How to get a good portion of ship into space

[Excellent]

I have been playing ksp since 0.15 so i can get to the moon and mimmus but i can only get to them with a really huge ship and end up with just my pod and a engine. I want top get into space with atleast a couple stages left dose anyone know how to do this?

[Vanamonde]

That's kind of a big question that doesn't have a simple answer. There are a lot of ways to build successful ships. I suggest you look around the Spaceship Exchange section for ideas. I'd post an example for you myself, but Imgur seems to offline to replace its servers today.

[Wayfare]

The problem: to put more mass into orbit, you need a bigger ascent stage. To have a bigger ascent stage, with a bigger orbital stage on top, you need an even bigger launch stage. And you may need an even bigger set of boosters. Push the envelope too far and you'll be building rockets that collapse under their own weight at the launch pad. Not to mention that the sheer number of parts will bring your computer to a crawl.

The challenge in the end is not to put as much rocket as possible into space; it's to put enough spacecraft into space for the job you want it to do, and then to build the absolute minimum size of launcher under it to get it there.

I think most of us have gone through the whole "need moar rocket!" thing and eventually found that in KSP, less truly is more.

My Munshine XI-B will put up to 65 tons of payload into orbit. You could easily split those 65 tons up into two stages - for example, a lunar transfer and lander stage topped with a Kerbin return stage.

Good luck!

[EndlessWaves]

Never, ever replace an engine. You can throw some of them away if you no longer need the thrust but all the engines on your rocket should be firing from the pad if at all possible.

Beyond that it depends on whether you're trying to minimise the rocket needed for a specific payload or put the largest payload into orbit.

The former is all about fuel efficiency. Lots of decouplers and fuel lines all set up so that all engines are burning fuel from the minimum number of fuel tanks possible at any one time (typically 1-3 depending on layout) and then ejecting them as soon as they're empty. This can give you amazing efficiency, although it can be structurally tricky at times.

The latter is all about part count. Efficiency is good up to a couple of hundred tons but beyond that the limit is parts. I've found 3200L fuel tanks and aerospike engines to be the most efficient combination parts-wise, they'll lift about 3 tons to orbit per 2 parts

[OtherDalfite]

If your ship has a very fast takeoff. >100 m/s shortly after lift off. Lower the throttle to keep it at that up until you reach about 1/2 atmospheric pressure. Despite popular belief, full thrust isn't always the best option.

[Punk]

When I started playing I watched a lot of youtube vids. It really helps to work out how to build and pilot a rocket successfully and you can also pick up tips and tricks like timing your injection burn to the Mun to coincide with it rising over the horizon of Kerbin. You also realise that bigger is not always better unless it is required. Some good channels are Pleborian and Scott Manly. Scott's channel is actually really good for learning.

[Blizzy]

Never, ever replace an engine. You can throw some of them away if you no longer need the thrust but all the engines on your rocket should be firing from the pad if at all possible.

Beyond that it depends on whether you're trying to minimise the rocket needed for a specific payload or put the largest payload into orbit.

The former is all about fuel efficiency. Lots of decouplers and fuel lines all set up so that all engines are burning fuel from the minimum number of fuel tanks possible at any one time (typically 1-3 depending on layout) and then ejecting them as soon as they're empty. This can give you amazing efficiency, although it can be structurally tricky at times.

The latter is all about part count. Efficiency is good up to a couple of hundred tons but beyond that the limit is parts. I've found 3200L fuel tanks and aerospike engines to be the most efficient combination parts-wise, they'll lift about 3 tons to orbit per 2 parts

i do this, just make your ship wide, make fuel lines take fuel from the outside of the ship and strip off the sides when they run out

[Elios]

heres one dont snub SRBs i have seen a lot of people here not wanting to use SRBs they are great for getting you off the pad

[notasurgeon]

-deleted by author-

Edited October 9, 2012 by notasurgeon

[EndlessWaves]

i do this, just make your ship wide, make fuel lines take fuel from the outside of the ship and strip off the sides when they run out

Routing sideways is more efficient as you can jettison the tanks one at a time (or in pairs if needed for balance) and just connect the last one inwards.

heres one dont snub SRBs i have seen a lot of people here not wanting to use SRBs they are great for getting you off the pad

Boosters are fine when you can't be bothered but he's after the most efficient way to get off Kerbin and boosters are rarely that.

EDIT: Although I suppose if you combined them with LV-Ns that may be the most fuel efficient way.

Edited October 9, 2012 by EndlessWaves