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Cupcake did influence the little VTOL. It's balanced compact design! Funny thing is I had been building diamond shaped craft forever, but never thought of it as VTOL platform until I played with his. I'm working on another SSTO. Best yet, IMO. I'll post a link when it's done.

Two crafts I'm making to pass the time at work. I may still tweak them before the day is over. As always, VTOL is much easier to fly with a joystick. Air-hogging "Less wings more powah!" SSTO has a fuel routing issue on the top tanks thanks to excess part clipping, hence the name. VTOL: https://www.dropbox.com/s/efbrv2dq8rsjkop/KRICKET.craft SSTO: https://www.dropbox.com/s/awq2vv7yeycs4uq/KLIPPER.craft

It wouldn't be so bad, and I could almost deal with it, were it not for the rolling that gets induced with every input.

If I was building standard rockets, I could deal with this. However, I like to build a lot of style into my designs and the occasional slight asymmetrical craft. Getting them into orbit went from difficult to now near impossible, and they WILL NOT hold a heading in space anymore.

It's At 334k. I'm Stil Playing With The Altitude Placement Of The Stations, But It Looks Cool For Pictures!

One of my four "Watch Tower" stations orbiting Jool as the first line of defense for my Laythe Colony. Each houses Kerbals and docks two Heavy Interceptors (The other one is en-route). It is equipped with ION propulsion for station keeping and the detachable housing quarters has it's own propulsion and guidance system should the station need to be abandoned.

I just have structural beams with ports sticking out the side of it. Very easy to attach new ones with each launch. And I was wrong, MechJeb puts it over 9000dv with 8 slim drop tanks equipped.

Also, my cruiser has DV of around 8200, but I also have undockable tanks tanks on the sides that I drop after I burn out of Kerbin's influence.

Sir, that ship is freaking GORGEOUS!

If we're going for realism. I have an observation... So clearly there is a potential threat to the colony, hence the presence of combat capable ships. Keeping the entire fleet around Laythe is, in my opinion, inefficient. It's also essentially waiting for the enemy at your doorstep. Not good tactics. The majority of a hostile fleet entering the Joolian system, especially heavier ships with a low TWR, will burn for capture by Jool's influence, and burn mid-swing for a Laythe capture. This is where they would most vulnerable. At the speeds encountered during transfer a very slight change in trajectory, or interruption during a burn, would be enough to miss Laythe capture, launch them entirely out of the Joolian system, or bury them in Jool's atmosphere during aerobraking. As the cruisers we have deployed are not highly maneuverable, I propose two small detachments of light interceptors with a high TWR capable of a "fly-by" be stationed opposite each other in Jool's orbit, possibly accompanied a small supply station with living quarters. They do not need to be heavily armed, nor do they need to outright destroy a heavy ship. They just need to be capable of knocking it off course or breaking a few parts off to destabilize it during aerobraking maneuvers. Anything that still manages to secure a Laythe intercept will be a little "softer" and traveling slow enough for the frigates with their high dollar smart missiles to cut off.

I HATE the fairing on the LV-N's. It makes launching some of my ships with clusters of nukes rather difficult.

And What Is The Point To This? Is It To Save Space Of Additional Engines Or Does It Have A Propulsion Benefit?

Wait...you mean people do things other than blow stuff up?

I have 37 vessels in orbit. About half of them are over 400 tons and at least 3 docked sections. 4 of them are 800+ ton monsters that took over 10 launches to assemble and refuel. MechJeb saves me from the monotony of launching. Especially when the ships hit 1000+ parts on the pad and chokes my comp to the point it takes 10 minutes to get into orbit. I would have quit playing by now without it. But I still find myself needing to manually launch the complicated bits. There are some things not even Mechjeb can fly, lol. I still do all my own docking, interplanetary transfers, and landings though. That's what I find fun!

I made a beacon-plane thingy! Stupid low fuel light... Large land masses are nice and all...but I guess that lil' island will work too... Dropping the extra weight and hitting the chutes... And Beacon!

Craft File: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1bfjo343y7lao30/Drop%20Lodge.craft

If there's a disco ball mod, you should allow it! I'll post a craft file as soon as I get it into stable orbit.

So I got to thinking...16 kerbals isn't all that much. And even that aside the only refuge from Jool's premature aging rays is inside a crammed capsule? Nonsense! You can't throw a proper celebration in there! So I made this. CRAFT: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1bfjo343y7lao30/Drop%20Lodge.craft And yes, It's air droppable.

Drop base is done. Tested and Laythe capable. 80x80 circular orbit. It does use 300 units of the Nuke stage. Best lifter I can do on my work machine. Enough fuel to for a Laythe intercept and de-orbit, or you can refill the top stage and have plenty to spare. Also, I should note that I SUCK at VTOL landing. https://www.dropbox.com/s/lgdvm4lre8fnk39/V-TOL%20Base.craft Edit: GOES IN THE VAB! I highly recommend switching flight control to the probe core on top of the com tower during acsent and space flight, otherwise bad things will happen.

Yes! They even have a ladder! (craft file added) I'll try and get the launch vehicle done tonight.

Made it more compact, didn't need all that jet fuel afterall. Does not "need" RCS in flight unless you plan on using the rear turbine. Can easily land on engines, chutes make it easier. Easy to relocate. Stable on re-entry...does not tumble. Launch vehicle pending design approval, of course. GOES IN THE VAB https://www.dropbox.com/s/lgdvm4lre8fnk39/V-TOL%20Base.craft

First proto. Before I continue: Bigger? More "basey" less aircraft?

Wrong thread....delete please

Mobile flight capable base ship, right?

And what else do you need done? Anything need built? Anything need tested? Work is dead so I've installed KSP on my work station...I'm so bored...