Hyperbolic milestone?

[Swotoro]

Hey all. I'm a bit confused about the hyperbolic milestone for Droo. My understanding is that an eccentric orbit is NOT circular, but elliptical. I've accomplished elliptical orbits many times, but it hasn't triggered the hyperbolic milestone. Any help on this?

[mreed2]

Hyperbolic orbits are orbits with an eccentricity (e) greater than 1. These are very high energy orbits and almost impossible to achieve without leaving the sphere of influence and returning.

It may help to think of hyperbolic orbits as orbits where the spacecraft remains "on the same side" of the central body throughout the trajectory. If the trajectory "wraps around" the central body, then it is either parabolic or elliptical.

[Swotoro]

Ok, I think I get your meaning. I'll try that. Thx

[HarbingerDawn]

Elliptical is not a synonym of hyperbolic, they're two different things. Elliptical = related to an ellipse. Hyperbolic = related to a hyperbola. Those are two different shapes, though like the circle and the parabola they are both conic sections, and those shapes can smoothly transition into each other. Those are the four shapes that can describe orbital paths in a 2-body system (i.e. Keplerian orbits). Hyperbolic orbits have an eccentricity > 1, and are thus escape trajectories; the spacecraft is travelling fast enough that the larger object's gravity will not be able to stop it from flying out into space and without ever falling back down.

[iYukon]

Should I upload my min/maxed hyperbolic auto launcher?