Test *thing* on a escape trajectory out of kerbin

[Dark1ll3R]

How do I meet the requirements for a escape trajectory? does that mean to stop orbiting kerbin and tart orbiting the mün, for example?

[El Rushbo]

It has to be on a trajectory where it's going to leave Kerbins SOI and orbit the sun.

[SoveriegnSpirit]

No, when you have an escape trajectory, you are leaving the gravity of the the celetial body you are orbitiing. So if you are around Kerbin, you will leave Kerbin and orbit the sun. Getting to the mun is just incrwasing your orbit to creat a Mun encounter and then during the encounter shrink your orbit around the Mun.

[Proteus]

As El Rushbo said.
When you are in an orbit aroung Kerbin, just accelerate prograde (so that you get faster) until your projected flightpath on the map (M) turns from a circle/ellopsoid into a single line that points out of Kerbins SOI.
Now you are on an escape trajectory and can test out things.

But after testing remember to accelerate retrograde again, so that your flightpatrh becomes a circle/ellopsoid again. Unles you want the spaceship to orbit the sun (where, even if you still have fuel, you might spend a long time, trying to return to Kerbin) ... ideally with an periapsis of 30-50km (so that you get slowed by Kerbins atmosphere everytime you get below 70km altitude and so, your orbit becomes smaller and smaller with each revolution)

[J.FunDeeDood.K]

Would just like to add my input. Even if an object in orbit is around 100,000 km in space it will still decrease in height by about 100 m each rotation until it starts entering a denser atmosphere, in which it will plummet much faster. I like orbiting at around 120,000 km just to be safe.

[AttentiveColon]

Originally posted by T.S.F.:

Would just like to add my input. Even if an object in orbit is around 100,000 km in space it will still decrease in height by about 100 m each rotation until it starts entering a denser atmosphere, in which it will plummet much faster. I like orbiting at around 120,000 km just to be safe.

In real life, yes. In KSP, no. The atmosphere ends at 69,000. As long as your periapsis doesn't dip below that number your orbit will never degrade. 120,000 is just overkill and wastes fuel.

[J.FunDeeDood.K]

Originally posted by Deems<19> || PDX:

Originally posted by T.S.F.:

Would just like to add my input. Even if an object in orbit is around 100,000 km in space it will still decrease in height by about 100 m each rotation until it starts entering a denser atmosphere, in which it will plummet much faster. I like orbiting at around 120,000 km just to be safe.

In real life, yes. In KSP, no. The atmosphere ends at 69,000. As long as your periapsis doesn't dip below that number your orbit will never degrade. 120,000 is just overkill and wastes fuel.

Today I watched in 50x speed as my space station orbiting Kerbin decreased minimum height by about 100 m every orbit while my maximum height decreased about 150 m each orbit while the lowest point in the orbit hovered around 93,000 km. I waited about 10 minutes at 50x speed to see what would happen and the space station became sub orbital. Both main engines were turned off and no other engines, electrical or otherwise, were on. Is it possible that torque around the center of mass was causing this to happen? My station is currently shaped like the top of an arrow.

[AttentiveColon]

That is simply not possible unless you modifed the games behavior or are using mods of some kind. The game does not render physics when you are in time warp. Your ship is basically running on a track and it will not deviate from it until you leave time warp. This is why the game only does physical time warp in atmosphere, because it has to render the physics for aerodynamic effects.

[J.FunDeeDood.K]

Originally posted by Deems<19> || PDX:

That is simply not possible unless you modifed the games behavior or are using mods of some kind. The game does not render physics when you are in time warp. Your ship is basically running on a track and it will not deviate from it until you leave time warp. This is why the game only does physical time warp in atmosphere, because it has to render the physics for aerodynamic effects.

Fine, maybe I'm crazy.

[Cyber Hobo]

Originally posted by T.S.F.:

Originally posted by Deems<19> || PDX:

In real life, yes. In KSP, no. The atmosphere ends at 69,000. As long as your periapsis doesn't dip below that number your orbit will never degrade. 120,000 is just overkill and wastes fuel.

Today I watched in 50x speed as my space station orbiting Kerbin decreased minimum height by about 100 m every orbit while my maximum height decreased about 150 m each orbit while the lowest point in the orbit hovered around 93,000 km. I waited about 10 minutes at 50x speed to see what would happen and the space station became sub orbital. Both main engines were turned off and no other engines, electrical or otherwise, were on. Is it possible that torque around the center of mass was causing this to happen? My station is currently shaped like the top of an arrow.

thats not how it works

[Sagara Sousuke]

Wait, so, to complete the contract "escape trajectory with named engine". I have to launch from the pad with the requested engine and escape the gravity of Kervin? is not enough to just orbit Kervin?

[Manwith Noname]

Originally posted by Sagara Sousuke:

Wait, so, to complete the contract "escape trajectory with named engine". I have to launch from the pad with the requested engine and escape the gravity of Kervin? is not enough to just orbit Kervin?

Obligatory mumble about dark arts of raising from the dead....

You don't have to leave Kerbin's sphere of influence. You need to be on a trajectory that will do so. Once the test has been conducted, you can then perform a maneuver to return to a Kerbin orbit. You don't need to travel far from Kerbin to do this.

[El Rushbo]

Think of it this way, you know that interplanetary probe you wanted to send to Eve? Slap on the requested part to test along the way. (Or to any other planet besides Kerbin that you want to visit.)

[Totally Not A Gamer Girl]

Originally posted by Deems<19> || PDX:

Originally posted by T.S.F.:

Would just like to add my input. Even if an object in orbit is around 100,000 km in space it will still decrease in height by about 100 m each rotation until it starts entering a denser atmosphere, in which it will plummet much faster. I like orbiting at around 120,000 km just to be safe.

In real life, yes. In KSP, no. The atmosphere ends at 69,000. As long as your periapsis doesn't dip below that number your orbit will never degrade. 120,000 is just overkill and wastes fuel.

It's not if you actually want to be able to warp at a bearable speed without having to switch to the tracking station or another vessel every time.

Source: Ksp player since alpha. 0.X