how come the VS is so negative and yet my altitude is still so high

Because traversing 2000 kilometers at a measly speed of 260m/s would take a long time.

And my velocity is still 7.9 km/sec, how do I get that to go down?

The ship has retro thrusters.

So many posts... forgive me if I don't quote the pertinent one...


Those pics were all from 980.


The Merlin, I am pretty sure, was from one of the Mods and Addons threads on this forum. I have no idea if it is in the Steam Workshop. Here it is, I found it. In the "Ships" spoiler. (You may be pleased to know that the Merlin One has a full cockpit, even with pilots. But the views out the windows... well, to put in nicely... suck.)


With the water-skiing method, do not press the Land on Object button. That will disassociate the camera from the ship and just drop you on the surface of the planet or moon. After pressing the "3"  key, just use the directional keys to lower yourself to the surface, or near it. Use the mouse wheel to adjust the acceleration.


You have to keep your eye on the speed. 600 m/s might seem slow when you're trying to see an entire planet, but that is 1,342 mph!  7.89km/s is about 17,650 mph! Most definitely orbital velocity territory. Sometimes turning the engines off completely may be necessary, and as long as you are still in-atmosphere, you will decelerate fairly rapidly. If you're already in orbit, not so much.


The only difference between most of these ships is engine acceleration rates and maneuverability rates. These can be easily edited in the .sss text file. Something that has a maximum acceleration rate of 5 or 6g will be easier to control than one with 12g engines (you only get to control the throttle in 1% increments).


Don't know what's going on with the lights, I'm guessing a 990 auto-exposure thing.


Did I miss anything?

So many posts... forgive me if I don't quote the pertinent one...


Those pics were all from 980.


The Merlin, I am pretty sure, was from one of the Mods and Addons threads on this forum. I have no idea if it is in the Steam Workshop. Here it is, I found it. In the "Ships" spoiler. (You may be pleased to know that the Merlin One has a full cockpit, even with pilots. But the views out the windows... well, to put in nicely... suck.)


With the water-skiing method, do not press the Land on Object button. That will disassociate the camera from the ship and just drop you on the surface of the planet or moon. After pressing the "3"  key, just use the directional keys to lower yourself to the surface, or near it. Use the mouse wheel to adjust the acceleration.


You have to keep your eye on the speed. 600 m/s might seem slow when you're trying to see an entire planet, but that is 1,342 mph!  7.89km/s is about 17,650 mph! Most definitely orbital velocity territory. Sometimes turning the engines off completely may be necessary, and as long as you are still in-atmosphere, you will decelerate fairly rapidly. If you're already in orbit, not so much.


The only difference between most of these ships is engine acceleration rates and maneuverability rates. These can be easily edited in the .sss text file. Something that has a maximum acceleration rate of 5 or 6g will be easier to control than one with 12g engines (you only get to control the throttle in 1% increments).


Don't know what's going on with the lights, I'm guessing a 990 auto-exposure thing.


Did I miss anything?

Oh thanks, it sounds like there is no onscreen button to activate the "water skiing method".  What's the difference if I press 3 vs pressing 1 or 2?  Also, would the Merlin be compatible with both 0980 and 0990?  Is the IXS warp ship worth downloading too? Does that one also have cockpits?  Haha why do the cockpits on the Merlin One suck?  Could you share some screenshots?  I assume all the add ons on that page will work with both 0980 and 0990?  I like the Grand Canyon add on and the Gale Crater add on too!
Thanks, editing the .sss file sounds like a good idea, I'll just put them in the default folder like I did with the modified Skylone ship!  I don't know what this would be considered, but I guess it's been a success that I've not flown off into space or crashed in over 12 hours now?  This wouldn't be considered being in orbit would it?  The elevation keeps going up and down but within a fairly tight range (VS goes up and down a bit too.)  Oh I forgot about this- if I accelerate time to make it daytime will that jump the ship ahead in time too?  I think it might because returning to a saved location when it's a ship seems to move the ship off into space, as if it's been moving all along since I had the computer turned off overnight lol

how come the VS is so negative and yet my altitude is still so high

Because traversing 2000 kilometers at a measly speed of 260m/s would take a long time.

And my velocity is still 7.9 km/sec, how do I get that to go down?

The ship has retro thrusters.

Thanks, I've used the retro thrusters to no avail (I thought that would cause deceleration but noticed no change to velocity.

An update- I managed to stay in the air for 24 hours straight with only minor changes to my engines!  Now I've moved on to a planet with a denser atmosphere and I've already been in the air for 2 hours so hopefully, I've mastered this skill and next I'll move onto docking and interplanetary flight.  I also decided to move the time forward at the beginning of each flight to right after sunrise, which maximizes my time in the air during the day.  

Other Alex- to do that waterskiing camera trick you mentioned do I actually have to be in orbit or can I drop it down to closer to the surface from this position?  Can I keep the ship level and on the same course with altitude and velocity updates on it even while doing this with the camera, or is that why I need to be in orbit?

I assume all the add ons on that page will work with both 0980 and 0990?

No idea, I've only used the Merlin.

Thanks, I've used the retro thrusters to no avail (I thought that would cause deceleration but noticed no change to velocity.

There's maneuvering thrusters, and there's retro thrusters. Are you using the right ones?

if I accelerate time to make it daytime will that jump the ship ahead in time too?

Of course. You are adjusting the speed of time passage in the SE universe. These ships are a part of that universe. Accelerating time too much may cause issues with ship flight paths.

What's the difference if I press 3 vs pressing 1 or 2?

Try them all, use whatever free-camera mode you prefer. I like 3. If you want to reattach the camera to the ship (or take control of the ship — same thing), press 4 upper row key). If you don't want the camera to move, but still take control of the ship, press Esc immediately after pressing 4 (980 works better in this regard than 990).

to do that waterskiing camera trick you mentioned do I actually have to be in orbit or can I drop it down to closer to the surface from this position?

It's just so much easier to stay in a stable orbit than it is to try and fly in-atmosphere. And you can achieve much faster speeds than in-atmosphere, which is what you seem to prefer.

This wouldn't be considered being in orbit would it?

Why not switch to Orbit HUD mode and see? But at that altitude, I'd say you are in space, and that speed is certainly in orbital velocity territory. That all depends on your actual altitude, and the characteristics of the body you are orbiting, of course.

I assume all the add ons on that page will work with both 0980 and 0990?

No idea, I've only used the Merlin.

Thanks, I've used the retro thrusters to no avail (I thought that would cause deceleration but noticed no change to velocity.

There's maneuvering thrusters, and there's retro thrusters. Are you using the right ones?

if I accelerate time to make it daytime will that jump the ship ahead in time too?

Of course. You are adjusting the speed of time passage in the SE universe. These ships are a part of that universe. Accelerating time too much may cause issues with ship flight paths.

What's the difference if I press 3 vs pressing 1 or 2?

Try them all, use whatever free-camera mode you prefer. I like 3. If you want to reattach the camera to the ship (or take control of the ship — same thing), press 4 upper row key). If you don't want the camera to move, but still take control of the ship, press Esc immediately after pressing 4 (980 works better in this regard than 990).

to do that waterskiing camera trick you mentioned do I actually have to be in orbit or can I drop it down to closer to the surface from this position?

It's just so much easier to stay in a stable orbit than it is to try and fly in-atmosphere. And you can achieve much faster speeds than in-atmosphere, which is what you seem to prefer.

This wouldn't be considered being in orbit would it?

Why not switch to Orbit HUD mode and see? But at that altitude, I'd say you are in space, and that speed is certainly in orbital velocity territory. That all depends on your actual altitude, and the characteristics of the body you are orbiting, of course.

I'm proud of myself!  I've managed to stay between 1 km and 10 km in altitude for 8 hours between 10 AM and 6 PM today.  Once the planet got dark the ship gained some altitude even though I didn't change the settings.  I've noticed this before too.  But I was able to leave the ship running on steady settings for 8 hours after taking off without crashing or flying off into space!  Thats an accomplishment right? And my other ship is still flying around lol I take it it will continue on its flight path as long as it's a stable one, even when I turn the computer off?  What are maneuvering thrusters? I only have main, retro and hover.  So for the Merlin One I can manually add that ship to .0990 by putting it in the default folder?
Look at the characteristics here, still in atmosphere

So for the Merlin One I can manually add that ship to .0990 by putting it in the default folder?

Addons folder. Always put extras in the Addons folder. That's what it's for.

even when I turn the computer off?

I don't know what kind of computer you have, but when I turn mine off, all calculations cease. And I mean everything. Heck, even shutting down the program stops all SE calculations. Is it not like this in your part of the world? :o

What are maneuvering thrusters?

The same keys that give you lateral and rotational controls for your camera — when you are controlling a ship, these are your maneuvering thrusters.

So for the Merlin One I can manually add that ship to .0990 by putting it in the default folder?

Addons folder. Always put extras in the Addons folder. That's what it's for.

even when I turn the computer off?

I don't know what kind of computer you have, but when I turn mine off, all calculations cease. And I mean everything. Heck, even shutting down the program stops all SE calculations. Is it not like this in your part of the world? :o

What are maneuvering thrusters?

The same keys that give you lateral and rotational controls for your camera — when you are controlling a ship, these are your maneuvering thrusters.

lol it's awesome I left my computer off for 12 hours and when I turned it on not only had my ship ended up in interplanetary space, so were the trees I added!  I took that to mean that trees were considered ships too since they are built the same way.  It was quite an experience to see trees hovering amongst the stars!  A space forest- who knew?
Oh I use my num pad to change direction, those must be the thrusters.
I put my main engines at 1- would you say this has been a successful long flight? I'm still at 10 km altitude and haven't flown off into space lol.  Been around 100 m/sec the entire time too!

would you say this has been a successful long flight?

Depends on what your goals are.

would you say this has been a successful long flight?

Depends on what your goals are.

Well my main was seeing how long I can stay in flight without having it crash or go off into space.  What's generally considered being in suborbital flight- anything under 100 km right?  I'm actually trying to keep it under 20 km or whatever it takes to keep it in "Aviation" flight mode.  What does it take to keep the flight in aviation mode vs interplanetary in the HUD?  Under 100 km?

What's generally considered being in suborbital flight- anything under 100 km right?

I would think that would depend on the body in question. Again, switch to Orbit HUD mode, check Rs_min and compare it with your current distance.

What does it take to keep the flight in aviation mode vs interplanetary in the HUD?

No idea. Perhaps a combination of atmospheric density and dynamic pressure? Or just atmospheric pressure? And these will vary with the moon or planet.

What's generally considered being in suborbital flight- anything under 100 km right?

I would think that would depend on the body in question. Again, switch to Orbit HUD mode, check Rs_min and compare it with your current distance.

What does it take to keep the flight in aviation mode vs interplanetary in the HUD?

No idea. Perhaps a combination of atmospheric density and dynamic pressure? Or just atmospheric pressure? And these will vary with the moon or planet.

Yes, I'm finding this to be the case.  Actually Orbital mode seems to be much easier to use than Horizontal, although I think I've gotten the hang of Horizontal.
I downloaded the other ships you recommended so I have them now to test on, as well as Klud's other mods he posted there.  I found that some of them (like the Grand Canyon mod- which I want to do a fly by of!) I already had from the Workshop.  It's a large file size, I don't need both do I? Just keep the one from the Workshop (which is updated) and I don't need the one I downloaded from the forums?
Also, with satellite mods, like the TESS or ISS, they don't show the actual current position of these satellites accurate to the current time do they? And do they enable me to actually enter the satellite (like astronauts on the ISS) and get the view from the inside?

I also found that I have Rodrigo's mod both the .990 version and the .990 Beta version and I don't know which to keep.  I suppose just the regular .990 since the .990 Beta might have glitches in it?  These are all in the Workshop.

 downloaded the other ships you recommended so I have them now to test on, as well as Klud's other mods he posted there.  I found that some of them (like the Grand Canyon mod- which I want to do a fly by of!) I already had from the Workshop.  It's a large file size, I don't need both do I? Just keep the one from the Workshop (which is updated) and I don't need the one I downloaded from the forums?

Again, no idea. Don't really use 990 that much, and have nothing from the Workshop. (Not really a big Steam fan.)

Also, with satellite mods, like the TESS or ISS, they don't show the actual current position of these satellites accurate to the current time do they? And do they enable me to actually enter the satellite (like astronauts on the ISS) and get the view from the inside?

No, I do not believe SE has that kind of sustained accuracy yet. Plus the ISS makes occasional orbital changes to avoid debris, and prevent entering the atmosphere. SE would need daily updates for this kind of thing.  And if the maker of the model made the interior, then sure, go on in and have a look around.

I also found that I have Rodrigo's mod both the .990 version and the .990 Beta version and I don't know which to keep.  I suppose just the regular .990 since the .990 Beta might have glitches in it?  These are all in the Workshop.

Ask Rodrigo?

 downloaded the other ships you recommended so I have them now to test on, as well as Klud's other mods he posted there.  I found that some of them (like the Grand Canyon mod- which I want to do a fly by of!) I already had from the Workshop.  It's a large file size, I don't need both do I? Just keep the one from the Workshop (which is updated) and I don't need the one I downloaded from the forums?

Again, no idea. Don't really use 990 that much, and have nothing from the Workshop. (Not really a big Steam fan.)

Also, with satellite mods, like the TESS or ISS, they don't show the actual current position of these satellites accurate to the current time do they? And do they enable me to actually enter the satellite (like astronauts on the ISS) and get the view from the inside?

No, I do not believe SE has that kind of sustained accuracy yet. Plus the ISS makes occasional orbital changes to avoid debris, and prevent entering the atmosphere. SE would need daily updates for this kind of thing.  And if the maker of the model made the interior, then sure, go on in and have a look around.

I also found that I have Rodrigo's mod both the .990 version and the .990 Beta version and I don't know which to keep.  I suppose just the regular .990 since the .990 Beta might have glitches in it?  These are all in the Workshop.

Ask Rodrigo?

Thanks, I use both, one on each screen.  For some odd reason I can run .990 at a higher resolution than .980.  With .980 I run the e version to get accurate positions of stars and solar system objects from Earth.  We have two lunar eclipses coming up in 2022 (May and November) and a total solar eclipse in 2024 (in April.)

By the way, is there a reason the ship's speed increases at night?  I run it at a constant speed all day and at night the speed seems to go up all by itself- there must be a scientific reason for this.