mknote

Well, I added some wing strakes and it flies more stably now. Disabling the control surfaces is not advisable though. I've also removed the RAPIERS to better simulate the actual space shuttle. Dunno if it lands from space well yet, but I got it to land at a reasonable speed and it's a lot more controllable, so I think I'm good. Thanks for the help!

Here is the shuttle itself: Space Shuttle Concept 7.craft And here's the launcher stack I'm using to go to space: Space Shuttle Stack NEW.craft The launcher is pretty overpowered, but it gets the shuttle into space easily. The main booster is meant to be recovered, which I was able to do without issue. The problem again is landing the shuttle itself. It has difficulty landing on the runway it seems, and any maneuvers in the atmosphere causes it to decide that it doesn't like being in one piece any longer. I haven't messed around with any screenshots yet, but it's pretty standard stuff, which makes its refusal to work all the more perplexing.

I'm trying to design my own space shuttle, an endeavor that is quite frustrating right now. It seems that even the slightest breeze will cause the thing to fall to pieces, and it can't seem to maneuver at all in the atmosphere. I can probably get the thing to orbit pretty easily using my heavy lifter, but if I can't land the damn thing, what's the point? I'm at a loss as to how others have managed to produce a working shuttle using these parts. I've attached my latest conceptual design in hopes that somebody can help me understand where I'm going so wrong. Space Shuttle Concept

Actually, there is a further complication that nobody has pointed out: as you burn fuel, the mass of the aircraft will decrease, causing the velocity to increase over time. Without manual input, this will throw out the balance and the aircraft will try to climb out of the atmosphere.

And, you know, Minecraft. I've heard that that game has done rather well.

Yay, more devnotes! Just as I was reading the last ones!

Mr. Scott Manley?

Congrats Squad! You guys deserve it!

They never said this. On topic, it seems the OP was trying to imply that being like Minecraft is... a bad thing? It's one of the better games to come out recently, and it's getting better with each update! How can that be a bad thing? So the poll is missing an option: KSP is becoming more like Minecraft, and that's a good thing.

Okay, let's answer this thing. Let me preface this by saying that I'm about a semester away from getting my Master's degree in physics with a focus on astronomy and astrophysics, so while I may not be an expert, I'm probably more knowledgeable than the lay person. Now, it is my belief that Laythe is most certainly habitable. I see two main points being brought up against this supposition, which I'll refute in turn: Temperature: There's no reason to suggest that Laythe has a particularly low temperature. Assuming that it were in real life (i.e. 11 times larger, more massive, more distant from the star, etc.), it would be a Venus- to Earth-sized world in orbit of a Jupiter-like planet, and be in a 1:2:4 resonance as it is in game. This means enormous tidal heating, leading to a very high level of volcanic activity and out-gassing. Just look at Io. Unlike Io, however, Laythe has an atmosphere to trap heat produced by geological (laythalogical?) activity, and the atmosphere and (more importantly) huge ocean would effectively transport the heat around the moon, producing a fairly consistent temperature. It's quite conceivable that this temperature could be above the freezing point of water. Thus, it is quite likely that Laythe has a chilly but hardly freezing average surface temperature, despite the distance from its parent star. This higher-than-expected temperature would be the result of tidal heating generated by the Laplace resonance combined with the efficient transfer of heat by the atmosphere and ocean. Radiation: This is a non-issue. Again assuming a Venus- to Earth-sized world, and combined with the tidal heating and quick rotation (compared to Venus, at least), Laythe almost certainly has a magnetic field comparable in strength to the Earth's. After all, Ganymede has a magnetic field despite being only half the mass of Mercury, so Laythe must almost surely have a strong magnetic field (as should Tylo and, less certainly, Vall). This magnetic field would shield most of Laythe from Jool's radiation belts, although the polar regions might be significantly more hostile because of it. However, even if Laythe has no magnetic field, its atmosphere would still adequately shield Laythe's surface from the Joolian radiation belts. Being in orbit of Laythe might be deadly, but on the surface you'd hardly be able to detect the radiation. By the by, the combination of a magnetic field and the atmosphere would produce absolutely spectacular and constant aurorae, which would be a great feature to add in closer to the official release. So, in conclusion, it's this humble physics student's opinion that Laythe is most certainly habitable, albeit a bit cooler than we're comfortable with. The presence of oxygen in the atmosphere further indicates that life already exists on the moon, as there simply isn't another known process that could account for its presence in the atmosphere.

It's been in the game as long as EVAs have been. It also only works in higher gravity.

How on earth is redone aerodynamics a "neat feature" and not something that constitutes scope completion?

Seriously... when are they going to work on aerodynamics? That's the thing I'm looking forward to... And don't tell me to use FAR! I don't like using mods. TBH, Career mode (and multiplayer) don't hold much interest for me, but I'll allow that I'm in the minority. Still...

...wat. When did they stop working on career mode? It's still top priority! There's arguing and then there's misinformation. A poll created less than 24 hours ago in a time of high emotions is not indicative of general sentiment. I think the poll is therefore inconclusive based on when it was made, and I would generally believe the sentiment I have witnessed over the not quite 2 years I've been here than a spur of the moment poll. I agree with sal_verger: multiplayer has been a request as long as I've been here, and while I couldn't care less about it, if implemented properly it can be a good thing.

Excuse me. I stated that people needed to stop being rude. This is rude. If you'd care to rephrase it, I'll consider your words more carefully. Until then, however, I hold your opinion in low esteem.