1greywind

@Chris_2: Tanks! And this thing is made from only tier II career parts, so I may upgrade it to use drills and ISRU later. @Kagame, @parameciumkid: Well, I have big experience with launching oversized payloads to space: And this approach "build rocket around payload" still works with new aero in 1.0.x - the only limitation is "fly straight up" until you pass sound barrier and lower atmosphere.

The Aldan Stock mid career biome hopper for medium-low gravity airless worlds. With launch kit to orbit included Stats: Parts count: 119 (209 parts with launch kit) Full weight: 74.353 ton Dry weight: 24.913 ton dV: 3509 m/s Acceleration: 4.8 - 13.6 m/s*s Action groups: 1 - toggle solar panels 2 - toggle ladders 7, 8, 9, 0 - toggle lights Max landing vertical speed no more than 10 m/s! Rapid unplanned disassembly warning if exceeded! Launch kit ascent profile is simple and reminds pre 1.0 times: straight up to 15 km on full throttle, then start slow gravity turn, circularize orbit with Aldan's engines. Gallery: DOWNLOAD LINKS: Aldan biome hopper .craft Aldan biome hopper with launch kit .craft

There is separate plugin for aircraft autopilot: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/100073-1-0-x-Pilot-Assistant-Atmospheric-piloting-aids-1-7-1-(May-8)

Guys, rapture = rupture - it was a mistake.

Today Roscosmos officials gave the press-conference where they repored preliminary results of ongoing investigations: ÃÂð 526,716 ÑÂõúуýôõ ÿþûõтð ÿрþø÷þшûþ ýõштðтýþõ рð÷ôõûõýøõ 3-ù ÑÂтуÿõýø ààø âÓÃÅ¡, .... ôòð ÿþÑÂûõôþòðтõûьýых ÑÂþñытøÑÂ, ÑÂòÑÂ÷ðýýых Ѡрð÷óõрüõтø÷ðцøõù (òÑÂúрытøõü ÿþÑÂûõ òыúûючõýøѠüðршõòþóþ ôòøóðтõûѠ3-ù ÑÂтуÿõýø àÃÂ) ÑÂýðчðûð ñðúð þúøÑÂûøтõÃȄÂ, ð ÷ðтõü - ø ñðúð óþрючõóþ 3-ù ÑÂтуÿõýø àÃÂ. Which means: "Not nominal separation on 526.716 second of flight. Simulation (most likely they estimated maximum energy released in diffirent kinds of catastrofic events - Progress engine exploision, Soyuz third stage turbopump exploision, etc) points to third stage oxidizer tank rupture followed by fuel tank rupture." Final investigation report is expected on May 22. - - - Updated - - - And schematic of Soyuz 2.1a third stage (middle): Fuel tank on top, oxidizer tank in middle.

Well, the "ugly old thing" has spinning wheels at least. Wheels on new ones are not spinning and don't have steering.

Well, I did some testing of occlusion on parts translated in editor: It doesn't work well. I you connect parts into stack, you can then translate them as you want and game does'nt takes they new position in acocunt then it calculates drag.

Fregat upper stage uses N2O4/UDMH combo so it has low Isp. And dV is combined for: Earth escape, Earth-Mars transit trajectory insertion, Mars low orbit insertion burns. 350 kg is mass delivered to circular low Mars orbit. Not just "to Mars trajectory".

To launch something to interplanetary trajectory with F9 (2 stage in basic configuration) you need to add some upper stage to it. F9 1.1 can lift ~13 ton to LEO. Let us see that upper stage we can put on it: - Centaur with it's 23 full mass is out of question. - Block D is ~19 ton, next. - Fregat ~7,7 mass. Looks like that we need. Well. Next we google for Solar system dV map - http://i.imgur.com/AAGJvD1.png. Look for dV needed to reach low Mars orbit from LEO - 5710 m/s Check Isp of Fregat's engine (á5.92) - 326 s Drop numbers into rocket equation to get ln of minimum mass fraction: 5710 = 9.8 * 326 * frac frac = ln (fullMass / dryMass) = 1.78 fullMass / dryMass ~= 5.95 Fregat's dry mass is 1 ton. So we need to solve simple equation: (7.7 + x) / (1 + x) = 5.95 5.95 + 5.95*x = 7.7 + x x = 1.75 / 4.95 x ~= 350 kg Oh. Those 350 is not just "mass to Mars Homman transfer trajectory". It is mass delivered to low Mars orbit. Not bad mass at all. Some of best imaging satellites are twice lighter.

Ehm. Val is on date with Jeb on LKO now:

Does anyone tested how multi-node adapters + gizmo-rotation behave? (be-couplers, etc) What if we connect something to be-coupler, then use rotation-gizmo to turn it by 90 degrees, then connect and rotate something to it, etc - does simulation takes into account something like that:

Sad that we don't have "reset FOV to default" button anywhere.

The small docking port is early in tech three and this allows you to do relatively easy Mun landing with 2 launch Kerbin and Mun orbit randevu style mission even with tier I VAB 30 parts limit.

Press Alt-F12 while in game, then go to "Physics" > "Aero" tab and toggle "show aerodynamic forces on screen" (or something like that). You will see arrows of different colors - red is drag, yellow is control surfaces, blue is lift. Then you turn your rocket, you'll see how many red arrows appear - those are the forces that flip you craft.

Not "after" but "before" separation: "Úþüðрþò þтüõтøû, чтþ тõûõüõтрøѠѠúþрðñûѠÿрþÿðûð ÷ð ÿþûтþры ÑÂõúуýôы ôþ õóþ þтôõûõýøѠþт рðúõты-ýþÑÂøтõûѠ"áþю÷-2.1ð". "ÃلĄÂú ø ÿþûõт рðúõты úþÑÂüøчõÑÂúþóþ ýð÷ýðчõýøѠÿрþхþôøû ò штðтýþü рõöøüõ, þôýðúþ ÷ð ÿþûтþры ÑÂõúуýôы ôþ рðÑÂчõтýþóþ òрõüõýø þтôõûõýøѠúþрðñûѠþт трõтьõù ÑÂтуÿõýø ÷ðфøúÑÂøрþòðýþ ÿрþÿðôðýøõ тõûõüõтрøчõÑÂúþù øýфþрüðцøø. ßрø ÑÂтþü òÿþÑÂûõôÑÂтòøø ñыûþ уÑÂтðýþòûõýþ, чтþ þтôõûõýøõ трðýÑÂÿþртýþóþ óру÷þòþóþ úþрðñûѠÿрþшûþ ÑÂòþõòрõüõýýþ", - ÑÂúð÷ðû óûðòð àþÑÂúþÑÂüþÑÂð.

I must note, that this launch is something special, because it is second Progress launch on Soyuz 2-1a. The main difference between Soyuz 2-1a (launcher involved) and Soyuz FG (launcher, used for Soyuz spacecraft) is in flight computer - FG uses old and proved analog version, 2-1a uses new digital control system.

Aerispike is crippled: Isp goes from 290 (ASL) to just 330 (Vac) Poodle Isp is no-existent at ASL: 85 and just ok at Vac: 350 but it now weights only 1.75 ton! (was 2) LV-909 is even wrose: 85-345 48-7S is nerfed to oblivion with Isp 270-300 and halved thrust: 18 kN max. Well, I must say that all time most hated Mk-55 look not bad in 1.0 with Isp 275-305 and 120 kN thrust - Actually it is on same performance level as LV-T30 - Isp 280-300 and 215 kN thrust. Oh, and airbreathing engines now have realistic Isp - much bigger than before: 8000 for Turbojet and 19200 for Basic jet. Edit Post

Better check it with debug tools. SQUAD have implemented all types of heat transfer - radiative, convective and conductive. This means that heat can flow from parts to parts. In this case wings are hot from air friction. Engines are hot from work. All this heat flow into tail section and it may overheat.

Turn on "show heat on right-click menu" and temp overlay in debug menu. You need to check, how many heat comes from engines too. Heat is produced not only by air friction, but by working engines too (we all saw LV-N exploding due to overheating).

Does anyone saw in preview stream people tried to test, will ships evaporate from going to close to Sun? Does Kerbol radiates same sort of heat that reentry does?

In my latest careere save I've got to contract in succession - build base on Bop and build station on Bop's orbit. Bop randevu flight plan (5 meneuver node): http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/34108372141640812/D2C6B3E7CABD0E6973B02D13EC647B09357C910E/ Ingress phase: http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/34108372141640619/CE1983CD1C2FF3E1E24F822AB103DB0AC03AFBAF/ Landing: http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/34108372141642451/223CA4E7A4E0796128DFAF81658687F7C1E32DF0/ Landed base: http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/34108372141643161/1BF92A3840497F5272F6A341245A51201888258B/ Base visited by crew rotation mission: http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/34108372141646626/9C08020EAE817CA41C57B07358B746F4674D1456/ Main challenge for me was VAB level 2 parts limit And second challenge was landing on last drop's of fuel on Bop: I've misscalculated and station landed with 15 m/s vert speed - thanks to low gravity I was able to tame wild jumps and landed it almost complete (only one solar panel was damaged).

I had tryied to weld some parts and it doesn't gone well. Looks like UbioWelding doesn't take gizmo-rotation and translation into account then makes welded parts meshes. Sorry.

It is possible - chassis, casing, crane base - all can be welded together. Does UbioWelding work with 0.90? I have not tried it since 0.22

Stock wheels are weak. I think it is possible to make such platform for 3.5 m parts size and 150-200 launch mass, but parts count will be arount ~1000 (you need many structural elements and struts to make big chassis).

I don't have big expirience with Infernal Robotics. IR is one of the best part mods around, but I don't feel that I'm already exhausted all stock options. I've considered this, but claw is very buggy There was a plan to use 3 docking ports (over 1 small port in final version) to allow crane to return into horizontal position after launch, but I've dropped it because it is not fun at all to try and connect 3 ports using only lateral movements of crane. Thanks!