Hodo

Welp tried that, ended up with the same problem. Deleted the Kethane file in the Gamedata folder and reinstalled, same problem. Could it be the module manager I am using? Everything else in the plugin is working I just dont have a overlay grid anymore. Which sucks because I have no clue where the Kethane is or how much is there.

The principle wouldn't change much, just the d/V required. I know I have built SSTOs using FAR+DRE+Arcturas Thrust Corrector, which rescaled the power of the engines to the scale of Kerbin. My first SSTO was actually built with those three mods in place, and might work in the real solar system. From several months ago, my SP-301 "Orca" it was built with FAR+DRE+Arcturas Thrust Corrector. Then there is the Bison which was also built with those mods and it worked, barely.

Never had that issue, but I use TAC Fuel balancer mod. Which lets me balance the fuel balance automatically.

And back at Kerbin finally. I am not creating a new album or posting every individual picture because I didn't take that many. I just wanted to get it back at this point. I have one debris from the mission, failed to land on Gilly and didn't even attempt to due to the lack of a lander module that was killed twice by the krakken. No real loss there. Now XI-2 is standing by at a 45deg 150km orbit over Kerbin waiting on next mission and refuel. Depending on how this SVO-25A tests out I may replace the XI-2 with it. So far the SVO-25A is testing out quite well and I am not even using the Kethane mining gear on this one. It has already been around the Mun, Minimus, and back to Kerbin, even used it to setup my new communications satellite network at 350km altitude. This is what I may be replacing the XI-2 with. SVO-25A VTOL SSTO space plane

KIDS is here. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/52882-0-22-Kerbal-Isp-Difficulty-Scaler-v1-2

Thanks will try that.

No clue why no one has tried this. Its not for me, but its a decent enough challenge.

KIDS Kerbal universe rescale to Earth scale. Or see this thread here. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/59207-0-22-Realism-Overhaul-ROv2-Modlist-for-RSS

honestly, FAR and DRE are two that I feel should be added to the base game and fleshed out, along with KSPX and Kerbal Engineering Redux.

You really want to have two separate control surfaces for pitch and roll. Otherwise every time your aircraft needs to roll it will pitch slightly or if you need to pitch it will roll slightly. And there is some moderate flex in your wings which is throwing off your control surfaces angle, this is also adding to the roll. I would use some more struts on the wings to keep them in place. B9 has some wonderful invisible struts just for that use.

This one follows the exact profile you laid out, climbing at 45deg and transitioning from Jets to rockets at 18km. Info for the design can be found here: SSI Aeon (Not my design ) You just need high T/W and a decent amount of rocket fuel! I know most of my SSTOs can do this exact launch profile, it is not the most efficient use of them but it can be done. The trick is finding that right balance to get it right. In someways it is easier to do in the stock KSP then in some of the modded versions. In other ways it is harder. And trust me we all started somewhere, here is my first successful SSTO. The SP-301 "Orca", and I still use it today, granted it has had some improvements but it is the base for most of my SSTO designs now.

Ok I missed the part about Gilly, that is easy enough, I can do that and return to Eve before heading back to Kerbin. It is a good thing I am using the XI-2, because I still have around 3000m/s d/V for fuel left. And it gives me something to do while waiting for the return window to Kerbin. Granted I may also just say skip Gilly and send a different craft later, depends on how I feel when I get back around to it. EDIT- I wont be able to do the landing on Gilly, because of the glitch I had with the lander. That was the one part that I lost in the whole thing.

My latest design, SVO-25. Able to take a cargo load of 5 tons, all I needed at that time, up to 350km x 350km with over 1000m/s d/V to spare. And like all SVO ships it can take off and land vertically. These pictures are of the test model, some minor changes were recently made to the current model.

The XI-2 hasn't changed other than the probe it dropped on Eve. I hope you didn't want a play by play of every six seconds picture flip book of the event. Because I was busy enough programming in the flight computer and attempting that landing over 50 times before it FINALLY landed on the island and didnt break something on landing or burn up on re-entry. This challenge is hard enough, but it is harder with RemoteTech2+DRE+FAR. All B9 and KSPX do for me is let me cut down on part counts and give me some better looking parts to work with. I have no additional pictures of the XI-2 returning to Kerbin because it hasn't happened yet. Waiting on the launch window. In the meantime I am working on a new SVO ship, SVO-25, and using it to update my communications network in orbit around Kerbin. EDIT: You wanted pictures here are pictures, I lumped them in with the rest of the album. But I also included pictures of the probe in the assembly building, and a few others from the decent down to Eve.

Odd thing happened to me recently. No changes to my gamedata folder, only one install added lately and its the enhanced nav ball mod. Now I no longer have the grid overlay for the kethane mapping.

So on this current mission, mission 2 that is, I am looking at what score? I have landed my probe down on the island, pretty close to the exact spot asked, granted that was an accident it was hard enough landing on that island using the flight computer in remote tech 2 to start with. I mean seriously you try programming in every event on a planetary landing 30 minutes before they actually happen AND try and hit that island, not exactly easy.

Looks good, but the nose still looks a bit to big/boxy. I love and hate the 109 from a sim fighter pilot stand point.

I doubt I am going to replace the ship, but the thought is really crossing my mind. It isnt because of the slow speed of the ion powered ships, actually that is fine to me. It is the lack of real versatility in the concept of a space only ship design. I have far more experience in SSTO space plane designs and most of my SSTO space planes would excel at this challenge. Currently the XI-2 and XI-3 have the most d/V out of any of my ships in active service, the third most is the SP-301D "Orca", as it has just under 7000d/V but is not a VTOL but is a SSTO space plane and the first one I made that worked. I am considering it, but I may just take a second ship and run all the challenges with that one to see how my SVO line does when compared to the XI line. After all the XI line is an eXperimental line. Also I am trying to figure out why my XIs are having parts count problems. I tested a couple of my SSTOs and one of the largest ones, the SP-401 pictured previously, is over 100parts, and has loaded an additional 100 parts in it previously. So I loaded it again with that same subassembly it worked all they up to 300 parts.

I have a SSTO that can do most of that refueling... it can haul 2 orange tanks full to orbit.

I did find career mode boring at first... then I went in my persistant save and gave myself 25k science to max out the tree. Went back into the save, cleared out all my excess science and proceeded to play the game like a sandbox with career mode science to do.

Looks like you have some CoT vs CoM problems. With that engine mounted on the top it will move your CoM up slightly but your CoT will change drastically when you switch to rockets. This is why you are pitching up. I would start by trying to move that top engine downwards into the body of the ship or move another rocket engine up to it so you keep your current CoT.

In all honesty, when I get my two Ion powered ships back to Kerbin, I may replace them both with one of my older designs, the SVO-9A or even the SP-301. Both are capable of interplanetary travel. The only real difference is the SVO-9A can't carry any cargo but can refuel itself, and the SP-301 can't take off vertically or refuel itself, but can carry up to 25tons into orbit.

Finally after 6 hours and 2 days of trying I managed to land my probe on Eve, using RemoteTech2 with a 35second signal delay!!! What that means is it takes 35 seconds before it accepts ANY of my actions which I have to program in advance, in some cases 25min in advance to take into account that it will lose communications on re-entry. Last two shots show the science equipment attached to the craft. By the way, I am NEVER doing that again.

That's good to know, I may have to use one of my other SSTOs that I know work for interplanetary work and give it a shot.

If I may make a suggestion for your beacons. I used to have a pair on my airfield. The best way to put them is one on the east end (09) and the other on the west end (27). I named one 090, and placed a pair of white lights facing east, and red lights facing west. The west beacon I named 270, was white lights west and red east. They were placed about 500m from the ends of the runway, this way I wouldnt knock them over with any low landings or take offs. On landing I would line up the beacons and that way even in the dark, before they added lights, I could land on the runway everytime.