How do I circulize or stabilize my orbit?

[Urwumpe]

oh....i can get an idea now but maybe I'll learn if i can watch the mfd do the work for the mean time, BTW what is that MFD? any links?

You can learn faster by doing two things:

1. Read the orbiter manual. Especially the section about Orbit MFD and the values it displays.

2. Experiment with the Deltaglider in Orbit. Change your orbit by burning prograde and retrograde. Do that at apogee or perigee, somewhere between and observe.

Looking what the MFD will not help you at all. It only makes you lazy.

 

[MJR]

As long as you are above the atmosphere, you can circularize your orbit with: towards (aim straight at the ground), away (180 degrees from towards), prograde or retrograde burns:

If you are at apoapsis, burn prograde until your eccentricity is 0.
If you are at periapsis, burn retrograde until your eccentricity is 0.
If you are past apoapsis, dropping to periapsis, burn away until your eccentricity is 0.
If you are past periapsis, rising to apoapsis, burn towards until your eccentricity is 0.

The key here is get your eccentricity to 0. Then you're in a circular orbit.
If you're confused, aim any direction and burn. If your eccentricity increases, fire retro rockets instead (or turn 180 degrees and burn). Keep doing this until you've got your ecc as low as possible.

This will give you a good feel for orbits, and eventually you'll learn to get more efficient. For example: from launch, keep burning until your apoapsis equals your desired circular orbit. Then kill thrust and coast to apoapsis. Turn prograde and burn until your eccentricity is 0.

In Orbiter, I found it quite difficult to get an eccentricity of zero.

 

[Urwumpe]

In Orbiter, I found it quite difficult to get an eccentricity of zero.

It is impossible to get zero. But very close to zero is possible.

If your eccentricity in Orbiter has only the last digit unequal to zero, you are already very good.

 

[razgriz31m]

hmmmm....for the 1st time in my life i got gagarin in orbit!But sadly in my virtual space sim, Yuri gagarin, the 1st man in space died because he wouldn't get out of his very high orbit!!!!!!!!!see?!

 

[YL3GDY]

oh....i can get an idea now but maybe I'll learn if i can watch the mfd do the work for the mean time, BTW what is that MFD? any links?

You can try to use Soyuz Guidance And Control MFD. This tool has autopilots for:
1. Perigee/apogee changing.
2. Orbit inclination changing.
3. Rendezvous (when orbits are coplanar).

There is nice readme for this addon. You can find it on www.orbithangar.com.
P.S. It fits not only for Soyuz spacecraft

 

[YL3GDY]

hmmmm....for the 1st time in my life i got gagarin in orbit!But sadly in my virtual space sim, Yuri gagarin, the 1st man in space died because he wouldn't get out of his very high orbit!!!!!!!!!see?!

You can try to lower the nose of your ship earlier when launching (this orbit appears when you get too much vertical velocity at engine cutoff).

 

[Dogsbd]

You may want to take a look at "Go Play in Space":http://www.aovi93.dsl.pipex.com/play_in_space.htm

 

[Pilot7893]

If all else phails, download IMFD, then go to "orbital", click on "circularize", and boom bada boom:givemebeer:

 

[Urwumpe]

hmmmm....for the 1st time in my life i got gagarin in orbit!But sadly in my virtual space sim, Yuri gagarin, the 1st man in space died because he wouldn't get out of his very high orbit!!!!!!!!!see?!

Yes. I see. But I can't understand why you can't press "NUM-*" to cut of thrust, when your orbit is good after ascent.

Do you need a drawing to explain you how the Vostok ascent looks like?

 

[Mission_CDR]

This is off topic, but do you play Ace Combat 5? Because your name is the same as the squadron's name in that game.