Brainlord Mesomorph

I stage my chutes. and why Abort, when you can Revert?

I have my standard. I don't want to follow anyone else's. But maybe we can share our standards and learn from each other: Here's mine: [TABLE] [TR] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]Space Mode[/TD] [TD]Toggle solar panels, antenna, etc.[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]Small Engines[/TD] [TD]For a space planes: Jets on/off. For spaceships: small liquid engines on/off.[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]3[/TD] [TD]Big Engines[/TD] [TD]For a space planes: RAPIERS on/off. For spaceships: atomic engines on/off.[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]4[/TD] [TD]Air intakes[/TD] [TD]Space planes only: toggle all air intakes. (forces RAPIERS to LOX mode)[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]5[/TD] [TD]Primary Science[/TD] [TD]Do all science experiments[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]6[/TD] [TD]2nd Science[/TD] [TD]Do more science experiments[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]7[/TD] [TD]3rd Science[/TD] [TD]Surface science experiments (pressure, seismic, atmospherics)[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]8[/TD] [TD]- unused[/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]9[/TD] [TD]Surface Mode[/TD] [TD](after landing, or before departure) extend /retract all ladders, lock landing struts, etc. (often used with Space Mode after landing)[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]Docking Ports[/TD] [TD]Open / close in line docking ports[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

Just read that. At the start it seems too simple w/ CoG and CoT and CoL, (duh) but then later there is a lot of good stuff about wing angles and wheel placement! And (predictably) when I build something that looks like a real airplane (and less like the triangular space fighters I drew as a child) it handles more like an airplane (and less like a lawn dart with a bottle rocket up its *#$%.). Thanks!

Oh... But I put them back there because if I don't my engines it the runway as I take off. .... because I need more clearance ... Hmmm Back to the SPH Thanks guys!

When I design a small jet, it can take off from the middle of the runway at about 80 m/s. As soon as I try to design anything bigger, a space plane, especially one designed to carry payload, I can get up to 130 m/s and no matter how much I pull back on the stick (press “sâ€Â) it goes straight down the runway and off the end. Good thing it’s downhill from there. That’s the only thing that puts me in the air. Sometimes, I even bounce off the lawn before I get the gear up. If there was a fence around this spaceport, I’d hit it. But once I’m airborne, everything’s fine. Is it not enough lift? TWR?

Wings have nice angles and can be used to guide things into slots. HTH

Guess: AutoCAD and Mathmatica? Or some kind of USA (United Space Alliance) opensource/in-house versions of those??

Forget KSP. Most of that also applies to software design! (my career)

What about: Also: If a given experiment produces so many points of science value in a particular “Biome†and I get 20% of the value for transmitting, does that mean if I transmit the experiment 5 times in a row I get all of the points? (and now there’s no point in returning an experiment from that location?)

I have to EVA to it! OK! Are there limits to how much science a Kerbal/Lab/capsule can carry?

I understand the difference between transmitting science and returning it. I understand that processing it in the lab can increase the value of transmitting it (does it increase the value of returning it?) What I don’t understand is something I read about labs being able to extract data from experiments, and reset them? Something about Kerbals being able to extract data from experiments and store them in capsules? All I seem to be able to do is transmit, keep data, reset, or process in lab. How do I do this other stuff? Also: If a given experiment produces so many points of science value in a particular “Biome†and I get 20% of the value for transmitting, does that mean if I transmit the experiment 5 times in a row I get all of the points? (and now there’s no point in returning an experiment from that location?) Or are there a separate points for transmitting and separate points for returning? Thanks!

I had a lovely vision of a thing parachuting into the atmosphere of Jool, doing some science, and rocketing out. But no. While I can design all kinds of things with all kinds of delta V, as I’m experimenting in Kerbin orbit, trying to get anything to go from orbit, to aerobreaking to suborbit, and then attempting to recover, start rocket engines, and head back to orbit… but no. It doesn’t work. I’d figured you would lose a lot of velocity in aerobreaking, but I also figured your trajectory would still be basically horizontal, but it’s not, it’s basically straight down. And the whole situation is getting worse by the second. You can try to recover , but you would need a ludicrous TWR Parachutes? Nope. Too late to help. Maybe wings, I have been able to recover space planes to straight and level flight after reentering. But transatmospheric flight would require twice as much fuel. If you want to carry oxidizer more than twice that. And to carry all that fuel will you would need twice as much fuel. I think this thing ends up being a Saturn V with wings. So … no. Exploration of the atmosphere of Jool will have to be limited to one way probes. (at least for now)

That's a good idea. off to the VAB to build some 5km/s probes! Also: after sleeping on it: Shouldn't I just keep an eye on my orbital speed as I descend and the moment I loose 5000 m/s, THEN its time to start the engines, right?

Hence my request for the lowest SAFE distance.

I want to send a manned probe into Jool's atmosphere to run some science and one quick door-clinging EVA. Then back in the ship, hit the rockets and get out! Its a low-drag 2 stage assent non-lander. Total delta V 5000 m/s TWR: 2 (Kerbin) I know there's a Kraken down there. How deep do you think I can *safely* go?

I’ve thought about this, it solves a game problem, and would be fun. It’s something you have to earn through science points, and once you buy the “VR Testing Lab†you get another button to leave the VAB (or SPH). Instead of taking your construction to launchpad, now you can also take it to the VR Lab. It’s a slight simplification of the game engine, with some different rendering settings. You get a wire frame version of the model you were building, and a flat plane. But you can set the gravity, air pressure, and starting altitude. So you can see what it’s like to try to fly this vehicle in those conditions. And it doesn’t cost any funds. So it’s kind of like an in-game “Lunar Lander†game, if you are testing a lander, or more like Battle Zone if you are trying to test a rover. It solves a game problem in that it enables you to design things for different gravities without having to carry them there. (and I liked Lunar Lander)

Cool. Realize The JOOL-5 Challenger (that's the name of it) will be one of several ships returning from Jool, so I'm planning a "welcoming party" of ships in orbit ready to help all the Kerbals and science down to the planet. (and I can figure all that out while they're on their way back) This is going to be fun! BTW: aiming for Jeb Level!

When I try to use right-click to roll around to see the other side of photos of actual spaceships! and: When stacking tupperware in the kitchen makes you think of rocket staging. When you look at your gas gauge, and think "I have enough fuel to complete this mission." When you look at a bug flying, and think "look where that center-of-lift is!" Seriously, I think I spent $16 for this game on Steam, I'm sure I've wasted 100 times that in billable hours since. Worth every penny!

I had one of those at KSC, at the start of runway 9. Not sure if its still there.

Just noticing that my JOOL-5 flight plan ends with the arrival in Kerbin orbit. I have massive orbital infrastructure, and really consider LKO home. Getting all the Kerbals and the science back to the surface was something I hadn’t figured out yet. They might dock at Kerman Station, where there are landers waiting, or I might send up space planes to shuttle the astronauts home, either way I was going to probably have to design some sort of special science module deorbiting vehicles, but I figured I had literally years to figure out a welcoming party while these guys were on the mission. So: are there any rules about getting the Jool-5 astronauts and science that last 70 km home? Do they have to do it with only what they brought with them? (I guess I could try to add parachutes to everything.) Or can they have support? (i.e. just returning to the warm embrace of my massive orbital infrastructure, and then KSC) Thanks,

Time for Mods.

I find that jets sip so little fuel, I just use a standard rocket mix, and end up with a little left over oxidizer at the end. If I know how much that is, I'll defuel some o2 before takeoff.

We were talking about this in the JOOL-5 Challenge thread. (which has no-clipping rule) minor part clipping that believably takes advantage of empty space is allowable. Placing things inside girder segments, clipping girders partially into hulls, rotating lights so they appear flush mounted, etc. all OK in my book and Ziv's. Engines inside fuel tanks, fuel tanks inside cabins, that kind of thing - BIG NO.

High Tylo Orbit! According to that chart. Just bearly Tylo capture, and that's the min delta V to the rest of the Jool system. (unless I'm reading that wrong) I've been looking in the game, and yes the orbital inclination of Bop and Pol would waste a lot of fuel.

Just a warning: Those contracts dry up fast. I put a rescue ships in orbit expecting more of those Rescue contracts and never saw another one again. (I wondered if the game engine could tell.)