GoSlash27

jsisidore, Unfortunately, the relationship between t/w ratio and speed isn't that simple in KSP. As you get up around 27km altitude, the air becomes so thin that the system throttles back to avoid flameout. When this happens, adding engines doesn't add any more thrust, just mass and drag. You're limited by intake area in that critical regime a lot more than pure thrust rating. Likewise, having too little thrust means that you're hard- pressed to overcome your drag as you attempt to slog through the 25-32km "wall". Not that big a deal so long as you have enough wing area, but because your fuel efficiency is down in that part of the flight... it will cost you fuel. This is why we have come up with an efficient balance through empirical testing and experience that says we want one turbojet for every 10-15 tonnes of spaceplane and at least .018m^2 intake area per engine. Lift has a similar balance problem. Too much wing means that you never get into the most efficient angle of attack during your climbout (23*) which means you're carrying more mass and drag than you could, which means more fuel wasted. Too little wing, OTOH, means you may not be able to climb over the wall. So we set a rule-of-thumb balance of 1.0 lift coefficient per tonne of spaceplane. Best, -Slashy

This is what I picture when I think of a female kerbal. Good job drawing her! Best, -Slashy

I've got to either give up or start from scratch No way I can make this thing survivable landing in the water on the rare occasion it actually makes it that far intact. I don't have the heart to strap a kerbal into it. Best, -Slashy

DINGDINGDING! RIC's got it. Although not a weapon I helped win a war <--- considered by many to be the most important military non- weapon of the 20th century I can be found nearly everywhere from mountain to shore <--- used in all theaters Nobody's certain where I got my name <--- conflicting accounts of where the name "jeep" came from But after all of these decades I still look the same <--- they never changed the appearance I'm the life of the party on the beach and in snow <--- jeeps are very popular in these settings I'm referred to by name wherever I go <--- everybody refers to them as "jeeps" rather than trucks, cars, or SUVs. three quarters of a century and still going strong <--- first mass produced in 1941 Go ahead and take a guess... you can hardly go wrong! <--- filler Best, -Slashy

You're on the right track, but not jerrycans. Best, -Slashy

YAY! (I finally got one...) Okay. New Riddle: Although not a weapon I helped win a war I can be found nearly everywhere from mountain to shore Nobody's certain where I got my name But after all of these decades I still look the same I'm the life of the party on the beach and in snow I'm referred to by name wherever I go three quarters of a century and still going strong Go ahead and take a guess... you can hardly go wrong!

Keras, Actually, nothing that fancy. It's just a lot of O-10 engines pushing an almost- massless cart. the difficulty is in getting it to stay on the ground. It's just sorta skipping along the surface under boost, then sailing over the jump. I'm having a hard time taming it... Best, -Slashy

It is... or rather *was* In my attempt to make it more stable, I've tinkered with it to the point where it no longer works That isn't an official entry since I didn't fully document the run (everything was happening way too fast)... I'll keep messing with it and see if I can make a run worthy of posting... Thanks, -Slashy

Uhh... minor problem: I'm hitting the ramp at 900 m/sec and jumping off into the ocean. Does it still count if the vehicle goes "kerplunk"? Thanks, -Slashy

Yeah, I was referring to the one that inspired the challenge. Best, -Slashy

It would seem to me that you could save a whole lot of flops by calculating it out once, then checking for changes. So long as part count and config remain the same, the aero model in use is retained. When a change is flagged, it would recalculate. This would not only work better for stable designs, but would also work better for explodey designs. Best, -Slashy

Actually, they did mention that. What they failed to mention was how they were going to get the fuel to the tanks. Best, -Slashy

Also rule 2. The OP's craft is festooned with strakes. I'm sure they were meant to keep it pinned down during acceleration, but they provide lift once the nose is high enough. Best, -Slashy

I've never personally met anyone who thought the moon landings were faked, but I've met a few online. Best, -Slashy

That guy sounds exactly like Del the Funky Homosapien! I've been listening to a lot of British alt-rock lately. Spoon, The Bravery, Franz Ferdinand, etc. Best, -Slashy - - - Updated - - - Just googled "Deltron3030". That *IS* Del the Funky Homosapien. That'd explain it...

I built a combination infiniglider/kraken drive craft. Flew it from Kerbin to Eve to Laythe to Duna and back to the runway at KSC in 19 days with no fuel expended whatsoever. That was abuse bordering on human rights violation Best, -Slashy

A mantlepiece?

panzer, As you point out, nukes are awfully good for the job of interplanetary mass movers. This is as it should be; nukes are really that good. So long as you're within the happy weight range and job description, there's no good reason to not use them. Any limitations you put on their use for the sake of game balance or realism would have to be self- imposed (like it is here on Earth). I have a lot of safety and political constraints for how I employ nukes. Best, -Slashy

Gamer wants to play a game, stuff happens. Nerds find science and revenge. A cult classic. The lighter side of time travel... Best, -Slashy

On the subject of Fast and the Furious... Vin Diesel: "I've never driven her. She scares the (&^( out of me." I can see why. Full frame, steel coachwork, roll cage, 5 point harness... who wants to risk their neck in that deathtrap when you can street race in a hopped- up econobox? Best, -Slashy

Unfortunately your velocity will not be affected by the rotation of the planet, so no. Best, -Slashy

My favorite AH novel is "Resurrection Day"; the story of a Boston newspaper reporter in post- nuclear apocalypse America where the Cuban missile crisis had sparked an all-out war between the U.S. and Soviet Union. Best, -Slashy

There is a whole branch of science fiction devoted to this topic called "alternate history". It makes for very interesting stories, and brings more understanding and appreciation for history as it actually unfolded. Best, -Slashy

The problem with using recon sats is that everybody knows when they'll be overhead. They're easy to dodge and spoof. Putting a recon sat in orbit on short notice can can catch an opponent off guard, allowing you to catch activity you otherwise wouldn't. That's enough reason for the Air Force to move ahead with this proposal. Best, -Slashy

It's common knowledge that Elon Musk loves playing KSP, so I assumed the music was a shout out to the community. Best, -Slashy