF PICTURES.

http://i.imgur.com/P7LL3nU.mp4

....Ninja'd while making the gif.

Oh well.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this burn quite a bit cheaper to do about halfway to the Mun?

[Toastie Buns]

Originally posted by mrChips:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this burn quite a bit cheaper to do about halfway to the Mun?

Generally speaking, the sooner you do things, the less it costs. If I'm adjusting my planetary intercept, I'll do it on the opposite side of said intercept (wherever possible).

I could be wrong, I haven't played this game the right way since alpha. Saving 10d/V is often useless to me.

EDIT: Turns out yeah, it is cheaper. Not by a great deal.

[DJ Freeman]

guys thank you very much... I tried it many times but I got into an orbit around mun and tried to rotate the orbite untill it was polar (waste of fuel), but now when i saw ur GIF... thnx a lot!