Mk3 parts alignment

[petrichorAM]

I've been playing around with parts in the VAB to fiddle around with a design for a future long term Duna mission and noticed that when using the Mk3 parts (cockpit and fuselage) the connector nodes are not central to the parts so unless you use the Mk3 to Mk2 part anything added is offset. Is there a way to correct this with a mod?

[Beeman]

The spaceplane parts haven't really seen an update since they were first introduced. I think they were a mod originally so their quality isn't really all that great.

Eventually, though...they're going to have to rework aerodynamics and all that stuff so they'll inevitably have to redesign a lot of the spaceplane stuff. I would say give B9 Aerospace a look. It's a mod, but it adds a LOT of spaceplane stuff. Even some regular plane stuff. There's a lot of parts in that pack, though...just throwin' that out there.

The dude who made B9 Aerospace was actually hired on by SQUAD and he's the dude(at least, I think) that redesigned the space center buildings. So we may see some of his shuttle/plane parts integrated in some way into the core game at some point...but it's probably not going to be anytime soon. For the time being, they're focusing really heavily on career stuff.

But there's undoubtedly going to be more informed people than I posting here. I've never made a spaceplane yet, I'm trying not to do too much in the game before career mode gets implemented so if there's a simpler solution to your problem than downloading a big spaceplane-oriented mod, I wouldn't know it DX

[petrichorAM]

I'm not planning a spaceplane, more a 'realisic' looking ship that I'll build in orbit, design is inspired by the ship from the Mission to Mars film - just trying to make it work visually, maybe I'll give the B9 pack a go and see if there's anything suitable in there

[rryy]

You can try attaching a radial attachment node or cubic octagonal strut to the center of the Mk3 part and use that node instead.

[RoboRay]

There is a Mk3 Fuselage Expansion Pack on the Spaceport which includes a Mk3 to 2.5m adapter.

[ThePsuedoMonkey]

The nodes on the fuselages (except mk1) look off, but are actually in-line with their center of mass.

[petrichorAM]

Well I downloaded the B9 mod (plus Mk3 Fuselage Expansion Pacl and H.O.M.E for other projects) and had a go fiddling around with a design and this is how it turned out. Pretty much what I intended and is built with docking ports in certain areas so it can be built in orbit in 3 sections - cockpit section, hab/science section (including the girder with 2x gigantors and 4x RTGs and the first grey/yellow RCS tank) and engine section. Obviously its not fully finished as I need to add a few minor parts to it such as RCS thrusters, a docking port for station docking, docking ports on the 'bottom' for two landers but all in all this is what I pictured in my head. My next question is: are the fuel tanks enough for transfer to Duna, retrograde into Duna orbit and then return home again or should I add more?