Jestersage

While I had already landed a simple Mun Base (tower), for the next contract that requires landing a base, I am thinking of landing a mobile base on it instead. Issue is that I prefer to launch using VAB and rockets. And to do so I need to wrap it up using a fairing. However, the mobile base is basically perpendicular to the direction of a Vertical landing. Shall I either make it so that it fits inside a Mk3 cargo bay and have it roll out of the cargobay, or shall i do my best to put thrusters/RCS on the base? Also, once it completed the vertical landing, how do I control the thrusters so I can place the wheels on Mun's ground? Or do I really have no choice but to figure out how to use a Spaceplane to fly it?

Technically they are the same ship, except the first one use Aerospike + Poodle instead of 2 NERV (one thruster in return portion and one in lander portion). The second one also enable me to carry less fuel, and thus have a small cargo bay that currently have a Inline dock (can be swap for Science JR). Otherwise both have room for 6 total, as well as a service bay that contain a rover. The NERV version is actually capable to do a rescue mission around Mun, land, pick up even more passengers from the Mun Base, and then return home. Not sure if launch vehicle is overkill. The Lander/Re-entry vehicle is more or less perfected, as is the upper stage. Once my Aerospike version is tested, I will probably sign up on Kerbal X, since I am surprise there are no Lunex in there. Edit: replaced all Kerbodyne parts with the Rockomax parts, dropped the price to 180k.

By the way, how many Kerbals and other equipments can yours carry? Mine is 6 Kerbals + Rover and possibly a science junior.

Sidenote: I managed to make my Saturn V analogue cost 405K o_O My guess is that most of the cost is due to the Kerbodyne parts, which I considered to be the analogue to the Saturn V/Nova parts. I noticed that if I use Rockomax parts instead, my "saturn V" price dropped to 320k. Anyway, You will notice I have change the title, because I want to expend this to the next logical step: Aside from Mun and Minmus, Can Direct Ascent allow me to land directly on them? What about just orbiting? (I assume I can do flyby with NERV only) For the other planets, when to use Kerbin Rendezvous (assemble ship in Kerbin orbit) only? Target rendezvous only?

Thanks. I will try to adjust the slider. Now I am returning with Jeb. Hope he won't get killed.

Okay, all I can google or found on wiki regarding the traction slider is "To increase traction, add more weight." In short, I do not have an answer for that. Since I have 15 km to go on the worst Rover wheel, I kinda want an answer as to what does that tweakable do. Don't exactly want to fly off another Mun crater and get Valentina killed again. And yes, next time I will pack an RCS flyer instead. Or design something that will fit either a Mk-II cargobay or Service Bay 2.5m

1) So it's probably closer to Ravenspear Mk-III? 2) Thanks for the booster's idea. Will be testing out using liquid rocket instead. 3) Should I just use RAPIER, or Aerospike+Juno Jet?

The reason that I used Rapier is that The Mig-105 would have contained both a Rocket Engine and a Jet engine: From the http://www.buran.ru/htm/molniya3.htm The entire Spiral mission profile, from what I understand, is this: Carrier plane, carrying the Mig-105 on top of it, would fly horizontally to hypersonic speed to upper atmosphere. (The main attraction to replicate it in KSP is the hypersonic aspect -- the Stratolauncher, even with the Whiplash, only goes supersonic. Obviously in stock KSP, hypersonic just mean +1000m/s) Mig-105 detach and fire its two stage booster. (Here is my question: should I use a liquid rocket instead of that Solid Booster?) After the booster detach, the Mig-105 maintain orbit and orbit altitude using its own propulsion. After deorbiting, Mig-105 would use the jet engine for landing. Soviets, for all their fault, designed some pretty advance spacecrafts.

Yeah. The oribital craft is the tiny Mk-II plane at the top with the booster at the back, not the big ass sonic capable carrier plane. I only kept the Rapier because the original Mig-105 called for a Jet for landing correction, otherwise I would have just go with Aerospike.

Not enough Wings? But I tested it with Stratolauncher and it was fine?!

My Standard LF/O version. 216k Untested. My NERV version. 350k Tested to be working Both versions come with a Lunar Rover in Service Bay. Not running any mods. I prefer to call them with the Earth Terms

The reason for this insanity is that: While technically the 2nd Munar mission (doing the base is the first Munar mission), I am trying to do a rescue mission around orbit, land the thing near the First base, do a shift change (should I change the scientists?), and then take them back to Kerbin for experience and rewards. I was trying to launch a Lunex type ship (In fact someone actually created a challenge), aka using a direct ascend with lifting body return capsule. Due to point one, it actually have extra crew cabin for a total of six Kerbals. If it's just reaching the Mun, Technically you can do it with the stock PT Munsplorer Realized that having 2 Nuclear Battery and 2 NERVAs are expensive. My H2/LOX version using aerospike and poodle cost me only 250k

So this is actually my ship: Front view Rear view And I did remove majority of fuel from the carrier plane, so it can actually reach 20,000m alt at 700 m/s When I tested a similar orbiting craft by modifying the stock Stratolauncher, it launches fine. The only differences is that Use the original Hammer SRB Did not launch it at 700 m/s or higher speed (I basically keep flying until the red drag streaks appear) Use the RAPIER. Probably a bad idea to begin with. Could those two differences made it difficult to make the craft form an actual orbit? (it reaches 80k no problem... just doesn't form an orbit)

Already done that with a Dyna-Soar test type. (In fact testing a Lunex right now) Hopefully increase recovery by allowing the plane to keep flying while I make the Craft orbit Challenge!

Did you fly it at +1000 m/s where it's red hot? That was my attempt. Pretty much accelerate it to close 1000 m/s before launching it. If I am suppose to do it at around 300m/s, my modified Stratolauncher does just fine.

Around what PE and AP?

I think I finally got my Lunex like ship working (no, it's not for that Lunex Challenge), but I couldn't help but to wonder: would it have been more efficient if I go with the two other methods? Direct Ascent obviously is most simple in operation, but I ended up with what I considered to be a Nova rocket (AKA: Mammoth with 4x Liquid Booster running with Asparagus Staging, along with an orbiting stage AND a Translunar stage). Had I not run it in sandbox, it would have costed me 350k dollar units! So what does everyone do for their Mun landing - in career and Sandbox?

Except stock Aeris-4 is a SSTO, while mine is not -- it's a three stage model. And before I craft this I modified a Stratolauncher so it can head to 20k and launch a similar craft (technically bigger with crew cabin), and that one orbits just fly. The reason I am designing it as such right now is hopefully able to launch the booster+spacecraft at +1k m/s.

How do I upload one? KerbalX or Dropbox?

While there's a bunch of X-20 and Lunex attempts (no craft files over at KerbalX though), I am surprise not many people were doing SpiralOS-type launches: http://www.buran.ru/htm/molniya3.htm So I decide to make one myself. First using a modified Ravenspear Mk3 with 4 ramjet, then gone bigger with Mk3 parts that employed a similar layout (5 ramjet in total). The booster rocket is a Thumper with structural wings attached on the side. the MiG itself is a small Mk-2 body with 1 long rocket fuselage and a RAPIER engine at the back. Launch plan: Fly to 20k at fast as possible; On the modified Ravenspear I got to >1000 m/s, while Mk3 based carrier I got ~800m/s. Then the SpiralOS detached, the booster will kick in, and I pitch up to 45 degree or as high as I can. Once the booster is depleted, the MiG would detach and fly on the RAPIER. No dice -- the SpiralOS goes suborbital but that's about that... Ironically I have a better luck with a X-20 on top of a Titan-IIIc analogue. No idea if I should switch to a liquid booster (powered by vector) or even use a 2.5m liquid booster (with Vector too). Not sure what i did wrong. Anyone can help?

According to the wiki, AV-R8 have a lift of 0.5, drag of 0.5, and is designed for rockets, while standard Canard generate 0.52 lift (more) for the same drag. In that case, why would anyone pick Winglet over Canard? I am talking about Sandbox mode, where price doesn't matter.

Without fuel, lift orb is within CoM; with fuel, lift is ahead of the CoM. Not sure how to see the amount of lift.

I have been playing with the Mk-II bodies using a wingless lifting body design, and so far, I still have occasional overheating, exploding nuclear battery (actually hide it in the Mk-II docking part, and always coming in too fast in a ballistic manner (prograde angle always being -30~-50 ) ... long story short, I am unable to produce some kind of glide landing. My glide entry are usually done as follow: -Drop the PA altitude to around 43000m -Once it start heating, angle up to +20~+30 degrees -Once the atmosphere burn is complete, point the nose down close to prograde, as long as it's <-20 degree. Otheriwse I tried to bring it up to -20 Not sure what i did wrong. I decided to actually put in a pair of structural wing A (which actually makes it resembles dyna-soar), but have not test it yet. Anyone got some pointers before I test it out??