JoeNapalm

March 2013, v19.1 -Jn-

I was literally just daydreaming about how best to replicate Space 1999 in KSP. Should have known someone was already ahead of the curve! Nice. -Jn-

The STS challenge had just convinced me my SSTO-focus was misguided. This clearly showed I just have a lot to learn. I can crank out an SSTO fairly easily that can put a satellite in orbit or maybe goto the Mun and back...this is a whole different order of magnitude. -Jn-

Man. I was going to start working on a planetary base, but I think I'm now inspired to do a Grand Tour! Very nice! Very nice indeed! -Jn-

Felt like a trip to the Mun in my new save. So I built the Titan Mk I for Jeb to take for a little spin: -Jn-

I keep coming back because ideas keep popping into my head. And I keep thinking I'm going to play Career Mode with Life Support... ...then I play Sandbox and big huge Kerbal-y magnificent explode-y beasts! -Jn-

I once logged off before midnight. -Jn-

Battle Brothers + KSP = Battle Kerbal Space Program Brothers Kerbal mercenaries build rockets to battle bandits, orcs, and the undead. In space. -Jn-

Thinking about how I should play Career Mode... ...historically, it has always gone downhill from there. -Jn-

I'm actually getting good at #3! RCS or even EVA RCS has saved me on a number of bad days, lately. Hope @boolybooly checks back, soon...I needs my silly sig bling, man! -Jn-

Load time is perfect time to fetch a glass of inspiration. -Jn-

Not what you want to hear, but every time I've had randomly exploding parts it's been for one of four reasons: -- Mods -- Mods -- Clipping without using the tool in the VAB to do so properly -- Mods -Jn-

I missed the "no heating effects" thing... ...that really lowers the bar. Without having to cope with heating effects, you're just looking at simple TWR. -Jn-

Jeb says fine EVA control is for scientists and other sissies. (He also said that about parachutes, landing gear, and gimballed rocket engines, so...you know...grain of salt.) -Jn-

While I see the point of Career mode, every time I start a new one (most recently this weekend) I rapidly realize that the reason I play this game is not compatible with it. -Jn-

Suggestion... If your lift stage is totally encapsulated in a faring, maybe try traditional RCS to de-orbit (properly timed at Ap or Pr it takes very little to break orbit) and an air-breathing jet engine to fly what is essentially a normal plane once you're in the soup? Throwing a couple airbrakes, plus the RCS, can help a lot with getting her down safely...she's likely going to be a little unstable in the thin air. -Jn-

Coincidentally, I was fiddling around on the Flying Pig Mk III the other night -- she's fairly fast, though she ain't agile! As per this post, her current top speed is Mach 5.2, though she lost some parts about 0.5 seconds after hitting that -- her highest sustained top speed is Mach 4.75 (approximately 1630 m/s): With a little tweaking, I'm sure she could do a bit more...would like it if she could hold Mach 5+... -Jn-

The Flying Pig Mk III hit Mach 5.2 (though that ended that test flight when her intakes and wings melted). She'll reliably hold Mach 4.75. Think I can make her faster, though... She's named the Flying Pig for cause, though I've gotten pretty decent at recovering from flat spins... -Jn-

Sanskrit. -Jn-

My original STS design was rather limited in terms of payload, therefore -- I present the Arayanna ("Heavenly Swan") STS Mk I: Despite her appearance, she flies exceptionally well in atmo...doesn't have the power of an SSTO, but I was actually able to recover that satellite and make orbital corrections to get it placed in a proper polar orbit. ...Now if I can just figure out why ScanSAT is misbehaving intermittently... -Jn-

All of this can be boiled down to one simple rule: "Make Jeb smile!" (See avatar) -Jn-

This is a lot like asking why apples aren't oranges. Standing on the surface and orbiting are two entirely different physical events. You're pressed onto the surface by gravity and whisked along with it by inertia, when you're standing on the surface. When you're orbiting, you're falling at a velocity and angle that allow you to continually miss the ground, while gravity keeps dragging you along after the planet. If the surface rotation was at orbital velocity, you'd achieve orbit by picking your feet up...you'd also have to be standing on something like a Dyson Sphere that had a radius equal to the radius of a geosynchronous orbit. -Jn-

And this is, ladies and gentle kerbals, is why I put drone cores on EVERYTHING! -Jn-

Oh noes! What was your sticking point? Sure some folks around here can help you troubleshoot...at least until you run out of Kerbals. I pride myself on my space planes, and my first test run with the shuttle ended up...well...here: I had to make a few adjustments based on that test... But maybe someone's seen whatever is keeping your shuttles from skyward glory, and can offer advice? -Jn-

"Open the pod bay door, KAL!" "I'm sorry, Bill, I can't do that." Jeb wasted all the oxidizer (making funny voices) and we had to deorbit the shuttle using RCS. For some reason, he and Bill thought it was hilarious. -Jn-