Orbiter 2010 - Learn With Me #2 (Part 3) - Fueling up and heading to Saturn
24In this video, I am landed on Phobos next to the LOX and fuel payload modules. I need to load up the vessel with supplies, create the TransX plan for going to Saturn, and then head out.
Playlist: Playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPu_SHPaJzs6btFofXYSS_Hh73RIJzcAG
If you want to follow along, you can download the scenario here:
http://db.tt/Nt3BIP2h
A few noteworthy points I took away from this part of the journey:
1. When loading fuel modules, you should note that all the fuel contained in the module will be dumped into the main tank until the main tank is full. This means the first several fuel modules that are loaded are immediately emptied into the main tank and Should Be discarded after use. In this video, I wasn't paying attention to what was happening so I ended up carrying the empty fuel modules with me all the way to Saturn! That's quite inefficient. In my next Learn With Me, I was well aware of this fact so I discarded the empty fuel modules before taking off.
2. When lifting off from Phobos, you want to make sure that your vessel won't be facing Phobos when it is time to do the Ejection burn. Use translation/hover engines to get yourself in a position so that when you do the Ejection burn, you won't run the risk of running into Phobos.
3. After the Ejection burn is complete, you will have a cargo bay area full of empty fuel modules. (The Ejection burn will use a half dozen or more fuel modules.) Each of the empty XR5 fuel modules has a mass of 4000kg. So once the burn is complete, you should open the cargo bay doors and discard the empty fuel modules. By getting rid of all those empty fuel modules, the overall mass of your XR5 will be reduced, and it won't require as much fuel for Mid-course Corrections, and it won't require as much fuel to use the RCS maneuvering thrusters. Again, in my next Learn With Me, I do things the right way.
After recording this series of videos, I started a thread on Orbiter-Forum to find out how I could add a landing pad on Phobos. You can see that thread here:
http://orbiter-forum.com/showthread.php?t=29129
After a bit of discussion, "dgatsoulis" created an amazing base which has 3 landing pads and a loading area on top of an elevated platform. The landing pads make it quite a bit easier to find your target and land on Phobos because you can use the VOR/VTOL MFD. And the elevated platform makes landings look a lot nicer because you don't have half of your vessel disappearing into the mesh.
It's a great add-on. If you plan to visit Phobos, I highly recommend checking it out:
http://orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=5867
***
Common questions I get: What screen recording software do you use? What joystick do you use? What add-ons do you use? Where can I find the XR2 Ravenstar? Where do I download Orbiter? And much, much more. It's all answered in the FAQ I set up at this link (the link is a google document):
http://goo.gl/BDoub
If you prefer the longer link:
http://docs.google.com/document/d/1HCX5lv1lxcxvS6xQBQ_V2h0Iff00nu5h7CITciYFs94/edit
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