Red Shirt

I know this kind of thing has been brought up before but 118 pages.... I started with a clean install KSP 105. Downloaded OPM 1.8.1 and the latest Kopernicus. Unzipped, put into Game Data. Started game. I see no outer planets. I also have 3 other planet packs (Asclepius, Arkas, and Kronkus). None of these are showing up. All of this worked in my 104 install (older versions). Since others aren't having this issue, it pretty much has to be something with my install but I see no folder differences between my 104 and 105 installs. Any suggestions on troubleshooting this would be appreciated.

Not really, but someone is bound to say it. I just wanted to be first! Seriously, oh how I have missed the forum! Glad to see it back. Now to learn the new layout and features.

Awesome. Copied this into Word so I'll have it tomorrow while the forum is down. I'll let you know how it goes. I'll have a look at your mod as well when I download 1.05.

With the spiders thinking I can slow down quickly is suicidal. :D That said my approach was terrible. Pretty much bled off the horizontal speed and dropped almost vertical from way up, engines burning most of the way. The intent today was to test if the tiny (from my design perspective) lander was capable of completing the job. Now, since it has proved worthy, learning some tricks with maneuver nodes would be great.

Just got home from stuffing my face. Immediately fired up KSP, and Hyper Edited the Moho Lander to a 30k Moho orbit. Took about 1200 dv to land. Believe my landing is also suffering from 'significant gravity loss'. Changed the ascent to a far more horizontal path. Circularized at 30k and still have 600 dv surplus (plenty for rendezvous and docking). I am still 100 dv over the chart but I'm OK with the result. Thanks.

I'll try a far more horizontal ascent. I was at about 45 at 12k. [COLOR="silver"][SIZE=1]- - - Updated - - -[/SIZE][/COLOR] [quote name='Snark']Depends a lot on your ascent profile-- are you burning efficiently? i.e. crank it over to nearly horizontal immediately on takeoff, so that you're skimming the terrain? Your thrust seems really low. Six Spiders will give only 12 kN of thrust. A lander can + 10 Oscar B + 6 Spider = 3.03 tons, even without additional paraphernalia. Moho surface gravity is 2.7 m/s2, so which makes your weight at least 8.2 kN on Moho. Therefore, your TWR on Moho is no higher than 12 / 8.2 = 1.47, assuming full tanks on takeoff. That seems pretty low, you could be stacking up quite a lot of gravity loss on ascent.[/QUOTE] Tanks were less than half full so TWR was higher.

Looking at a dv chart it appears only 870 dv is needed to land from 50k on Moho. So, 870 + 870 = 1740 dv required to land and ascend. That's what the chart says. Today I started from 100k with 2.3k dv and a TWR of 1.3. Even starting much higher, there was over 1k dv left at landing. TWR is now around 2. Ran out of fuel by 40 dv before being able to circularize at 20k during ascent. Craft is lander can with 10 Oscar B tanks and 6 Spider engines. DV and TWR from MJ in VAB. Any clues why 1k wasn't enough? Getting ready to leave for Thanksgiving meal so no picture. By the way, Used Oscar B's, 5 on each side turn on side for a low and wide profile. FL-T would work the same but bulkier in appearance.

Sorry no pictures but today's mission was a nail biter. After getting much help from the forum, I have learned to make orbit with a spaceplane. So today I slapped together a new 20 part plane (includes RCS and solar part). Left the runway climbed to 7k and set to about a 10 degree climb. Switched to rockets at 26k (well over 1000 m/s). Plane got a little loose and pitched and rolled. Fought for control. My son walked in at this point and said the guy on the left (Bill) looked a little green. I assured him they are all green. He said, no that one looks like he is going to be sick. Kind of had to agree. Circularized. Used mechjeb to mark KSP (because clouds and darkness - why did I think a nighttime landing was a good idea?). Aborted MJ now that I had a location. Set a node to reenter with landing marker at west coast of continent - another forum tip I learned. Began reentry. Switched engines back to airbreather mode. Set airbrakes. Nose up high and gentle rolling S curves until heat and speed were under control. As I went to fire up engines, I noticed I had miscalculated my fuel requirements. Engines belched their last just west of the mountains about 170km from the runway. Hit R and used RCS to hold the nose up as best as I could. Then shortly after I lost electrical power (batteries would have been nice). At 10k over the mountains the last of the mono was gone. I thought about hitting revert but I had to see how this ended. The plane would still swoop left and right but I was barely keeping the nose above prograde. Speed dropped to about 45m/s when the front wheel touched the grass 37km west of the runway. Set the brakes and held the steering straight while the plane bounced a few times before stopping. All involved breathed a sigh of relief. I love this game. Tomorrow I put some fuel in the empty wings and add the batteries I forgot. Jeb volunteered to fly. Bill is not so sure.

I use it often. It has no SAS. Make sure you have RCS thrusters and electric - batteries, solar, etc.

Check the [URL="http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/139797-Spaceplane-Help"]Spaceplane Help[/URL] thread I started a few days ago. The help others offered got my plane in orbit easily.

Common denominator - there is always a rescue mission after the first manned lander attempt. Back in 20 something, Moho was the next planet after Duna that I landed on. I didn't know it was hard. Several missions and a trashed Moho surface later the guys made it home. I've yet to get a ship back from Eve.

I had airbrakes on an early attempt but didn't know I could set them for brake only. Shouldn't that be the default? (Just saying) I will give them another try now that I have a working craft. I have RCS tanks and did use them on reentry. When the nose RCS thruster exploded, the ship was surrounded in flame. I quickly looked to see if Jeb was still there in the lower right. So yeah, airbrakes. Are my round RCS tanks really worse (drag vs weight) than adding another fuselage section for mono?

R.A.P.I.E.R. = E.Z. Orbit! Changed the intakes to shock cones. Raised the tail and used bigger sections. Lost the aerospike. Replaced the ramjets with rapiers. Straight to orbit with plenty of fuel left over. I did change my ascent to build speed between 8k and 15k. Pointed the nose at prograde around supersonic. Then began to climb slowly. As rapiers lost thrust switched to rocket mode. The most difficult part of the flight was reentry heat. Lost the RCS off the nose. Remembered Slashy saying he used swaying turns and I kept the nose about 20 degree above prograde. Overshot the runway by 150m. Thanks all for the excellent advice. [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/aFUos3R.jpg?1[/IMG]

plane is about 22.7 ton

Well, giving up for the day. I put on a bigger tail and made Ap. Ran out of fuel. Added another tank of fuel/o2. Same ending. I'll remove the tank and try changing my ascent by leveling off at 10k. If that doesn't work - I'll loose the aerospike and switch the ramjets to rapiers. I will get to orbit and circularize. Thanks!

Thanks for the reply. I am using stock 1.04. I'll try making the tail bigger and maybe raise it back up some. We'll see what happens. Oh, and it does appear I am a little shy of the 1800 dv in the aerospike stage. Looks like I may need that extra tank after all.

Please accept this in the humor it is intended.... In RL I am always considered the geek in the group. That said I have almost no clue what you just wrote! I did some tweeks - moved the tail wings down to the center and moved the turbojets outward to clear the tail. This stopped the oscillation. I am still having a big issue where between 15 and 20k I lose upward pitch. I use imbedded Mechjeb and it kind of acted like it was trying to takeover. So I disabled it. The same issue continues to occur. Maybe as it uses fuel it is getting nose heavy? Anyway, pic: [img]http://i.imgur.com/5vY8qKe.jpg?1[/img]

I haven't messed with planes since 0.25. I did have a vertical launch SSTO in 0.90 that used ramjet and rapier engines for a completely reusable craft. The aero changes made this one obsolete. Change happens. With that as background. I have built my first new plane using two ramjets and an aerospike. The COL is behind COM. Mechjeb says it has an SLT of over 2 in the SPH. First issue is kind of minor - on takeoff the craft, at first, flies like a dolphin swims by bobbing up and down. I checked the tail and it seems level. The tail is attached to the rudder - higher than COT, so I am guessing that is causing the behavior. Once I begin to climb it quickly smooths out. It is so smooth that climbing at around 45 degrees is hands off. It slowly levels at around 20k. Still I would like to understand what is happening at takeoff. Next issue, at 20k I cannot build speed. About 800m/s is pretty much it. Using a slight dive I can get over 1000m/s but then I don't seem to have enough lift to start climbing again. I have to fire the aerospike to climb, but that means spending precious oxidizer too soon. I have made an 80k Ap but ran out of O2 before being able to sufficiently raise Pe. This brings up my last issue - why are there no oxidizer only tanks? I have plenty of liquid fuel left. I guess I can try adding a short rocket fuel tank and removing the fuel. Seems like a poor fix. Sorry I don't have a pic to post. I'm not on my KSP computer at the moment. Hopefully these are common issues that don't require a visual.

We had a thread on this awhile back. I saw the same thing again today. I do have DOE so maybe. Today it looked like the dish from the asteroid day mod which I was using on my ship. Whatever it is, doesn't happen all the time. Its kind of a Roswell/X-Files thing. I just go with it.

I have never been much of a game player. In general I get bored with video games in a hurry, especially the point and shoot ones. KSP is the first game that has ever grabbed my imagination and my brain. I am constantly being challenged to learn outside the game to be able to play more efficiently within it. Design. Build. Fail. Redesign and try again. When I finally succeed it seems bigger than just a game. Then there is the visual beauty that at times is nearly breathtaking. I have often experienced the feeling I am actually exploring an alien world.

I like: Duna - who has not fantasized about landing on Mars. This is as close as I am going to get. Besides, with E.V.E. and E.o.O. installed, the dust storms are just super immersive. Eloo - I loved running a dune buggy at 40 m/s through its valleys, and I found it beautiful. Dres - only for trying multiple times (unsuccessfully) to drive a rover to the bottom of the canyon. Otherwise is is just a distant Mun. Minmus - who doesn't like snow cones? Dislike: Laythe - Laythe hates me. Maybe I'll change my mind with 1.05 and buoyancy. An ocean landing and takeoff capable craft could make me willing to go back. Eve - I don't really dislike it. I just dislike that I cannot adequately design for it.

I've been thinking lately I need to get Alarm clock, but then I would need to start giving my vessels meaningful names. As for life support, wouldn't I then need an office complex bigger than R&D to house all the necessary law teams?

I'd say, 'That's cold dude', but it's Moho so, cold not so much.

I have installed a few (OK several) planet packs - OPM, Kronkus, Asclepius, and Arkas. My night sky is littered with sparkly planets. Lately I have been obsessed with Arkas. It is a desert world with mountains and volcanoes. The atmosphere gets thick at the surface making chute landing a breeze. The surface is rolling dunes of sand. It all looks pretty level until you try to land. Tried 3 real land and return missions. One ended with an explosion (it is KSP after all). One with a tipped over landing (I reverted). One I finally stuck the landing but lacked the TWR to attain orbit (d'oh). So I have been using Hyper Edit to figure out what is needed for ascent. This morning I made orbit with sufficient dv for a return to kerbin. Yeah! In one year... Boo! So, I went to the space center to decide if I wanted to wait a year or, you know, kill Harney. My no Kerbal left behind sensibilities kicked in and I decided to wait. Then I started looking at the in progress missions. What is this landed on Asclepius? I don't remember an incomplete mission there. Switched to fly the ship and discovered 4 kerbalnauts sitting in a hitchhiker can, on its side, stuck a really steep hillside.... O yeah. I forgot about you guys. Uhmm sorry? Guess I should design a passenger rover and go get them. Anyone else ever stumble on Kerbals you had forgotten? (Please make me feel better and say yes)

I found it not long ago on the forum but it was a craft file only and lacked the needed mod. I found this one http://............/eagle-transporter-sp-1999-mod/ but never head of the site so I am a little afraid to download. If you find one that works in 1.04, I would love to know.