SRV Ron

We do, 9 steps is 45* 18 steps is 90*

OK, Here is a SRB with a FL-T100 and ant engine. The control module is mounted on a small mono can on the launch support. Launch is to adjust throttle on the ant engine, fire it, then stage which drops the launch clamp and ignites the SRB. Not sure why it wants to drift to the island but when the ant thrust is set just right, it flies in a unguided ballistic arc towards the island. Fuel usage is about even.

There were no Kerbals harmed in those tests. A set of braces allowed that inefficient flight to succeed and subjected the payload to 15G+ acceleration before burnout.

You can reach Duna and Eve without mainsail, skippers or LV-N in Career. In orbit Probe later modified with addition of Goo containers.

This made a one way trip to Eve, Duna, and Laythe. It uses one orange tank, a Skipper, an LV-N, al FL-T800 tank, one kerbal pod, parachute, with decouplers and solar panels optional. (How far can a Kerbal go with a ten part or less rocket challenge.) To Laythe Eve And Duna

I would assume that you can launch from a plane, but the plane will be mounted on launch clamps at a 45* angle and only the rocket disconnected and launched upon pressing the spacebar. Interplanetary is possible with a big enough SSTO design launched at the right time of the Kerbal day

Definitely needs to be defined because; 1. you cannot launch a rocket unless it has a control pod of some kind on board. 2. With the control pod disabled, gravity quickly turns a launch fin stabilized rocket into the ground. With SAS enabled, the properly designed missile will follow the 45* path until burnout. Then, if SAS is turned off, it will follow the pro grade marker to the surface. 3. If you discard the control pod on launch, the rocket becomes debris which you can't follow unless you can switch targets. 4. Is this stock, or are mods allowed? 5. If hands off the entire flight, how would you activate multiple stages?

Since a command seat cannot be a root part, there is no savings in part count to get one in use for launch. The key efficiency appears to be rockets with a Skipper engine under one orange tank and a second stage of the FL-T800 and a LV-N engine topped with a command module. Five parts bare bone. Ten max with decouplers, parachute, and solar panels on the same design if you are not experience with saving battery life and staging without decouplers. On the lander can, it may be a drag issue from launch to orbit, or the use of the larger parachute cancels the weight savings. I have tried it and see little difference other then a safer landing on Duna with the bigger parachute. about 20% more fuel for the LV-N if you use a Mainsail and two orange tanks. But, you have to fly it carefully to avoid overheating then throttle down to reduce drag while in the atmosphere.

A slingshot maneuver that resulted in an orbital capture around Laythe. (It snapped back just before the actual capture.)

Big rockets are difficult to brace properly. I had tip over issues with this one until I added some cross bracing between the boosters and the core section. After the bracing redesign, a stable flight to orbit. Over 100 tons into orbit and on its way to Jool with three Kerbals and eight probes.

Until you get braces, building large rockets without them is going to be a problem. This flies perfectly because it is properly braced to eliminate twisting stresses. Without proper bracing, it either flies apart, spins, tips over, and flies out of control. Only one additional SAS wheel is needed as the one in the Kerputnik is not enough for flight control.

Without a picture, I can only guess that at 14,000 meters, the rocket is suffering compression failure as in the three examples below. Bracing and reducing the stress of too much acceleration is the cure. Too much acceleration, as boosters use up their fuel, will place so much stress on decouplers as to twist off from them. Check your flight report for a clue as to what is failing that causes the crash.

In addition, it is always using power, so, you want to have solar panels and a extra battery. Otherwise, it allows you to build much smaller one way rockets for landing on other worlds in the Kerbal System to transmit lots of data for science points. They are also good for probes carried along on missions to be sent independently for landing.

Lathe and Jool using the 10 part challenge ship;

Just placed Matlo and Bill on Laythe using aerobraking from the direct encounter. One needs to fine tune it so you can get the encounter with as little fuel as possible. The 10 part ship did the mission. It can be cut to 7 parts by eliminating the two solar panels and the decoupler under the LV-N. Firerunner, you can cut it to six by eliminating the decoupler under the LV-N. You will have to know how to disable the fuel from the FLT-800 tank as well as disabling the Skipper when the big tank runs out of fuel. The LV-N will blow the orange tank out of the way. I can cut my to six and use the bigger chute to safely land the upper stage.

Use carefully placed bracing. Build for launch efficiency. It is too easy to overbuild launch vehicle and end up with very little return in tonnage sent to orbit. 109 tons to orbit. Without careful bracing, this design either fell apart at launch, or was too unstable to fly. Before bracing was complete; After fixing the bracing;

For Career Mode or Sandbox; Enable life support to limit flight time. The same for orbiting stations and off world bases. Provide for resupply missions to extend life support much like the current use of refueling tankers. Allow for establishing greenhouses on off world bases so they can become independent of life support resupply flights by using the resources of those worlds. Allow for the construction of ships and bases off world. That would require landing and powering a manufacturing and mining complex sent from Kerbal.

Look at the ship just posted, ten parts total for launch. (You can cut it to 7 by eliminating the solar panels and decoupler under the LV-N. It will shed the orange tank by overheating it.)

Tonight's flight with the 10 part Ship; (5 if you remove decouplers, dual solar panels, and parachute.) All flights used this same two stage ship with a Skipper and LV-N. Bob safely landed on Duna; Bill falling through Jool; His capsule was crushed some 250 meters below the surface. Genabro on Eve. Actually, floating on the liquid surface. The camera view is below. Poor Jeb has gone way beyond the Kerban system.

Since Bill is alive, according to the challenge rules, your Duna trip is good as is.

Adding two decouplers, a parachute, and a pair of solar panels to the five part ship, makes it ten, Jeb still made Voyager escape. Bob made Jool orbit with areobraking, but is almost out of fuel. Had I got a much closer encounter, which would make for a much shorter burn to areobrake, I would have had more then enough fuel to attempt a Laythe intercept and landing. That is certainly doable. The airless planets are not going to be obtainable for landing. Ten parts, or five if you remove parachute, decouplers, and solar panels, This challenge is going to rely on piloting skills along with good efficient intercepts. All the outer planets can be reached with the right intercept window with fuel to spare.

Also, Serious Sam II;

Regular flights only. However, you have unlimited resources. http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/type-40-time-travel-capsule/

Search for Tardis1. It has a real nice interior;

Doing a suicide probe to Jool will have limited results due to transmission power. Solar panels, other then flat OxStats, will be ripped off. Descent, however, should be slow enough to allow transmission of data for heat, pressure, gravity, acceleration, Goo, and Science Bay before the probe goes Poof!