chemieglennie

Thanks for the quick replies as always. Ship (in Kerbin orbit) is only 91 parts in total. I've used the new version of mapsat for mun and minmus without any problems. I really like that the new version let's you zoom in. I always make sure scanning is off until I get where I'm going. I had that problem with the old version. Looks like mapsat is the likely culprit. I'll launch the same ship with just 1 mapsat when I get time later to see if it stops. May have to rethink my mission....

I'm sending 5 probes to Jool as part of one ship. They'll separate when they get there to map the moons. However I have developed some lag. Every 10 seconds I get a 1 second pause. I thought it might stop once I got into orbit but it hasn't. I've tried clearing the debris and turning down the graphics settings but this hasn't helped. I've never had a problem before. Is there a problem with having 5 of Kerbal engineer and/or 5 ISA Mapsats on one ship?

Use the delta v map and work backwards. Build a lander that has enough delta v to get back from where you're going. Then add on an interplanetary stage that will get the lander from a Kerbin orbit to your destination. Then build the big stage to get that into orbit around Kerbin. (Also allow a decent margin of error) I've done missions like this to Moho, Laythe and Eeloo. The lander and IP stage should use nuclear engines, unless you land somewhere big and need more thrust, like Laythe. I just sent the 3 man capsule to Eeloo and back. It had 2 nuclear engines on the lander and another 2 on the IP stage. All 4 fired during IP manoeuvres with fuel lines to the lander to keep it full. Let me know if you still have problems and I'll post some pics.

I've been using the new wheels on two new rovers without a problem. I've started stabilising my rovers by adding lots of the OKTO2 probe cores (about 25 on my medium size rover). Can you post a picture?

Hold down alt then click on the bit ypu want to copy. You can still change the symmetry by pressing x after you've selected it.

The other thing to think about is that you'll probably land on water, so don't make a tall thin lander like I did the first time! It just falls over. My second version looked like this, I used the nuclear engine as the return part to get back to Kerbin. It has plenty of dv to get back. The six little engines (909s?) are asparagus staged to give it enough thrust for take off. My full mission log is here, http://imgur.com/a/rhEUS

I did this visiting Laythe. Aerobraking should save about 2500dv. You might want some of that to raise your Pe after your aerobraking though, so I would use 2000dv saving in your design to be on the safe side. I did it at 120Km, which I think would have taken 2 orbits but I got a lucky encounter for Laythe so went straight in (you can aerobrake there too). Best to aim too high (do another orbit) than too low (fiery death). Quick save and try a few different heights.

I've had loads of trouble with my rovers becoming unstable at higher speeds. I made my new rover compact and fairly light using the new wheels and added extra probe cores. It has 6 of the OKTO2 ones and now stays much flatter and smoother over bumps. Also has asas. It's best to test then on Kerbin. Go over some of the bumps there at full speed and see how it reacts.

That's great. Sounds easier than I thought it would be. I've installed the same mods again (I've only got 3) so hopefully it will be fine. Thanks for the quick replies.

Does anyne have a full list of the files I need to transfer to keep my game in the same state after updating. I was happy to start fresh with 0.20, but with 2 more recent updates I would rather transfer my game over. My first version was 0.19 so I'm new to the updating thing. Thanks

Also couldn't live without Kerbal Engineer Redux. Other 2 mods I have are ISA Mapsat and protractor (don't use it to fly blind, but let's me know when to launch).

This is my Laythe lander about to land. 1 nuclear engine in centre with 6 asparagus staged 909s for the extra thrust to get to orbit.

I agree with the top heavy thing. I've changed the general design of my ships so the interplanetary/transfer stage is built to the side of the lander rather than underneath making it all more compact. Often consists of two of the big grey tanks with nuclear engines. Also use loads of struts down to the bulky stage.

Thanks. Other moons I've visited I just used a nuclear engine for max dv. Laythe gravity is quite high though so you need some extra thrust for liftoff. Plus the wide arrangement let me land on water. My first lander was tall and narrow and fell over.

Finally managed to get Laythe and, more importantly, back again. Did a Imgur mission log here, http://imgur.com/a/rhEUS Built a lander with 10,000dv for the return journey from Laythe surface. Plus IP stage with 6,000dv. Managed it with some serious aerobraking

Didn't think to rotate it 90°. I guess I could just select the command pod and rotate the whole thing. Overheating wasn't a problem because I had excess thrust. I'll have to modify the design to lift something bigger though. This lander got to Laythe and back. Next mission is Moho.

I'm not sure why this ship is so stable. The hours I've wasted making neat asparagus staging only to get wobbles, spirals and instability. I did this in about 20 minutes after modifying my lander. No winglets, no RCS and it's the most stable ship I've ever flown into obrbit. It lifted almost 80Mg. (This is the first time I've inserted an image. Hope it works.) The gimbals are enough for all steering to get into orbit. Also because it's an open design I had no problems with spent stages bumping into anything else. I think all my launchers will now be based on this design.

I seem to remember reading that there was a mod that allowed you to make multiple saves, but can't find any trace of it. Does anyone have a link? Just wasted a number of hours after quicksaving, not realising something bad had happened. Thanks

Thanks for all the quick replies. Looks like I can get away with a smaller lander which should make things easier all the way down my ship. I'll update my progress when I get chance. Will probably come down to a few good manoeuvres. Quick save/load should let me experiment a bit.

I've been trying to design a manned land and return mission to Laythe. I think I need 10,000 dv in my lander to get from Laythe surface back to Kerbin. Plus another 7,000 dv to get from Kerbin orbit to Laythe. I calculated this from the delta v chart I've seen on this forum. Is this correct? The chart doesn't account for aerobraking. How much can I save by aerobraking at Jool and Laythe? Also what are the optimal heights for aerobraking? I want to get my figures sorted before I redesign my lander. Thanks

Thanks for very quick reply. Just realised I didn't specify a manned mission, which lands if possible. Isn't Eve the most difficult due to getting back into orbit in thick atmosphere and high gravity? Will have a go at Ike and Gilly tomorrow.

Does anyone know a rough order of difficulty for visiting all of the celestial bodies in KSP. I want to do a manned return mission to each. I guess it will start with the ones I've done so far, 1. Mun 2. Minmus 3. Duna And end with (hopefully) Eve Any thoughts?

First time post. Hello everyone. I recently installed the Mapsat mod and wanted to investigate some anomalies on the Mun. I tried a lander and rover combo. Landed near an anomaly and tried to drive there in the rover. The main problem is it still takes forever to drive there. I then went to fast and flipped out. My new plan is to attach big wheels to the lander and drive that over. Maybe the extra weight will make it more stable. Failing this I may try and make a flying rover, but I've found these impossible to control in Kerbin tests. Also might try a mod for better wheels but don't know which Am I missing anything? What's the best way to get around quickly? Thanks