capi3101

I didn't explain what I needed very well...sorry. Lemme try again:

Sure, why not? I'm debating the merits of putting modded ships into their own leaderboards anyway; I could just add a category for K-drives too.

I imagine a lot of us are posting up our first successful spaceplane designs...which were generally focused on the notion of "get it into orbit". That seems to have been the point of the Aeris 4a (except for the fact that it generally sucks). Just my opinion.

Oh good. I was wanting to make a minor tweak to the Auk...

How much memory do you have? Myself, I'm running on a 2.9 GHz Athlon II Dual Core, but with only a GeForce 630a and a mere 2 GB of RAM. Game runs okay with about a dozen mods going - the lag DOES get annoying with ships much above 400 parts. And yes, I'm running with reduced graphics settings, but apparently not the lowest.

Shouldn't be necessary since it looks like the craft is on an escape trajectory...just pop open the info tab, take a screenie, and post it.

Cyberklad; I can't verify your entry. You got the first two submission guidelines down but there's crucial information you're missing on the last one: A screenshot of the map view showing your Situation as ESCAPING and your Sphere of Influence as SUN. Aside from verifying that you've completed the challenge, it also shows your final number of parts (verifying that nothing broke off during the flight) and your final mass (used to score ties if necessary). I will go ahead and add a provisional score of 266 points for your entry (you have a math error - you forgot to list the Standard Control Surfaces, five points each).

Okay...I have an entry. Your rules are a touch on the vague side, but I think I've got them followed... Alright - so here's my score: Leg 1: 735s + (735 * .002639) = 737s (I'm assuming the eccentricity should be rounded upwards) Leg 2: 574s, with no bonuses for points of interest. Total Time: 1,311 seconds (21 minutes, 51 seconds) Class A I suppose...I did use KER for flight information and KAC to help set nodes but that was it mod-wise; could I make this entry for Class B?

Getting there slowly but surely...my SPH entry made Kerbin orbit (finally) with about ~4,900 m/s of delta-V left for the Kerbol Escape burn. I find I'm now missing one crucial piece of information necessary to complete my own damn challenge....

My son (the one who suggested new planets for the Kerbol system a few months ago) had a severe asthma attack and spent most of yesterday in the hospital. We got home late, enough for me to make yet another attempt at a Kerbol escape (got the craft in Kerbin orbit with ~4900 m/s to spare finally) and to perform an entry for a speed challenge.

Here I come to link Temstar and his basic principles for good asparagus. Without looking at your craft file, answer me this: have you tried to feed some of your asparagus fuel lines through the "gap" in the Hydraulic Manifolds? If so, there's your issue - that "gap" doesn't exist and the Manifold itself doesn't allow fuel flow. Had this problem myself with the early Storax Anacostia mission (only diff there was the design was onion instead of asparagus, but that's what the issue turned out to be).

I was going to say that's definitely a minimalist craft, and I was enthused right up until I got to the end of the imgur album...

Looks like I'm first. May I present the Auk-Ia for everyone's consideration: Here's the craft file The Auk Ia is a very basic SSTO spaceplane orbiter, designed to transport one Kerbal to orbit and back again. It swaps out the Aeris's two turbojet/one nuclear rocket design for a single turbojet and a pair of 48-7S engines, which are adequate enough to propel the craft into a final high apoapsis. Airflow is handled through two Ram Intakes and a quad of Radial Intakes; the Rams are set to be permanently open, while the Radials may be toggled via action group. Safe full throttle ceiling for the jet is approximately 27,000 meters. The design incorporates a probe core, so it can be flown robotically at the discretion of the user. It also incorporates an emergency escape system tied into the standard abort hotkey and button, which will eject the command pod. A Mk16 chute can then be deployed via action group. Approximate takeoff mass is around 11 tonnes. Takeoff speed is approximately 80 m/s. She's not a perfect design by any means, but as the pictures prove, she can definitely make orbit. The design is very basic; there's no parts-clipping involved whatsoever and it isn't designed to do much besides go up and come back down. She holds her trim well without having to constantly hold down the pitch. A beginner could approach this craft and readily see how it's supposed to work. Modifying it to perform other tasks or try out different combinations of parts (such as swapping out the smaller rockets for, say, Aerospikes) can be done relatively easily without affecting too much of the design's basic characteristics. Finally, the eject system may appeal to beginners to spaceplanes, as they know that if anything goes terribly wrong they can just pop the pod and get their Kerbal back (or simply not fly with one to begin with). Action group key breakdown - jet toggle #1, rockets toggle #2, radial intakes toggle #3, abort on backspace, chute deployment on #0.

I meant KER. I use TAC Fuel Balancer too but the design I have in question has made it into orbit before without it. The other mods I typically use don't affect flight to orbit at all. In any case, the craft I've got in mind should qualify and I'll be entering my design as soon as I can, probably on towards 03Z tonight. Meantime I can at least set myself up to vote.

Let me ask this question: are we redesigning the Aeris 4A, or is the point to build a spaceplane that's kinda like it except much better? If it's the second, I have a ready entry... EDIT: Ne'er mind; re-read the submission guidlines. So let me ask this question then: "You craft MUST NOT use any mods - 100% stock". Is that in regards to flying it, or building it? Not a problem either way, it's just that I use a fair number of piloting assistance mods.

There's an RCS tank on the transfer stage...though come to think of it, I do only see one block in the screenie above. Probably two there total. Aligned with the center of mass too...what's the steering like on that transfer stage? Do you have enough with whatever probe core you're using on it? Maneuvering twelve-ish tonnes on two RCS thusters - there's an exercise in patience...

This one says 2270 down and 2270 back up. To my knowledge, this is the most up to date version of the KSP delta-V map out there. Surface gravity is 7.85 m/s2 according to the wiki, about 80% that of Kerbin's. A lander that can launch off of Kerbin should be capable of performing the mission.

Gotcha; that's what I get for not looking more closely.

Alright, that's fine; I'll keep your provisional score up there anyway unless/until you make another entry. Myself, I need to get to truckin' on this challenge...

That is definitely a no-frills craft you've got there, Alchemist... Your entry is verified with 10 parts on the pad and 10 parts on a Kerbolar Escape, 37 points with 7.8 tonnes final mass. And we have a new leader!!

...as soon as you light that nuke the whole thing's going to go spinning about, you know. I don't mean to criticize your design, but... unless they're not docked already. If that's the case, just ignore me. In any event - once you get within ~50 meters or so, are you right clicking on the target docking port on the other vessel, and setting that explicit part as your target? I'd be remiss not to at least mention NavyFish's Docking Alignment Indicator mod, if you're into mods. Otherwise, you'll have to: 1) Switch the the transfer stage 2) Set its docking port as your control point (right click on the docking port and select "Control from Here") 3) Pan over to the lander and target it 4) Turn to put the navball-v on the pink meatball indicator. Do not use RCS if you can at all help it. 5) Turn on SAS 6) Switch back to the lander 7) Set the control point on the lander's docking port 8) Pan over to the transfer stage and specifically target its docking port. (right click the transfer stage's docking port and select "Set as Target") 9) Steer to put the navball-v on the pink meatball. Again, don't use RCS to turn. 10) Use RCS to thrust ahead. Stop when you get to 50 meters and do this whole procedure again. Do it again at 20 meters. Then at 10. Then at 5 if necessary.

If you've got an automated rover built in the VAB and the main control piece (a probe core, obviously) is pointed straight up when you get on the launchpad, it'll be pointed straight up on the navball when you're trying to drive it around. Shortened form: Streetwind, enki and Kasuha are 100% correct. KER's Surface readout includes Latitude and Longitude readings; that may be of some use to you if you're trying to control a rover that's already deployed. If you can't use your navball, you can use the readout to get a general sense of which direction you're headed (e.g. if your latitude reading is increasing and your longitude is staying relatively steady, chances are you're headed north).

Built a challange (okay, refined a crummier challenge) and then attempted to build a 16-tonne spaceplane capable of completing it. Ran out of gas at 27,000 and 1700 m/s - still trying to figure out why that happened, all the numbers said it should've made it. I'm thinking I've got to be doing something wrong during the ascent.

I've come to the firm conclusion that I genuinely hate spaceplanes. Should probably say that in the context of "I was making an attempt at an SPH proof of concept." Dozen explosions before the thing takes off, another half dozen before it finally takes off well, and then I run out of gas for the jets. I know you're supposed to be able to make orbit on one jet fuel tank per engine - so I know I'm probably doing it wrong. Updated Bobnova's score for the 3.86 tonne final mass; still need the craft file to make it official.

...yeah, I agree with MoonMan22: you've probably got a little too much thrust there for your payload. I recommend you read through [http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/28248-Is-asparagus-the-best-staging-system-%28might-contain-science%29?p=346702&viewfull=1#post346702]Temstar's Guidelines for good asparagus. And if you don't want to redesign your booster, at least throttle back so that the gee meter stays in the green zone (especially when you're still in the soup below 10k).