StormKat

Transporting multiple probes are easy too. Use the docking point jr. and carry a whole mess of probes to anywhere you want.

Welcome to the game and to the Forums! Create your probes and save them as a sub-assembly. Then you can add them to your cargo bays once your main ship is done. As for staging, I don't believe you can keep them out of the staging. What I do is move them to the very top of the staging order and if I'm real paranoid, I will right-click on their engines and shut them down.

I will post mine to my KerbalX section. http://kerbalx.com/StormKat/craft

Will you be using KerbalX to share your .craft file(s)?

I'm with thadisjones on this. Although lately I have been sending up core frames that provide only the overall shape of the station. They have no power, no probe cores, no kerbals, and minimal fuel. Then it's just a question of sending up those modules separately.

Multiple docking ports can help lock removable parts as well.

Hexagonal stations are so 2014. Let's kick it up a notch. This is the hardest thing I've ever assembled in orbit so far. You have to be easy on the controls.

I brought in the New Year by building this hexagonal frame. It's nothing fancy, but it is easy to assemble in orbit as long as you have a docking port alignment mod of some sorts.

1. Build a rocket. 2. Launch rocket. 3. Press M for map mode. 4. Press Esc and click on either of the revert options. 5. Attempt to launch again. Notice anything? Are you zoomed way out? Press M for map mode. Press M again to return to normal mode and your view should return to normal. - - - Updated - - - Doh! That just happened to me recently. When SAS is turned off, the SAS mode should immediately switch to "stabilize".

I feel your pain. I have been on the rocket side of KSP for a very long time. So for the last few weeks I have been dabbling with aircraft and spaceplanes. Throw away all those cool designs you know and start small. Super small. A MK1 cockpit, a fuselage, an engine nacelle, basic jet engine, some wheels, and a pair of delta wings with elevons. Then tweak the CoM and CoL until you get something that works. Use the Rotate Gizmo to change the angle of attack on your wings slightly. That will help some too. Doh! Ninja'd Hodo has the right idea.

I built these today. Each has a Jr. docking port for easy transport. They are light, cheap, and very versatile. The Offset Gizmo is my bestest friend now.

That worked! Thanks for the flight lessons.

For me, Das explained it the best.

That's exactly what I'll use the Hammerhead for. I've added more docking ports to add satellite/lander modules and a section on the back to haul space station components. If it needs more dV, then I'll just dock more fuel pods to the front.

Well that explains why I can't make orbit with it.

Can't wait to get home and try out the Stratocoaster X1. Thanks for the early Christmas present!

Thanks! It has a sort of Firefly look to it. I have the sneaky suspicion I've forgotten something, but I guess I won't figure that out until after the shakedown cruise. It's got eight Jr. docking ports for unmanned satellite/lander pods and more than 9500 dV as shown. I'm open for any suggestions or thoughts any of you could provide.

She is just now starting initial testing. I give you the Hammerhead. I thought I'd never get her into orbit.

Here's the link if anyone is interested. It starts about 40 minutes in.

Das made the point that only 5 numbers were needed in order to do an interplanetary mission. That was after he used the Transfer Window Planner to gather mission information. He even specifically mentions not needing a protractor. I made notes, but they're at home.

Das Valdez did this kind of thing using Kerbal Engineer Redux on Twitch a couple of weeks ago. I can post a link to the YouTube video in a few hours.

Yay! Finally got launch clamps! monophonic, I ended up switching to the Mark 55 engines and raising them above the bottom of the fuel tanks. It would be nice if there was a note in the F3 information mentioning that the rocket is embedded in the pad.

I just got finished doing this kind of a mission. It was a real pain. Watch the stranded Kerbal on the map view before you launch. Wait or timewarp until Mr. Stranded is over the continent to the west of the KSC that looks like India and then launch. Get into orbit. If you end up in front of Mr. Stranded, raise your orbit a few kilometers. If you end up behind him, lower your orbit a few kilometers. Once you get under 8 kilometers away from him, you should see a marker on your main view with a distance value. Double-click on that marker and it should set Mr. Stranded as your target. Try to keep your prograde marker over the top of your target marker until you get very close. Then press the "]" key to switch to Mr. Stranded and press "r" to activate his RCS pack. Fly him to your ship and have him climb in.

Tex_NL, I was at full thrust. Usually an overweight craft will slowly rise off the pad once TWR goes above 1. This one sits there, then pops right off the pad. armagheddonsgw, I haven't unlocked launch clamps yet. I think MarvingKitFox has it right, but I'll have to figure something else out.

I started a career game in .90 but the last few craft I have built seem to "stick" on the launch pad for a second or two before actually taking off. Here's my latest example: I got a rescue mission and built a craft that's 37 tons. KER says the first stage has a 1.78 TWR. Yet when I hit the spacebar, it sits on the pad for a full 3 seconds and then suddenly leaps into the air. It's almost like the engine bells are getting stuck in the launchpad's grill. Has anyone noticed this behavior?