Tibrogargan

I'm sure this will be the case once I get the base fully upgraded - but I'm finding it coming along slower than I'd like, so I'm looking for ways to save some cash. Oddly enough, the Asparagus Rocket gets my flying fuel can into Orbit for ~ 99K. The equivalent SRB based design does it for 90K. The Asparagus stages cost about 20k a pop, but I could feasibly recover 10k on each ... so effectively the asparagus version would be ~ 60K, significantly cheaper than the SRB based version. But I guess this all is moot once I build a fuel base on Minmus

This is the category I fall into. I find it a challenge to design a recoverable stage - it's definitely a worthwhile use of my time. Actually flying a recoverable stage isn't. StageRecovery might be the best compromise - I can design and test my stages with it disabled and then just let it handle them once they work. Thanks for the input. Helps clarify my thinking

That sounds pretty cool - thanks for posting it. It does sound like a bit more micro-management than I'd like to do. What I really want to do is design and test my stages so that they are recoverable, but once the design is effective never actually have to worry about flying them. (What works for my example above at 15k most definitely does not at 70k. Airbrakes to the rescue!). Sounds like FMRS would be awesome for refining the design, or diagnosing why you didn't get a recovery. Do you know if it lets you automatically land your stages? I'm really just after some setting so that instead of just deleting a stage, the engine simulates them all the way to termination in the background instead.

I read this question but it's from a while ago and I was wondering if there's been any updates: I've been messing with recovering Asparagus stages. I've gotten a workable setup, but it only works as as long as you're watching - however (as mentioned) stages will get deleted if you don't watch them and if you watch too long your main stage can go out of physics range and there seems to be no way to return to it (Tracking Center link is disabled in Atmosphere) The StageRecovery mod may be a reasonable work-around, although I suspect it might be a bit generous with the cash - it's been a fun challenge getting the stages set up just right and it seems to be a bit of a let-down to be able to just stick any old parachute on a stage and get the full value back. (With a Jumbo-64 + RE-I5 based stage I use two Mk12-R plus four Mk2-R to get under 8 m/s, but only barely) Have there been any changes since the last question that would improve this situation?