Wanderfound

BTW: are you aware that although you can browse the site with an iOS device, you can't upload craft from one? The upload option takes you to the Photos app, and it isn't possible to place a craft file in there. Is it possible to give it an iOS Safari compatible "download from URL" option? That would allow Dropbox, Google Docs, etc.

OB's do have plenty of practical uses, though. * Junction boxes for mating, splitting and routing fuel lines. * Microprobes; there's plenty of delta-V in an OB when the probe only weighs a few hundred kg. * Ultra-narrow base segments for making skinny landers to fit inside SP+ cargo bays:

Have a poke at http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/94958-Wanderfound-s-Spaceplane-Design-Guide-for-FAR-NEAR Combining that with keptin's tutorial should give you a substantial head start. If you continue to have trouble, grab a few things from the Kerbodyne range (linked below) and rip 'em apart for some reverse engineering. FAR spaceplanes can lift pretty much anything to pretty much anywhere, but it does take some time to figure out what you're doing.

Well, for example, Kerbpaint includes an archaic version of Module Manager (buried in a subfolder) that breaks FAR if not deleted. This sort of issue is only going to get worse as time progresses, and Kerbpaint represents very basic functionality. If Texel doesn't reappear, it's going to need to be reinvented. Who's the earliest poster on this thread still active? At the very least, getting an early post edited to include links to the SP+ etc. shader maps would be useful.

I've hinted at this in a few posts, and every time I do I get a slew of approving rep comments. So, I think I'm not the only one who would like to see this happen. Kerbal: Thunderbirds. KSP is almost there already, especially with the .25 update. It's already possible to make a decent miniature TB2 replica using SP+ parts. All that would be needed to make this happen properly would be: * A tweaked version of something like Fine Print to add rescue/firefighting/etc contracts. Rescue is pretty much just a delivery/retrieval mission, of either grounded or flying objects; firefighting is aerial bombing and/or ground delivery; etc. * A few simple part additions and/or Kerbpaint maps to make creating TB replicas easier. Most of it is already there; particularly with FAR in play, TB1/2/3 replicas aren't that hard. The existing ST-ish mods should give some hints on how to do this in a way that doesn't annoy the Anderson family lawyers. * Most of the TB2/4 based episodes were essentially "deliver part A to location B before time C". This shouldn't be hard to do with a tweaked version of Fine Print's satellite deployment system. * Ideally, some ground graphics to make the rescue missions more than just "fly to waypoint X". So how about it, folks? Is this doable?

Where? Link, dammit!

Yay! Thank you. We do really need someone to officially take on the Kerbpaint caretaker role, though. How restrictive is the licence in that respect?

What Sirrobert said is mostly right, but: you don't have to land the lab. Orbital labs do three things: 1) They allow you to "process" science data, greatly increasing the % of the total returned if the data is transmitted. 2) They can clean out goo pods and materials bays, allowing them to be reused. 3) They can store an infinite amount of science reports and samples. It's features 2 & 3 that are relevant here, although 1 isn't useless. Sure, you'll always get more science for returning a sample (although the transmit percentage isn't always as bad as 45%), but it may not be worth the bother if you're sitting on a rich science mine. You can always come back and do a physical return mission later if you're desperate for those last few points. Anyway, how to get the science back without returning the lab. Labs aren't the only things that can carry science reports: so can capsules and cockpits. However, you'll need to go EVA, right click the lab to "take experiments" and right click the capsule to "store experiments". There are limits on how much science is stored in a capsule, but it's done on a per-biome basis. So, one capsule can hold one surface sample from every biome on the Mun, one Goo Pod result for every biome on the Mun, etc. See http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/66773-How-much-science-can-you-store-in-modules The orbital lab/lander arrangement does imply one rendezvous and dock per landing, yes. However, rendezvous and docking is trivially simple once you get good at it, and I can't think of a simpler way to get good at it than to do a dozen quick Munhops. I use my lab/landers for on-tap science, not grinding. I get one up early in the game, and then ignore it except for when I want some science points. When I do, I'll quickly pop down to a Munar biome or two, process the data in the lab and then transmit for 60% recovery or so. That generally provides enough science for whatever tech node I feel like unlocking. There's no reason to immediately scrape the mine bare, unless you're trying to knock off the entire tech tree in a single hit.

How far are you from the orbital lab? A lab/tanker to leave in Munar orbit, one purely spacegoing lightweight lander and a return capsule will get the same job done with a much lighter launch. Clean out every biome on the Mun, if you want to. That's the sort of setup I usually base these at:

PS: if you're unsure, mount the plane upside down on some girders, take it to the runway and drop the probe on the deck. You'll probably lose the probe, but it may be worth the cost to avoid a wasted flight.

That's one I learnt from experience: you can afford to poke through the top of the bay a bit, but not the bottom, especially with things like lander legs. It's worth fiddling with the mounting points; often with SP+ bits, there's more than one spot to mount to, and the higher one may let you clear the bay floor. And there's always the old cubic octagonal instant mounting point trick. The Ranger​'s lander has that skinny Oskar-B base for a reason: it's the only way to fit lander legs into an SP+ bay. You can go as long as you want within a 1.25m radius, but it really does need to be within the radius. At least it seems that you haven't yet knocked any solar panels off while leaving the bay... It's not up yet, but I've got a version of Ranger in the works that doesn't require any strutting. Split the lander into two bits, each small enough for a docking port to hold stable.

You might get some use from having a poke through this thread: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/91365-I-need-a-simple-lander-design!

So let's see how good the KSV boys are... Ready to go. Up. Away. Steep to begin with. But flatten out as soon as the air thins. Time for rockets. Proof of up. Hard to get circular when you don't have time to wait. Flip, burn and straight back the other way. Enough juice to reverse orbital direction. Get the jets back on as soon as they can breathe. Pulling some G's. Some serious G's. Actually, that's getting a bit alarming. But made it! Up and away. Running out of gas, need to throttle off. Dive in. Line it up. Gear down. Final approach. And down. 17 minutes, 24 seconds. A new champion!

Awesome. Is it possible to get a version of the first one with both numbers in black?

What's giving the trouble? Make sure that nothing protrudes from the bottom of the bay, strut well and pop 'em out as smooth as you can. I doubt it has the grunt to beat the Goblin, but it'll run it close.

A special last-of-the-old-breed model, soon to be rendered obsolete. From our own in-house tuning shop Kerbodyne Special Vehicles, comes the new KSV Benchmark GTHO. Gave it a body kit, swapped out the central turbojet for a third RAPIER, replaced the ramscoops with shock cones and nacelles and lengthened, streamlined and upgraded the fuselage. Zoomy enough to race to orbital altitude and speed, flip retrograde and immediately scrub off the entirety of its orbital velocity, with fuel remaining to run the jets on the descent. Runway to orbit to runway without ever completing an orbit or making a turn in atmosphere, in under 20 minutes. https://www.dropbox.com/s/qv9v27spfk...THO.craft?dl=0 Needs SP+.

Y'all were having so much fun with the Benchmark that I thought I'd do a tuned-up version. I'm still working on the perfect trajectory with this, but it can definitely get well below 20 minutes. Anyway, I thought I'd let y'all have a play with it now to keep you busy until 25 drops: https://www.dropbox.com/s/qv9v27spfkzlgub/KSV%20Benchmark%20GTHO.craft?dl=0 Needs SP+.

Only if you've set trim through it. You don't need to disable things, just toggle them off.

Clear your trim, most likely.

So the implication of that is that TAC is intended to represent accurately scaled weights? Years of supply from a small radial canister or two is just the result of short Kerbin days and small Kerbal stomachs? For food density, I'd guess that anything less than water is probably defensible, equal to water is probably simplest.

For building: * Build wide, not tall. * You don't need a lot of thrust, or a lot of fuel. You also don't need that much RCS fuel. * You probably don't need as many lander legs as you think, either. Place them as low as you can, though. * Balance your RCS. * One or two goo pods are plenty, you don't need a bunch. Go easy on the lights and other gadgets. For landing: * Set a low (<10km, <5km is better) periapsis, taking care not to clip a hill on the way in. * Once you're almost over the target, point retrograde and burn. * Watch your VSI (to the right of the altitude meter). Reduce vertical speed by pitching up, increase it by pitching down. * Aim to have the VSI around 10 by the time you get within 1km of the surface. * Also aim to have your horizontal speed zeroed by this time. If it isn't, keep burning with enough pitch-up to maintain a near-zero VSI. * Once you're close to horizontally stationary, point straight up and turn on the RCS. Use translation RCS controls to hold the retrograde vector at centred 90° up, and use the main thruster to control your vertical speed. * Try to use the thrusters as little as possible, and aim to touch down below 5m/s. * Kill your engines as soon as the feet hit dirt, but keep RCS and SAS on until you're sure that you're stable.

Has anyone done any research on how heavy and bulky realistic LS supplies should be?

Something similar would actually work as a serious gameplay element: fragile biomes that disappear if you drop too much rocket junk on them or fire up heavy thrusters in their vicinity.

Thanks for the thought. How about just the "Nullius In Verba" motto? Or, even better, a red/black Kerbodyne 14 for use as a racing number? Perhaps KERBODYNE across the bottom in black, red line with the dip/dot in the middle above that, then a large black 14 on a white background?

Getting bored with KAS strutting, so I'm trying to work out a version that can fly without struts. I'll probably get halfway through and then restart when .25 drops, though.