SRV Ron

RCS is best used for fine tuned burns for interplanetary maneuvers and landing small probes on the moons around the various planets. Landing gear optional. Otherwise, the reaction wheels provide more then enough torque for orientating ships prior to a maneuver burn. BTY, I believe it is called Yang Ming San Park, is a beautiful place I visited in 1967 while in Taiwan on R&R. Real egg drop soup served at a local restaurant was very good. I was even able to use chopsticks for the noodles.

Here is the first sub orbiter. It can reach 100+k. If landed in the ocean, nothing is blowing up but all fuel cans do detach. On land, you may blow off the engine and a couple of fuel cans, but the capsule will be intact and laying on its side. It's good enough to unlock enough tech to get the LV-909 and proper decoupler to build the orbiter. The first suborbiter; Be sure to move the engine down on the staging setup or your parachute will get deployed upon launch. The first good orbiter. Ox Stat panels optional.

Another simple 1.25m design for a probe that made a voyager run with a science module. The tri coupler, with bracing, will work. Even better are radical decouplers as in the deep space probe launcher above. Better yet if I used liquid fueled in the place of the cheaper SRBs

Have unlocked enough to do deep space probe research. This design has already sent a Voyager probe as well as one into close Kerban orbit For the record, my first sub orbiter before unlocking the first tier.

This design from a Mun orbiter is now launching deep space probes; One launch was sent to solar orbit. The other went voyager. Both are yielding lots of science even at 20% transmission of data.

Check to make sure you don't have a second booster section clipped into an existing one. I had that happen which caused the imbalance that will flip a rocket over in seconds upon launch. Disassemble and reassemble to fix.

This makes orbit with ease. It is the equivalent of two FLT-800 fuel tanks. The first stage LV-45 with three stacked FLT-400. The second stage an LV-909, FLT-400, and FLT-100 to compensate for the added Ox Stat panels. Since I have now unlocked Ox Stat solar panels, I use them for power generation to send crew reports. It is currently in orbit with 1/3 fuel left to deorbit for return. The same design, with added SRBs, orbits Mun and returned. Modified to carry two Goo pods and returning. Added another SRB and a FLT-200 to the upper stage to allow for the additional weight of the Goo pods.

Just so you don't get below 1,500 meters or the probe will go POOF!

That is correct unless you return to the capsule before using recovery mode. Here is a picture of my capsule with two goo containers mounted on a web girder. The capsule parachute is enough for safe landing. If using the science can, you need to add a pair of radial parachutes or the can will be destroyed upon landing.

That would make sense. However, according to Kerbal space history, based upon the first releases of the game and the demo, they started out with only manned flights.

A pair on a web girder below the capsule works quite well. They can also be mounted on the capsule in a pair with enough space so Jeb can do an EVA report.

The science can was destroyed upon landing on land with all science lost. Either a water landing and or extra parachutes are needed for safe recovery.

Everything is being placed in the 0 location of staging. Set staging to place the engine in the lower or 1 command. That will prevent the parachute from deploying during launch. So long as you don't use more then 4 fuel cans on your first rocket, pop the chute when speed falls below 450 m/sec, and land in the water, you should be OK.

Consider the mass to be measured in metric tons since distance is in meters. As far as calculating thrust and delta V, just do what the kerbals do, go to the school of hard knocks or what can be called trial and error. Build something and observe how it performs. Then, tweak the design and see if it performs better or worse.

It often happens when lines are close together. It takes playing around with changing the view angle as well as zooming. Once you get one in place, you can drag the node to the desired location.

You can always try the school of hard knocks. Build something and take notes on how well the design works. Find that balance between excessive acceleration and not enough that gives the best launch to orbit performances. Here are two designs based upon Novapunch parts. Simple small two stage probe that can orbit Mun or Minmus. Built up with four place asparagus and eight SRBs. This should be able to go and land almost anywhere. In orbit. Note fuel available in the remaining asparagus.

A simpler design from career mode that not only made orbit, it had fuel enough for a Mun orbit and return. You will have to learn the fine art of orbital turn and energy management on this one. To fly, go straight up until the SRB burn out, then stage and start your gravity turn. The second stage will get you to the 100k apogee with fuel to spare. Set up your orbital circulation maneuver and fire up 15 seconds before the node is reached. You will have to stage to complete the burn but should have plenty of fuel left for the Mun insertion, orbital burn, and direct return to an aerobraking landing. Launch vehicle Mun orbit The return burn Note resource management of both power and fuel for the LV-909 on the third stage. Landing

I could see Career eventually starting out with probes before committing to manned missions. Returning probes for recovery should be worth much more science points then just launch and forget. Crew experience for more advanced missions sounds like a good idea which would force the player to ensure their safe return. Increase in funding to allow the building of larger more efficient rockets could be based upon mission success. Eventually, there would be the goal of orbiting space stations that need regular resupply and crew rotations for generating extra revenue so that off world bases can be established for even greater return in science points and funding. Naturally, mining of resources, Ketane and building materials, should become a part of the effort to build and maintain off world bases. What we have now is a good start that will be expanded upon as the game matures.

The first career rocket was a sub orbital of four fuel cans, capsule, antenna, parachute, LV-30 called Little Kerbal One (No screenshot) Little Kerbal Two Little Kerbal Three had a cluster of three SRBs that blew up shortly after launch from overheating. Orbiter Jeb which did the Mun mission

Currently busy with other projects. A painting presentation for my uncle, Museum inventory, and yard work. Like some others, I archived a bunch of scenarios from the Save folder to start fresh with 0.22. Will soon continue Career Mode with a second Mun flyby, this time with scientific equipment, a Minmus flyby, then some landings and returns. Dr Jeb will soon return to Sandbox with his crew in the Tardis to continue the tour through the Kerbal Solar System. Currently, they are planning their landing on Duna.

Some examples of gravity assist or slingshots; 1. Major orbital plane change using very little fuel. 2. Even more difficult, a near orbital capture. 3. Speed reduction to reach inner moons of Jool, or land a probe there. Do plan to use thrusters to fine tune the encounters to get the desired results. These are difficult maneuvers to do correctly and it is easy to mess them up when burn times are critical to fractions of a second. Retrograde encounters will reduce your orbital speed while prograde encounter will add speed.

Power generation via solar panels or nuclear generator are a must for a Voyager style mission in either sandbox or career mode.

In the VAB, on the right hand side, you will see the staging order. What is happening is when you built your first rocket, the parachute, capsule, and engine all ended up together. That caused the parachute to deploy when you launched. To fix, click on the + marker when you mouse over to the staging bar and drag the engine to the new place below the capsule and parachute. Stay with sub orbital for your first launches and steer subsequent launches to land on different areas of Kerbal to get soil samples for science points. Then, with the next tier unlocked, build your orbiter and go for orbit. Here is my orbiter built from the unlocked first tier. It made Mun orbit and back for a sizable chunk of science points. Check out how the staging icons are set up. Carefully manage power use so you don't end up stranded.

If you point the ship to the planet, does it stay pointed throughout a complete orbit? If it does, then it is rotating once per orbit. If not, it is not rotating but appears to do so as your ship orbits the planet.

Were you in close orbit around the sun? If not, it might just be a glitch with your satellite.