Kenny Loggins

Was able to get to orbit with fuel to spare thanks to your video! Thanks so much for all the help! It's finally operational!

Thanks so much! I'll use this to improve my piloting!

I just noticed something, it appears as if some of my wings are generating negative lift. For instance it will say -5.28 kn on a wing. Is this important?

I don't use that action group for ascent anymore, just to turn off the whiplashes once I reach orbit. (Not that it makes a difference, I just don't like seeing the engines in orbit) Also, totally didn't realize that about the top engines, better fix that XD

Alright, took longer than I thought it would due to classes, but here it is, the Zeus Mk3: https://kerbalx.com/kennyloggins/Zeus-Mk3 Having Issues getting into space, but I'm pretty sure it's due to piloting error more than serious construction issues. Any glaring problems with the new design? Any changes you would make? Any piloting advice? I can't seem to angle the craft in such a way as to increase the altitude once I'm past the atmosphere, it just kinda reaches apoapsis and then descends. Is it a problem with not enough acceleration? Do I need more thrust?

I was able to get it into space, gonna make some changes and post the mk3 when it's done.

Does this significantly change the performance of the craft? I understand the Panthers are better for getting up to speed but are the RAPIERS worth it in air-breathing only? I was under the impression they were less powerful/efficient than Whiplashes, and made up for it by having a rocket mode. Also, I'm having issues getting to orbit with the craft as Zeus mk2, but only because I am struggling to keep it stable when I change flight angles. For example, when I pitch up to make better use of the nukes. it tends to yaw left or right, and I struggle to correct it, and lose speed while fixing it. At first, I thought it was because in the thin air the control surfaces aren't particularly effective, and the nukes do not have gimbal, so I added some reaction wheels to aid in maneuverability outside the thick parts of the atmosphere, and it certainly helped a bit, but it did not make enough of a difference to stop the craft from reacting violently to attitude changes. It is worth noting that this was a problem I struggle with using my smaller SSTO as well, but the gimbal from the RAPIERs is enough to force the craft to remain relatively stable. Any advice pertaining to this for my spaceplanes?

Alright, I've made quite a few changes to the design, and it comes MUCH closer to orbit than before. https://kerbalx.com/kennyloggins/Zeus-Mk2 Any input on the new design?

My reasoning for the quad-coupler in the back is that when i used the base tri-configuration that the mk3 engine mount was resulting in a low center of thrust and flipping my craft upwards and backwards as a result. I don't know how to fix that without a coupler to even out the thrust.

Wow, so I was WAY underestimating those whiplashes, I thought it was 1 engine-15 tons, gonna make some serious adjustments with that in mind. Also, the side pods are there for the passenger cabins, and the idea with the fuel is that most of it should be used in space, not to get there, hence why the balance while empty wasn't a tremendous concern at the time of design. Side note, how much mass can a single nerv handle? do i need to adjust the number of those I have?

Hello, I've been having issues with my large cargo SSTO. I can't seem to get it to orbit. I'm having both balance issues and issues actually establishing orbit. Although, it has come a long way since I started building it a few months ago, and it gets much closer to orbit than it used to, and it doesn't flip backwards immediately upon takeoff anymore, so that's cool. Anyway, any help would be greatly appreciated! https://kerbalx.com/kennyloggins/Zeus-Mk1 ^Pictures and craft file^

Seriously guys, thanks so much for all the advice! Got it to orbit with some spare fuel, gonna try to dock with my station now. On a side note, definitely thinking of making a different ship for longer flights after this with nukes, after all the helpful info you guys have provided, I think I could actually make it work! Edit: SUCCESS! I have docked with my refueling station! The next goal is to dock with my main station without refueling, for transporting kerbals to/from the station.

Alright. This is what I've got so far, it can technically establish orbit, and so far is more successful than my other designs. However, I'm having trouble getting it to orbit with enough extra fuel to do anything productive. I'm thinking it's flight path problems, as I always seem to have a significant excess of liquid fuel left in my craft when I run out of oxidizer. Any advice? Craft File

huh, I might just cut it down to two then. Ill get back later with an updated craft file and pic.

Thanks so much for all the input guys! I'm gonna go work on the craft now. The reason I've been using mk2 is that they are the right size for docking with my stations (I can include pics if you guys want), but if you guys think I could do better with a different part set, I can try that. The drone core is needed for missions where I need to transport more than 4 kerbals without adding too much more cargo space. I didn't realize how much extra drag the bicouplers were adding, I'm going to remove those for starters, along with some engines (3 seems to be the concensus). Also, would I be better off just scrapping the Rapiers and mixing nukes with jets?As far as intakes, is a good ratio 1 intake / engine ? Do the pre-coolers add drag? I added them thinking they would minimize it as intakes. With the reaction wheels and rcs respectively, the reaction wheels were my solution to instability in flight upon reaching thin atmosphere that I was experiencing with early versions of this craft (no longer an issue), and the rcs was my answer to manuevering slight changes to the orbit (back when this thing could *just barely* establish orbit, lots of changes to the game since then), so I will look into removing most of those. Final question, I was under the impression that less wing = less drag = better flight, but should I look into upping wing area again? It originally had much more area.