tehmattguy

Been working, slowly but surely, on what will be one of the final updates to my Apollo project: Skylab. It's still got a long ways to go but as of right now I've almost finished furnishing the interior of the workshop section, and I've taken a few screenshots to celebrate. One of the most recognizable aspects of Skylab was its gridded floor design. At first I had built these floors completely out of light strips, but this alone brought the part count waaay up to ~1400. To save on parts and sanity I decided to instead use a custom flag texture going forward. Under construction From the void, Bob Kerman descends to inspect the station. The forward compartment of the workshop houses a great deal of locker storage and cabinetry. Much of the floor space is taken up by what I presume to be all kinds of neat scientific equipment. Down below, the lower floor houses the crew quarters, including the galley, bathroom, and sleeping compartments. These rooms also contain an extraordinary amount of cabinets and drawers. The opposite side features more experiments, this time in the form of an exercise bike, a lower body negative pressure device, and a spinny chair. It also houses the shower, with curtains pulled up for privacy. From within the device, Bob reports that he can feel a sort of... tingling. That is the sensation of progress!

Thank you! The interstage sections on my crafts are usually just fairings or rings made out of lots of radiator panels and flag parts. For a simpler solution the Making History DLC includes a bunch of structural tube parts which should work well for this purpose. There's also a way to make interstage rings out of one-sided fairings that involves craft file editing. I haven't actually tried it myself but it looks pretty interesting: https://www.reddit.com/r/KerbalSpaceProgram/comments/nf1k1x/editing_the_craft_file_allows_you_to_make_a/gyjccr5/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

Thank you, everyone, for your continued interest and support in this project! I'm back once again with what else but even more Apollo missions. Today's update concerns the Saturn I and all ten Saturn I-launched missions from SA-1 to AS-105. These were the very first rocket launches performed during the Apollo program. As its name suggests the Saturn I was the very first member of the Saturn rocket family. It was the smallest Saturn by design, but was designed to be larger and more capable than any other American rocket before it. It was originally envisioned as a three-stage vehicle consisting of a conventional yet powerful first stage with highly efficient cryogenic upper stages. The first stage in particular would utilize a unique clustered tank design, being comprised of nine propellant tanks derived from earlier Redstone and Jupiter tankage. This was done to speed up the development and production of the new stage. Altogether the new rocket was projected to feature a payload capacity of 9,100 kg to LEO, ideally completing development and entering service for the US Army by 1963. After being approved for development by ARPA in 1958 the Saturn I was later transferred to the newly-formed NASA for use in its civilian space exploration programs. It soon found its role in support of Apollo. Just months after its adoption into the Apollo program the Saturn I had its first launch in 1961 as SA-1, short for Saturn-Apollo 1. It was an early developmental test flight of the Block I version of the rocket, which only featured a live S-I first stage with dummy second and third stages. This version was utilized to test the first stage while the upper stages were still under development. The prototype rocket performed perfectly during its first launch attempt, a nice change of pace for the American space effort. Two more Block Is were launched in 1962 as SA-2 and SA-3. They both performed very similar missions to SA-1 but also featured an additional objective pertaining to an experiment called Project Highwater. Once the rockets reached their apex explosive charges in the second and third stages were detonated, with both flights releasing 86 metric tons of ballast water into the high atmosphere. Each release created an artificial cloud which expanded rapidly, growing to several kilometers across in seconds. The last Block I flight occurred in 1963 with SA-4. The exterior of the dummy second stage was modified, incorporating ullage motor casings, fuel vent ducts, and external beams to mimic the aerodynamic shape of the real stage. The rocket was also programmed to shut off its No. 5 engine partway into the flight, testing the rocket against a simulated engine failure. SA-5 launched at the start of 1964 and was the first flight of the upgraded Block II version of the Saturn I. For this mission the rocket would finally fly with two live stages, utilizing a lengthened and upgraded S-I along with the S-IV as its second stage. The upgrades to the first stage and the inclusion of its cryogenic second stage greatly boosted the rocket's payload capacity to 17,000 kg to LEO. It carried a ballasted nosecone as its payload and was the first orbital flight of the Apollo program. The next two flights of the Saturn I were used to test Apollo hardware, carrying boilerplate Apollo CSMs along with their LES's, testing the launch dynamics of both components in flight. The missions also used a new mission-naming scheme, starting with SA-6 being designated 'AS-101'. AS-101 and AS-102 both launched in 1964, each successfully carrying their boilerplate CSMs into orbit. Both flights performed similar missions but AS-101 tested the LES' normal tower jettison motors while AS-102 tested the LES' backup separation method, using its powerful escape motors to jettison itself from the rocket. The last three flights of the Saturn I all occurred in 1965, each carrying their own BP CSM and LES. However unlike the previous two flights they also carried large Pegasus micrometeoroid-detection satellites, folded up and stored within the BP Service Module shroud. After reaching orbit the spacecraft would jettison its BP Command and Service Modules, allowing the Pegasus to unfold its large sensor arrays. For years after deployment all three Pegasus satellites measured the frequency and intensity of micrometeoroid impacts from within Earth orbit, continuously returning valuable data in support of the Apollo program. The Saturn I was then retired following AS-105, succeeded soon afterwards by its more powerful younger brother, the Saturn IB. More info, screenshots, and downloads have been added to the main post.

Still on that Apollo train, this time I've added a bunch of the early test missions including the initial set of Saturn IB and Block I CSM flights. I've also reformatted the main page to include more of the early flight history of the Apollo program along with additional context for each mission. However these written sections are still very much a work in progress so... don't read them too hard or anything. Anyways, first up we've got the initial five Saturn IB missions, AS-201 through Apollo 7 From left to right: AS-201, AS-203, AS-202, Apollo 5, and Apollo 7 AS-201 and AS-202 were the first two unmanned flights of the Saturn IB as well as the Block I CSM, which was a basically prototype version of the Apollo spacecraft. They were designed before NASA had decided upon Apollo's lunar orbital rendezvous mission mode and thus lacked the docking ports necessary for the LOR mission. While the lunar-capable Block II CSMs were still being developed the Block Is would be utilized in early test flights, gathering flight data which would be used to influence the design of their successors. AS-203 on the other hand was an investigative flight looking into the flight dynamics of the S-IVB, specifically the behavior of its liquid hydrogen fuel whilst in orbit. This mission involved no CSM and the S-IVB was instead topped with a smaller nosecone assembly. Apollo 5 utilized the Saturn IB to launch the very first Lunar Module, LM-1, into orbit. It was primarily an orbital test on the performance of the lander's ascent and descent stages as well as their individual propulsion systems. LM-1 didn't include the landing legs and used aluminum plates in place of the glass windows; a precautionary measure after one of the windows on LM-5 shattered in a pressurization test. The last Saturn IB flight (until Skylab) was Apollo 7, the first crewed mission of the Apollo program and the first orbital test flight of the Block II CSM. The S-IVB on this flight included a docking target to allow the crew to practice the transposition and docking maneuver meant to be used in future missions. This flight also saw the last use of the hinged SLA panels after one petal failed to maintain the right angle after opening. On subsequent flights these panels were modified to be ejected following CSM separation. Up next I have four more Saturn V missions, starting with Apollo 4 and 6. These were the first two launches of the Saturn V. Apollo 4 is famous for being the virtually perfect first launch of the Saturn V. On the other hand, Apollo 6 encountered so much trouble during its ascent that the fact that it even made it into orbit is nothing short of a miracle. Both of these flights carried their own Block I CSM, each modified slightly to represent features and upgrades that were being implemented on the Block IIs. As a stand-in for the Lunar Module these flights also carried Lunar Module Test Articles, or LTAs. These were launch masses designed to represent the general size, weight, shape, and dynamic properties of the real LM during a launch. The final two missions I have to share today are Apollo 15 and 16. They were the first two J-type Apollo missions, characterized by their greatly expanded mission duration and scope, and greater focus on lunar science. In addition to their LRVs and ALSEPs each mission carried a unique scientific payload for use on the Moon. On Apollo 15 I've included the Lunar Laser Ranging Retroreflector (LRRR) and on Apollo 16 I've added its Far UV Camera (FUVC). The CSMs on these missions included a scientific instrument module, or SIM bay, installed on the service module. As their name suggests they held an array of scientific instruments as well as cameras to allow for detailed observation of the Moon from orbit. Included on these particular missions were a pair of boom-mounted spectrometers and small deployable subsatellites that would be released into lunar orbit. More info, screenshots, and downloads have been added to the main post. (P.S. I'm still collecting some screenshots and info for some of the later missions but please bear with me as they'll be filled out soon enough. In the meantime, thank you for your patience and thanks for reading!)

These replicas are a lot of fun to make, I'm just glad you guys could get a kick out of them as well. And thank you! Thanks! It uses lots of tiny parts, and most importantly tiny flags. There are a few flags placed at the front of the cart that act as a handle for the kerbals to push around. They're made invisible using a custom transparent flag texture.

Added more Apollo missions, this time featuring Apollo 12 and 14. The two (successful) H-type missions. Apollo 12's LM-6 Intrepid (left) and Apollo 14's LM-8 Antares (right) These were the missions planned directly after Apollo 11, distinguished by their precision landings and increased mission scope. In terms of Lunar Modules they were very similar to Eagle but the ascent stages featured the finalized beige and black panel scheme. The descent stage of Intrepid featured less black paint on Quad 1 whereas Antares' looked mostly gold from the front. They also carried some of the first full examples of the Apollo Lunar Scientific Experiments Package (ALSEP), along with a plutonium-fueled RTG. Apollo 12 was the first H-mission, and the first pinpoint landing of Apollo, famously touching down just a stone's throw from the Surveyor 3 probe. It was the first time a crew had rendezvoused with a previously launched space probe, and the only instance of it occurring on another planetary body. Of course all of this means a true recreation of Apollo 12 requires a Surveyor probe, and a crater small enough to pose them in. Recreating the probe itself was a lot of fun, though trying to get the landers close enough to pose for screenshots took copious amounts if infinite fuel and quicksaving. I wound up leapfrogging the landers into a bunch of locations trying to find a small crater to stage this screenshot. Well worth it, in the end. Apollo 14 was the last H-mission, which brought space veteran Alan Shepard back to the forefront of space exploration. The crew were tasked with a grand traverse to sample Cone crater, accompanied by the newly-designed Modular Equipment Transporter. It was basically a small towable handcart which was supposed to help carry the astronaut's equipment on their journey. Recreating this small piece of equipment turned out to be a fun little novelty. It uses transparent flags to allow your kerbals to pull it along. I wound up towing it a few hundred meters away from the LM trying to recreate some scenes from Apollo 14, made for quite the experience. Really makes you feel like Alan Shepard! More info, screenshots, and downloads have been added to the main post.

you joke but I was gonna add a "stir the oxygen tanks" button If I ever get around to Apollo 13. Also with the flags I think it would be a problem only if you already had flags with the exact same name in the folder. Seems unlikely but if it does become a problem you could always rename them.

More Lunar Modules, cause why not. The neat thing about making a craft entirely out of flags is that you can basically repaint the entire thing on the fly. Especially useful when you're obsessed with recreating the LM and its ever-changing exterior. Anyways, here's today's offering: LM-3 Spider and LM-4 Snoopy. Spider (left) and Snoopy (right) These LMs bear many visual distinctions which set them apart from later productions. Most notable are the Ascent Stages which were mostly clad in silvery aluminum skin panels. These panels were replaced with lighter chromic acid anodized panels starting with LM-5, giving the Ascent Stage its final beige-ish look. The Descent Stages also lacked RCS plume deflectors (also introduced on LM-5), instead the outer layers were painted with varying amounts of black Pyromark paint for thermal protection. LM-3 featured a unique semicircular paint job on the front two faces whereas LM-4 showed a much more aggressive application, with nearly the entire stage being painted black. While they carried much of the necessary equipment and instrumentation their construction made them too heavy to carry out a safe lunar landing. As Grumman worked out techniques to lighten the lander these prototypes were utilized for orbital test flights in the months prior to Apollo 11. Spider flew on Apollo 9 and was tested in LEO, demonstrating the functionality of equipment and maneuvers to be used during the landing. Snoopy was brought to the Moon on Apollo 10 for a full mission dress rehearsal, testing every component and procedure just short of landing. More info, screenshots, and downloads have been added to the main post.

The Apollo Program You know it, we all love it: the legendary space program that put man on the Moon. At the time it was considered to be one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by either side during the Space Race. To this day the accomplishment of the Apollo program still stands as one of mankind's greatest achievements. Below are a collection of stock+DLC replicas I've built to represent the various rockets, spacecraft, and mission profiles that comprised the Apollo program—from its first test launches in 1961 to the very last flight of Apollo hardware in 1975. Currently this page features all of the Saturn I, Saturn IB, and Saturn V flights minus Apollo 13, Skylab, and ASTP. If I have the time I'd also like to include the Little Joe II and LLRV missions, but we'll just have to see how things pan out. In the meantime, check out the spoilers below! They contain a bit of info about the launch history of the Apollo program, utilizing screenshots of every rocket and mission I've built so far. Downloads and flight instructions for each individual craft are featured further down the page. Birth of Apollo and the Saturn Rocket 1961-1963 Early Testing Begins 1963-1967 SA-1 - AS-204 (Apollo 1) The Saturn V Takes Flight 1967-1969 Apollo 4 - Apollo 11 Follow-up Missions and the End of Apollo 1969-1972 Apollo 12 - Apollo 17 Post-Apollo 1973-1975 Skylab 1-4, ASTP ↓↓↓Downloads↓↓↓ Required flags: drive folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12eV6W7RbosDmtB08Sp_0X-cJnIBsDEz0?usp=sharing zip: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RILAPVRDlsn9ptDrGnIGzTsrpWvztouB/view?usp=sharing All crafts* built in stock KSP v1.11.2, both DLCs Required *SA-2 and SA-3 built in KSP v1.12.2 Saturn I: SA-1: 600 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/pj5vru5x704rlo5/Saturn I SA-1.craft?dl=0 SA-2: 609 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/w7e9majhr3w26hp/Saturn I SA-2.craft?dl=0 SA-3: 671 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/8djx8x1zx8vrwr1/Saturn I SA-3.craft?dl=0 SA-4: 809 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/xl2r3nd8rau6pyn/Saturn I SA-4.craft?dl=0 SA-5: 1399 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/61umgn0p8swlwgz/Saturn I SA-5.craft?dl=0 AS-101: 1584 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/eer70uqyz085dih/Saturn I AS-101.craft?dl=0 AS-102: 1661 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/9ngjhxk8vh4fe59/Saturn I AS-102.craft?dl=0 AS-103: 2188 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/a7516r3dauowujj/Saturn I AS-103.craft?dl=0 AS-104: 2193 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/qxwekn35wch8hlx/Saturn I AS-104.craft?dl=0 AS-105: 2177 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/76ucg6t087vo6ng/Saturn I AS-105.craft?dl=0 Saturn IB: AS-201/202: 1748 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/oc1035zkkie4hy0/Saturn IB AS-202.craft?dl=0 AS-203: 1096 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/cfi3sacpqkeaibz/Saturn IB AS-203.craft?dl=0 Apollo 5: 2306 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/g6wam6tob2m7ry2/Saturn IB Apollo 5.craft?dl=0 Apollo 7: 1987 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/nwmb7dgiqd9ou26/Saturn IB Apollo 7.craft?dl=0 Saturn V: Apollo 4: 3473 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/s8gqqqrfw3ck682/Saturn V Apollo 4.craft?dl=0 Apollo 6: 3458 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/g0mr9dmy4iv4gl8/Saturn V Apollo 6.craft?dl=0 Apollo 8: 3283 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/canhabj57onopkb/Saturn V Apollo 8.craft?dl=0 Apollo 9: 4384 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/4g65tn3obbik4lo/Saturn V Apollo 9.craft?dl=0 Apollo 10: 4424 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/twt3oeqdkohei5p/Saturn V Apollo 10.craft?dl=0 Apollo 11: 4563 parts https://kerbalx.com/tehmattguy/Saturn-V-Apollo-11 Apollo 12: 4582 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/pdc5dbim126dz1o/Saturn V Apollo 12.craft?dl=0 Apollo 14: 4647 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/o2f2affam55pveo/Saturn V Apollo 14.craft?dl=0 Apollo 15: 4880 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/561woxslixlwry2/Saturn V Apollo 15.craft?dl=0 Apollo 16: 4919 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/nor79yyp9lg0oi5/Saturn V Apollo 16.craft?dl=0 Apollo 17: 4895 parts https://kerbalx.com/tehmattguy/Saturn-V-Apollo-17 Controls Saturn I/Saturn IB/Saturn V + CSM Spacebar (Stage): Start Automatic Flight Sequencer 1: Toggle CSM RCS / Extend Antennas / Reset Robotic Parts 2: 3: 4: 5: 6: 7: Decouple CSM Docking Port 8: Disengage CSM Umbilical 9: Deploy CSM Flotation Bags 0: Decouple from LES Post-Abort Backspace (Abort): Activate Launch Escape System LM (Apollo 5, 9-14) LM (Apollo 15-17) LRV (Apollo 15-17) 1: Reset Robotic Parts 1: Reset Robotic Parts 1: 2: Toggle LM RCS 2: Toggle LM RCS 2: 3: Deploy LM MESA 3: Deploy LM MESA 3: 4: LM Commander EVA 4: LM Commander EVA 4: 5: LM Pilot EVA 5: LM Pilot EVA 5: 6: LM Pre-Ascent Prep. 6: LM Pre-Ascent Prep. 6: 7: Deploy S-Band Antenna 7: Deploy LRV 7: 8: Decouple Antenna from LM 8: Deploy LRV Equipment 8: 9: Deploy Antenna Legs 9: Decouple LRV Equipment (Fore) 9: Engage Equipment Latch (Fore) 0: Deploy Antenna Dish 0: Decouple LRV Equipment (Aft) 0: Engage Equipment Latch (Aft) W/A/S/D: Driving / Steering G: Extend Landing Struts G: Extend Landing Struts B: Brakes U: Rendezvous Lights U: Rendezvous Lights Instructions All instructions are written in the Imgur albums linked below Saturn I / Saturn IB + CSM flight: https://imgur.com/a/x6wtIhc Saturn V + CSM flight: https://imgur.com/a/YcXfzfn LM landing, ascent + reentry and splashdown (Apollo 9-14): https://imgur.com/a/IdjBSY2 LM landing, LRV assembly, ascent, reentry and splashdown (Apollo 15-17): https://imgur.com/a/CuWz84P Craft Info Started development of this monstrosity back in December of last year, mainly because I wanted to build a high-fidelity replica of the Lunar Module to stack up next to my Soviet LK lander. Well you can't have an LM without a CSM and S-IVB, and if you have those you might as well build the entire rest of the Saturn V, right? And while you're at it, why not slap on an LRV and try to do one of those J-missions? That'd be pretty cool. Anyways, after months of trial, error, explosions, and lazing around I finally managed to put together a Saturn V that didn't explode by, would you believe, adding more struts. After the first successful test flight I managed to find the motivation to complete the design, and it took shape pretty quickly after that. I was also gonna put together a video but at this point it's pretty clear that it'll take a bit longer than usual to create. I don't wanna sit on the craft files while I make the video though so I'm posting them here just to get them out there. In the meantime, stay tuned, and thanks for reading!

No mods, but it does require both DLCs and a bunch of custom flag textures. When it's done I'll upload it to KerbalX along with the required flag textures. I'll also make a post about it here on the spacecraft exchange which'll link back to KerbalX. https://kerbalx.com/tehmattguy

The Eagle has landed! And by that I mean that I've pretty much completed my replica of the Lunar Module Eagle. New legs, new engines, lower part count, extra faceting on the sides, and I've managed to shave off 0.5t from the ascent stage. The main purpose of all of this is to make it easier to reconfigure the LM for a full J-Type mission. These were the mission profiles of Apollo 15, 16, and 17, involving more extensive study of the Moon from the surface and from orbit. A scientific instrument module (SIM) bay was installed in the service module for orbital operations while the LM was fitted with extra equipment to support extended stays on the lunar surface. The LM also carried a Lunar Roving Vehicle in its descent stage, vastly expanding the range and scope of manned lunar surface exploration. Below are some screenshots of the progress I've made in trying to replicate a J-mission. CSM-114 America This command module flew on Apollo 17, the last Apollo mission to fly to the Moon. In addition to the SIM bay it also carried an additional set of antennas as a part of the ALSE experiment. LM-12 Challenger Apollo 17's Lunar Module. As with the rest of the J-missions, this LM carried a Lunar Roving Vehicle, folded up and tucked neatly into the side of the descent stage. LRV unfolding Fully deployed Attaching the rest of the equipment is the tricky part, since I figure that docking ports would be too large at this scale, and EVA construction would be ridiculous with so many parts to attach. The solution I came up with is to use a set of latches to secure pre-constructed assemblies to the rover. Each latch is made of flag parts using a transparent texture so not to ruin the aesthetic of the rover. The rover drives into the assembly before engaging its latches to grab and secure it. The assembly is then decoupled from the lander, and remains attached to the rover. Attaching the LRV equipment pallet. Moon buggy fully constructed and ready to rove. With this done it shouldn't be too long till I get the full Saturn V up and running. Hopefully.

I think so, at least partially. Going through the patch notes I did see this line: "Fix trajectory changes during rotation caused by MinRBMass being too high" Looking at the Physics.cfg shows that they've reduced the partRBMassMin from 0.03 to 0.002. So it seems like the new minimum part mass is 0.002t rather than 0.03t. I tried weighing some of the previously affected parts and they do appear to be at the correct weight again. However there a few parts listed under 0.002t, namely cubic octagonal struts, navigation light mk1s, lightstrip mk1s, and some flag parts. I was guessing they'd still affected since they're under the new minimum. I'm currently trying to test these parts together with robotic parts and I feel like I'm still running into some mass oddities. Edit: Updated the main topic with more info

Oh yeah, I had been testing my stages individually to an extent but not with placeholders. I'd originally wanted to test fly my S-II using a simplified S-IC but I guess I got too caught up in the idea of all-up testing. But yeah, using placeholder stages definitely seems like a good idea going forward. And thank you!

Waiting on a certain bug to be fixed before continuing on my Lunar Module... In the meantime I started putting together some stages for a full Saturn V build. S-IC, featuring custom F-1 engines inspired by @Yukon0009 's designs. S-II with aft interstage and more custom J-2s. Both stages installed with the S-IVB and CSM. The S-IVB holds ~17 tons of ore in place of the LM to save on partcount/framerate during testing. Here the Saturn V is looking pretty much complete aside from some surface details which will be added later. Currently the build is sitting at over 2600 parts. Liftoff! The rocket takes several minutes to load onto the launchpad, making testing an incredibly slow process. To make things worse the rocket wants to explode during every phase of flight. It even took a few launch attempts to get it to stop exploding while throttling up the F-1s. This picture represents the furthest progress I've made, as it currently explodes when attempting a gravity turn. This is gonna take a while...

Thanks! Also, the craft file for the scale has just been added to the bug tracker page.

Still working on that Lunar Module, this time I've installed it in the S-IVB. The CSM/ LM/ S-IVB combo seems to be working well from TLI to lunar landing. Still thinking I may have gone overboard with part count, though. Altogether this assembly stands at well over 2000 parts, even more than my entire N1 build.

@AlamoVampire No doubt they've changed how part mass is handled but the problem is just that the effect can be pretty extreme and is not recorded anywhere in-game. If my scale experiment is to believed, grip pads now act ~15x heavier than they used to be. Some of my rockets, which use a lot of grip pads and robotic parts, are losing hundreds of m/s delta-v just from this effect. My Duna lander in particular loses 600m/s by the time it reaches orbit. This is in spite of the game telling me that the rocket's mass and delta-v is exactly the same as before. That's the whole reason I bring up this issue anyways, and why I think it's unintentional.

Oh yeah, I'm familiar with this part of the update but my issue doesn't have anything to do with crew mass (probably). What I'm seeing is that specific parts or part combinations act much heavier as of 1.11. For example, the small grip pads are listed at 0.002t in the editor, but in flight they act as if they're actually 0.03t. Another oddity is that physicsless parts seem to gain mass if they're attached to a robotic part. This change in mass isn't listed anywhere, nor accounted for in the game's delta-v calculations. This leads me to believe the effect is unintentional.

Windows, Stock + Breaking Ground, fresh install. I suspect this also affects non-DLC games. I've been observing some strange behavior related to low-mass parts in version 1.11. Certain (low-mass, physics enabled) parts seem much heavier than usual, despite no changes in mass or CoM being shown in the VAB. Crafts that include these parts suffer from a significant increase in weight and a loss of delta-V. Robotic parts sag as if burdened with extra weight. Some of my crafts from 1.10 have become unplayable as of this release. So far I've tested the effect using grip pads, empty dumpling and baguette tanks, and robotic parts with various physicsless parts attached. Grip pads, small robotic parts, and empty dumpling tanks are affected whereas empty baguette tanks are not. I think this is because they're below some mass threshold and are not physicsless parts. Small physicsless parts are not affected on their own but do become affected if attached to robotic parts. Below are some screenshots of the tests I've performed. Rocket delta-V test: Scale test: Edit: I did more testing and it seems like the game treats any physics-enabled part under 0.03t to weigh minimum of 0.03t. The effect is pretty consistent. Parts like empty oscar-B tanks, empty dumpling tanks, small grip pads, and small robotic parts all weigh exactly 0.03t according to the scale. I plugged these new mass numbers into a delta-v calculator for my test rocket. The delta-v numbers I got were incredibly accurate taking the 0.03t per part into consideration. More screenshots below: 1.11.1 Update: As of this update partRBMassMin has been reduced from 0.03 to 0.002, which apparently gives parts a new minimum mass of 0.002t. This seems to have corrected the mass values for every physics-enabled part listed at or over 0.002t. So from what I can tell most of the part mass issues introduced in version 1.11 have been resolved. However, any physics-enabled part that weighs less than 0.002t is still affected, and will have an effective mass of 0.002t. The only stock part I know of that fits this description is the Tiny Nosecone, which should weigh 0.001t yet measures as 0.002t on the scale and in delta-v tests. Tiny Nosecone (0.001t) balances two Cubic Octagonal Struts (0.001t each) While testing for physics-less parts I found that attaching one directly to a robotic part gives it a minimum mass of 0.0065t. Interestingly this mass isn't shown in the editor but is accounted for in-flight through delta-v readouts. I also found this effect to be present in version 1.10.1, so I don't know whether it's intentional or not. A Communotron 16, Cubic Octagonal Strut, and an RFP-0 Flag (0.0065t total) balances against a single Cubic Octagonal Strut when it's attached directly to a robotic part. Bug report: https://bugs.kerbalspaceprogram.com/issues/26898

Anyone else experiencing issues with part mass / delta v? Specifically with Breaking Ground + Stock, fresh install. Either something's wrong with my install or I've run into a bug. I was working on some craft that I imported from my 1.10.1 save and found that they seem to act much heavier or have significantly less delta-v than stated. From the VAB the mass is the same as before but the craft acts much differently in flight. Rovers sag into the ground, CoM is way off, rocket stages use more fuel to complete a burn, etc. I thought it might have something to do with kerbal mass, but my unmanned crafts are affected as well. Anyways, I did some testing and it feels like it has something to do with low-mass parts, low-mass Breaking Ground parts or Breaking Ground parts that have low mass parts attached. For testing I built a simple rocket, attached various parts to it, and Alt-F12'd it to space. I then planned and performed a maneuver based on the rocket's stated delta-v in order to see how much delta-v it really had. Certain parts, like empty dumpling tanks, grip pads and small robotic hinges cause the rocket to lose a significant amount of delta-v. It gets worse with robotic parts that have low mass or physicsless parts attached to them. Some screenshots: All tests were also performed in 1.10.1, with insignificant/ no delta-v losses in all cases. If anyone can reproduce these results please let me know! If this is a bug hopefully we can get it sorted out by the next update.

Started putting together an Apollo Lunar Module starting with the ascent stage. I've always found it hard to figure out the exact shape of the ascent stage, especially the asymmetrical faceted sections. Thankfully this time I was able to capture most of it through the power of flag blueprints. Here it's pretty much complete. Most of the body is made of either flag parts or grip pads, coming in at almost 700 parts total. For the white sections I'm planning to make a few custom textures to mimic the range of thermal coverings seen on the LM. I'd also like to make a semi-transparent texture for the window panels. Edit: Might've gone overboard with the flag parts...

Still working on that Saturn IB! Right now I've got the CSM, S-IVB, and LES in (mostly) working order. Recently I was able to add a detail that I've always found interesting: The LES' canards. These were small deployable surfaces installed at the top of the LES. During an abort they would deploy to reorient the CM heatshield-first into the wind before tower jettison. Now for my KSP demonstration: LES firing and canard deployment. Tower jettison. Chutes deployed! And finally to test further at higher altitudes I whipped up this cursed Proton-Apollo launch vehicle. Actually works better than I would've thought despite the drag. I actually got it to orbit on the first try! I really do wonder if something like this could've worked out IRL. Edit: It's all coming together

As requested by @pTrevTrevs, here's a tutorial on making stock fold-out solar panels! Specifically, this is just my own process for making a fairly compact folding mechanism while maintaining clean surface aesthetic. I should also preface this by saying that this does require using the Breaking Ground DLC. First, a small point on solar panels. Before building your mechanism I suggest pre-constructing your individual solar panel segments. For each individual panel I like to use a single small root part such as a cubic octagonal strut or a grip pad. Doing this makes it easier to move and manipulate your panels while building or tweaking your mechanism. Also, a tip for blending solar panels together: You can hide the borders between panels by rotating and offsetting each panel inwards slightly toward the center. Now for the mechanism itself. Here I'll be constructing a simple accordion-style folding mechanism with four identical segments. For these I like to use the G-00 Hinge since it's small, light, and allows 180° rotation which is just enough for this type of fold. To start off I have the four hinges attached end to end. Next we'll set each hinge's target angle to its fully-deployed position. For an accordion fold I set each hinge to 90° or -90° in an alternating pattern. Then we offset each hinge so that they are level and equidistant to each other. Having your hinges on the same plane ensures a more compact fold. Now we attach the solar panels to each hinge. For the most compact fold, make sure that your hinges are centered directly under the spaces between the panels. And finally we test the mechanism using the KAL-1000 Controller. This is just to let us view and tweak the folding sequence from the editor. Note that for the first segment we only need 90° of rotation, so it has been limited accordingly. The other three hinges are set to rotate the full 180°. You can also control your hinges directly by binding "Set Maximum Angle" or "Set Minimum Angle" to an action group. When doing this remember to set your hinge's traverse speed to be proportional to its rotation range. Now for something slightly more complex: The folding mechanism for a Soyuz solar array. This mechanism is unique in that segments 1 and 4 fold inwards while segments 2 and 3 fold outwards to conform to the body of the spacecraft. This leads to a slightly different hinge setup. Here I have some hinges rotated slightly to get the rotation axis closer to the surface. This generally leads to a cleaner unfolding sequence. Solar panels attached. Again, ensure that the hinges are centered directly under the spaces between panel segments. For more complex folds like these it helps to first manipulate each hinge individually to fold up the mechanism. Doing this lets you find and set angle limits for each individual hinge. I hope that covered everything. If you have any questions let me know!

Back again with yet another Soyuz variant! The new update gives us better control when building fairings, so I rebuilt all the fairings on my Soyuz to achieve a smoother and more accurate fuselage shape. I was also able to make use of the new decal parts to help complete the look. Introducing Soyuz 7K-TM. This was a variant of the Soyuz 7K-T purpose-built for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. It carried a unique solar panel array and a new set of antennas to aid in communication with the Apollo spacecraft. It also carried an APAS-75 docking mechanism, which was a docking system co-developed by American and Soviet engineers for international missions. This system was unique in its time, since each port was functionally identical and androgynous, allowing either spacecraft to assume the active docking role. Next to the real deal. In orbit with an *extremely* WIP Apollo spacecraft and docking module. The update also gave us this lovely metallic fairing texture which really helps recreate that Apollo aesthetic. Here you can see that the Soyuz has its docking ring extended for initial contact. Contact. The APAS' guide petals intermesh, aligning the spacecraft. Then the docking rings latch onto each other, and the Soyuz retracts its ring to draw the ports closer. Docked! The air pressure is then equalized between spacecraft, allowing crews to open the hatches and greet each other in the docking module. Right now the Soyuz is complete save for some detail work. Now for this project all I need to do is finish the Apollo spacecraft and Saturn IB... definitely easier said than done. I don't know how fast it'll shape up but I'd love to get something out by the ASTP launch anniversary.

Looks incredible! I love how you handled the grid flooring as well. Can't wait to see how this one turns out.