iBeej

Wait, that doesn't sound right, unless i'm misunderstanding. The SpaceX site shows the Falcon 9 reaching speeds of Mach 2 at MAX-Q, 78 seconds in to the flight. That roughly translates to 1,534mph or 686m/s. There is no way there are going 3km/s, that's Mach 8.7 lol Were you meaning total ÃŽâ€v?

Somebody can correct me if i'm wrong, but I believe SpaceX's Falcon 9 is primarily used to bring the vehicle to a general "target apoapsis" (altitude) and then they stage it and use the 2nd stage to circularize, putting the Dragon on course for a rendezvous with the ISS. So not even that spacecraft does it in one go.

Like others have said, the aerodynamics have come a long way from the early days. Fins actually matter now. Nose cones help reduce atmospheric drag, etc. Make sure you are using engines with Thrust Vectoring while in the atmosphere because that increases responsiveness and reduces the tendency for it to tip. Also, pay attention to center of mass and how fuel is expended while ascending because many designs can become especially top heavy as they ascend. (Again, depends on how you built the vehicle.) It's especially true that going WOL (wide open throttle) while ascending not only generates excessive heat (if your TWR is high enough) but it makes it a lot harder for Reaction Wheels, Thrust Vectoring, SAS to keep the launch vehicle on it's current heading. So bringing down your throttle a little may also provide a more stable ascent and gravity turn. Finally, with all the aerodynamic changes, a lot of us stopped the usual "gravity turn at 10k" method. It's just fine to start your gravity turn at 1k and slowly get to 45 degrees by 10k and then maintain that until you reach your target apoapsis. Oh, and never forget to check for wobbling or anything weird like that. Struts and more struts. Just had to throw that out there because a spacecraft noodle like to flop over and do all sorts of crazy things. I hope some of this helps!

Welcome aboard!!! Ah yes, that moment you realize Kerbal Space Program is like crack and you binge play for hours. Was it 6 hours straight or did you take a break? There is a lot to learn. Don't get overwhelmed. Take your time and get a good grasp on the basics. You need to build upon these skills to progress and do a lot more going forward.

Being completely honest? Never used it. In fact, I have been playing since 0.18 and seriously had no idea it existed until the asteroid redirect mission when I was watching somebody use it on Twitch. I refuse to use it. Because the crew on Apollo 13 didn't have an ALT+F12... neither does Jeb. Ha!

Steam updated KSP -again-. I can also confirm it's working this time.

I think you're missing the point. KSP *queued and UPDATED* for us on Steam. I watched it download and install. But when running the game, it's still v0.24. Something is very obviously borked.

Um guys.. it showed my KSP update in steam... but when I started the game the version number is 0.24.2.559? ruh roh

Yay its here!!!! Bye everybody hahahaha

You should kindly inform him he's wrong.

Haters gonna hate.

Moar hipe !!!

LOL!!! I love the smudging with the blue crayon....

They just posted on facebook. "All aboard who's getting on board..." Get ready folks... this is exactly how it went down when they released .24! Any minute now =)

I think this has probably happened to a lot of people when first starting out... Building a jet or SSTO for the first time. I must have spent 10 hours building the most awesome looking jet. It looked so realistic and of course it will fly, it has wings... Boy was that a wake up call when I stuck it on the runway. And that was after attempting to lift off. Hours of work, for a cool looking coffee table coaster. I learned a lot that day...

Really guys? Not a single Minmus? I mean, c'mon, yes it's close to Kerbin, but who doesn't like mint?

Building a space station is cool. But rendezvous and docking can be one of the most difficult things to learn. If you're starting out, I recommend moving from orbits to larger orbits and intersects with planetary bodies or moons. Specifically Minmus. It orbits further from Kerbin, so it's relative velocity is slower compared to the Mun and it has a smaller mass and less gravity, making landings exceptionally easier than the Mun. I would suggest getting a Minmus landing under your belt, then the Mun, and then focus on the space station and planetary phase angles. I wish I would have had somebody tell me to do it that way when I first started because I learned the hard way, with a lot more concepts thrown at me then a gentle easing in to it. I don't regret it, but the last thing you want to do is become frustrated. Go to Minmus and then report back. Good luck!

No. Burning prograde will slam you in to the Mun. I think you either mistyped or have your terms confused. You burn retrograde to slow down. Designated by the circle with an X on the navball.

You need to kill your angular momentum. Simply point your craft at the retrograde marker (circle with an X) on your navball and burn until it moves toward dead center. That will allow gravity to pull you straight down. Keep in mind, if your navball is set to "surface" mode, the retrograde marker may shift a bit as you approach the ground, because it reflects surface angles. (Landing in the rim of a crater for example) Hope this helps!

Welcome!! I hear Kermany is nice this time of year.

This!!!! ^

I generally don't launch with docked components unless I absolutely have to. I hope someday, SQUAD makes clamp/locking dock connectors which make them stable on their own. I'm not sure what the limitation might be with Unity to do this... But the work-around I have used on the launchpad is simply using struts, which has worked perfectly for me each time I needed to do it.

Yeah I have been experimenting with how far you can push these things. As long as it doesn't miraculously despawn on me, it's possible, but it's going to take multiple missions.

This might sound crazy, but my current objective is to put a class E around Jool... Then I will construct a station on it. It will be glorious.

Oh jeez, um lol. I have over 100 active flights across the solar system. KERBIN: - 10 "K-Sat Satellites" orbiting kerbin at different inclinations. - 1 very large Kerbal Space Station assembled in 12 different docking missions. Contains over 2,000 parts. (Yes it kills my CPU) - 1 smaller refueler space station because I can barely dock with the main KSS due to lag - 1 class D Asteroid captured in orbit MUN: - 10 landers with 3 crew each and a rover per lander. (Packaged together) - 1 munar base with a winch system to lift and rotate dockable modules to the base. - 1 large communication tower next to the Mun base. - 1 refueler space station in orbit - 1 class C asteroid in orbit - 1 SSTO in orbit and a rocket lander which comes out of the SSTO bay doors landed on the Mun. MINMUS: - 1 refueler space station - 5 landers and rovers MOHO: - 1 refueler space station in orbit - 1 lander and rover EVE: - 1 refueler space station - 3 landers and rovers GILLY: - 1 lander and rover DRES: - 1 refueler space station - 1 lander and rover DUNA: - 1 refueler space station - 3 landers and rovers IKE: - 1 lander and rover JOOL: - 1 refueler space station in orbit LAYTHE: - 2 landers and rovers EELOO: - 1 refueler space station - 1 lander and rover KERBOL: - 2 satellites (unmanned) ... And I'm probably forgetting some moons. But that's it in a nutshell. Over 500 hours logged by Steam. I think I need a life..