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Is this what a launch will look like with the new Aerodynamics in 1.0?


Caelib

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I've always disliked the climbing to 7k meters before starting a turn in KSP ... it just feels unnatural. IRL, rocket's don't go straight up at launch:

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1503/MMSLaunch_cooper_1050.jpg

Is this what it will be like in 1.0?

Image source: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150323.html

Probably. It sounds like they are serious about making aerodynamics much more realistic.

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I turn early anyway. While Unity takes care of parts outside the Real Physics bubble, it still doesn't feel right to be ditching boosters and stages while straight over the KSC.

I also start my turn quite early, sometimes I start a small pitch right after lift off, but however I start I'm always pitched to ~70 degrees by the time I'm 5km up.

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It sounds like it'll be more than NEAR but less than FAR, so starting a turn at 75m/s or so will be viable, instead of the long (dumb) climb to 8km. That could be a mis-statement, though, if Squad is commited to ~4.5km/s~, in which case the aero model will be completely wonky...

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As long as the souposphere goes away, yes. That's the part of the aerodynamics that discourages early turns. The gravity turn behavior is a separate issue; as long as they decouple mass from the drag calculation (and it sounds as if they will), that should happen as well.

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I've always disliked the climbing to 7k meters before starting a turn in KSP ... it just feels unnatural. IRL, rocket's don't go straight up at launch:

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1503/MMSLaunch_cooper_1050.jpg

Is this what it will be like in 1.0?

Image source: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150323.html

What's stopping you from starting your turn earlier?

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I generally start my pitchovers of only a few degrees from vertical (less than 5) very early - sometimes as low as 2000m.

Under the higher twr of the 1st stage, the prograde marker only slowly deviates. Once i got to the lower TWRs of upper stages, the gravity turn increases in speed much faster :) (note, don't forget a nosecone on top - that helps a lot for allowing the rocket to follow the prograde marker :P).

One of the main problems, is using too much control autorithy in most KSP rockets :) - try at least once the BTSM mod, it'll teach you great things about KSP stock control authority :) (and it also have a realistic ISP response, like we'll have in 1.0 - so it's also a good training for that :)

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Y'know, now that the OP has mentioned it, I suppose having to start your gravity turn really early could be really fun! Climbing up and doing nothing for a while is really unrealistic and quite the boring gameplay experience.

Yes, people have been arguing this for over two years now. According to ferram4 this is literally the reason FAR exists.

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I turn early anyway. While Unity takes care of parts outside the Real Physics bubble, it still doesn't feel right to be ditching boosters and stages while straight over the KSC.

I do that too! Didn't know others did as well. One of my "requirements" when designing lifters is to make sure they are over the ocean when it's time to jettison boosters (if the rockets have them).

I do hope that rocket launches in overhauled aerodynamics are at least slightly more realistic. At least make a smooth gravity turn better than an instant go straight, turn 90 turn as done often in stock KSP. Playing RSS is really quite fun because most rockets turn at around 1 km, and that's with a bigger Earth as well.

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I do that too! Didn't know others did as well. One of my "requirements" when designing lifters is to make sure they are over the ocean when it's time to jettison boosters (if the rockets have them).

I do hope that rocket launches in overhauled aerodynamics are at least slightly more realistic. At least make a smooth gravity turn better than an instant go straight, turn 90 turn as done often in stock KSP. Playing RSS is really quite fun because most rockets turn at around 1 km, and that's with a bigger Earth as well.

Even with the 1/10th RSS config I turn my rockets at 100m/s or 1km (Whichever happens first) then just hit SAS-prograde and watch my time to Apoapsis. It's kinda cool to see your rocket level itself out at 60km and be up to just shy of orbital velocity by the time your apoapsis reaches the proper altitude (200km for anything going to the Mun/Moon, 300 for stations and 350 for interplanetary vessels)

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I turn early anyway. While Unity takes care of parts outside the Real Physics bubble, it still doesn't feel right to be ditching boosters and stages while straight over the KSC.

I, on the other hand, deliberately go straight up until booster separation so that the boosters (which have parachutes and landing legs) can land back on KSC property (or would do so, if KSP allowed us to specify that they be followed down while the rest of the rocket continues).

Yes, it's inefficient...but the penalty is mostly just using more fuel...and it's my contention that fuel expenses are cheap compared to hardware expenses.

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