Found a good use for Fleas a bit later in career mode...

[Guest]

I haven't unlocked the Separatrons yet so I had to get creative to avoid striking the core stage:

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tbh that is the most spectacular separation event I've seen so far, including RSS launches. Also, don't cite Whackjob here, his use of RT-10s is to scale.

[windows_x_seven]

Seems really aerodynamic.

Although I have to say, the separation looks really beautiful.

[Motokid600]

Spectacular. Did you do anything to their thrust/fuel levels? Or just left them as is?

[Guest]

Spectacular. Did you do anything to their thrust/fuel levels? Or just left them as is?

I reduced the solid fuel to 10 so it'd be a short burn.

- - - Updated - - -

Seems really aerodynamic.

I could probably fit some nose cones on there and clip the Fleas appropriately if I had orange tanks unlocked. I was about three parts from the limit on this thing.

[Zucal]

Fleas are quite useful, I've found. I also use them to give large planes a kick right before takeoff, and one of my favorite budget techniques in career mode is to use a spaceplane to lift a probe/Flea combo to suborbital, then use the Flea to circularize and land the plane.

[klgraham1013]

That's one heck of a separation.

Edited May 10, 2015 by klgraham1013
Modified religious word for political correctness.

[TMS]

Heh, I routinely use tweaked SRBs for my more extravagant launches.

One on 5th Horsman's series...

Also, nice navball texture, regex.

Edited May 10, 2015 by TMS
stupid ipdad

[Motokid600]

Clipping them under a nosecone won't work unless you put the flea in the middle. What about payload fairings? Staging the fairings and the fleas as if the thrust blew through them ( like the SIC retro motors ) would make it even more dramatic. And go figure it'd be the one time that wacky fairing seperation everyone hates would look appropriate.

[Guest]

Clipping them under a nosecone won't work unless you put the flea in the middle.

No, clip them so the thrust transform is outside of the nosecone collider, I do it all the time with separatrons on my RSS launchers.

What about payload fairings? Staging the fairings and the fleas as if the thrust blew through them ( like the SIC retro motors ) would make it even more dramatic. And go figure it'd be the one time that wacky fairing seperation everyone hates would look appropriate.

Not unlocked and waaaaaaaaaaay too heavy to be anything but an extravagant waste, but you are correct on the other points.

[Motokid600]

That's true. Well anyway you gave me some cool ideas, lol

[Levelord]

I just use the really cheap tier 1 fins and angle them slightly outwards, so that when my boosters separate, the fins carry them away from the core stack. It's far cheaper and doesn't hinder the aerodynamic shape.

Half a second after decoupling the boosters are already separating on their own. The ones on the right are moving away as well, but it was because I accidentally tilted the rocket to the right last minute, they still barely touch each other. The separation was a success anyway.

[Starwhip]

I just use the really cheap tier 1 fins and angle them slightly outwards, so that when my boosters separate, the fins carry them away from the core stack. It's far cheaper and doesn't hinder the aerodynamic shape.

http://i.imgur.com/dSrHNbY.jpg

Half a second after decoupling the boosters are already separating on their own. The ones on the right are moving away as well, but it was because I accidentally tilted the rocket to the right last minute, they still barely touch each other. The separation was a success anyway.

http://i.imgur.com/LMLz4ae.jpg

Nice idea!

[Guest]

Half a second after decoupling the boosters are already separating on their own. The ones on the right are moving away as well, but it was because I accidentally tilted the rocket to the right last minute, they still barely touch each other. The separation was a success anyway.

I noticed a difference in separation altitude between your method and mine. Not that the fins aren't an elegant, cheap solution, but I don't trust them 32km up.

[xrayfishx]

tbh that is the most spectacular separation event I've seen so far, including RSS launches.

I see you've never tried single-launch interplanetary missions.

I had to build an 88000t launch vehicle for my attempt at this. It always crashed the game when I tried to load it, but I'm sure the separation events would have been more spectacular.

[Guest]

I see you've never tried single-launch interplanetary missions.

I had to build an 88000t launch vehicle for my attempt at this. It always crashed the game when I tried to load it, but I'm sure the separation events would have been more spectacular.

I had a 2+1 stage vehicle that put 575 tons into orbit with a 15m fairing, the staging events were fairly sedate, even with 12 UA1207s, compared to the blast of exhaust seen there.

[Wjolcz]

You should use some sort of aerodynamic caps on those. I did something like this with my RATOL design once and watching them fly off forward was pretty satisfying.

Could be a bit dangerous for the rocket, though.

[moogoob]

You should use some sort of aerodynamic caps on those. I did something like this with my RATOL design once and watching them fly off forward was pretty satisfying.

Could be a bit dangerous for the rocket, though.

I was considering this too, but the next bit of flight would quickly become either a game of "dodge the space debris" or high-altitude fireworks, depending on your luck and piloting skills.

[undercoveryankee]

I haven't unlocked the Separatrons yet so I had to get creative to avoid striking the core stage:

Not sure what they were thinking putting Sepratrons at 160 science. Perhaps to help people realize that decouplers do have some force and can get rid of small things without help.

[Renegrade]

I just use the really cheap tier 1 fins and angle them slightly outwards, so that when my boosters separate, the fins carry them away from the core stack. It's far cheaper and doesn't hinder the aerodynamic shape.

Those lil fins will be creating some amount of drag even if they're directly parallel to the airflow (and they aren't)..

My own solution for that is to simply mount the decoupler higher. Squad finally fixed that radial decoupler bug, so if you apply the force above the booster's dry CG, it's nose will kick out, and the lifting body effect will fling the boosters away quite nicely. Same technique I used with FAR and 0.90 and Claw's decoupler fix.

[ShadowZone]

I am using the Flea as a big Sepatron myself. But I put fairings around them. Looks a bit better