Speeding Mullet

This is largely true the STS is easier to fly to orbit, although with some clever ET tank routing you can really help with the balance a lot on a Buran, minimizing the amount of gimbal you require, particularly at late stage flight. Vectors still largely required though.... SM

I think this (Excellent) suggestion comes up often enough to merit a slot in the "Links to common suggestions" thread. I can think of about 4 threads in the last year that have discussed this topic well. What do you think @sal_vager? @Just Jim this is probably the thread you were referring to? I'd love to see a talented individual work with SQUAD on this, or maybe even a group. Hell, Stephen Van Vuuren even got the Greensborough Symphony Orchestra on board for his film "In Saturns Rings" through use of a highly successful Kickstarter campaign! Not that I'm suggesting that that should happen, but there's definitely mileage in using music to boost immeasurably the immersion of this fine game SM

Far from the first There's been plenty of Stock Burans kicking about including my own. @SpaceTrashCan welcome to the forums!! I haven't updated my Buran for 1.2 yet but it's still going strong and will go through a major design iteration as soon as 1.2 is released. There's a couple of really good sources of inspiration for you including the Shuttle Challenge thread (feel free to join in when you've built your shuttle) and also development threads like my own Buran thread. I'd highly recommend going for the Buran style shuttle, or even a hybrid STS Buran, especially when new to the game. It's much easier with the jet engines on the shuttle to make those landings you otherwise wouldn't have done with a pure STS glider. Buran is actually more difficult balance wise as the shuttle engines do not fire until orbit (rather relying on the ET and quad boosters), where as the STS used the shuttle engines all the way to space. There'll be so many people willing to give advice on building your shuttle, so please if you get stuck do ask, and help will come easily enough Good luck! SM

I've carried my Buran Shuttle through multiple updates (including 1.0) with no issues apart from having to re-route fuel through the ET. Having said that this is a big update and there are some aero changes (pointer objects experience less drag while blunt objects will experience more drag) so it's not guaranteed that they will function exactly the same (or indeed work I guess?). When 1.2 hits, boot that Shuttle up and see what happens is my advice! Oh yeah and check into the Shuttle Challenge thread (selfless plug): SM

WOOT! I answered something SM

And exactly why I should have listened when they said I was terrible at maths Good pro-tip! SM

This thread makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It could have gone a very different direction but the conversation and assistance is wonderful to see. Great community stuff and some nice pro-tips here too. Turning off wheel steering helps immensely - I found that with landing my shuttle especially. SM

Not bug as in issue, bug as in can't stop building turbo's Ah right, I get no lag with KSP anyway, unless I'm running upwards of 1000 parts. Lucky huh! I'll have another brutal speed attempt at 1 m/s haha! SM

To bring my point across from the thread now closed due to duplication: Which serves for the vast majority or use cases that KSP demands. Don't get me wrong - I'm with you that they are not perfect, but they are a very, very long way from completely broken - I circumnavigated Minmus in a twenty wheeled land train this year with zero issues for example. I also think you are oversimplifying the argument a little to suggest that it's as easy as fix sim, or build a better unity plugin. I would suspect but cannot confirm that with the heat SQUAD has had on wheels that if this was a realistic prospect they would have done it already... Regards your example picture above - Just mount the "round sleds" the right way up, and you'll be on your way with minimal aesthetic impact . SM

Nope. @sal_vager - I know he's around somewhere clearing up my failed attempts at helping people SM

6/10, I prefer dogs SM

IRL wheels slide sideways under certain conditions. I'm sure there are people that would speak out on both sides of this argument, so "We" you do not speak for. This has got the potential to be a popcorn thread so let me walk the line and dig out an interesting post from May 2015 by @Murph which may shed some light on why wheels are sleds and not wheels: SM

Cool so I'm on to something, I just need more "Jeremy Clarkson". I'll have a play around with it this weekend and see what I can come up with! In the mean time does 0.1 m/s qualify me for the boat leader-board? EDIT: I'll probably hold on removing smoke trails unless I get the turbo-shaft bug in a big way. I'm just really messing around until 1.2 drops for the moment and thought I'd try a few new things! SM

Egads that thing is a work of art! Excellent mission report once again so thanks for all the detail. If anyone needs an example of what looks good this is it I'm pretty much holding off on anything apart from messing around until 1.2 comes out also - It's a really tasty looking release at this point. Definitely going to be diving in with a fully stock (bar visual) career game to really test myself I think. Here's your badge! No worries at all, it's a pleasure. First time running a large challenge for me and it seems to be going well and maintaining interest. Again I think a lot of people are waiting for 1.2 to drop formally so I reckon there will be an uptick in challenge entries once that comes along. STS-2 will definitely be getting a make over, and I think STS 10 and 12 seem like good candidates also. Random question answered by @michal.don by the way. I tried it without ISRU and got back to orbit from Duna before my fuel ran out. That was the indicator for me that it was a suitably hard challenge. Speaking of hard, good luck with STS-9 SM

First step would be to visit @NecroBones fantastic thread and reads through the wonderfully detailed FAQ which states: Problem: Fuel tanks or SRBs flash different colors, with glitchy "z-fighting": Usually it boils down to one of a few different things. Now that I've seen probably most of them, I can give you a good list: 1. Everything is installed correctly, but ModuleManager's cache hasn't noticed the changes yet. Fix: This is a great one to try first. Delete the file called "ModuleManager.ConfigCache" in GameData. ModuleManager recreates it on the next KSP start. 2. ModuleManager isn't installed. Fix: Install it. 3. This mod is installed incorrectly, or you've deleted the color-change ModuleManager configs. Fix: Reinstall the mod correctly, and in its entirety. The MM config files include rules for what to do when color-changing isn't available, so please don't delete those. 4. Firespitter and/or InterstellarFuelSwitch are installed, but not functioning. Fix: The most likely cause is that the version of FS or IFS doesn't work with your version of KSP (for instance, you upgraded to KSP 1.1, and the mod is meant for 1.0.5 or earlier), or your copy is only partially installed. Delete it, and install the latest version of it. 5. ModuleManager thinks color-changing is available via Firespitter or InterstellarFuelSwitch, but neither is installed. Fix: This is a little trickier to pinpoint. Either another mod has bad rules in it (for instance using "FOR[Firespitter]" instead of "NEEDS[Firespitter]") and is therefore tricking ModuleManager, or one of these two mods is only partially installed. That could happen if you removed them via CKAN but the directories still exist, which ModuleManager will see as having them installed. To fix, either make sure both of those mods are completelyuninstalled, or install one (or both) of them. Only the DLL from one of them is needed, you don't need the entire mod. But it needs to be running if ModuleManager thinks its there. 6. It's possible that another mod may be confused that changes how VAB/SPH tweakables or engine shrouds work. This is an odd case, but not impossible. When you don't have Firespitter or InterstellarFuelSwitch installed, the alternate paint jobs are disabled by turning them into "engine shrouds" that correspond to an attachment node that is a kilometer outside the VAB. If another mod interferes with this, such as defaulting all shrouds to "on" even when detached, then you might also see z-fighting. Sadly, the solution might be to simply not use the mods together. Looks like you have 3 different versions of module manager so removing all but the latest version is definitely your first port of call before anything else. Step two if any of the above doesn't work is to back track and remove each new mod individually (leaving SpaceY in place) until you figure out which mod is causing the issues. Then visit the relevant mod's page and check for any known issue. Feel free to request further assistance in this thread if the above doesn't solve your problem Edit: Also welcome to the forum SM

I've heard of a few occasions of this happening, but couldn't dig out anything firm for you unfortunately. It definitely sounds like a problem infuriating enough to 1 by 1 remove your 30 odd mods to figure out exactly which mod is causing the issue. Once you've identified that removing a particular mod solves the problem you can then visit that mods page and read through to see if there are any known conflicts with any other mods in your list. You may then even wish to identify in the mod release thread that you are having an issue and request help, although confusingly, removing a mod doesn't necessarily mean that the specific mod you removed is itself at fault, but it's as good a place and tactic as any to start on your hunt to stop your ships exploding. Hope that helps as a starting point - Good luck with your search SM

Some more information from you may help other forum users be more forthcoming with assistance. Please read this post and provide some more information if you are still experiencing the issue SM

I'm going to start with a ludicrously simple question, so apologies and please don't think I'm being obtuse: Did you recover the vessell and crew at the end of the mission? Otherwise - Hmm, what version of KSP are you running. I believe that this used to be a known issue, as per this thread, but unless you have an old version of KSP I am for the moment stumped. SM

I'm taking the patience ferry rather than the hype train so am waiting for the full blown release to get involved, but I'm really itching to try it. Some of the new features look really good for quality of life, and the challenge. I'm very lucky to be running a Gerty 3000 so performance at full tilt isn't ever an issue for me. Here's my attempt at a turbo fan. Having done some perfunctory research it's actually pretty obvious that I've directly plagiarised others designs, and thinking about how many times I've watched videos on stock this or stock that it's hardly surprising: And actually, I suppose this next image constitutes my challenge entry, in the form of a turbo-shaft driven boat My boat managed a top speed of 0.1 m/s over water so I believe I'm in first place as we stand . I didn't ever realise there was scattering effects under the sea, but you learn something new about KSP every day so there we go! Here's the craft file for the Mullet Dyne Turbo Fan. Would be amazing if you can pick it apart and tell me where I'm going wrong! 114 parts is way too many for a start I reckon. I'd be interested whether i'm on the right track, particularly if in it's current form you are able to install it into a working helicopter or air frame for example... SM

Cool will do! No worries Hi there - Very good question. 1.2 is looking like a really meaty update, with changes to aerodynamics, as well as the introduction of the new comms system as you suggest. There will certainly be new missions once the release is finalised and rolled out, but not until I've had a chance to play around with it and see where it all fits in to the missions we have already. It seems that some missions may have a good opportunity to be de-designed around the new features that 1.2 is going to offer, and new missions certainly can make use too. I'm not going to close the thread down and open a new one, as I don't think that favors either the players taking part, or the knowledge base that has developed here, so I'll be figuring out how to incorporate 1.2 moving forwards with this thread. SM

I Sit, Rocket Up!

+1 for this. I often make complex designs in the SPH then move them to the VAB for this reason. Shift+lmb is incredibly useful for getting those angles! Good suggestion SM

I built my first ever rudimentary turbo-shaft yesterday (pretty sure I've ripped someone else's design off even if I thought I was being original), tried to make a boat for this challenge using it but only managed a top speed of 0.1 m/s. Thing is the turbo appears to spin the shaft and prop fine, but it doesn't go anywhere from there. think I might have more luck with a car but may now wait until 1.2 drops to refine and hopefully make a better bearing. Can post pics and craft file after work if you wanted to check out the engine? SM

Nice work on completing another mission with your new shuttle! Sorry it's taken so long to get round to reviewing this - work has been heavy over the last week or so. Here's a badge to keep you moving forwards Wow ok so straight to the top of the modded leaderboard for the 168t ore pod. there wasn't anyone on it but this is pretty much impossible to beat anyway. Well done! I'll update the OP shortly Lol it's always interesting to see people's tactics for landing the potato. Good work on just getting it back to the ground to be honest - It is a really challenging mission to complete. I'll mark your potato as 19t unless you can provide an accurate measurement? I'll wait for you to come back to me before updating the OP..... You cannot do both missions with the same shuttle, but as long as the missions are effectively performed as per the challenge requirements then you are welcome to send both in the same transfer window to save time. Please just make sure you report them as two distinct and separate missions (ie do not bundle the reports) Thanks SM

there's a Troy Pierce track which would become 25 poodles in that case . Back on the rails - there's plenty here which is very exciting to me. Kerbnet is particularly welcome to me as I've never really bothered finding out where the biomes were before now, but I will surely give it a science this time around! SM