TransX escape launch

[Jairo]

Hi,

I'm not being able to understand the TransX's escape view so that I launch in the correct plane. I read that I should put in equatorial projection and launch when the gray line comes close to my ship. But it's easier said than done. I was trying to flight to Mars in the stock Delta Glider Mk4 & Scram scenario (in year 2001), and as much as I followed every step, I always ended up some 60 degrees away from the desired plane.

Could it be that it just can't be reached from KSC?

 

[the.punk]

I think mars can be reached from ksc.
Try it with IMFD. It says you exactly on which heading to turn.
I also think mars is a bit to hard for beginners.
At the first time I suggest flying to mercury or venus.

 

[agentgonzo]

Hi,

I'm not being able to understand the TransX's escape view so that I launch in the correct plane. I read that I should put in equatorial projection and launch when the gray line comes close to my ship. But it's easier said than done. I was trying to flight to Mars in the stock Delta Glider Mk4 & Scram scenario (in year 2001), and as much as I followed every step, I always ended up some 60 degrees away from the desired plane.

Could it be that it just can't be reached from KSC?

You need to launch on the correct heading too. Before you launch, TransX will tell you the heading that you need to launch on to get into the correct orbit. As soon as you start moving, this heading will change into a relative inclination which you need to minimise. It's fairly normal to have a relative inclination of about a degree when you get to orbit. You'll need to make a plane correction burn before your Trans-Mars injection burn though in the same way as you would align your planes before intercepting the ISS.

 

[Jairo]

You need to launch on the correct heading too. Before you launch, TransX will tell you the heading that you need to launch on to get into the correct orbit.

Hi!

This is the only thing I got right from the beginning. I think my problem is in understanding the graphics to discover the launch time.

I see the node's line and my "landed orbit", but I don't know what I should see to start the launch. Should they be close? Should they be perpendicular? In what projection? If I'm in a bad location and planes will never cross, what should I see to get the closest possible?

Moreover, rotating the eject plane to get an eastward launch is OK; but how can I rotate this plane to get an orbit with a reachable inclination from my latitude?

Sorry for the flurry of questions, but I think I'm just missing some easy point.

 

[flytandem]

Hi Jairo,
I sure can understand the frustration in trying to figure out all what's happening in TransX. I used it a long time just doing maneuvers before I learned how to set up the plan from the ground and do the launch with it.
Anyway I took my countless dead ends in my trials and put together a few lessons.

There is a video tutorial that might be very useful to you in your quest to find out when to launch (and what direction). It's a long 70 meg download because it's part of the entire trip to Mars. But the lesson is broken up into 6 parts and yours is the setup (first video)

Go to http://www.flytandem.com/orbiter/tutorials/index.htm

*then click the link near the top to Video Tutorials.

*click on the second blue tutorial down called TX-EarthMars

*after 70 megs of download you'll have a zip file

*Run the Setup.avi file.
About half way through this video it gets to the part about warping slowly ahead to find a good launch heading.

I'm on Mars right now, see you when you get here.
rob