hittingsnooze

Using the advice from this thread, I've shaved about 137 tons off of my total launch mass, and I'm still able to reliably get to Jool and orbit a moon of my choosing. Thanks for the help!

Excellent! Thanks! Do you have any experiences with asparagus staging you could share, or perhaps an alternative to consider?

Just to be certain, do you compare the dry mass of the engine to the total mass of the fuel tank(s) to calculate the the payload fraction?

So it looks like my TWR is a little high then, especially when the LV - T30s kick in. Once I get the lifting stages tweaked, I'm planning on changing around the upper stages for different missions (landers, probes, etc.) while keeping the lifter the same.

Here's some photos. Thanks for the responses so far! Excellent information. http://imgur.com/a/2JsWy#0

Hello all! I started playing with KSP back when the only other celestial body you could land on was the Mun. Due to work, my time playing the game has been relegated to 30 minute sessions here and there. So far I've been able to set foot on the Mun and Duna several times; and orbit Jool and three of its moons. My most successful designs have been lightweight probes attached to very heavy lifting vehicles. Because of this, I'd like to work on my design efficiency. My most recent project has been experimenting with asparagus staging for deep space exploration. I'd attach the craft file or photos, but my account unfortunately can't do that yet. Here are the stats on my latest craft: Total Mass: 276.01 Tons Surface TWR: 2.22 Delta V and time in vacuum by stage: 13: 772 m/s; 31 s - Eight RT 10 boosters, eight Rockomax boosters, and One Mainsail 11: 574 m/s; 19 s - The remaining fuel from the Rockomax boosers, the single Mainsail, and the addition of eight LV - T30 liquid engines 9: 234 m/s; 12 s - The eight boosters and first two LV - T30s fall away. Now flying with one Mainsail and 6 LV - T30s 8: 571 m/s; 29 s - One Mainsail and 4 LV - T30s 7: 715 m/s; 34 s - One Mainsail and 2 LV - T30s 6: 2325 m/s; 86 s - One Mainsail engine 4: 4156 m/s; 5:13 - One LV 909 Liquid engine 2: One LV - N atomic motor So the questions are: What is considered a good surface thrust to weight ratio? What is a good delta V for the atmospheric stages during a launch? Is there anything glaring that sticks out in these stats? I'd welcome any constructive advice on how to create a more efficient lifter. Thank you!

The three dots on the right side of the signal could represent the three inner planets. The three white dots align with what appears to be a rendering of Duna, the 4th planet. No idea what the rest of the image represents though. Where on Duna was the signal found?

"I'm sorry Jeb. I'm afraid I can't do that."

I really like your design for the interplanetary ship, Oggula. Since the part balance in 0.16 I've had to start learning how to stage properly. All of my designs so far have either been very inefficient or incredibly unstable. The staging and fuel lines on your lower stage taught me quite a bit. Thanks for posting it!

Hello all! I joined the KSP forums back in March, and I think I've lurked long enough. I've thoroughly enjoyed building and launching different designs to the mun, to minmus, and beyond. It's been a fun learning process, and I can't wait for more! My current project is designing a stable ship large enough for interplanetary travel using stock parts for when 0.17 hits. I think I'm getting close, but I'd love some input or tips on staging with the new engine balances in 0.16. Thanks!