IMFD AppG Playback Notes

IMFD Appendix F: The Major Do’s and Don’t’s of IMFD with secrets to make your life easier

IMFD Manual Contents

IMFD Manual Contents

IMFD Appendix G - Playback In-flight Notes

This Appendix contains all in-flight notes for all playbacks. If you missed an in-flight note, or you just want a hard copy, here they are. It is highly recommended that you take all flights in order as some lessons use material introduced in past lessons.

IMFD Tutorial #1—Direct Ascent to the Moon

IMPORTANT: Since I used High Resolution KSC for this playback, depending on whether you have it installed or not, this flight might not start you on the runway. Don‘t worry, you will still get to the Moon.

0	Welcome to IMFD Tutorial #1--Direct ascent from Earth to the Moon!!!
7	This tutorial will take you to the Moon from the Earth with a direct ascent from the Earth.
17	Open up IMFD in the Left Hand MFD.
32	Hit the [MNU] button, then the Course button.
44	Target Intercept should be highlighted and underlined in white. Hit the Set button to select it. Since this is a Planet to Moon transfer, Target Intercept is the program of choice.
60	Hit the [TGT] button, and input Moon. This is the target because it is where we are going. Reference and Source will be automatically set up when you input the target.
85	Hit the [NXT] button to highlight TEj, then hit the Set button. Set the value to zero. This will stop the orbit from shrinking and growing.
105	Hit the [PG] button, and then the [BV] button to open the Burn Vector View. Basically we will fly towards the cross and apply about 10k m/s of delta velocity. In order to do that, we must wait for the green cross to be above the horizontal green line (horizon line) or we will be flying into the Earth. We will begin to time warp until that happens.
47202	Ok, the cross is well above the horizontal line. We will now take off and fly towards the green cross.
47212	Engaging main engines.
47234	Gear up.
47282	Now that the cross is centered (note that it has turned grey--this means it is centered) we will use the kill rotation autopilot to keep our attitude steady. Note that this will take a while to do a 10k m/s change in delta velocity. We will stay in normal time for the first half of the ascent. If you want to walk away from your computer, come back at sim time = 47700.
47330	Don't worry, we will stay in real time. So be back at your computer in 370 seconds (6:10) if you want to get a snack or something. You won't be missing anything, I'm just keeping the cross centered by rotating towards it.
47700	Ok hopefully you are back. We are now going to transfer the burn to Autoburn. This will allow us to just sit back and relax instead of manually keeping the cross centered.
47728	There's Main Engine Cutoff. We had to do that because in order to engage the autoburn, the engines cannot be running.
47732	There's Main Engine Cutoff. We had to do that because in order to engage the autoburn, the engines cannot be running. Engaging Autoburn.
47736	Now that Autoburn is controlling the burn, we can use Time Acceleration.
48261	Now we are back in normal time, with Main Engine Cutoff coming up in about 20 seconds.
48296	Now we will time warp until we are about halfway to the moon for our first midcourse correction.
178620	Now we are about halfway to the moon. It's time to set up our base approach using the Base Approach Program so we can land at Brighton Beach.
178635	Open IMFD on the right if it isn't already open, and hit [MNU].
178650	Select the Base Approach program. Make sure the Reference is Moon. If not, hit [REF] and type Moon. This program will help us set up a hyperbolic orbit that will allow us to land shortly after orbit insert.
178665	Scroll down using [NXT] and [PRV] until the Re-Entry item is highlighted and underlined in white, then hit the [+] button twice until Orbit-Insert is displayed.
178680	Now hit the [TGT] button and input Brighton Beach.
178695	Scroll using [NXT] and [PRV] until altitude is selected, then hit the SET button and input 12k. This is the altitude of our low orbit before deorbit burn and landing. Also make sure that Num is 0, which tells us that we will land at the passage over Brighton Beach right after our insertion burn.
178710	Now we will time warp until dV on the Base Approach Program hits a minimum and starts to increase, then we will perform our Autoburn to zero dV.
327377	Now that dV has hit a minimum and started increasing, we will perform our Autoburn to match our orbit with the planned approach orbit.
327410	Hmmm, don't really know what happened there. Sometimes Autoburn will fail. If you see dV increasing when Autoburn is burning, just hit the Autoburn button again to cancel it, then wait a while and hit it again to make it try again. You can always use Burn Vector View if it fails, but normally it doesn't.
327433	That's better. Autoburn worked this time, and now dV is pretty close to zero.
327439	Now, we are time warping to Lunar Periapsis.
374655	It is normal for dV to increase even after we have completed the first autoburn. You must perform a few Autoburns, starting with one very far away from the planet, and more as you get closer. Doing one far away from the planet makes the burns you do closer to the planet much less fuel costly. It is normal to perform 3 or 4 burns after your initial Base Approach setup.
374688	dV is zero again, now time warping some more to get closer to our lunar periapsis.
404071	The Course Program has displayed the warning message that it does when you cross into your target body's Sphere of Influence. Not a big deal, just hit the Source button and enter Moon. We will also do another Base Approach correction Autoburn. We want this to be perfect, as it is aligning us up perfectly with Brighton Beach.
404090	Now open IMFD 4.2.1. Very important--This MUST be IMFD 4.2.1!!! We are doing our insertion burn, and in order for that to work properly, we MUST use IMFD 4.2.1!!!
404105	Hit the [MNU] button, then the Course Button, then scroll down using [NXT] and [PRV] and select Orbit Insert.
404130	Now I have hit the Autoburn Button--Don't you do this, I am just telling what I have done. Now we can time warp safely, because with Autoburn engaged IMFD will automatically slow down time to let Autoburn execute the burn.
419001	Let's do one final Base Approach correction burn, just to get it perfect.
419010	Autoburn has been pressed.
419030	dV is zero once again. Now time warping again.
421362	About 4 seconds until Main Engines being engaged.
421421	Remember, Orbit Insert is not always 100% accurate. It may leave a little dV leftover. Just switch to Burn Vector View and finish the burn manually.
421435	I am now finishing the burn manually using Burn Vector View.
421453	Now we are in a circular Lunar Orbit.
421465	Open Orbit MFD on the left. IMFD has served us well, but we won't be needing it anymore.
421480	Open up Com/Nav MFD on the Right, and set Comm1 to 132.50, the VTOL frequency for Pad 4 at Brighton Beach. This is the pad where we will be landing.
421520	Now open up a Map MFD on the right, and set the target to Brighton Beach.
421539	Now time warping to near the landing time. Watch the cross on the Map MFD.
425861	Now engaging Regrograde Autopilot. We will orient ourselves for the Deorbit burn.
425880	All MFD's are set up for the deorbit burn--the Comm/Nav MFD has the right frequency, and you should have Map MFD on the right. Switch from Orbit MFD to Surface MFD on the right.
425905	This has been a great four and a half days with you (or 25 minutes at Play at Record Speed :) ).
425930	Oh man! Would you look at our fuel! It's pretty low.
425960	The landing will be done in real time. If you already know how to land, you can just exit out here. But I recommend you watch the landing. Spectacular views of the Lunar sunset await.
425996	Now we will time warp until the deorbit burn.
426301	We are seconds away from the deorbit burn.
426309	Engaging main engines.
426381	Nearing Main Engine Cutoff.
426396	There's Main Engine Cutoff. Now we will turn Prograde, then Level Horizon and slow down our descent rate.
426433	While we're at it, let's open the Retro Doors. we'll need those to slow ourselves down as we near Brighton Beach.
426477	Let's open the VOR/VTOL MFD in place of the Map MFD so we can head towards the pad.
426510	The Velocity Vector (Circle with crosshairs on the HUD) has been placed on the pad.
426604	Let's start reducing speed.
426652	We're getting close to landing.
426706	There's that REALLY annoying radar beep. In place of the Surface MFD, open up the Radio/MP3 MFD, hit the [RAD] button to stop the beep, and then go right back to the surface MFD.
426780	Landing gear down.
426813	Now we're centered over Pad 04.
426844	Now Autohover is engaged, and we're hovering about 5 meters above the pad. I will now make any final corrections in centering us over the pad.
426877	Now we will start to descend again.
426908	Gear Touchdown!!! Now turning off all autopilots and killing hover thrust.
426920	Congratulations!!! If you have Lunar City installed (available at Orbithangar) and McWoggs's new sun texture installed (also available at Orbithangar), hit F1 to go outside (Make sure Orulex is disabled for this spectacular view). The sun is setting directly behind Lunar City, making it appear to have rays growing out of it. Beautiful.
426935	The pad lights have just turned on. This is Markl316 signing off. Enjoy your stay on the Moon.

IMFD Tutorial #2 — Mars to Phobos

0	Welcome to IMFD Tutorial #2--Mars to Phobos!!!
7	This tutorial includes a flight from Mars to Phobos, with a landing on PreludeII Phobos.
16	The method used here is the EXACT same method used to get from the Earth to the Moon.
32	So, using this method, substitute "Moon" for "Phobos" and "Earth" for "Mars" and you will get to the moon no problem.
45	Welcome to Olympus Base. We're in a deltaglider.
52	Open IMFD, and select Surface Launch. we'll plan our course once we're in orbit.
65	With Course highlighted, hit the [+] button until lunar off-plane comes up.
78	Set the target to Phobos.
86	Notice EIn. This is Ejection Inclination, and we'll take off when it's zero. Time warping until that point.
15834	EIn is less than 1 degree. When we take off, we'll turn towards a heading of 90 degrees, because the Hed item in the Surface Launch Program is 90.00.
16316	Takeoff!!! We'll turn to 90 degrees, then ascend. The ascent is not too long, so we'll be doing it in realtime. Don't leave your computer, important instructions follow.
16464	Now that we have picked up some speed, we can introduce side slip (yaw the nose left or right) to minimize EIn (as our goal for this number is zero).
16642	There's Main Engine Cutoff. Not the best orbit, but it's a quick fix once we reach apoapsis.
17394	That's good enough, it doesn't have to be perfect, as we'll be leaving soon.
17400	Ok, time to plan our course to Phobos. Hit the [MNU] button, then select Course, and Target Intercept.
17413	Set the target to Phobos, then scroll to TIn, hit Set, and input 7200.
17423	Scroll until TOF-Unlocked is selected, then hit [+] to make it locked. This is so when we adjust TEj, the difference between TIn and TEj (time of flight) stays the same.
17445	Now we must adjust TEj until dV reaches a minimum. Since I have already flown this flight, I know that the approximate value is 4570, so highlight TEj, hit Set and then input 4570.
17470	Now, with Adj at 1x on the bottom (hit Adj until it is), use [+] and [-] to adjust TEj to make dV a minimum.
17490	Note how EIn is a bit off, so we'll turn Orbit Anti-Normal to make the plane change burn. Remember, we don't have to be at a node--EIn can be adjusted anywhere, but it's most efficient at a node.
17596	EIn is zero. Now, we'll turn off the Anti-Normal autopilot, then I'll hit the [AB] button.
22041	5 seconds until burn.
22046	Engaging main engines.
22115	Autoburn complete. Notice how quickly dV is changing. Because Phobos moves so fast (it's very close to Mars so it has a low orbital period) any tiny deviation in dV is "amplified."
22140	Don't worry, with an Earth to Moon flight, dV won't change nearly as quickly at all--it will hardly change at all. This is just for flying to a target that moves fast (low orbital period).
22153	Time warping until we're halfway to Phobos.
24783	Let's do a midcourse correction burn. Engaging Autoburn.
24804	The burn is complete, and dV is very close to zero. Let's time warp until we're closer to Phobos.
28002	We're closer, and dV has deviated, so let's do another course correction. Engaging Autoburn.
28030	Good, dV is minimal again, let's time warp until we're even closer.
28590	Let's do one more mid course correction. Since we're doing this correction with the course program, it is trying to crash us into the dead center of phobos.
28600	When flying to the moon, this would be BAD, but since we're not entering orbit around phobos, it's no problem.
28612	Autoburn is done. Open the Orbital Program now.
28620	Select the Velocity Match Program ([VeM] on the right).
28625	Set the target as Phobos.
28635	dV is 782 and distance to phobos is 467.7k. Let's wait until we're closer to initiate Autoburn.
29116	Ok, engaging autoburn.
29151	Ok, I cut Autoburn off early. I don't want to cancel too much velocity too quickly, or it would take forever to get to Phobos.
29212	Ok, bring up Surface MFD in the MFD that doesn't have IMFD. Let's cancel some more velocity. Engaging Autoburn.
29235	dV is good for now.
29242	Approaching Phobos. Go to external mode (F1). What a view!!!
29310	Now we'll do our final autoburn to completely match our velocity to Phobos's velocity.
29330	Our velocity relative to Phobos is now zero.
29348	Now rotating towards Phobos. Let's see if we can see PreludeII Phobos from out here.
29367	Base sighted! Now we'll fly towards it.
29390	Retro doors are open.
29790	Landing on Phobos. Sit back and relax.
29839	Open the Comm/Nav MFD in place of IMFD (we won't be needing it anymore), and set Nav1 to 134.1 (the VTOL frequency of Phobos). Then open VOR/VTOL MFD.
29925	Gear down.
30041	Touchdown!!! Important: landing on moons with low G fields (tiny moons close to planets--Phobos, Amalthea, Pan, etc.) can be tricky. You have to hit kind of hard (-.2 m/s) to land. We bounced the first time because we didn't land hard enough.
30060	Enjoy the view of Mars over the rail at the edge of the pad.
30075	Enjoy your stay at PreludeII Phobos. This is Markl316, signing off.

IMFD Tutorial #3 — Europa to Callisto

0	Welcome to IMFD Tutorial #3--Off-Planar Flight from Europa to Callisto!!!
10	Open IMFD in the left MFD display.
20	Hit [MNU], then the course button, then [SEL] to select Target Intercept.
30	Hit [TGT], then type callisto. Since this is where we are flying to, Callisto is our target.
40	Scroll down to the TOF-Unlocked item, then hit [+] to change it to TOF-Locked. We will be time warping quite a bit to a launch window, and we want time to ejection AND time to intercept to go up at the same rate.
55	Hit [Adj] until the Adjustment factor in the bottom of the screen says 100x.
62	Highlight the GET item under TEj, and adjust it with [+] until dV hits a minimum. Then, hit [Adj] until it says 10x, and repeat process, and do the same with 1x until you hit an absolute minimum.
90	Values for this particular flight are approximately TEj=367.4k and TIn=765.7k.
100	Unlock TOF the same way you locked it. Also note how above it there is an item that says Off-Plane. This is good, as we are doing an off plane intercept.
114	Now time warping until TEj says 6400k (this is an estimate of the time from takeoff to ejection burn).
361097	Open IMFD in the left MFD display, hit [PG] and enter 0 (sharing with IMFD with ID zero-- the left MFD display) and bring up surface launch.
361120	The Surface Launch program says we should fly a heading of 88.467 degrees. Let's take off and turn to that heading.
361135	If you missed it, before we took off, Surface Launch said our optimum takeoff was in about 93000 seconds.
361145	That was the OPTIMUM launch time. We took off not at that time because we have a shorter time of flight, so it would eat in to a greater percentage of the flight (93000 divided by time of flight which is ~470k seconds).
361185	For an Earth to Mars flight, the time of flight is very long (about 21,000,000 seconds), and the earth has a fast rotation (optimum launch time twice every 24 hours) so it's not a big deal to wait for a good window in that situation.
361205	I'm going so high before engaging our main engines because if you have Orulex running, we don't want to crash into an ice cliff.
361220	Now we're rotating to keep EIn in the Surface Launch program at zero.
361321	There's Main Engine Cutoff. We don't need to worry about raising our PeA, as this is a parking orbit.
361335	Open Orbit Eject, and change Higher Orbit to Course. For this tiny plane change maneuver (0.01 degrees), I'll use sideways linear thrusters (translation numpad 1 and 3).
361360	Now, in Target Intercept, set the TEj in Target Intercept to match TEj in Orbit Eject. This step is not really necessary, as we can eject when TEj in Target Intercept is 10k or less, but it helps make IMFD a tiny bit more accurate in the course planning.
361380	We'll time warp until a bit closer to our ejection point.
361942	Notice how EIn has changed since we set our two TEj's to match (those in the Target Intercept and Orbit Eject). Let's burn to correct that.
361983	Oops, wrong way. IMFD doesn't tell you to turn Orbit Normal or Orbit Anti-Normal, so you just have to guess. If EIn increases, cut off the engines and turn the other way.
362104	Now I have engaged the Autoburn for Orbit Eject. We'll time warp, then let Autoburn lower the time warp and do the burn for us.
363193	5 seconds until the burn. We will time warp at 10x through the duration of the burn.
363360	There's main engine cutoff. Let's time warp until we are away from Europa.
407700	Ok, time to set up the Map Program. Open it up ([MNU], Map button).
407710	Hit [TGT] and type in Callisto.
407720	Hit the [Cnt] button, and type p-Callisto. This will center our periapsis at Callisto.
407730	Now hit the [Int] button to turn on intercept mode.
407745	Now that we're out of Europa's sphere of influence (SOI), in Target Intercept, hit the [Src] button and type x.
407760	The dV value looks kinda high, let's see if it goes down with time (we'll time warp slowly and watch it).
407895	Note how it increased. Thus, we should Autoburn now, as it will not increase and then decrease.
407931	Now time warping until we are about halfway there, for our second midcourse correction.
563122	It's time for our second midcourse correction. I'll simply hit the [AB] button (autoburn) in the Target Intercept Program.
563156	dV is zero, now we're time warping until we get a bit nearer to Callisto.
578556	Ok, let's set up our base approach. Open the Base Approach Program in the right MFD in place of the Map Program.
578570	Set the reference (using the [REF] button) to Callisto, as this is the body we're approaching.
578580	Hit the [TGT] button and enter "PreludeII Callisto" without the quotations. If this doesn't work, in the previous release of the Prelude Packs, there was a typo in the base name, so try "PreludeII Callsito" without quotations. Note the spelling of Callisto in the latter example.
578590	Scroll down to the Re-Entry item and hit [+] until it says Orbit-Insert.
578599	Time warping until dV hits a minimum.
716577	dV has hit a minimum, we'll hit the Autoburn button in the Base Approach Program now.
716606	Now time warping until we're closer to Callisto.
749352	Let's do another Autoburn in the Base Approach Program to get dV back down to zero.
749384	Time warping until our third and final Base Approach Correction.
759078	The warning message has just been displayed in the Target Intercept Program, saying we are under the influence of Callisto. Open IMFD 4.2.1 in place of Target Intercept, and go to Orbit Insert ([MNU], course button, orbit insert).
759108	Now Autoburning--this will be our final base approach correction.
759125	dV is zero. Now, hit the [AB] button in the right MFD (the one with Orbit Insert), and we'll time warp until the autoburn slows down time and executes the burn.
763657	We'll finish the burn manually in Burn Vector View. Hit [PG] then [BV] to open this view.
763693	Welcome to Callisto Orbit!
763700	Open Map MFD in the left MFD screen and open Comm/Nav MFD in the right MFD screen.
763715	In Map MFD, target PreludeII Callisto and in the Comm/Nav MFD, set Nav1 to 131.60.
763730	Now we'll time warp until we get closet to landing.
769690	Now preparing to land.
770525	Now executing the deorbit burn.
770609	There's Main Engine Cutoff, we'll turn Prograde, then Level Horizon and descend towards the base.
770670	What a view of Jupiter! Go into the virtual cockpit for a really neat perspective.
770700	We're falling towards the surface, and I'm using numpad 1 and 3 in translation mode to get the Velocity Vector right under the nose, which is pointed directly at the base. Also, I just opened the retro covers.
770730	Retro Engines engaged. We're gonna overshoot the base, but we'll come back.
771000	Now open VOR/VTOL MFD in place of Map MFD, as we are picking up a VTOL signal.
771025	I'm now landing the ship.
771466	I'm centering the ship over the pad now.
771480	Gear down.
771560	We're centered over the pad, now landing.
771592	Touchdown! Welcome to PreludeII Callisto.
771601	This is Markl316, signing off. Enjoy your stay on Callisto.

IMFD Tutorial#4 — Moon to Earth

IMPORTANT: The following settings may be required in the XR2 configuration file in order for this playback to function properly:

• RequirePayloadBayFuelTanks=0
• EnableAFCtrlPerformanceModifier=0
• Main Fuel ISP=5
• LOXLoadout=1
• LOXConsumptionRate=-1
• Main Engine Thrust=1
• Hover Engine Thrust=1
• APUFuelBurnRate=2

0	Press the <RAD> button in the left MFD to stop the annoying beeps.
10	Open OrbitMFD on the right, and set your projection and dist.
30	On the left, open IMFD.
33	In IMFD, press <MNU>, then select the Course program
36	Select Planet Approach
39	Press <PG> then set the source (SRC button) to "moon"
42	Press <PG>, then set the EqI to 30. Cape Canaveral is at just under 29 degrees north latitude.
45	Set the PeA to 500k. The course program is a bit inaccurate, so we'll set the PeA high.
48	Set the TEj to 6400. That's about how long it will take to reach our ejection point.
51	Set the GET under PeT to 143:30:00. See the manual in you docs folder to see how I got this number.
54	Press <MNU> and select Surface Launch.
57	The Hed shows our launch heading. During ascent we want to get the EIn down to zero.
198	Takeoff, turn to heading of 58.06 degrees. Ascend to an ApA of 150k.
340	Open IMFD on the right and press <MNU>
360	Press <PG> and enter 0 to set the opmode to shared
380	Select Orbit Eject program. Change "Higher Orbit" to "Course". Change "Realtime" to "Off Axis"
410	Since our ejection time is after our Apo, change back to OrbitMFD and wait to circularize the orbit
2945	NOTE Reopen IMFD on the right. Since we've changed our orbit we need to adjust our TEj. Adjust it to get the lowest Enroute dV.
6895	Using IMFD's AB to execute ejection burn.
6960	After the ejection burn is fully completed, change to IMFD's Map Program and set the reference to "earth". Press <mod> untill you see the configuration settings, and change the accuracy to 1.
27320	Open OrbitMFD on the left and change the reference to Earth. Then we wait until we enter Earth's SOI. The G number at the bottom will chang from red to yellow when it reaches .50.
378845	On the left, open IMFD and select Base Approach.
378875	Target "cape canaveral".
378905	Set the Ant to 90. The XR-2 has a much longer glidepath than an Apollo capsule. Leave the Alt and ReA as they are.
378935	Increment the HInt until it matches the PeT shown on IMFD's Map. You may have to change pages or modes on Map show PeT (not ReT).
379000	Using AB to correct course for Cape Canaveral direct ReEntry.
379020	After the burn is complete, orient prograde. We need to be EXACTLY prograde, so wait until the roll is complete.
379050	Since our PeA is to high, we'll use left translational RCS to lower it. If it was low, right translation would raise it
379070	Adjusting PeA to just under 70k.
379090	When I'm happy with my PeA, I'll switch the HUD to Surface Mode and fast forward to 20M alt. I'll also dump any remaining Main fuel (recording doesn't show this)
502406	Now we can open AerobrakeMFD on the right, and target "cape canaveral". Bring up SurfaceMFD on the left.
506425	Orienting for ReEntry. Roll inverted, eliminate slip, and set AOA to 40 to 45 degrees.
506545	At about 115k Alt, I'll close the retro doors and radiator. Set the COG to about .2 to the rear, and trim up.
506575	I use Killrot to provide roll and pitch dampening until I can get the ship stable.
506660	As my VS approaches zero I'll pitch down to maintain a slow descent rate.
506790	I'll raise my AOA to gain altitude. I want to get to about 70 km by the time I'm down to 7.5k V so I don't risk burning up when I transition to upright.
506950	At about 7.5k V I'll lower the AOA to zero and roll upright. I want about 70ms to 100 ms of negative verticle speed before I engage the Attitude Hold AP.
507000	Engaging Attitude hold AP at 42.5 degrees AOA
507020	From here it's a standard ReEntry. I'll adjust my AOA and bank according to AerobrakeMFD's map.
508017	Killing the AP, going to normal flight. I want to cross south of the runway at close to a right angle.
508075	I've just crossed the runway so I'll start my HAC turn.
508170	I'm a little under the glidepath, but I'm light enough to get away with it.
508396	Voila! Special thanks to Agentgonzo for the many hints.

IMFD Tutorial #5 — Earth to Mars

IMPORTANT: Since I used High Resolution KSC for this playback, depending on whether you have it installed or not, this flight might not start you on the runway. Don‘t worry, you will still get to Mars. IMPORTANT: The following settings may be required in the XR2 configuration file in order for this playback to function properly:

• RequirePayloadBayFuelTanks=0
• EnableAFCtrlPerformanceModifier=0
• Main Fuel ISP=7
• Scram Fuel ISP=2
• LOXLoadout=9
• LOXConsumptionRate=-1
• Main Engine Thrust=1
• Hover Engine Thrust=1
• APUFuelBurnRate=1

0	Welcome to IMFD Tutorial #5--Planar Transfer from Earth to Mars!!!
10	Open IMFD in the Left and Right MFD's.
20	Hit [MNU] on both MFD displays, then hit [PG] on the right MFD. Input "0" without quotations, so that the right MFD gets its data from the Left MFD.
35	In the Left MFD, hit the Configuration option, then using [NXT] and [+] change GET to MJD.
55	Now open Target Intercept. Hit [MNU], then Course, then Target Intercept, then hit [TGT] and input Mars. This is our primary navigation tool in a planet to planet transfer.
70	Lock Time of Flight by highlighting the TOF-Unlocked item, and hitting [+] once. When we adjust our ejection time, time to intercept will now adjust in conjunction with time to ejection, leaving our time of flight the same.
85	Hit [Adj] to
90	Highlight the MJD item under the TEj item.
105	Adjust it by holding down the [+] button. Every click will shift Time to Eject (TEj) and Time to Intercept (TIn) up one day. Both will be adjusted as Time of Flight is locked.
130	When it hits a minimum, hit [Adj] until it says 1x, and adjust it again for a more fine adjustment.
145	It looks like in this flight, oV hit a minimum around 4.497k m/s of dV (4,497 m/s). Now unlock Time of Flight.
160	Highlight Off-Plane, and hit [+] until it says Source Plane. This is a highly effective way of getting to Mars.
180	Lock TOF again, and adjust TEj the same way you did earlier, until oV hits a minimum.
220	Unlock TOF again. Approximate values for this flight are: oV=3480, TEj=354.1k, TIn=22.43M, MJD of TEj=60586.640, MJD of TIn=60842.261, and Tn=7.643M.
250	Time warping until ejection point. Note that you will rarely get a launch window 5 days after you started the scenario, but since I had flown the flight multiple times, I started the playback 5 days away from launch time.
344338	TEj is 10,000 seconds (10.00k), so let's open Surface Launch on the Right MFD. Again, you may want to do this earlier (at least 50k before ejection, but since I've flown this flight multiple times, I know when to take off).
344355	Time warping until the Time item in Surface Launch says zero, then we'll take off.
348153	APU is on, External cooling is off, and AF control surfaces are active.
348159	Takeoff!
348180	Gear up. We cut the engines because we had a high takeoff speed, which was near the gear failure speed, so we don't want to pick up speed too quickly until the gear is up.
348190	Turning to 90 degrees as instructed by the Surface Launch program before we took off.
348223	Open up Surface MFD on the left. Don't worry, the course plan we just set up won't get deleted.
348229	Mach 1.
348257	We've banked a bit to try to get the EIn to zero during the launch.
348325	Scram Doors opening.
348360	Scram Engines Engaged. We'll bring the main throttle down slowly, making sure the scram engines continue to produce sufficient thrust.
348436	We've banked again to try to reduce EIn during ascent.
348618	We've banked again to keep EIn at zero.
348720	The SCRAM engines are losing their effectiveness. Let's turn them off, get the SCRAM doors closed, and continue the ascent with our main engines.
348762	In the Surface Launch Program, hit the PRJ button until the projection is on self, and burn until we have an ApA of 300k.
348822	Main Engine Cutoff. APU is now off.
348835	We'll fix our periapsis later. Let's reopen IMFD on the left MFD display.
348842	On the Right IMFD display, hit [MNU], the Orbit Eject. We will use Orbit Eject to eject from Earth enroute to Mars.
348855	We will eject on this orbit because TEj in Target Intercept will be at around 3000 when TEj in Orbit Eject is zero, and that's close enough for an Earth to Mars flight. Time warping until we hit the node in Orbit Eject.
349163	Turning Orbit Normal +.
349352	Time warping until we're at apoapsis so we can fix our orbit.
350440	Turning prograde.
350521	Our orbit is now almost a perfect circle. I use the Secondary HUD, mode 2 for ApA and PeA values to avoid messing around with the MFD's.
350530	I just hit Autoburn, and now we're time warping until we eject from Earth Orbit.
351158	5 seconds until the burn. We'll do the burn in 10x time warp since it is long.
351420	Main Engine Cutoff. Ok, coolant is hot, let's get the radiator out.
351560	Ok, coolant is back to normal. We'll now time warp until we're out of Earth's SOI.
414985	Ok, we're out of Earth's SOI. Set SRC in Target Intercept to "x" without quotations (x is for your ship) and open the Map Program on the Right.
414995	Set Reference to Sun, Target to Mars, and Center to p-Mars.
415025	Hit [INT] to turn on Intercept mode, and [DSP] and [SOI].
415040	Time warping to plane change maneuver.
7333825	We're about 312,000 seconds until plane change maneuver. So, use [NXT] and [PRV] to highlight the Prep. PlC item. Then hit the [+] button ONCE, then hit [PG], and [AB]. We are now set up for our plane change burn.
7333860	Time warping.
7646730	5 seconds until the burn.
7646784	Ok, dV is zero, time to time warp until we get closer to Mars.
16444578	Ok, let's do a midcourse correction burn. I will hit [AB].
16444590	Good, dV is zero, let's time warp until we get even closer.
19475478	Time for another mid course correction burn. I'll hit [AB] once again.
19475503	Time warping.
21893567	Ok, we're a little over 500,000 seconds away from our periapsis at Mars. Open Base Approach in place of the Map program on the right MFD.
21893575	Set the Reference to Mars.
21893590	Change Re-Entry to Orbit-Insert.
21893605	Time warping to see if dV will increase or decrease.
21895536	dV increased, so let's immediately do the base alignment.
21895545	Set the Target to Olympus in the Right Hand MFD screen.
21895555	Set the Num item to 1. We will be able to do a full orbit before landing, which will be great for some sightseeing after our long journey.
21895565	Autoburning.
21895585	dV is very close to zero, so let's autoburn until we get a bit closer.
22300555	Ok, time for a correction burn. Autoburning. We are using the Base Approach Autoburn, NOT the Target Intercept Autoburn.
22300575	Time warping.
22427332	Ok, we're in Mars's Sphere of Influence. In the left MFD, open IMFD 4.2.1, and hit [MNU], then Course, then Orbit insert. This is to prepare for the insertion burn.
22427353	Time warping until very close to Mars.
22429784	Autoburning from the Base Approach Autoburn for one final correction.
22429813	Ok, I've hit the Autoburn button for the Left MFD (Orbit Insert), and we'll time warp until that point.
22431544	Autoburn didn't quite complete our insertion burn, so I'll use the Burn Vector View to complete the burn.
22431612	Welcome to Martian Orbit!! Open Orbit MFD on the right and hit [AR] and [PRJ] to set the reference to Mars and projection to self. Also, open up Comm/Nav MFD on the right.
22431630	Set Nav1 to 132.20 hZ.
22431640	Now, open up Map MFD on the right, and target Olympus.
22431650	As Base Approach said, we have one full orbit until deorbit burn. Time warping.
22440515	Landing Preparation time. Turning retrograde, and closing the radiator.
22441033	De-orbit burn.
22441244	Ok, Main Engine Cutoff. Turning prograde. Let's turn on the APU and open the Hover doors. Now, we'll engage the descent autopilot, and open the Left MFD to Surface.
22441312	Ok, I've set the descent rate at -150 m/s vertical speed.
22441340	We can set it at -200 m/s as we are still high up off the Martain Surface.
22441360	Opening retro doors.
22441450	I've set the rate back at 150 m/s. You don't want to hit the thick (lower) part of the Martian Atmosphere TOO fast.
22441482	This is just like a typical moon landing, but there's a bit of air to deal with. Not a big deal.
22441508	The vertical speed rate is now at -100 m/s.
22441544	We are now receiving a VTOL signal, so open up VOR/VTOL MFD in place of Map MFD.
22441747	Vertical Speed rate is now at -50 m/s.
22441777	Landing.
22441831	Gear down.
22441962	Touchdown!!! Welcome to Mars!!!
22441970	As the smoke cloud clears, check out the amazing view of Mars. A Deltaglider is on Pad 3.
22441988	APU off.
22441992	Enjoy your stay on Mars. This is Markl316, signing off.

IMFD Tutorial #6 — Moon to Mars

0	Welcome to IMFD Tutorial #6--Moon to Mars!!!
10	This flight is very complex, and it may take you a few tries to get it right on your own.
20	Open IMFD in the left and right.
30	Hit [MNU] on both IMFD displays, on the right, hit the shared button and input 0, and change the configuration from GET to MJD on the left MFD via the configuration page.
53	In the left MFD, open Target Intercept.
60	Set Reference to Sun and Target to Mars in that order. Then, check that Source is Earth.
72	Lock TOF by highlighting TOF-Unlocked and hitting [+] once.
83	Highlight MJD under TEj, set Adj to 10x, and adjust with [+] until you hit a minimum.
120	Now, when you hit a minimum, set Adj to 1x and adjust the same way to make a finer adjustment.
140	Looks like oV hit a minimum of 3.424k on this flight. Now unlock TOF.
155	On the right MFD, open slingshot.
160	Set Reference to Earth, and Source to Moon, in that order.
175	Now it gets kind of tricky. Use [+] to adjust the TEj item in SS (NOT MJD) until PeA=200k.
190	It will get bigger before getting smaller. First, use 100x, then 10x, then 1x. A bug does not properly adjust the MJD, so DON'T do it, only adjust the TEj.
230	Ok, now that PeA in Slingshot is 200.0k, in the Target Intercept (left MFD), hit SET, then input the exact value of TEj in the Slingshot Display.
250	Notice how that just affected the PeA in the Slingshot display. Readjust TEj to get a PeA of 200.0k just as you did earlier, and keep adjusting. You have until sim time = 320.
320	Once you get comfortable adjusting the values, you might want to input the following values for this particular flight to make your course match the course being flown:
345	Target Intercept: TEj=1.112M, TEj MJD=52019.634, TIn=25.68M, TIn MJD=52304.026, oV=2.832k, and in Slingshot TEj=1.112M, and don't worry about MJD (because of a bug). Your values should already be pretty close to these.
380	A bug in Slingshot makes the MJD number display the current MFD, not the MJD of ejection. Time warping until TEj gets lower.
1028995	Things have changed a bit, so adjust TEj in the Slingshot display so that PeA once again is 200k.
1029015	Now, in Target Intercept, hit SET, and input the TEj value from Slingshot, just as you did earlier.
1029030	On the right IMFD display, open Surface Launch.
1029040	Change the Course item until it says Slingshot by hitting the [+] button. Time warping until TEj = 3500.
1108929	Ok, time for takeoff. We'll fly a heading of 90 degrees as dictated by Surface Launch. We will turn during ascent to reduce EIn.
1108971	Now, we're rotating to try to get EIn zero so we don't have to do a plane change.
1109042	In Surface Launch, hit PRJ to change the projection to self, so we can see our orbit better.
1109080	We'll get into a high lunar orbit. Sometimes, the engines burn us a little towards the moon (-10 degrees maybe) in a slingshot, and we want to leave room for error. This is not very likely though, so this step is not necessary, just a precaution.
1109112	Main Engine Cutoff. Welcome to Lunar Orbit.
1109120	Open Orbit Eject in place of Slingshot (on the right), and set the projection to self.
1109130	Change Higher-Orbit to Slingshot.
1109144	Time warping until apoapsis so we can fix our orbit..
1113747	Fixing orbit.
1113824	Engaging Autoburn in Orbit Eject, NOT Target Intercept. We want to eject from Lunar orbit, while Target Intercept's autoburn will be used for midcourse corrections.
1117846	Ok, our ejection burn is complete.
1117855	Ok, open up the Map program in place of Target Intercept (left), and open Slingshot in place of Orbit Eject (right).
1117865	Set the accuracy to Max (1.000) via the configuration page, and set the reference to Earth.
1117880	In slingshot, set Source to self by inputting x.
1117890	Turning prograde so we can adjust our PeA at Earth. We'll time warp a bit to get EXACTLY prograde.
1117990	We're using Translational thrusters Numpad 1 and 3 to get PeA to 200k. Don't use 6 and 9, as these will speed us up and affect our time of flight, where 1 and 3 just "push" us closer and farther from Earth.
1118127	Ok, PeA at Earth is 200.6k. Close enough. Time warping, and keep a sharp eye on dV in Slingshot.
1164489	dV has started to climb, so we'll engage Autoburn in SS to zero it.
1164506	Ok, autoburn complete, and our new PeA (from the Map Program) is 575k. That's a bit higher than 200, but it's fine. We won't burn again until periapsis at Earth. Don't worry if dV increases, it will go back down. Time warping.
1226490	Ok, we're at our Earth Periapsis. Engaging autoburn in Slingshot.
1226526	Autoburn is complete. We're on our way to Mars!
1226535	Hit the SOI button in the Map program, and zoom in. We'll time warp until we're out of Earth's SOI.
1332027	We're out of Earth's SOI. In the left, open Target Intercept (don't worry, our flight plan didn't get deleted), and set Source to self (input x), and open the Map Program in the right.
1332055	Make the following changes to Map: Reference to Sun, Target to Mars, Center p-Mars, then hit the Int button, then the Dsp button. SOI's should already be displayed (check for the grey SOI writing on the bottom).
1332090	Time warping, we'll watch dV in Target Intercept to see if it increases or decreases.
1334050	dV is decreasing, so let's time warp until it hits a minimum, then we'll autoburn.
1762121	There's the minimum, so I will engage Autoburn in Target Intercept.
1762153	dV is zero, now time warping.
5711468	dV has gotten kind of high, so it's time for a midcourse correction. Engaging Autoburn.
18436315	dV has gotten kind of high, so it's time for another midcourse correction. Engaging Autoburn.
25309104	Time to open up Base Approach in the right MFD.
25309115	Set Reference to Mars, and Target to Olympus.
25309130	Change Re-Entry to Orbit Insert.
25309145	Set Num to 1. Often times this will stop the display from "blinking" between one trajectory and another.
25309155	Autoburning in Base Approach.
25309172	Time warping.
25612284	dV has gotten high, time for a correction burn.
25612309	Good, dV is close to zero, time warping.
25662286	We're now in Mars's Sphere of Influence. Open up IMFD 4.2.1 in the left MFD, and open Orbit Insert.
25662305	Time warping until closer to Mars.
25678765	Ok, let's do another Base Approach correction burn. Autoburning.
25678779	Ok, good, dV is close to zero, time warping.
25681164	One final Base Approach correction using Autoburn.
25681186	Ok, I've just engaged Autoburn in Orbit Insert on the left. Time warping.
25681801	Autoburn failed! Don't worry, this is kind of common, just hit Autoburn again, and it should work. If not, just do it manually using Burn Vector View.
25681970	Autoburn shut off early, now using Burn Vector View to finish the burn manually.
25682048	Welcome to Martain Orbit!!
25682055	On the left, open Orbit MFD, and on the right, open COM/NAV MFD.
25682070	Set Nav1 to 132.20 Hz.
25682085	Now open Map MFD in the right, and set Reference to Mars and Target to Olympus.
25682105	Time warping until landing. Base Approach said we have one full orbit before landing.
25687807	Turning retrograde.
25687885	I'll fire our engines to determine the acceleration they provide. Then I'll use vf^2 = vo^2 + 2a(x-xo) to get the distance from Olympus at which to do the deorbit burn. That equation is one of Newton's equations in case you didn't know.
25688207	Deorbit Burn has begun.
25688403	Main Engine Cutoff. We'll turn Prograde, then Level Horizon, and bring up Surface MFD in place of Orbit MFD.
25688480	This is just a standard Mars landing.
25689296	Touchdown!!!
25689305	Enjoy your stay on Mars. This is Markl316, signing off.

IMFD Tutorial #7 — Earth to Jupiter to Saturn

IMPORTANT: Since I used High Resolution KSC for this playback, depending on whether you have it installed or not, this flight might not start you on the runway. Don‘t worry, you will still get to Saturn. IMPORTANT: The following settings may be required in the XR2 configuration file in order for this playback to function properly:

• RequirePayloadBayFuelTanks=0
• EnableAFCtrlPerformanceModifier=0
• Main Fuel ISP=7
• Scram Fuel ISP=2
• LOXLoadout=9
• LOXConsumptionRate=-1
• Main Engine Thrust=1
• Hover Engine Thrust=1
• APUFuelBurnRate=1

0	Welcome to IMFD Tutorial #7--Earth to Jupiter to Saturn!!!
10	This is a very complex flight, and may take several tries to get right on your own.
20	Since IMFD doesn't calculate slingshot windows, we'll use Voyager's launch window.
30	First we must set up a planar transfer to Jupiter, then the Slingshot Program will transfer us to a Saturn target.
45	Open IMFD in the left and right.
55	In the left MFD, go to the config page and change GET to MJD.
70	Now, in the left MFD, open Target Intercept
90	Set target to Jupiter.
97	Lock TOF, and change Off-Plane to Source Plane.
110	Set Adjust to 10x if it isn't already.
116	Highlight the MJD item under TEj.
125	Now adjust it to get the lowest possible dV on the bottom of the display screen. Use 1x for finer adjustment. You have until sim time = 160.
160	Ok, unlock TOF. Approximate values for this flight are: TEj=604.7k, MJD of TEj=42992.608, TIn=82.64M, and MJD of TIn=43942.167.
189	Time warping until launch time.
577826	5 minutes until takeoff. On the right, hit [MNU], then the shared item and input 0. Then, open Surface Launch on the right.
578115	T-10 seconds. Engaging APU and Aerosurfaces.
578125	Takeoff!
578191	We'll bank and yaw to keep EIn in the Surface Launch Program zero during the ascent. If you can already do this and do not need to see the ascent, come back in 11:40 or at sim time = 578900 (we'll stay in realtime).
578301	Ok, Mach 3, opening SCRAM doors.
578806	Scram doors closing.
578906	Main Engine Cutoff, turning off APU.
578915	Now, open Orbit Eject in the right MFD. Our orbit has a very low periapsis, but don't worry, we'll fix this later.
578925	Change Higher-Orbit to Course. Time warping to next node to change planes.
580686	We'll now eliminate EIn.
580732	Wrong way. Remember, IMFD does not tell you to turn Normal or Anti-Normal.
580799	Now turning prograde to fix orbit.
580860	Ok, orbit fixed. Now engaging Autoburn on the Orbit Eject MFD.
580874	Time warping until ejection point.
581729	Oops, let's close the radiator.
583000	5 seconds until the burn. We'll do it at 10x time warp since it's a very long burn.
583480	Ok, Autoburn has completed the burn. Time warping until outside Earth's SOI.
618595	Ok, we're out of Earth's SOI, so open the Map Program on the Right.
618605	Set Target to Jupiter.
618615	Set Center to p-Jupiter.
618625	Hit the Intercept item to turn on Intercept Mode.
618635	Now set Center to the Sun.
618645	Hit the [Dsp] and [Soi] buttons to turn on thier respective features.
618655	Now, in the Left MFD (Target Intercept), set Source to self by inputting x.
618665	Highlight the Prep. PlC and hit the [+] button ONCE.
618675	Engaging Autoburn in the left MFD, and time warping until plane change.
9179207	5 seconds until the Plane Change burn.
9179238	Good, dV is zero, time warping until we get closer to Jupiter.
51590300	Engaging Autoburn in Target Intercept to perform a midcourse correction.
51590322	Ok, dV is zero again. Time warping until we need another midcourse correction.
63599143	Time for another midcourse correction. Also, in the Map Program, set Center to self by hitting the cnt item and inputting x.
63599175	dV is zero. Time warping.
69357470	Another midcourse correction.
69357500	dV is zero again. Time warping.
77436314	We're near Jupiter's SOI. On the left, open Planet Approach, and set the reference to Jupiter if it is not.
77436330	Set Eqi to zero. It will say ~4.665 because it is the minimum EqI we can approach with, so anything less than that value inputted will result in ~4.665.
77436345	Set PeA to 1.8G. We want to give ourselves plenty of room for error.
77436355	Time warping to see if dV increases or decreases.
77437210	dV increases, so we'll engage autoburn immediately.
77437288	dV is zero. Time warping until inside Jupiter's SOI.
78084427	Ok, we're inside Jupiter's SOI. Open Target Intercept on the left, and target Saturn.
78084445	On the right, open Slingshot, and set the reference to Jupiter if it is not.
78084455	In Target Intercept, set Adj to 100x.
78084465	Now highlight the MJD item under TIn.
78084475	Make sure TOF is locked, and adjust it to minimize dV in Slingshot. You have until sim time = ...8084525.
78084525	dV in Slingshot should be approximately 1.225k.
78084535	Time warping to see if dV in slingshot increases or decreases.
78097830	dV is increasing, so we'll engage Autoburn immediately.
78097932	Ok, dV is zero. Time warping until our Jupiter periapsis.
80848659	We're at our periapsis, so I'm engaging the autoburn.
80848689	Ok, our burn is complete. Open up Map on the right. Time warping.
84969260	We're out of Jupiter's SOI. Now, in Target Intercept, set the source to self.
84969270	Time warping to see if dV increases or decreases.
85143315	dV is decresing, so we'll autoburn when it hits a minimum.
85143325	Wait, there's a small problem.
85143335	Look at our remaining LOX, and it's about 844 days.
85143345	Time to intercept is about 1000 days.
85143355	We'd better change that, or we'll die before reaching Saturn.
85143365	Unlock TOF, and set TIn to 64.8M, which will give us about 100 days in Saturn orbit to land at a moon.
85143384	Engaging Autoburn. It will do the burn in about a minute real time (sometimes Autoburn acts goofy like this).
90066466	Engines engaged.
90066603	Engine cutoff. Now set the map target to Saturn. Time warping.
95831990	Time for a midcourse correction burn. Engaging Autoburn.
95832018	Time warping at 100,000x until the next midcourse correction burn, which will occur at TIn=36.00M.
113936199	Autoburning for a midcourse correction.
113936222	Time warping at 100,000x until the next midcourse correction, which will occur at TIn=12.50M.
137436958	Autoburning for another midcourse correction.
137436975	Time warping until we get closer to Saturn.
142348531	There's our Oxygen Low warning. Hit CTRL-W to silence it. Time warping.
144690155	Ok, we're nearing Saturn. Open up Planet Approach in the Left MFD.
144690165	Set the reference to Saturn.
144690175	Set the EqI to zero. It will set itself to the Min EqI.
144690185	Now set PeA to 1G.
144690200	Time warping to see if dV will increase or decrease.
144703181	It increased. Engaging Autoburn.
144703219	Time warping.
148924737	Let's perform a correction burn in Planet Approach. Autoburning.
148924762	Time warping.
149694960	Now open up IMFD v4.2.1 in the left MFD, and open Orbit Insert.
149694975	Engaging autoburn in Orbit Insert (it will wait until we're at periapsis) and time warping.
149864377	We'll do the burn in 10x time warp since it's long.
149864873	Finishing the burn using Burn Vector View.
149864896	Welcome to Saturn Orbit!!!!!
149864900	Now you can set up a flight to Titan by yourself. This playback has gone long enough.
149864910	Congratulations on completing IMFD flight school. You are now hopefully very well versed in IMFD.

This is Markl316, signing off.

IMFD Appendix F: The Major Do’s and Don’t’s of IMFD with secrets to make your life easier

IMFD Manual Contents

IMFD Manual Contents