Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Graknorke]

Gimbal.
If your engines aren't gimballing engines, make them so.

[Mephansteras]

The fuel line linking is critical.

Basically what it does is let you drop off dead weight as early as possible. Weight is drag and costs fuel, so you want to get rid of empty tanks and engines as soon as possible.

Let's say you have a simple rocket with 3 fuel tanks and an engine, with 4 side-mounted rockets of 3 fuel tanks and an engine apiece.

Normally, you'd get something like this:

All engines burn through 1 fuel tank in their stalk - you now have 5 empty fuel tanks you're carrying around + 5 engines.
All engines burn through 1 fuel tank in their stalk - you now have 10 empty fuel tanks you're carrying around + 5 engines.
All engines burn through 1 fuel tank in their stalk - you are now done with all 15 fuel tanks + 5 engines

With the fuel pumping, you get this:

All engines burn through 2 fuel tanks total (1 on each side) - you now have 2 empty fuel tanks you're carrying around + 5 engines.
All engines burn through 2 fuel tanks total (1 on each side) - you now have 4 empty fuel tanks you're carrying around + 5 engines.
All engines burn through 2 fuel tanks total (1 on each side) - you now have 6 empty fuel tanks you're carrying around + 5 engines.
  - Separate the two empty stalks - you now have 0 empty fuel tanks you're carrying around + 3 engines.
All engines burn through 2 fuel tanks total (1 on each side) - you now have 2 empty fuel tanks you're carrying around + 3 engines.
All engines burn through 2 fuel tanks total (1 on each side) - you now have 4 empty fuel tanks you're carrying around + 3 engines.
All engines burn through 2 fuel tanks total (1 on each side) - you now have 6 empty fuel tanks you're carrying around + 3 engines.
  - Separate the two empty stalks - you now have 0 empty fuel tanks you're carrying around + 1 engines.

You're now down to your main rocket with 3 full fuel tanks and 1 engine. You've saved yourself a TON of weight on the way up which means you saved a huge amount of fuel.

[Ozyton]

Do what someone in the Let's Play I'm watching did.

Make a simple rocket like you normally would: make it a command pod with a fuel tank+engine and 4x symmetry fuel tanks with appropriate engines. Fire full throttle straight up and see how far you go.

Take the same ship but use asparagus stalk system on those tanks, see how far you go.

I might just link the video if I can be assed to find it.

As far as terminal velocity goes, I just use http://kspwiki.nexisonline.net/wiki/Atmosphere#Terminal_velocity and it seems to work fairly well. oddly enough the page for Kerbin itself does not show TV values, while others do. EDIT: Rule of thumb I use is get to ~110 m/s, then gradually accelerate so that when I reach 10000m altitude I'm going ~260 m/s. After that I just continue accelerating at around that rate, maybe more, until there's no more atmosphere.

[nogoodnames]

Does anyone know how to transfer Kerbals between command modules without doing an EVA? The clampotron Jr's description implies that it's possible but I haven't been able to find out how.

[Graknorke]

Does anyone know how to transfer Kerbals between command modules without doing an EVA? The clampotron Jr's description implies that it's possible but I haven't been able to find out how.

Got to ask first, but are they actually docked together?

[Ozyton]

You can't, you need to do EVA.

[LoSboccacc]

Gimbal.
If your engines aren't gimballing engines, make them so.

gimbal doesn't control roll, because of lazy developers.

wings on lower atmos stages and rcs in space.

[Graknorke]

Gimbal.
If your engines aren't gimballing engines, make them so.

gimbal doesn't control roll, because of lazy developers.

wings on lower atmos stages and rcs in space.

What about those tiny radial engines?
They'd cause roll. From my play anyway, gimbal can control roll if you have radially mounted engines.

[Skyrunner]

Is flying exactly at escape velocity more efficient than thrusting until your apo is at 100,000 km, then shutting off until you get there, then turning sideways and boosting into orbit?
Unless they are different methods with different goals.

I think I'll have to try the asparagus stalk model, though I still haven't been able to rendezvous with anything yet >_<

[Ozyton]

It's probably better to boost up until your apo is at least out of atmosphere, then boosting yourself at the apoapsis until the periapsis is out of the atmosphere. It might be kinda tricky though, which is why gravity turns help. If you go straight up you'll need lots of delta-V to get yourself into orbit, but if you're already going somewhat where you need to go it's much easier.

[Leonon]

So I just got the paid version after only having played the trial and I decided to make Turbo/Ram planes. All my planes were unmanned since I knew I'd be crashing a lot. After quite a few versions with twin engines with a tank mounted computer in the middle where I'd really like to have an engine I came up with this.

It's fiddly as hell but it manages an ungodly thrust/weight/lift ratio. It can take off before the first set of white lines on the side of the runway and I've gotten it above 1100meters/sec and to 38,975meters altitude in separate flights.

edit: 57,405m is my new record
edit2: 67,070m, I have gotten a 100% air breathing craft outside of the atmosphere.
edit3: 77,868m

[ank]

Is flying exactly at escape velocity more efficient than thrusting until your apo is at 100,000 km, then shutting off until you get there, then turning sideways and boosting into orbit?
Unless they are different methods with different goals.

I think I'll have to try the asparagus stalk model, though I still haven't been able to rendezvous with anything yet >_<

We had a huge 10 page discussion about this a while back.

Conclusion: Gravity turning works. as soon as you are out the the thickest quarter atmosphere, start turning the craft, ideally ending the turn at apoasis.

[PTTG??]

That'd be the Troposphere.

It's where all the weather happens.

I'm working on rendezvousing a project myself. Once I do so successfully once, then I'm going to decide weather to get MechJeb out of storage or what.

[peskyninja]

2 days with game without mechjeb and that mod that changes aerodynamics: 9 sucessfull dockings.
3 days with mechjeb and the other mod: 0 dockings.


I thinking about killing myself. I can't handle it.

[LoSboccacc]

the aerodynamic mod hugely increase difficulty, specially when combined with mechjeb

because in vanilla for now aerodynamic center can be put far back just by winglets, but with the ferram mod the other half of the rocket also have their aero pressure applied, so it is extremely easy to have an aerodynamically unstable rocket. (lift center above the gravity center)


it doesn't help that mechjeb makes its turn abruptly under the standard profile. this way you get a very high angle of attack suddenly and your rocket starts flipping.

try editing the ascent path, with a 100% curve, turn start at 1km and turn end at 60km

that works for me. also, you can start, turn early ay 70° inclination and asas all the way trough the atmosphere; less efficient but this way you keep the angle of attack alway small and will help in non getting your rocket flipping