Kibble

It would just be really great to have a set of nice realistic landing legs without having to download the entire AIES pack *puppy dog face*

Hey another dog on the KSP forums? (and a big wusky at that) Woof woof! <3 For mods I recommend Tantares, its a fab parts mod that adds a bunch of Soviet looking stuff.

Common white asphalt shingles have an albedo of .2

It's a better mass ratio than most launch vehicles in the same payload class. Nice rocket!

I would love if we got deployable grid fins so we can do Falcon 9 propulsive landings, and also Soyuz and Shenzhou-like abort modes, with grid fins helping guide the capsule away. Near Future pack has some nice stock-a-like legs in an aerodynamic shroud though.

I considered restartable upper stages/space tugs to be separate from the launch vehicle, in the case of rockets meant to travel to GEO (or deep space), especially when said upper stage isn't tied to a specific rocket like Fregat or Centaur. Oh it was just a fun little website: http://www.meta-chart.com. That would be cool a chart that has every single rocket! I wonder if it would change the shape of the chart much.

Oh thanks for input. I don't know much about the politics or whatever between a country's space programs, the government, the contractors that build space vehicles, and the military. ISRO's rockets were pretty hard to categorize, like I called PSLV solid-fuel since the boosters, first stage, and third stage were solid, and provided the primary propulsion for the majority of the launch. For GSLV Mk III since the core does most of the work, even though it ignites just before booster sep, I called it hypergolic rather than solid.

The two suspension supports is what I was referring to! As well as the whole deployment mechanism, although I don't completely understand the engineering behind it. Plus rounded foot-pads with a lot of surface area. I just meant make the structure around Blok E fit a little closer.

Huh the legs look good, but not realistic. The stock legs are some of my least favourite parts cause they don't look anything like real landing legs. Below is a picture of Viking at the National Air and Space museum. All flown (and almost all concept) Moon and Mars landers have had legs that look like it. There are no exceptions that I know of. Also, since the LPU assembly won't be separable do you thing you could make it lower profile, and maybe angled in a little bit?

Thanks! The X axis is payload onto LEO. Well since the RS25/Vulcain rocket engines ignite on the ground, and the boosters provide very little of the total delta-vee I figured I'd categorize them as hydrogen fueled. The same goes for other rockets with solid boosters like Delta II GEMs and Atlas V SRMs. VLS-1 Super Strypi Epsilon Vega PSLV Shavit Unha Minotaur Taurus Pegasus Dnepr Rokot/Strela Proton GSLV GSLV Mk III Safir Long March 2D Long March 2E/F Long March 3A Long March 3B Long March 3C Long March 4C/D Delta II 7320 Delta II 7920 Antares Naro Angara 1.2 Angara 5 Soyuz 2 Soyuz 2-1v Atlas V 401 Atlas V 411 Atlas V 521 Atlas V 531 Atlas V 541 Atlas V 551 Long March 6 Long March 7 (2.25 x2) Long March 7 (2.25 x4) HIIA HIIB Delta IV Delta IV 4,2 Delta IV 5,4 Delta IV Heavy Ariane 5 Space Launch System Block IB Long March 5 (2.25m x4) Long March 5 (2.25m x2, 3.35 x2) Long March 5 (3.35 x4) One other rocket in service is the CNSA solid-fuel Kuaizhou, but it didn't get a data point because I couldn't find information on its payload.

Awesome, like the electric-thermal Arcjets and Resistojets!

Yes. I guess the question is balancing the Oberth effect with the potential savings from high orbital altitude and inclination. Which is why EML-2 is such a great place, you get loads of both!

Delta vee for an inclination change is related to your orbital speed, and can be imagined as a triangle with your current vector and your desired vector. The third line is the change in velocity. For example a change of 60 degrees in inclination would create an equilateral triangle, and so the required delta vee is equal to your current orbital speed.

Pluto is actually a Latinization of Plouton (a later Greek name for Hades) like how Uranus is for Ouranos. The Roman equivalent of Hades/Plouton is Dis Pater.

Fab links, thanks again!

Oh okay. I would need help getting started though. Uh I'm not asking you though - its actually pretty surprising your engaging in discussion on my thread! Your stuff is legendary

Looks super fab! Could you show a pic of Blok E without the LPU assembly? <3

I guess that's what I meant! I would like to use some of IR's code (the part that makes it work) and release a mod with different stuff.

I mean better and better-looking, the parts included in IR are niche and numerous.

Thanks for the explanation! I don't hate IR, and I don't mind (or even really understand) the underlying code - just there should be a version that has better parts. Plus pruning parts really is a chore unless you know exactly what you're doing.

I think Xeno's point is that said jet planes aren't actually decades old (though built with 70s era technology)

Yes, those things! The real problem, personally, is that IR just adds too much based on that feature. Spacecraft don't use winches and gantries and junk, most of the mechanical joints on real spacecraft are small and associated with like solar panels, and things that can be expressed as a single part. Extensible booms, however, are ubiquitous - and tethers have flown numerous experimental and operational missions, and are likely to fly many more. Hopefully Steven Canfield's and Kirk Sorenson's wonderfully practical (and surprisingly effective) xGRF concept will be recognized and flown!

Agreed!

Oh right. I found IR to be egregiously complex though. I would love to create a mod adding simple (but length-tweakable!) booms, an ATK-style coilable boom, and one (surface-attachable?) truss styled after Space Station solar array mast. However, considering I have only a little experience coding (and not in C++!) so a little uh...guidance...would be great. Anyone? <3

What the title said. Is it possible within the realm of KSP code to have a part that extends out (and reels back in) such that attached parts move with it?