TransferMFD Limits of the TransferMFD

[destinos]

Hey all,

Sorry if this is a repost (almost certainly it is) but I'm a new member and it's said that my account will be deleted if I don't post something on day one, so here goes.

I've succeeded in travelling to the moon with transfer, but when I point it towards something farther off like Venus (I think I actually tried Mercury) it doesn't seem to return sensical answers. Is it because the amount of Dv necessary to make the trip exceeds the program's limits?

 

[Ark]

It's because you need to use a real interplanetary MFD, like TransX or...Interplanetary MFD. Transfer is pretty limited, really only practical for going to a moon. You can set the reference to Sun and try to plan a course that way, but it can't tell you when in the orbit to fire your engines. It's SO much easier just to use TransX or IMFD.

 

[flytandem]

Just for grins and old times sake I just went ahead and did a flight from stock scenario "Delta-Glider/DG Mk 4 in orbit" and went to Europa. Transfer MFD works fine but the catch is you must escape Earth before using it.

So... when the scenario starts point prograde and burn until the orbit goes hyperbolic plus another couple seconds of full burn to not waste a lot of time getting away from earth. Now warp ahead a month or 2. At this point you are in orbit around the sun not far from Earth and in a somewhat earthlike orbit. Use Orbit ref sun target earth to see.

You may now use transfer ref sun, target whatever planet you like. I chose Jupiter.

Set up and burn like you used it for going from Earth orbit to moon. My computer might be slower than other,... it did take a while adding the necessary dV.

Part way there use align at a node if you like to be in plane with Jupiter orbit. Actually this is important. So, you must align!!

Then using Orbit to see the Pe where you insert with a retrograde burn. Then align with and transfer to Europa.

I remember using these MFDs and traveling to all the planets in my first few days with orbiter. It was long before I had any clue what TransX was.

NOTE: A handy hint is to remember you can manually set the orbit hud reference (control-R) so as you are passing several diameters from moons like europa you can find the direction of retrograde and manually turn to insert an orbit around them.

 

[destinos]

flytandem, thanks for the details. I suppose it makes sense that if your orbit is very tight around the earth, then it couldnt also show you the eject course to another body so far away, because the size of the orbits is just too different to display all at once on the mfd screen. I'll try your method when I get out of work today.

Sort of along the same lines, whats the farthest object away from earth that its possible to fly to? are there addons for adjoining solar systems? is there an interstellar mfd?

 

[flytandem]

flytandem, thanks for the details. I suppose it makes sense that if your orbit is very tight around the earth, then it couldnt also show you the eject course to another body so far away, because the size of the orbits is just too different to display all at once on the mfd screen. I'll try your method when I get out of work today.

Sort of along the same lines, whats the farthest object away from earth that its possible to fly to? are there addons for adjoining solar systems? is there an interstellar mfd?

Orbiter only does a single solar system. The other stars are visible in the background but are not destinations to travel to. Maybe Orbiter 2020 would be able to handle it.

 

[destinos]

Not wanting to give up without a fight, I returned to the moon with Transfer and from there tried to shot in to mercury. Transfer seemed completely lost on it, especially since mercury's orbit around the sun is inside the earth/moon system's. It didn't seem to know how to deal with that.

Reading through the main Orbiter manual, I found a tip that in interplanetary situation you want to set the source as whatever body youre orbiting rather than the ship itself. So in this situation I can't figure out if the source should be the moon or the earth, but neither seemed to work.

Has anyone worked this out?

 

[flytandem]

Transfer to Mercury. Transfer MFD. Ref Sun, Source self (x), target Mercury.
you must first escape far away from Earth or any other planets. Then set the Dv as minus value to drop the Pe down to mercury. Adjust the date as usual.

 

[Transfer]

You could set the source in TransferMFD to the planet you are leaving to give yourself an Eject Date and Delta V.