What do you use RCS for?

[jarmund]

While RCS isn't strictly required, it's of course convenient for various uses. Which uses do you use RCS for? Not just RCS fuel, but the system as a whole, including vernor engines and any mods that provide functions linked to the RCS.

EDIT:

Crap, missing option: Fine tuning orbits. Any others I missed?

Edited March 21, 2015 by jarmund

[InterCity]

I don't use it at all. I'm too daft to remember to put thrusters on

[MrPopcup]

Mainly for docking, as you said, fine tuning orbits too! And I guess for making the spacecraft more stable. I also used them for rovers to provide downforce, These are the uses for RCS for me

[worir4]

I am guessing all the people that put deorbiting only use RCS because they ran out of main fuel!

[Van Disaster]

I am guessing all the people that put deorbiting only use RCS because they ran out of main fuel!

No, I have an escape shuttle that only carries a little jet fuel, RCS is plenty to get it to re-enter.

[Reactordrone]

Mostly for docking although I have built stations with one man escape pods that only have RCS for de-orbiting. I try to stick to reaction wheels for turning and stability control and LFO engines for landers.

[jarmund]

I don't use it at all. I'm too daft to remember to put thrusters on

For unexplained reasons, it actually took me quite a while to actually learn what RCS was for. "Huh, there's no difference with it enabled? Why use it?" (I of course didn't have any RCS thrusters on, or monoprop). This resulted in me managing to dock two vessels using main engine only. Never again.

[Thomas988]

I barely use RCS now. I can easily dock with 20 to 30 units of monopropellant, even. Other than that, I have no real use for it.

[Deutherius]

I tend to put a small amount of RCS on every craft that might require docking/station keeping/precise manuever corrections. I also slap one or more of the O-10 monoprop engine/s on the craft, so that if the mission does not requiring docking, the RCS isn't all that useless (they are massless, have better thrust and Isp than RCS ports and are just generally nice).

[FlyingPete]

I built a few escape pods consisting of a Mk1 capsule, docking port, parachute and a couple of O-10 engines or RCS thrusters. There's enough propellant in the capsule's own store to bring a single kerbal from the space station back to Kerbin for whatever reason.

RCS also comes in handy for making fine orbital adjustments- particularly for things like Kerbin-Minmus transfers, where a small velocity change makes a big difference.

[cantab]

I've used it for all of them. But the only thing I all but need it for is docking. I've done engine-only docking and it's a pain in the rear end.

[Vashts]

i have a rover powered by MP

Javascript is disabled. View full album

but i mostly use it for docking. also a few designs have O-10s for low grav landings (do we consider these RCS?). i dont use vernor engines. they are a waste imo.

[Xaver]

Deorbiting for example empty refueltanks after they have done their job.

Turning for big ships

And of course docking.

yes fine tuning orbits while doing a rendezvous.

[magnemoe]

Docking is obvious, rcs for rotating massive ships is less of an problem in later ksp versions with the large reaction wheels, mostly useful now if something is wrong like then my Jool base was off balance and had lost an LV-N then I took it from Pol to Bop.

I tend to use it for tiny correction burns like changing Pe from 150 to 20 km halfway to Duna, also found it very nice then combined with mechjeb landing autopilot to do pinpoint landings.

Mechjeb landing has an error of around 50 meters on Minmus, with rcs correction you can get this down to 5 meter, close enough to connect with an kas pipe without hitting the base.

[Kibble]

Attitude control (except my big rockets usually have gimbaling rocket engines - there aren't many engine packs out there with outboard verniers!), and precision translation during rendezvous (including landing on small bodies). Deorbit usually requires a spacecraft's main rocket engines, but those are generally just big glorified RCS thrusters.

Yay for pressure-fed hypergolics!

[magnemoe]

Docking is obvious, rcs for rotating massive ships is less of an problem in later ksp versions with the large reaction wheels, mostly useful now if something is wrong like then my Jool base was off balance and had lost an LV-N then I took it from Pol to Bop.

I tend to use it for tiny correction burns like changing Pe from 150 to 20 km halfway to Duna, also found it very nice then combined with mechjeb landing autopilot to do pinpoint landings.

Mechjeb landing has an error of around 50 meters on Minmus, with rcs correction you can get this down to 5 meter, close enough to connect with an kas pipe without hitting the base.

[Motokid600]

With RSS/RO... Everything. Absolutely everything.

[Tassyr]

Docking, fine-tuning orbits, superlight (Sub. .5 ton) probes... you name it!

[Skorpychan]

Docking, and turning large craft without reaction wheels tearing them apart. That's about it.

[PlonioFludrasco]

On low tech little probes and satellites, liquid fuel engines are too heavy if you want to go small.

[Lord Aurelius]

I've built some miniscule stack probes out of an OKTO2, .625m RCS tank and 4 thrusters (plus batteries, comms, science, solar, etc). It's capable of landing on any of the low gravity bodies and work great for missions to Jool for those low gravity moons. For these probes, RCS is used for everything (except docking, these are disposable probes). Other craft use it primarily for docking, and large craft use it to assist with turning as well.

[Raptor9]

It's also useful for small moon exploration craft. I call them "puddlejumpers" in my save games, but they're simply a rover type assembly with small landing struts instead of wheels, and RCS thrusters to jump/hover across the surface of places like Minmus, Bop, Pol, and Gilly (although Gilly it's hardly needed, lol).

[WWEdeadman]

I usually only use it for docking, but on very large craft it can also be useful for turning. And of course I have RCS-landed entire interplanetary ships on Gilly...

[SkyRender]

On the rare occasions that I bother with RCS, it's only used for final docking maneuvers and orbital insertion trimming. Most of the time I don't use it, because KSP is exceptionally forgiving in how it models rocket exhaust.

[theJesuit]

Deorbiting once or twice when I've drained a refeuler dry, but mostly docking. Not just reorienting but fine tuning orbits while doing a rendezvous with other heavenly bodies!

Peace!