The NERV, and how to improve it

[Nothalogh]

It's always seemed to me that the place and purpose of the NERV is that of the drive section for large interplanetary vehicles, as Von Braun envisioned it as well.

To that end, doesn't it make more sense as a 2.5m part?

This would also cut down on the silliness of jet nuking your way to Laythe with a vehicle the size of a fighter jet

[RidingTheFlow]

I kind of agree NTR should've been 2.5m from the start, requiring fairly big launchers & assembly - also current small size makes it useless on its own and it mostly used in clusters of several anyway to transport anything bigger than tiny probe.

But I doubt it will ever be changed now - once it here, never removed Hopefully at least they will add another 2.5m version at some point.

Edited October 9, 2015 by RidingTheFlow

[Frozen_Heart]

I'd like to have the choice of part sizes rather than be limited to a single size. But yeah a 2.5m one would be nice.

[CaptainTurbomuffin]

2m before the 1m one. That's excellent.

[regex]

This would also cut down on the silliness of jet nuking your way to Laythe with a vehicle the size of a fighter jet

BUT BUT BUT MUH SPEESPLAIN

I feel like this idea is just kind of arbitrary. From a parts-reduction standpoint it makes sense but otherwise it's just a change in size for no real reason other than that one person envisions interplanetary craft as conforming to a 2.5m form factor. I can't support this.

[Wjolcz]

Changing the LV-N to 2.5m is kind of a bad idea. I always build my interplanetary vessels to have nukes in the front AKA The Nuke Train. They are less wobbly that way, and can be much, much longer. I will throw in a pic or two of what I built some time ago when I find them.

EDIT:

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Edited October 10, 2015 by Veeltch

[Red Iron Crown]

Ideally we would have both 1.25m and 2.5m versions. If we can only have one, I'd prefer the 1.25m one as I can always cluster them for bigger ships but can't split a large engine to make a smaller one.

[Nothalogh]

Ideally we would have both 1.25m and 2.5m versions. If we can only have one, I'd prefer the 1.25m one as I can always cluster them for bigger ships but can't split a large engine to make a smaller one.

I do agree, there should be a 1.25m high efficiency engine, just not a NERV, NTRs by their nature are a big beefy piece of machinery

[RidingTheFlow]

I do agree, there should be a 1.25m high efficiency engine, just not a NERV, NTRs by their nature are a big beefy piece of machinery

It should also spare people the pain making bad performing and convoluted nuclear landers ("its highest ISP, so must be the best!")

[regex]

I do agree, there should be a 1.25m high efficiency engine, just not a NERV, NTRs by their nature are a big beefy piece of machinery

The RD-0410 would like a word with you. If you scale it to KSP size (64% actual) it's actually smaller than the NERV.

[Gaarst]

The RD-0410 would like a word with you. If you scale it to KSP size (64% actual) it's actually smaller than the NERV.

According to your link, the RD-0410 should have less than half the thrust of the NERV (scaled down to 64%).

Anyway, we all know that using the argument "it is that way in real life" doesn't work in KSP: some features are not realistic, some are not. Restricting stock KSP in the name of realism is not a good thing because KSP isn't made to be absolutely realistic; the NERV is one of those things that is so far from having realistic behaviour that it simply doesn't make any sense to want to make it realer on one aspect only.

So I'd agree more with the opinion of simply adding a 2.5m nuclear engine to the stock game.

If you want real nuclear engines, find (or make) a mod which increases their size, make them use nuclear fuel or that makes you manage an actual nuclear reactor in your ship.

[BudgetHedgehog]

Have 2 sizes, problem solved. Even better, have a tiny one for probes (though, technically, it should use Liquid Hydrogen which means a bigger volume.. I can't explain the confusion and sadness I felt when I installed NearFuture tech to change the RLA NTR to LH2 and a similar sized probe having less dV in LH2/NTR mode than chemical rocket mode). Ok, 2.5 and 1.25m only.. makes most sense.

[regex]

According to your link, the RD-0410 should have less than half the thrust of the NERV (scaled down to 64%).

And? The point was regarding size.

[Gaarst]

And? The point was regarding size.

Well, you justify the NERV's size with this engine, which has less than half of the NERV's thrust: an engine with a comparable thrust would indeed be larger than the NERV or RD-0410.

But anyway, the main point of my post (and discussion) wasn't there. ^^

[Frozen_Heart]

They should just add the candle RTG engine and the nuclear lightbulb from porkjets mod. Matches the style of KSP and provides a 0.625 and a 2.5m NERVA.

Taking away parts purely to stop players making certain things should never be done.

[regex]

Well, you justify the NERV's size with this engine

No, I don't, I dispute this

NTRs by their nature are a big beefy piece of machinery

with the RD-0410. NTRs, by their nature, are a lot of different sizes.

E: And if we're going to head down the realism road towards thrust and isp, instead of just dispute an absolutist statement, let's not forget that the NERV is essentially throwing Aerozine50 out the tailpipe and getting near LHyd isps. Unlike IRL NTRs, it doesn't have to worry about fuel boil-off or actively cooling its fuel, or the low density of its fuel, or irradiating the crew, or neutron embrittlement, or other such concerns. It's a magical engine, even for its mass.

Edited October 9, 2015 by regex

[Boiler1]

I have been playing with several mods that have 2.5m and 3.75m NERV engines. The 2.5m is 4 times the mass, cost, and thrust at the 1.25m version. This works very well, the biggest advantage is that the 2.5m engine can be placed in an engine fairing a 2.5m stack. This makes for a much cleaner launch vehicle.

[Generalstarwars333]

I've never much used the NERVs. My needs have always been served by mainsails and skippers. 'Course though, my needs have mostly been in science mode for space where I haven't unlocked 'em yet, and in sandbox for making planes and landships. Plus my needs are almost completely limited to Kerbin's SOI, since I don't really have the expertise/skill to send something interplanetary, or to the mun yet. I can put something into solar orbit, but not much else. If I DO decide to try and go interplanetary, then I'll probably end up using NERVs. Or if I decide to research them and maybe use them in a second or third, hopefully successful Munshot. My first was killed by the kraken, or because I had too many RCS ports in-case I ran out of fuel and needed to make a burn with them.