Jestersage

I have a prototype ship for a Manned Venus Flyby mission. However, According to the calculator, it stated my departure day is Year 2, day 160! Are there better way to head to Eve, or should I fast forward? Also, how do I fast forward to go from Y1D1 to Y2D160 without overshooting it? (It's a dedicated sandbox for testing this prototype)

So assuming the flyby take place at about 9000km, and I deploy the droppods, I should probably do 3 burns -- one to lower PE, then the AP, and then a final atmospheric burn?

Yeah, making it cone shape does not help, since it seems like it's the fairing BASE that exploded.. Will have to figure out a way to drop the rover while it's on the flyby (hence the high AP, low PE). either that or flip it around? Not sure. Can someone tell me what's the typical distance for Eve flyby? Just testing out the rovers before I send Jeb and Bob and Val.

It's just a basic cylinder fairing. and a heatshield. The rover doesn't explode until the fairing goes. I will have to check the mass -- not off the top of my head. What happened is that the fairing overheat, exploded.... then everything within exploded. No idea about the science mumbo-jumbo. All I know is: 9000km with Cheat-Edit, deorbit by thrusters to a PE of 12k, let it ride like a cowboy. Exploded when within Eve atmosphere. But now that you mentioned it, I think I need to make it Cone-shaped, since right now it was just a perfect cylinder.

For my AAP Eve flyby, I need to make 2 rovers. The problem is actually dropping them into Eve. The drop pod consist of a 1.5m fairing, pure cylinder (no flare out), with one end protected by the 1.5m heat shield. From a 9000k, My drop pod de orbit to 15k. It keep exploding. Am I doing it wrong?

When you say "Eve mission architecture", are you going to do the Manned Venus Flyby with Apollo? I am trying to use your EV-2A + Titan 5 as a starting point to make a Eve flyby craft, mounting 2x one-way landing rovers. Haven't tested it yet since I have never gone beyond Minmus. Also, you do not have Titan-5 as a separate download.

Spaceplane is best when entering from a 70k x 70k orbit, make PE at 20K with the belly. Also one of the reason I dislike the standard SSTO answer, because the flight time greatly increases. If you want to enter direct (thus, the part WILL get hot), you have to stick with capsule. There is a reason why NASA picked a capsules design instead of Lockheed's Winged CEV. IRL, Space shuttle can only fly in LKO, and even with its heatshield require S-turns and pitch up to 40 degrees to enter.

While I am trying to make the Mercury clone (Godspeed John Glenn), I couldn't help but to wonder: if it's possible to replace the small nose clone for the LES with Cubic Octagonal Strut, and how it would affect the drag of the overall ship. Would someone please explain whether I should do so?

Question: Did you guys disabled the reaction wheel?

First, learn to fly using the Dove . You basically fly it at 10 degree, until you reach the AP of about 75k, then circularize Then, add group commands to Aeris 4a, then fly with a similar flight path. Lastly, Grab the Steerwing D45 from either one of your old backup, or from KerbalX, either this one or this one, then modify it to do SSTO. If you can figure out how, you basically did the SSTO most people do effectively. All that is left is replace the space thrusters with a NERV and you can go to Minmus. Mk3 is tough no matter what. You will be lucky to get it to LKO if you can't fly properly. You also need to max out your SPH/VAB no matter what.

Was doing this before you issue the challenge. Good choice by the way. Is using the 2.5m parts better, or the 1.5m parts better for the atlas for realistic purpose? I keep having issue with launching my capsule... and some people say the diameter used for Titan is close to the Atlas. Edit: Added album. Hope that is enough. If not I will redo the challenge as needed. http://imgur.com/a/KG4Ri AP: 159285 Mass: 17.798t Scoring:8.949601 Though lower score than tg626, I am more happy with my design in terms of progression and tech level. Special thanks to raptor9 for the EV-1 design. I took his original designs, remove the service module, and added the solid retro rocket. EDIT: an idea is to factor in the cost of the craft. (Ap / tonnage / cost) * 100

On KSC or in orbit.

Your reloaded craft links does not work, since it was attempting to find the files in MY dropbox (obviously I do not have Kerbalcraft folder in mine)

I see. I personally prefer Transporting and contract completion. Anyway, I would like to know how you create those nice posters. I think earlier you mentioned using one of the branch of Kronal viewer; but what else did you use, such as the isometric view and the text of your poster? I think it's one of the main selling point of your crafts, aside from being efficient (eg: instead of the common 2-orange tank delta clone that is too heavy, you just go with one for your Thunder) And yes, I want to create something similar for the crafts I had designed and upload to KerbalX. I may even need to reference some of your designs!

Question: How do you do the tourist contracts?I still remembered the time when I have to carry 8 tourist to Mun and land them. Anyway, do you have the rough draft/old file of that Big Gemini?

For those that complained about those... http://www.astronautix.com/s/spiral50-50.html <- Done at Mach 5! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAKS_(spacecraft)

AeroGav, please post the link to the two stock d45 on KerbalX (and are there any difference between them?). Side note: what is the original performance?

No, it's not a question of "How to make it into SSTO", because the answer is "replace the Mk-2 cockpit with an inline, at least one shockcone, and the converter; fly 10 degree above horizon until desired AP" My question is (aside from why stock didn't just do that) more on the various configuration, namely, the droptank. For some reason, I found it the most efficient if I stick with the 1.0.5 jet fuel drop tank, instead of the 8 tordial droptank or equivalent length of oscar. Also, is it confirm that the Mk2 to 1x2.5 coupler will have less drag than the 2x?

Oh, I got that a long time ago. Actually it is able to go to Mun if I use the standard configuration, which just comes with a lab module with the RTG, thermal, and solar panels (hence the lack of electrical generator). I am doing the orange tank version just to confirm that it is a good and useful SSTO design. Mk1 and Mk2 are easy to make (unless we are talking about Duna, but I can't even fly to Duna on standard rockets yet). A useful Mk3 is a different story.

I guess it's going to suck no matter what. The alternative will be similar to the "platypus lifter b" that you mod recently.

CG issue is definitely with ramp, right? Even if I go with rear ramp, the engine will still be problematic...

Thank you for solving it. To be honest, this is just a demo model. The actual model is one that have only a lab and science stuff, and a rover, which naturally makes it much lighter and easier to fly... but I guess that's what most orange-tank SSTOs are: demo models.

So that was my craft file without modification? Just need to solve it by flying well? Anyway, I will remove the extra radial intakes and figure out how to fly the thing...

He's coming from mun right? I mean the airbraking you do when you enter Duna SoI, not the use of actual airbrake.

Think he can do airbrake at 55k? And will that work with Mk-1 parts?