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Allocthonous

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  1. Allocthonous's post in Booster carrying capacity was marked as the answer   
    So the first thing you need to know here is what delta V is and how to calculate it. Delta V is the change in velocity that your rocket is capable of. So a rocket with 1000m/s delta V can go from 0m/s to 1000m/s in vacuum, or vice versa. It generally takes 4000m/s of delta V or so to reach orbit in stock KSP. More if your rocket is really draggy, or isn't accelerating fast enough.
    From the 'cheat sheet' page on the wiki:
    If it's not clear, Mstart in this equation is the mass of your rocket and payload when they're fully fueled. Mend is the mass when no fuel remains in the stage you are calculating delta V for. Isp can be found in the VAB description of each different engine. Keep in mind that engines perform differently at sea level and in vacuum, and the game will show you different values for those conditions. Generally a rough average of the two will suffice for quick and dirty calculations.
    Once you've done these calculations a few times, you'll start to notice what mass fraction (the quotient of starting mass divided by ending mass) will produce the numbers you want for different engines. This will let you make a pretty good guess about how much zoom your rocket has aboard without breaking out the calculator.
     
    Now, if you know exactly how much engine and fuel you are using to start with, and want to calculate the maximum possible payload you can get into orbit, you have to break out some algebra. It would look something like this:
    4000<ln(R1+x/R2+x)*9.81*isp where R1 and R2 are your start and end weights, and x is your max payload.
    For a swivel with the fuel and tankage you mention, that would look like this, assuming nothing but engine and fuel tanks on the rocket.
    So, about .7 tons worth of payload.
    Of course, you need to keep in mind that a swivel will have a hard time lifting 14.5 tons from sea level. It just doesn't have enough thrust. You'd probably need boosters on that one.
  2. Allocthonous's post in test vessel was marked as the answer   
    It wouldn't get you all the way to the surface, but the stock cheat commands (accessible by pressing alt+F12 or mod+F12) would let you set your orbit around eve straight from the launchpad. You'd still need your descent stage, but it's an option if you don't want to use mods.
  3. Allocthonous's post in Why doesn't my craft have working comms was marked as the answer   
    Relay antennas do work as normal antennas, but they don't combine with normal antennas for relay purposes. Your 88-88 antenna can get a signal to and from Kerbin, but it can't be used to relay signals from other craft. You're only relaying using the little RA-15, which just doesn't cut it.
    So your commnet visuals show the link from craft 2 to Kerbin with the 88-88, and they show the links between the local relays, but they aren't showing you that there's no relay connection from the local network to Kerbin.
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