paleorob

So much invested in defense and arms here, yet almost nothing in the science/exploration end of things...

I've returned a Kerbal from the surface of Mun and Minmus and from Duna orbit. Currently doing unmanned probes or a Munbase so not looking to add to that figure yet. I have stranded Kerbals on Eve, Duna, and Laythe.

It is interesting that people tend to poo-poo asparagus designs for the real world since nothing currently flying uses it. I wonder if the KSP community has actually independently invented something new that has real-world utility (like the Falcon Heavy) that traditional "in the box" aerospace engineers had not previously though of.

And now, due to some sort of strange error causing Spirit of Prescott to spawn inside MOSS, Spirit of Prescott is on the Mun (save file edit). Hopefully MOSS is still intact.

MOSS (Mun Orbital Science Station) with SSTMO Spirit of Prescott docked on the bottom of the multi-direction node and the Kerbin-return shuttle docked on top. On the end node is a non-functional Mun bus that is being used as a fuel depot (until it runs out). The transfer stage fuel tank and injection engine are still attached on the right end. Currently 6 Kerbals are onboard with two more en-route (kind of) in SSTMO Spirit of Sedona and an additional two Mun-side in the base that MOSS supports, Lonely Outpost.

Spirit of Prescott, my second SSTMO bus, is Mun-bound. Closing on MOSS. Then I was like...whoa... Meanwhile, on the surface at Lonely Outpost. MOSS with Spirit of Prescott docked on the bottom of the main hub. Above is the first crew rotation shuttle. The end node is occupied by a failed Mun bus (not enough thrust to land). Currently being used as fuel storage.

Why did you chose the regular jet engine over the turbojet?

A lonely view from 15km above the Munar south pole.

MOSS (Munar Orbital Science Station) - the gateway to and from my (currently unnamed) Mun base. Seen here with attached Kerbin shuttle, awaiting the arrival of the first-generation Munar Bus. Lonely outpost (hey, that's not a bad name...) MOSS with Mk. 1 Munar Bus docked Munar Bus Mk. 2 (Spirit of Sedona) en route after it was discovered the Mk. 1 didn't have enough thrust to reliably land on the Munar surface. This important piece of equipment will allow crew rotations to occur between Kerbin, MOSS, and the base. The Mk. 2 bus is capable of Munar descent and SSrTO. Two Mk. 2 buses will be stationed out of MOSS but remain landed at the base for easy egress. The remaining fuel in their transfer stages will be placed in MOSS's fuel bunker. The bunker will continue to be topped off by the Kerbin-Mun shuttle transfer stages. Spirit of Sedona test flight to Munar south pole. All systems go! Spirit of Sedona is back on-orbit and has plenty of fuel left to adjust inclination and dock with MOSS. After it arrives Spirit of Prescott will dock with MOSS and then descend to the Munar surface to support base operations. It is expected that 10 Kerbals will be boots-on-the-ground before the second habitation module is launched. It is expected that keeping an abort-to-orbit option for all Kerbals at the base will be the most challenging aspect of the project. A rover will be delivered Mun-side after the second bus arrives (sometime later this week).

I have in the past but don't use it often. I'm more likely to "kick" lose the spent transfer stage engine/tank of my Munar shuttlecraft after arriving at MOSS (Munar Orbital Science Station). Unload fuel into MOSS fuel tank from transfer stage, decouple, shake station to kick the used part free. Next bus down the surface will usually nudge it along into a terminal trajectory before moving clear and descending to my (as-yet unnamed) Mun base.

Use stack separators instead of the lower ports? Would that solve the issue? or do you need the lower stage to dock as well?

I've thought about buying some tubing and recreating some of my rockets as flyable model rockets.

That is the downside is that it can't be used later. You are correct it applies no force of its own. By putting it closer to the base of the rocket, however, it ends up experiencing less movement (at least on rockets that have gimballing engines and/or fins at the bottom) since the point of rotation is at the motor (or fin). If it is traveling through less of an arc it will not want to correct for a large arc, thereby keeping the ship stable. Try it yourself if you don't believe me.

There was a thread like this before the forum catastrophe and I haven't seen a new one crop up yet. I figured we'll give it a go here. The idea is to post neat things that help you play the game that may not be obvious from the outset. I'm not talking about mods, I'm talking about basic stock parts to the game that players, maybe even experienced players, may not know about or take advantage of. Since I'm starting this thread off I'll also start off by dropping the newest hint that I have stumbled across. Mount the ASAS unit low on the rocket to avoid wobble on long skinny rockets. A lower stage of 2 orange tanks and one gray "trashcan" tank, plus a trashcan/poodle upper AND a wide/funky payload (my Mun base) or a long payload (MOSS core) are able to make a gravity turn and exit the atmosphere without the usual oscillations that accompany long rockets in KSP. Pictures to demonstrate: This was also lifted with the same basic design.

Munar Orbital Science Station prepares to brake into low Munar orbit (50km). It still has the original propulsion unit that doubles as a gas can. It is meant to serve the growing Mun Base below. This will be the departure/return point for Kerbin-Mun shuttles and Munar surface shuttles. Currently has a crew of 2 onboard. Retroburn: On orbit above Mun. I think it kind of looks like a dragonfly. With the first Kerbin-Mun shuttle docked:

We don't have physics at the school I teach at, just upper level biology and AP Chem. One student transferred in with half a year's worth of physics credit, though, so she is doing an independent study on physics for the last part of the class. She was having some problems so I introduced her to the demo. She likes it but I need to get back with her on if it has helped. Apparently she has been able to land on the Mun...

Wow, they are a lot darker on my work computer than at home. Hmm... Anyway, about those RCS thrusters...yeah...I kind of forgot to strap them on so that is already part of the planned redesign. I'm not sure what I was thinking with the nose gear either...

I cracked the nut with a super idiotic-looking craft I named The Wandering Albatross. Space + fuel left? Could this be the one? ORBIT! I may even be able to deorbit with the fuel onboard. Glamor shot. This thing sure is stupid looking. But it kind of works. Now to try and incorporate everything I missed from what y'all have said.

Okay, new save just for SSTO aircraft. I am determined to crack this nut. Advice so far: less jet fuel, turbojet in line with CoM, different tail than the tripod, and more lift/control surfaces (but no canards). My latest design: SSTO Mk. 1 2 909s, one on either side of fuselage for more circularization ability and thrust vectoring. Avionics package hidden inside fuselage, 4 intakes on each nacelle (8:1 ratio overall) linked to action groups. Nose up, tail down for takeoff plus RCS for on-orbit and high-altitude maneuvers. Let's fly. Okay, done. Tried - couldn't climb at anything greater than a 25 degree angle. That barely got me to 10km. Got an additional 30 m/s out of this. Leveling out and climbing back to 10km was a pain. See above. Lots of air but running out of jet fuel. Still ~230 m/s velocity. Unable to reach 25km (or even 15km) on jet alone. I kicked in the rockets and started climbing. Jet engine ran out of gas so I closed the intakes and powered through on the rockets. Apoapsis was around 81km. Yes, barely...but no orbiting for me. Pics: Struggling through 10km and running low on gas. Out of jet fuel. Pushing apoapsis out of the atmosphere in hopes of being able to circularize then. Completely out of gas. Jeb, you're an idiot. Using clipping I always have at least a 4:1 ratio for supposed SSTO craft. I always fly with avionics. I just usually bury it with clipping someplace. Back to the drawing board.

Welcome aboard!

I knew people would want pictures. Here they are, but I'm not sure how helpful they'll be. Note: these are just a small sample of the types of spaceplanes I have tried. This one apogeed out at around 100km. The rockets weren't enough to circularize. More rocket fuel killed it. Then I tried going small. Flipped. Many more that I didn't photograph in .18.X. In .19 this unconventional design is bar-none the best airplane I have built. Period. Unfortunately it appears to be a lousy SSTO but it is rock-solid at any altitude below the flame-out limit. 4:1 intake-engine ratio, avionics. Only hard part is taking off without smashing the lower wings. Ends up backflipping once you are only on the aerospike. You know what might be helpful? A graph of a flight profile for a SSTO.

Hey, cool! Can't wait to see the finished product!

I've got my engines set to action groups so that my aerospike isn't lit until we're about 20km up. Shortly thereafter I shut down the jets as intake air drops below .4 to avoid a flameout. My center-mounted single jet +2 lateral aerospike designs have not been successful either.

So I've been playing since October and have yet to manage to get a spaceplane into orbit from a horizontal launch in one stage (SSTO). I can launch them on top of vertical launch rockets, but that kind of defeats the purpose. It doesn't matter if the design is my own homebrew or a copy of someone else's successful SSTO that they posted a photo of on the forum. It always ends one of two ways (or sometimes both): Not enough rocket fuel to circularize, although I am able to get out of the atmosphere AND/OR catastrophic loss of control from either an engine flame-out or shifting CoM causes the rocket to flip end-over-end. Any remedy to solve one problem makes the other occur. Add more rocket fuel and BAM the formerly stable suborbital spaceplane now flips stupidly through the sky. Balance the fuel so there is no CoM shift (all the fuel lateral over the center of lift) BAM I can't circularize. I'm sure someone will ask for photos of the craft I use. It doesn't matter. Pick any SSTO plane you have seen a picture of on the forum and I have probably tried to recreate it with one of the two results above occurring (sometimes in the same flight). My current homebrew flies happy as a clam all day long at ~900 m/s at 17km. Fire the aerospike and we get to do carwheels. What sort of voodoo black magic do you all use to get SSTO aircraft TO? They breed nothing but hate and frustration in me. Anytime I see someone post one (especially orbiting somewhere other than Kerbin) I get this jealous/angry feeling inside that I know isn't healthy. AUGH! I need help, kerbonauts.

I had a GIF of my rover on Gilly doing the Gilly Gallop (since wheels on low grav bodies aren't too effective). Can't seem to find it ATM though.