Flight Question Scenario -mission to mars

[coffeene]

Ok, I have my mission created (will post it if requested). Start on Earth in DeltaGlider4 TODAY (june 7th 2011). Arrow Freighter landed at Brighton Beach with only a captain and full fuel, no cargo. Orbiting Earth is the ISS, Orbiting the moon is the Luna-OB1 wheel.

This is my plan and I'm not planing to speed up time much during this as I want to see most of it through from beggining to end. I'm going to transport crew and cargo from earth to the moon and load them on the Arrow. I know it is going to take quite a few trips to the moon and back to transport cargo/crew.

I'm currently trying to figure out when the date to departure from the moon to mars is best

My question is when should I start to transport the crew as the cargo is going to go first and how do I save the info from the arrow on transx when I change ships from DG4 to Arrow. Also if anyone could assist on the bast date to depart to mars from todays current date. Any more info needed just ask. Thanks and I hope to post screenshots and stuff as my mission continues. Launching to the moon later today for the First trip.

 

[blixel]

...This is my plan and I'm not planing to speed up time much during this as I want to see most of it through from beggining to end.

I'm interested in that point ... out of curiosity. Are you saying you're going to play out the trips to the moon (and then to mars) in real time? If so, I'm just curious what you are doing to coordinate the timing of everything.

The first part can easily play out in real time. (Take off, plane alignment, orbit circularization, etc...) But once you make that long TLI burn, you're looking at something like 48-72 hours until your next action.

It's a cool idea. I've wanted to do something like that myself, but it just seems too impractical. If I had a non-graphical dedicated Orbiter server that I could leave running all the time ... and then somehow attach my main computer to it via the network to check in from time to time ... that would make a real time trip more feasible.

Anyway, I'm just curious what your plans are. Are you just simply going to minimize Orbiter to the taskbar during those long periods where no input is required?

 

[flytandem]

Have a very rough estimate of a date to leave the moon. This would be for a gravity well burn at the Earth to then head to Mars. What was taken into consideration was the position of the moon so that when dropping to a low pass at the Earth, it positioned well (pun intended) to do a small prograde burn near Pe to eject to Mars.
You have a couple of options:
1. Leave the moon on 55859 to arrive low Earth 55862.5
2. Leave the moon on 55885 to arrive low Earth 55888.5

You might want to plant a surrogate ship in orbit at Earth which would have the transx plan for the trip to Mars, to target the ship leaving the moon towards for plane alignment when going around the Earth. When nearing the Earth you can transfer the plan from surrogate to the Arrow.

Now as far as the initial shuttling of crew and cargo to the moon. Just count on a week round trip for each trip you need and do this before your planned departure of the Arrow for the Earth gravity well trajectory to Mars.

Not sure what you mean by "not planing to speed up time much". If you want to go real time, bring about 8 months worth of reading material.

 

[coffeene]

Yes actually that is kind of the plan. I wont be running orbiter constantly however although. I plan on saving and closing when I need to and then will speed time when I run the program again or vice versa. I realize the trip to mars will take quite a long time so I might speed time up for that journey but getting the arrow supplied is going at real time. I made a donation and nasa now has 10 DeltaGliders for me to use to transport supplies. unless there is another way to get the arrow supplied. so far the earliest time to launch to mars is still 3-4months away if not more. I'm not looking at orbiter right now but I do have 2 DeltaGliders on there way. I need to transport a small crew to the moon to actually move the cargo when it gets there, hence the 2nd launch. Burn time is in 30mins.

I'll gladly make another "donation" if there is a better transport ship out there (semi-realistic).

Quick question. can I drop the cargo from the first launch without having to land? what would I need to do this?