mkn

Hmm, sorry about that--I'm on a mac as well, and it seems to work when I download and re import it from here. Has anyone else had this problem? Are you on version .16? I'll upload the new version with LV tonight.

This is something I've just started playing around with--I still need to design a launch vehicle, but the lander works great. It's a support rover based on the liltrax mod, here: http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/showthread.php/8652-PLUGIN-PART-0-16-Bigtrak-KSP-Edition-v-30-Liltrak?highlight=bigtrak I'm working with the older cart mod (1.33)--I don't know if everything works ok with 1.34 yet. http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/showthread.php/7854-PLUGIN-PART-0-16-Carts-v1-34-Cruise-Control-Compatibility-and-More It can also store and pump kethane (though it doesn't have a mining drill). The Kethane mod is here: http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/showthread.php/13692-Mechanical-Mouse-Industries-Kethane-Payload-Packs-Released I made it to refuel stranded landers and shuttle crew around a Kethane mining/arch research base which is still in progress. I wasn't exactly planning to build a Curiosity style lander, but that's how it ended up. I've only tested it on Kerbin, but it takes off and lands easily. If you remove the Kethane tanks, you can just drive out from between the landing engines, but if you want to keep them, here's how you get out from under the landing module: 1. Land normally with some fuel left over--you'll need it to eject the landing stage. I use Mechjeb for precision landings when I'm building bases, but it's not included here. 2. Bring thrust to zero and turn off SAS. 3. DO NOT decouple the rover stage yet. Slowly power up the engines until you're just about to take off. 4. Decouple the rover stage. The landing engines should take the lander up and away from the rover and any nearby vehicles. .craft attached. Have fun!

So here's my take on an interplanetary exploration vehicle--I call it, lamely, the X-4, since X 1-3 had a tendency to juuuuust miss making their orbits at launch. Necessary mods are below--but first, the pics! , , , ,Mechanical Mouse: http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/showthread.php/13692-0-16-Mechanical-Mouse-Industries?highlight=mechanical+mouse Mechjeb: http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/showthread.php/12384-PLUGIN-PART-0-16-Anatid-Robotics-MuMech-MechJeb-Autopilot-v1-9 Powertech: http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/showthread.php/9034-Collection-0-15-0-16-PowerTech-v0-2-6 -Make sure to grab the Powertech-Mumech adapter plugin. Note--my version also has the aviation lights plugin-- http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/showthread.php/16925-PLUGIN-PART-0-16-Aviation-Lights-v1-0?highlight=aviation+lights --but it's not necessary to run the attached craft file. I *believe* these are all the mods that I used, let me know if anything is broken. The launch vehicle is compact, and handles nicely. I just turn on ASAS and let 'er rip. Incline to 45 degrees as you leave the atmosphere and you should reach a stable orbit and still have almost full tanks in the final liquid rocket stage--staging is set up so you can fire them in tandem with the ion engines, so you should easily reach escape velocity. You do have to use those liquid fuel stages wisely--the ion engines may not stabilize your orbit in time. You can bring space junk to zero by decoupling the final booster stage just before reaching escape velocity, and then boost the rest of the way on the ion engines. The funnest part for me is the 3 RCS landers--plug in any hardware you can carry, and you can customize it for just about any mission. The main drawback is that you can't drop probes at multiple targets--with only one or two on board, you'll go tumbling through space. Landing the X-4 itself isn't recommended... but that never stopped a kerbal. Also--please post any modifications to the design in this thread--I've got a few vehicles based on this design, and I'd like some new ideas.

I'm using these to mark the top and bottom of ships with pod-type command modules. Works great!

Dear Everybody: I am now watching the fuel meter on my MMI batteries slowly tick up, and feeling a bit silly--this was actually the first set of solar panels I've downloaded since upgrading to .16. Very cool--and thanks for the help--I'll post some stuff in the ship exchange in gratitude!

Hmm... I've got two energy plugins (Electrical Energy and Powertech), and an adapter plugin from Powertech running right now, with parts from at least three or four modders, and I can't seem to do anything useful with the solar panels from any of them--I think I've tried pretty much every combination of battery, solar panel, and engine that makes sense. I do have ion engines to run off battery power with parts from Powertech, Electrical Energy, and Mechanical Mouse, but recharging the batteries eludes me. Is anyone actually running a solar electric system on a ship design right now? If so, I'd appreciate an outline of whatever mods you're using. It's possible I've just gotten too complicated--maybe there is a simpler solution out there. If not, I can wait til it shows up in a future update.

Hey all, this is my first post, but I've been playing and lurking the forum for a few months. I've found lots of mods with ion engines, batteries, and solar panels--the panels have a meter for 'power generation', so they don't seem to be just decoration. I'm wondering if there is a mod, or combination of mods, that will allow the solar panels to recharge the batteries, so I can build long range, multipurpose spaceships. I've searched the forum, and I've found posts that seem to say this is impossible in the current version of the game--as well as posts that seem to imply people are already doing this. I know I can edit the part files for infinite fuel and so forth, but I like the challenge of balancing engines and components. If this is impossible, I'd still like to know for sure. Thanks!