GoSlash27

Pics or it didn't happen... http://s52.photobucket.com/user/GoSlash27/slideshow/KSP/Caveman challenge/130/Cave1303 I was able to complete the science for all biomes except for the badlands. Got my midcourse corrections done for my Minmus probes and recovered both Mun probes successfully. Badlands didn't work out because by the time I would've had daylight to land, it was time to recover my Mun probes. I built this plane specifically for that mission: Despite not having the opportunity to fulfill it's designed objective, it proved very useful. I'd always considered the Wheesley to be a useless engine in career, but it's way faster and more fuel efficient than the Juno. It cruised at over 500 m/sec and could easily circumnavigate the globe. Good for doing long science missions when time is a factor. Best, -Slashy

1.3.0 Caveman completed at default difficulty on day 3, 4 hrs 0 min. Pics to follow this evening. Best, -Slashy

End of day 2: http://s52.photobucket.com/user/GoSlash27/slideshow/KSP/Caveman challenge/130/1302 Less than 320 science to go. My munar probes had a successful flyby and are on their way home. My Minmus probes aren't even far out enough to do a midcourse correction yet. I've collected science from the tundra, northern ice shelf, and flying over the closer biomes. Day 3 will involve more long distance flights while waiting for the munar probes to return. Best, -Slashy

Nexus24680, Here ya go (finally) http://wikisend.com/download/730644/104BetaAdj.ods The transfer calc is after the database, titled "sheet 1". To use it, type in the name of each planet and your desired orbit altitudes. Best, -Slashy

Nexus24680, I've never played with that, so I don't know. I've always just dragged around my maneuver node so it exits the SoI parallel to the planet's orbit. Best, -Slashy

Nexus, It does phase angles, transfer window frequency, gate orbits, and DV, but not ejection angles. Wikisend isn't cooperating at the moment. I'll try to get it to you later. Best, -Slashy

Because KSP doesn't model airflow around parts. If KSP modeled aerodynamics more realistically, people would break things and learn to mount them the other way. In that sense, it's not "wrong"; it works just fine. Best, -Slashy

You should try really hard to talk them into it. Your next good chance isn't until 2045. Best, -Slashy

Nexus24680, I'm afraid I don't have all of my functions on a single spreadsheet ATM. I could give you a copy of my generic spreadsheet. It does stage design, transfer DV (only interplanetary), and basic window intervals/ phase angles. It's nowhere near as flexible as AlexMoon's planner and you'd have to populate the info for the bodies yourself. Best, Slashy

End of day 1. http://s52.photobucket.com/user/GoSlash27/slideshow/KSP/Caveman challenge/130 I have a little under 450 science left to collect. All of my flyby probes are launched and I've gathered all the science I'm going to get from around KSC. Day 2 will mostly be flying around Kerbin to more distant biomes while I wait for my Munar probes to cross SoI. Best, -Slashy

Same here. Just started my 1.30 caveman a couple hours ago. I have about 45 minutes of in- game time logged. I've collected the science from the pad & runway, most from flight, and recovered Val from orbit with lots of science. I've just unlocked basic flight, so next step is to construct a rover and hoover up science from KSC. Best, -Slashy

Thing is, a total eclipse from LEO isn't a big deal. They can see the corona any time they want because there's no atmosphere to scatter the light. Just block the sun with your finger and *poof*... eclipse. The interesting thing from space is the umbra. Best, -Slashy

D) No RAPIERs. If your goal is maximum DV, you should use a hybrid design with Whiplashes and NERVs. Best, -Slashy

There is another one in 2024, but since it's early April, odds are the weather won't cooperate for good viewing. This one is really our best opportunity. Best, -Slashy

Well, there's nothing in the rules about it, so it's not about circumventing them. It's about getting the job done with what you have available. Voltronned launchers, kerbal cages, etc. are totally legit. Best, -Slashy

Answers for generalized cases using the above method: 5km/ sec is the staging point for the LV-N at .5g minimum acceleration. This is where a 2 stage rocket will weigh the same as a single stage. 3.4km/sec Poodle, Rhino 3.2km/sec Terrier, Aerospike, Skipper 3.0km/sec Ant, Swivel, Twin-Boar, Vector 2.8km/sec Spark, Reliant. Best, -Slashy

Either is fine. The difference in duration between the two isn't even a half second. Best, -Slashy

tater, No doubt. A 100% eclipse can't be just 20% more impressive than an 80% eclipse. It's got to be a whole other level of mind- blowing. I've seen partial eclipses before, and it's not all that impressive. You get twilight and confused animals, but that's about it. Can't even look directly at it. A total eclipse, OTOH would be unearthly. Day turns to night and you can look up and see the corona streaming off of a black sun into outer- freakin' space! O_O /Can't wait

JustJim, About 80% in Tampa. Closest city to you would be Charleston, SC for the total eclipse. Best, -Slashy

Well, hell... You'll see 90% obscuration from your window. Surely Salem, OR isn't too far away from you? Best, -Slashy

To answer your question, Wait until you're at Ap, then retroburn to drop your Pe to 34 km. You'll reenter on that pass. Best, -Slashy

http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/maps.htm What will you folks be doing on August 21st? Weather permitting, I will be in Columbia, MO. Best, -Slashy

I ran a few comparison charts using the above method. I think they're pretty interesting, so I'll share them here. Wall of pics I made a list of the staging points for all motors, but left them at work because I'm addled. Pretty much all of the LF&O engines were in the 2800-3400 m/sec range. Best, -Slashy

I found some time to play with the math today. After several false starts and head- scratching moments, I came up with this... Wet-to-dry ratio= Rwd = e^(DV/9.81Isp) Fraction of rocket that is neither fuel nor tankage= (Rft+1-Rwd)/RftRwd where Rft = the ratio of the mass of the fuel in a tank to the mass of the tank itself. 8 for LF&O tanks. Fraction of the rocket that is engine = 9.81RtwMeng/T where Rtw is thrust to weight ratio Meng is engine mass in tonnes T is engine thrust in kiloNewtons. It stands to reason that the payload fraction is left when you subtract the engine fraction from the fraction that is neither fuel nor tanks, so Fp= [(Rft+1-Rwd)/RftRwd]-[9.81RtwMeng/T] I then plugged this into a spreadsheet and multiplied by DV to give a "goodness" figure of merit, and it popped out a good looking curve with a local maxima and a payload fraction that hits zero at the DV limit of the engine. Finding the DV where the "goodness" is equal to that at 1/2 the DV yields the staging point, while the maximum occurs at the ideal DV for that engine and t/w. For my plot of a Terrier at 0.5g it hit a maxima at 2,400 m/sec DV and the staging point was around 3,200 m/sec. HTHs, -Slashy PS I left my paperwork and spreadsheet at work, so I'm writing all this from memory. I may have something incorrect here. I'll verify it tomorrow.

Spirigo, I disagree. Those empty tanks are dead weight whether they are filled or not. Fuel that gets brought along but never gets used is a whole lot more dead weight. Plus, it takes time, money and effort to get that fuel up there. No sense in wasting it. The OP is on the right track; take what you need, but use what you take. Best, -Slashy