SRV Ron

Probes have to be built after you have constructed the mothership, but that construction needs to be with the mothership present and connected to it via a decoupler. Once a probe is built, it can be saved as a sub assembly and used on the current and other projects. You will have to pay attention to staging when you mount them. Once launched, you will need to switch control using the [ ] keys if close by, or map mode, in order to control them. Close up of a Jool explorer with four ion probes and four conventional probes. Ion probe with mothership in the background

Try removing the Soviet Pack mod and see what happens.

Actually, he has fuel cans on top of the SRBs that are drained, then dropped with the staged SRBs. The problem is with the way the fuel cans are being drained. They are hooked up OK but the sim is having issues with where they connect to the next tank.

It is just very difficult to set up that maneuver in KSP, but not impossible, compared to doing so using math models on glorified calculators.

That is most likely the reason for the orbit change which the wobbling can also influence as a result of docking or an attempt to use RCS to adjust the orbit.

As I said, I missed getting the screen shot when the Maneuver Mode was showing an actual capture.

The stability issues are taking place when he starts his gravity turn at 10,000 meters, long after staging the SRBs.

I have actually seen such a capture show up while setting up a maneuver mode. In reality, it dropped out at the last moment. This is the closest screen shot to that event. It is possible, but extremely difficult to pull off.

The OX Stat, battery ?, four instruments, Commotron, all have a mass of 0.005. This shows up when making small probes and flying them. The one LADEE placed in Mun orbit came in at 0.07 tons. Overall, their mass is so small compared to fuel cans, engines, and other components that it tends to be ignored.

The KW Griffon used has a weak gimbol. The KW nose cone has a narrow range of stability when doing the gravity turn. It can be flown, you just can't turn too fast or you will lose control and flip it over.

Figured out the engine. It was KW Rocketry. Had to go back to 0.23 version to find it. I was able to fly this to orbit but one has to do the gravity turn gradually or you will lose it and flip over. This is partially due to the very small 0.25 gymboling range of that engine. It's also more power then you need. Start your turn soon after staging the SRB. Turn slowly and you will be OK. BTY, add some solar panels as the pod you are using constantly uses power so will be out of battery some 20 minutes into your flight.

May be KW rocketry on the second stage engine and nose cone. Just tested one closest to the design and it flew rock stable.

If you have staged, the pod in use doesn't have sufficient torque to counteract the imbalance once you hit a critical point in your turn. You may need the fins at the base of the second stage or a reaction wheel to regain stability. There are some designs, while looking good, will flip ends once you start a turn. Often, a minor modification or adding a reaction wheel or fins will correct the issue.

A pancake tank under the S3 KS-25x4 takes care of overheating although I have yet to have one get hot enough to explode. Recommend braces when mounting the big tanks, SRB, etc... radically. The new SRB is great for a low cost LADEE mission or one Kerbal orbiter even to Mun and back.

Someone did this some time ago by using a command chair to return Jeb back to orbit.

This challenge is stock only. You can try the mission using those mods just for realism and post a report on their results, but they are otherwise ineligible.

This tier 3 ship easily does Mun orbit and return even with a pair of Goo canisters. And, the landing was using aerobraking in a 15,000m reentry window to be gentle on Jeb with G forces.

I use the Kerbal School of Hard Knocks method. I start with a payload and build around it until it gets into orbit. Then, I refine the design for better efficiency.

This was my final design in cost and weight. Had to be carefully flown to keep the one solar panel facing the sun. It is balance only because of Kerbal physics and the fact that the six items in a hex pattern all have the same mass of 0.05 tons. This Is Turtle beat it out with his out of the box design that eliminates the fuel tank and engine, yet maintained a deorbiting capability with a tweaked sepatron.

Nice looking, overkill on the solar panels. But, way too expensive as the Kerbal version had to be done on the cheap. That is the reason none of the top place entries look nothing like the real satellite. Flight profile good with mission accomplished in classic KSP style.

At 0.07 tons It is the lightest. And, still can be deorbited. Doesn't look like anyone can beat this design. The separtron approach allowed the removal of the second stage from orbit and retained the ability to deorbit the satellite as required. Edit, Oops, With the stayputnik, instruments, and sepratron, weight comes in at 0.12. I see what has happened on the weight, the Sepratron has had its fuel load cut to the bare amount needed for deorbit. Good job thinking out of the box for a solution to the challenge. Edit 2. Verified the weight issue. And, there appears to be enough of a kick to deorbit into Mun. As you have probably guessed, I am testing designs using KSP in the background. Unless someone can come up with a valid reason to challenge otherwise, looks like you have first place.

Recalculated your LADEE with no fuel and no clampatron Jr. (TR2V decoupler of the same cost is 0.025 tons lighter.) It comes in at 0.21 tons. Depending how cost figures in and a fuel left bonus, you could come very close to the 0.11 and 0.10 ton designs. The real goal is watching how participants are approaching the challenge. While hard to fly during the SRB stage, you have a design with the fewest parts and therefore also the lowest cost. That's going to put you in the same league as the probes half the weight of yours. One example of approaching a problem from a different perspective, your LADEE design using an FL T-400 fuel can do the mission SSTM.

Some real SRBs are steerable using graphite fins in the exhaust nozzle. Some mod SRBS can be vectored. The new one responds well to a reaction wheel mounted on top or to fins at the base. The shuttle is a different story given how far from the COM its main fuel tank is located along with the ever changing GOM of fuel burned by the SRB and the main fuel tank. It has to correct for that by gymboling its main three engines all during the flight. The LADEE challenge to place a satellite around Mun is requiring the new SRB for the first stage. Tweakable thrust is really making SRBs quite useful.

Regardless of how you set up separating probes from the mother ship, action groups, staging command, manually staging by right clicking on the decoupler, You will have to switch control to the probe before you can control it. Either the bracket keys when close by, or map mode select, will do the job. Ion probe launch and controlled. Mother ship with seven other probes in the background. Bracket keys will toggle control between the two. Conventional powered probe under control. Mothership is the red data display. The ion probe is in white. Map Mode is needed to transfer control back to the mothership or ion probe.

Was not referring to a design with fins which one can use to steer the booster into a gravity turn in place of the reaction wheel. Straight up is not efficient. But as long as one can pull it off, there is sufficient DeltaV and stability in the design to do so, it can still get the job done.