Finrandojin

Here it is: http://www./download.php?mlsc3h6eo17crtp

Yes I know it looks just like the craft from Space 1999, I did get the idea before this was pointed out to me but I digress. After trying various configurations that were not properly balanced I came up with this craft. It's going to form the backbone of my Lunar Exploration Corps, ranging from my moon bases in search of interesting things and to pick up wayward and/or stranded kerbals. Handles a lot better than I expected but still you need to think on your feet and plan all maneuvers well in advance. Made out of a hodgepodge of parts, NovaPunch, Radial Booster Pack, Deep Space Mod, Payload Pack and Lander Parts.

Here is the SR-17 Upgrades over the SR-15 are as follows. -Seperated ramjets and rocket engine fuel systems, landings are much more easy now -Added RCS system for help with 're-entry tumbling' -Using Aerospike thrusters for the added fuel efficiency -Jeb took a look at the bluebrints and turned one wing backwards and muttered something about it making the plane '20% cooler'

Here is the craft file, I\'ve since gone to iteration 16 that uses structural decouplers to prevent fuel flow between the jet engines and rockets, going to see how that works out. Oh and the music is 'Hiroko Kasahara - Promise' from the Macross II OST vol.2

My latest and greatest spaceplane, landing not filmed because I didn\'t know rockets can drink jetfuel

After fidling around in the hangar after .15 came out and after some trial and error I ca present SR-15 my 15th spaceplane iteration. It is a fully reuseable SSTO spaceplane with some margin for orbital maneuvers. I\'m considering strap on RATO boosters though it\'s bit of a lug on the takeoff.

I\'ve been working away at doing an all stock single craft Kerbin-Mun-Kerbin-Mun-Kerbin, and after a solid week of failures I\'ve attained partial success, My craft was able to get as far as Kerbin-Mun-Kerbin-munar orbit, ran out of fuel after attaining a roughly circular 15 x 18 km orbit, need to optimise my trajectory and maybe tweak the craft a little but I\'ve got a feeling it\'s not far away. [edit] attached to this post is a craft file that is capable of Kerbin-Mun-Kerbin-Mun-Kerbin trip, requires a good computer as the first two stages are a slideshow for me.

Voyager 12, the next stable iteration of the Voyager series is now available, continnued expansions of the first stage have allowed corresponding increases in the other stages with stability still being the hallmark of the Voyager series of superheavy lifters. On a straight ascent trajectory the Voyager 12 can reach a maximum velocity of close to 8500 m/s, ideal for getting places fast without blowing up on the pad 8)

So is there any word on if we're getting some kind of RCS system in the future? Precise maneuvering is hard as you said, when you have to turn to make the burn.

or you can use this handy table that has the escape velocity and orbital velocities for heights from 35 km to 950 km spaced every 5 km https://gist.github.com/1075144

If this means that KSP is coming to the steam store AND there will be a TF2 hat associated with said purchase all I can say is. SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!

try to time your pitchover so that your ascent rate is 0 when you are at about 50 km, also after reaching about 2000 m/s you can just stop burning for a while and wait for apogee, burns at apogee are more effective at raising your perigee with the least amount of fuel spent.

The Voyager series of craft was originaly intended to launch deep space probes, but as the system proved to be extremely stable and reliable, a stripped version was developed over several iterations for purposes of deep space exploration and extended heavy orbital maneuvers. The voyager - 8 the eponymous 8th iteration of the venerable series, is a 3 stage liquid fueled rocket sporting a massive cluster of 12 thrusters in her first stage, she can reach an altitude of 60 km and a velocity of 1000 m/s before her sizable 2nd stage kicks in, with 9 voluminous tanks and 3 engines, she can reach escape velocity with fuel to spare, if an even higher escape velocity is required her 3rd and final stage will kick in and deliver a final escape velocity of 7300 m/s on straight brute force escape trajectory. Regretably, attempts to improve the design have run into a stonewall, as 1st stage expansions cause insurmountable stability issues that prohibit the use of solid boosters. Youtube video of a Voyager - 8 superheavy flight test:

Don't remember of the top of my head but it was about 20-30 minutes

yes I've actualy modded my coupler so fuel tanks can be mounted directly on them but I don't use these modified crafts in challenges where modded parts are verbotten.

correct, after my retroburn I was on a highly elliptical orbit and luckily my perigee was in the atmosphere so I landed safely.

hmmm I'll share a tip with you to get some more oomph out of vanilla parts. I've attached a pic of the first stage on my most powerfull rocket. The trick is to take a triple stack and then attach radial decouplers evenly around it(maximum of 9 can be attached) now put a single SRB on every radial decoupler, now you can attach fuel tanks underneath the SRB's. Also this is an extremely stable desing, I often find myself noticing the deviation form horizontal only after 30 seconds after launch and engage SAS. I've also attache the .craft file for the rocket, feel free to modify it, but be warned that the staging is very complicated and tedious to reconfigure after changes.

everytime I see people mount SRB's on their top stage I die a little inside.

if you're going straight up the force that gravity has on you is the opposite of where you are thrusting, in essence there are two vectors and gravity is simply substracted from your acceleration. Now imagine that the angle is 90 degrees, since your acceleration is perpendicular to the force of gravity you will not lose acceleration because of it(quite the opposite actually).

it's very simple, the escape velocity of Kearth from the surface is around 3500 m/s as long as you are going atleast that fast, in any direction from Kearth, you will be on an escape trajectory, now about my flight profile. If I were to fly straight up for the entire flight I would be fighting Kearths gravity every kilometer of the way, by instead thrusting laterally once outside the atmosphere I can gain more velocity as I'm thrusting perpendicularly to the pull of gravity, and so I can save a ton of fuel. Bottom line, going straight up is the least optimal way of achieving escape velocity.

simple and small desings outperform wobbly doomstacks 9 times out 10.

well without seeing your builds it's hard to say what needs fixing. So I will just post my 'surefire' rocket that get's me to orbit 95% of the time. parachute --- command capsule --- decoupler --- SAS module --- fuel tank --- fuel tank --- liquid rocket --- decoupler --- SAS module --- tricoupler --- fuel tank fuel tank fuel tank fuel tank fuel tank fuel tank fuel tank fuel tank fuel tank engine engine engine first stage had 6 boosters on radial decouplers for use at launch.

parachute --- pod --- coupler --- fuel tank fuel tank fuel tank + 3 boosters on radials sure it's very demanding of the pilot but I can manage it 2 out 3 times now

I succesfully hauled the scientific payload to a Kerbala Departure Trajectory, now only time will tell if my single tank/engine combo can arrest my orbital velocity enough for safe re-entry. I will be posting a video along with the .craft file if I'm succesfull. [edit] got the guys back safely! Was a close thing I thought I might come down on the dark side. the .craft file for my ship, the third iteration that did the trick (requires the satcom mod from http://mod.gib.me/kerbal/mods/Dirty/commsat.zip) http://www./?f8wax0jx3ydd37b youtube video of launch and probe release:

http://mod.gib.me/kerbal/mods/Dirty/commsat.zip Also, I'm the guy in the other thread who managed to carry the thing to orbit(apogee 158, perigee 137 km) and landed safely. I must say getting it to escape velocity will be a grand challenge, one that I accept gladly in the name of advancing the science of all of Kerbal!!!