What did you do in KSP1 today?

[Fearless Son]

I wasn't having any issue during launch with drag really, my issue with leveling out was with the roll feature using the 'Q' and 'E' keys in space to level out or just plane rotate.

Ah, okay, I misunderstood your issue. Though looking at your probe again, I do not see any reaction wheels there. Unless you have reaction wheels somewhere not obvious in the pictures, I think that would be your primary problem. Probe cores have notoriously poor torque and will struggle to rotate all but the lightest probes. Giving it even a small diameter reaction wheel will be a big help. You certainly have enough batteries and solar power that the electricity drain from running that wheel should be practically a non-concern.

[MrWolf83]

Ah, okay, I misunderstood your issue. Though looking at your probe again, I do not see any reaction wheels there. Unless you have reaction wheels somewhere not obvious in the pictures, I think that would be your primary problem. Probe cores have notoriously poor torque and will struggle to rotate all but the lightest probes. Giving it even a small diameter reaction wheel will be a big help. You certainly have enough batteries and solar power that the electricity drain from running that wheel should be practically a non-concern.

That's kinda funny cause, I launched two other probes earlier last week, that were similar in design plus or minus an ablator and/or empty lander can, and had smooth sailing up until I started up game again. I'll check to see, but don't remember putting a reaction wheel on them at all.

[hendrack]

I got fed up with hyperediting geostationary satellites. Instead I put up a relay with highly eccentric orbits, a bit random but *something* always is above KSC. 99% coverage and I don't have to touch those satellites ever again!

[Fearless Son]

That's kinda funny cause, I launched two other probes earlier last week, that were similar in design plus or minus an ablator and/or empty lander can, and had smooth sailing up until I started up game again. I'll check to see, but don't remember putting a reaction wheel on them at all.

Ah, but crewed command pods (even empty ones) have built-in reaction wheels, which lets them impart a lot of torque. With those, you only need extra reaction wheels if the vessel is more massive than a small lander or it needs to turn around exceptionally quickly. But take that away, and it only has the probe core's itty-bitty internal wheel to go on, which leaves it very little torque.

Regarding RCS, while you can use it for spinning the craft in place, to get the most out of it you need the RCS ports intended to rotate it around to be as far from the center of mass as you can reasonably make them. Two sets of them, mirrored front and back across the center of mass, will get more reaction control out of it than will RCS ports mounted near the center of mass. But if you have enough reaction wheels or built-in torque, you do not even need RCS for spinning the ship around in place. RCS is still very useful, but mostly for fine course adjustment and lateral maneuverability (which is essential while docking.)

[Karpen]

I had my very own "Kerbin, we have a problem" Event

It all started a long time ago. A mission was launched. A manned station to be used as an ore processing and science center orbiting Dres. 5 Kerbals went on a brave mission into the unknown.

The station reached Dres, and it was quickly noticed, that somebody screwed up in planning the station, because it had about 200 m/s dV less fuel on board as was needed for entering orbit around Dres. A lot was simulated (aka, I hit reload a couple of times ) in order to try to still get into orbit. Dumping Monopropellant, destroying solar panels (apparently that does not change the total mass of the ship), getting closer to the planet. One simulation tried a periapsis of 3km. Sadly, some mountains are higher ...

But then their luck changed. KSC remembered that there was an ore searching rover on Dres. Every rover has a bit of fuel and some small engine, used for final landing stages and hopping over mountains. With almost perfect timing, the rover was put into the path of the station after it burned up all its fuel. Timing was critical. The maneuver had to be done as close as possible to Dres. They docked, transfered fuel and engaged the engine. The additional fuel brought a dV of about 240 m/s. Just enough to enter an elliptical orbit and safely wait for a fuel ship to arrive.

Close one

[Deutherius]

This. I build this.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

The orbiter itself is meh at best, but I intend to rebuild it. Engine stack and wings (even a rudder with a working airbrake - not that it's needed, it just looks cool) are good enough, but the front and mid sections are ugly (and the LFO tank is unused). It had a service bay with a cute tiny satellite in an earlier version, but opening the doors would disassemble the orbiter every time.

Anyway, I am really starting to like the Mk-55 "Thud" engine, especially the gimbal range, with a bit of clipping it makes an excellent vernier (or minishuttle SSMEs )

[DDay2021]

I was playing around with the Learstar last night and had an incident when the SRBs separated taking out the main fuel tank. Instead of my usual "ESC" + Revert to Launch, I attempted a landing with it and succeeded. My first actual landing of an aircraft occurred because of freak mishap.

[eddiew]

Failed to anticipate that THIS would be what I had to return from orbit with my brand new Mantis class drone.

Still, given the overshoot and 180 turnaround, I think I did quite well before running out of fuel. At 97.8% recovery value, with 8800 roots worth of de-orbited part, my little drone actually made a slight profit before counting the contract payment

Yes, it steered exactly like you think it would - constant veer to the left of about 15 degrees at 150m/s. And the radiator disintegrated first time I tried to klaw it in orbit, so I had to carefully approach from the right angle. And I only have aero heating at 20%. Good luck to anyone who gets this thing at 100% heat and doesn't take a mk3 cargo bay! Mean little contract imo

[MrWolf83]

Ah, but crewed command pods (even empty ones) have built-in reaction wheels, which lets them impart a lot of torque. With those, you only need extra reaction wheels if the vessel is more massive than a small lander or it needs to turn around exceptionally quickly. But take that away, and it only has the probe core's itty-bitty internal wheel to go on, which leaves it very little torque.

Regarding RCS, while you can use it for spinning the craft in place, to get the most out of it you need the RCS ports intended to rotate it around to be as far from the center of mass as you can reasonably make them. Two sets of them, mirrored front and back across the center of mass, will get more reaction control out of it than will RCS ports mounted near the center of mass. But if you have enough reaction wheels or built-in torque, you do not even need RCS for spinning the ship around in place. RCS is still very useful, but mostly for fine course adjustment and lateral maneuverability (which is essential while docking.)

You hear that Squad, ya'll did not explain this stuff in game, or on the Training Scenarios.

[Fearless Son]

You hear that Squad, ya'll did not explain this stuff in game, or on the Training Scenarios.

Heh. KSP is a "discoverable" game, meaning they throw you into the deep end of the sandbox and you have to figure it out from there. Or at least that is how I like to keep optimistic.

But seriously, it is a game where the learning process is long and difficult, and failure at some point is inevitable. But every time you launch, with every new thing you try, you learn a little more and become a bit more of an expert.

*Puts on old man hat* Back in my day, we did not even have any fancy-smancy reaction wheels, and our command pods provided no torque! All the parts that are now reaction wheels did was provide generic stability assistance, and there was no function difference between them! You kids these days are lucky you have these options!

[Camaron]

Just using massive rings of fire to drop boosters during a test launch of "King Nerva", a 9090-ton Liquid Fuel Tanker.

[Lockheed X-17]

I was attacked by a version of a map kraken. Gotta post pictures at Lunch (PH Time), since I hadn't brought it in my flash drive.

[oversoul]

Well what better way to celebrate this career first landing on Ike than to lose Jeb in a atmo fighter plane crash the next day.

Right after I had cleaned up all of my old quicksaves, too.

[MaxwellsDemon]

I didn't have a lot of time yesterday between house and kid stuff, but I did manage to launch my new modular refuelling station core into LKO using my newly-developed heavy booster. Had some momentary difficulty shaking it out of the cargo bay (I had to launch it that way as it was turning out to be too fragile to launch unprotected on top of the booster) but it worked out. Construction Phase II commences this evening...

[capi3101]

Spent my hour last night with two probe launches. The first probe's mission is an attempt to rendezvous with the Storax 7 lander in orbit of Mun to deliver enough fuel to bring home a group of tourists. Launch was successful if a bit wonky on the first stage - insufficient strutting, and something that'll need to be fixed if I ever decide to go with that design again. Second launch was an attempt to put a probe up for money. Almost got it right on the nose, but my periapsis is about 20k off the target...and it'll be ten days before it swings back around to the apoapsis...

Making preliminary plans to send Bill to rescue Val and her tourists from the surface of the Mun. He's done it before; he can do it again. Also thinking about sending Bob back to Minmus with a better-equipped lander to try and finish tapping out its science.

[Goddess Bhavani]

[juanml82]

Just using massive rings of fire to drop boosters during a test launch of "King Nerva", a 9090-ton Liquid Fuel Tanker.

http://i.imgur.com/dJulOam.gif

Was your FPS higher than 2?

[Guest]

http://i.imgur.com/U3iEj4g.jpg

That is officially awesome!

On another note, PM-9 finally launches today, five days late. BDArmory is just too much fun.

[MrWolf83]

Started a mission to fulfill a few contracts at once, utilizing my Modular base modified for landing and part of it will be first Mun outpost. Will send science from Mun surface and will also plant another flag, whilst utilizing the tow vehicle to explore and collect science.

Didn't make it to Mun yet, let the game run while I was watching ball game and catching up on shows. Made it 1/4 the way there. Will post rest tomorrow of landing.

FMJ ready to fire.

Up Up and Away!!

Ready...Set...

Deploy Fairing and screenshot at same time, while hitting overlay on accident.

Payload Revealed

[Agost]

Fought against a game breaking bug.

Looks like I've won this time, hope I don't encounter it again.

[ghost22]

Hopefully album now works

Edited August 20, 2015 by ghost22
album problems :D

[SOHEIL]

[Xeldrak]

Today I flew, documented and posted my Apollo 8 recreation:

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[JJJacksonTyler]

PLEASE HELP IDENTIFY WHAT THIS MAY HAVE BEEN

Did a manned mission to Gilly to wrap up my manned Eve program. I have been taking after the old "Apollo to Venus" design charts and made a pretty impressive Saturn w/ S-IC boosters to pull off a LEM/CSM reaching Gilly and having the CSM re-dock with the S-IVB after the landing mission to return to Kerbin....but all that aside, I saw some weird stuff guys.

I remember, after pushing off from the S-IVB, I went INTO the tracking station and deleted the 4 fairing panels, so it was just the CSM/LM configuration, and the S-IVB floating close by (behind the camera in this next gif).

There was NO space debris anywhere, yet I happened to be recording when I caught unidentified flying objects zipping past my spacecraft (I say again, there was NO space debris).

I looked on the KSP wiki - there are no easter eggs around Gilly. Here is a .gif of what I saw, I am completely serious.

Focus your attention just behind the Service Module's engine bell.

https://gyazo.com/24218a551970cc80c71aa5828c70c915

Glitch? I know for a fact there was no space debris, especially nothing travelling that fast in GILLY orbit relative to my ship - it looked like 2 things at the same velocity roughly 30 to 40 feet apart.

Is this an easter egg? Are there 2 tiny magic boulders orbiting Gilly or am I witnessing a close encounter of the NaNth kind?

Please help me with this so I don't go insane guys.

(If you look closely enough, as I move the camera after the initial flyby, you can see them moving away.

I couldn't replicate them with any of my actions.

[Vanamonde]

I flew personnel to my station with an SSTO.

This is big news for me because I suck at planes, and it's the first actual (non-test) mission any of my SSTO attempts has ever flown.