Grotoiler

Thanks for the replies everyone! I'm at work right now, but i've started plugging away at figuring out Tsiolkovsky's rocket equation.... It's hurting my noggin! @purpletarget, that's how I usually build my rockets (with help from MechJeb to check my TWR and Dv stats) - Payload first, and then build the lifter underneath as needed until I get the desired Dv and TWR. I'm more specifically trying to figure out what the practical lifting capacity of my lifter would be, so that I can start creating sub-assemblies and just picking the right lifter for the given payload instead of rebuilding a lifter for every launch... @Th3F3aR, thanks for your slight simplification of the rocket equation. It's really helped me to start understanding it a bit more... I think I'm now on the right track to getting there. Just have to work out the Isp thing. When it comes to g0, is that relative to which celestial body you're taking off from? so, for example, on Kerbin it would be 9.81 (m/s), whereas on Minmus it would be 0.491m/s? Also, are the Isp values quoted in-game specific impulse in seconds, or specific impulse in meters per second? @capi3101, my configuration is as follows: 2x Kerbodyne S3-14400 tanks stacked 1x Kerbodyne KR-2L Advanced engine (2500kN thrust) Outboard on 2x radial decouplers: 4x Rockomax Jumbo-64 Tanks (2 per side) 2x Rockomax X200-16 Tanks (1 per side) 2x Mainsails (1500kN Thrust Each, 3000kN together) Total Maximum thrust is 5500kN It can get to a 75km orbit without having to stage the outer engines (there's a spot of fuel left in them once it gets to 75km orbit). I hope that helps you! Once again, thanks for all the help all!

Greetings all, I have a question that's been boggling me for a while now, and I'm wondering if any of you could help me out. I'm constructing a fairly large multi-planet exploration craft, with multiple launches to be assembled in orbit. I've come up with a fairly reliable single-stage heavy lifter to get the sections into orbit, with a spot of fuel left to de-orbit it when it's served its purpose. Here are the stats: Vessel Mass (Full) - 347.6t Surface TWR - 1.61 Stage Dv - 5182m/s Atmospheric / 6432m/s Vacuum Launching to a 75km orbit,, with zero payload (did a test-flight for starters), I'm left with a Dv surplus of 1833m/s. I'm not sure how relevant that would be to my question, but there it is. My question is: Is there any way I can calculate the maximum practical payload that can be lifted, based on the capabilities of the lifting craft? So, for example, with the aforementioned design, how can I calculate that it would boost a maximum of (for example) 20t into a 75km orbit? Please note that when it comes to mathematical equations, I'm a smidge above the neanderthal level of understanding rocket science. I grasp the basic tenets, but I've yet to work with Tsiolkovsky's rocket equation (or any of a thousand others for that matter) on any of my designs . A touch of basics would be appreciated! Thanks in advance for your help all!

Greetings all! I feel that this would be an appropriate place to initiate my KSP forum endeavours... I think this thread should be required reading for all prospective rocket-men the world through... I couldn't help but realise that NASA's Stardust spacecraft (for more info, uncle google will provide the answers) returned cometary fragments embedded in aerogel that look startlingly similar to a great many Kerbal flight failures: The moment I saw this image, I was immediately reminded of the countless failed attempts to go to space I saw here...