jmr106

When playing in career mode, of course you save money if you can recover as much as possible. I attach the radial parachutes to the earlier stages, but I have been trying to figure out a way to get them to deploy automatically. On a 2-stage rocket, for instance...the first stage needs to fall away and that separation might not take place until 30,000m or more. Of course, there may still be some vertical speed on the first stage. Upon separation of the first stage, it falls - but you can't activate the parachutes after the separation, of course. At least, not from the second stage view. I guess you could theoretically keep a battery attached to the first stage and switch views back to the first and manually open each parachute. Is there a better way to do this? If you have it eject the parachute upon separation, it usually just tears off either due to high vertical speed while ascending (obviously not a good move) or high vertical speed descending. How do others deal with this?

I have a Cupola Module with a Science Jr lab and Mobile Processing Lab. I'm using the stock KSP 0.24.2. This is a pretty enormous rocket and can get me to about half of the planets. Right before launch, I go in and select 2 Kerbals, as one is already selected. But then at the launch screen, it only shows up one Kerbal. What am I doing wrong? The Cupola supports more than one Kerbal...

I know how to get into orbit with no problem. I've learned how to design Mun-capable ships. My only issue is the actual actions required to get to the Mun. So where's what I do...I launch until I get into about a 100km or so orbit. Then I add a burn/node at the next apoapsis as soon as my orbit is stable and I make an oblong orbit that goes all the way out until the tip of the new to-be apoapsis is right in the orbit pattern of the Mun. I delete that node and create a new node/burn at the new apoapsis of the oblong orbit and turn it into a circular orbit and try to get that to match the circular orbit of the Mun. Then I speed up the time and let it go around a certain number of orbits until it seems to encounter the Mun somehow by itself. It will say "Mun escape" eventually by itself and will have a circular-like icon and a bent arrow like on the Enter key of a keyboard. I have actually crashed into the Mun this way...my lander wasn't quite ready, but this method got me there. I've kind of self-taught myself this method...the other ones like the Wiki methods, etc. do not seem to put it into plain terms and are quite confusing. I click on the Mun and "set as target" and it places some kind of vertical or horizontal up/down tabs...they say something like up/down on each one. What are these, exactly and what are they for? Thanks!

I understand the general principle of getting into Kerbin orbit and have no problem with that. Generally, I shoot for (what is probably overkill) about 2,500m/s @100,000m to what usually ends up as about 300,000m after the upward momentum has subsided. Then I perform a burn at the apoapsis to make my orbit proper and circular around Kerbin. Then I initiate another node to create a prograde burn that becomes a larger, oblong orbit that is much farther out than the Kerbin orbit. Then I do another burn to make the oblong orbit circular. Is there a more direct path to the Mun other than this method of oblong and then circular orbits using burns to try to line up my circular orbit with the exact orbit of the Mun? I'm still learning and so far I don't know how to use the other symbols yet (apart from the prograde and retrograde orbit bar when creating a new future burn). Theoretically, using this method of circular orbit turned oblong orbit, turned circular orbit again...is this the proper way to make it to any of the planets? Or is there a more direct route and is my way using up way too much fuel? It's a bit hard to describe, so I have included an image that consists of 5 images of different burn stages. It ends with the start of the oblong orbit in trying to branch out from Kerbin orbit. I'm basically just trying to make sure that this circular orbit and then the oblong orbit (until the 3rd burn to make it circular) are the right way that I should be using this?

I've been using KSP for probably 6-8 months now. I've figured out how to get into orbit and I'm working on learning how to get to the Mun and planets that are farther out (I'm discovering just how huge they kerbal solar system is, after seeing the last planet wayyyyyyy out there). I have been picking my brain trying to figure out how to successfully use a lot of PB-Ion Electric Propulsion Systems together. Nothing modded or anything...just the stock that is already in the game. I've tried the small square space probe blocks...they really don't work very well. I've even tried the large flat structural panel (odd as it may be...just sticking them on there with the tanks above the engine). However, apparently electricity doesn't pass through the structural panel itself and the engines couldn't fire. So what could I use to stick these engines on? I know that a single one just goes onto whatever you are building as the next piece that automatically attaches. But say that I want to build a probe with like 5+ ion engines (and I've been pondering a massive one with like 15 of them). I've tried to large node (HubMax Multi Point Connector) to attach multiple nodes together so that I have room for 5 engines in a square shape (for on the outside and one in the center). However, when you attached more than two of those side by side, you can't add anything onto the bottom of any of them for some reason. Any ideas?