Ultimate Guide to the Kerbal Space Program

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Version: 0.23.5 – 0.24(ish)

The Kerbonaut’s Guide to the Galaxy. st

1 Edition Lovingly Dedicated to: Jebediah Kerman Bob Kerman Bill Kerman The Team at Squad.

"We who are about to die, salute you."

Before you start:  It is recommended that you laminate this guide.  When you see a “” You should leave a tick/cross in DRY WIPE marker according to your current situation.  Failure is always an option.  Good luck and have fun exploring the Kerbolar System

KSP Basics:

Delta-V - In astrodynamics a Δv or delta-v (literally “change in velocity”) is a measure of the amount of the effort that is needed to change from one trajectory to another by making an orbital manoeuvre. L”X”O – Low “Enter Planet Name Here” Orbit. For example, LKO = “Low Kerbin Orbit.” Escape Velocity – The velocity required to exit a planet’s sphere of influence. Periapsis (Pe) – The lowest point in your orbit. Apoapsis (Ap) – The highest point in your orbit. Prograde/Retrograde – Prograde is “forward relative to the direction of movement” it will increase your orbital velocity.Retrograde is “backwards relative to the direction of movement” it will decrease your orbital velocity. Navball – Used to get your bearings and to navigate when in space. Thrust-To-Weight-Ratio – TWR for short is a ratio that defines the power of a craft's engines in relation to its own weight. If a craft needs to get into a stable orbit or land safely

on the current celestial body without using parachutes, then its engines must put out more thrust than its current weight to counteract gravity. In the terms of a ratio, a craft with a greater thrust than weight will have a TWR greater than 1. Inclination - The tilt of the orbit is given by the inclination. Usually the value is given in degrees where the value is given between –90° and 270°. An inclination of 0° or 180° is equatorial, so the craft is always above the equator. Navball Point of Reference - As all movement in space is relative, the point of reference determines the object from which all distance measurements and velocity vectors are made. Clicking this area will toggle the point of reference between Surface and Orbit, as indicated by the green text. If a target is selected, there is a third option, Target. Changing the point of reference changes the location of the prograde and retrograde markers. Manoeuvre Nodes - A maneuver node is a planned velocity change along an orbit. Multiple maneuver nodes can be added which will affect the following maneuver nodes. After adding a node it shows the velocity change needed to reach the next new orbit next to the navball. Manoeuvre Node Directions – Prograde/Retrograde - These vectors directly change the speed of the craft. Burning prograde will increase velocity, raising the altitude of the orbit on the other side, while burning retrograde will decrease velocity and reduce the orbit altitude on the other side. Normal/Anti-Normal - The normal vectors are orthogonal to the orbital plane. Burning normal or anti-normal will change the orbital inclination. On the navball the normal and anti-

normal vectors are located on the equator line directly between the prograde and retrograde markers. Radial in/Radial out - The radial-in vector points directly toward the center of the orbited body (center of the brown hemisphere on the navball), while the radial-out vector points directly away from it (center of the blue hemisphere). Performing a radial burn will rotate the orbit around the craft like spinning a hula hoop with a stick. Radial burns are the least efficient way of adjusting one's path - it is much more effective to use prograde and retrograde burns.

Navball Icons

Centre of:

Mass – “The centre of mass, abbreviated CoM, or centre of gravity, is the location of an object where all mass is equally distributed around it. It is important to balance a craft to prevent it from getting out of control. Planes should have a centre of mass slightly in fr