Probe cores and large rockets

[ibanix]

Probe cores are tiny. Rockets (and fuel tanks etc.) are huge. If I had radial probe cores a lot of my life would be easier.

Assuming you don't put your probe core at the very top of the rocket with an adapter to size, how have you managed to get a probe core elsewhere in a stack and not look silly? This is particularly relevant to me when launching a fuel canister w/ docking ports at the top of my stack, for hooking up to a station.

[sal_vager]

Have you considered using the larger probe cores?

[The_Rocketeer]

Use the Remote Guidance Units instead of probe cores. You can easily augment them with reaction wheels for more attitude control.

Cos, y'know, the probe cores are really for... well... probes.

[ibanix]

Career Mode. Not unlocked until late in the game.

[legoclone09]

Service bays, put a HECS, OKTO, or OKTO2 in the bay and put batteries, solar panels, reaction wheels, and other goodies in there.

[Snark]

Service bays, put a HECS, OKTO, or OKTO2 in the bay and put batteries, solar panels, reaction wheels, and other goodies in there.

+1 for this. Service bays are great for this-- they're lightweight, sturdy, and become available really early in the tech tree.

Personally, I try to avoid anything with moving parts inside a service bay, so I don't put solar panels there... but a probe core with some batteries on it (especially, when it's early in the tech tree and I only have radial batteries) fits great.

[Bev7787]

Well, you can put the fixed solar panels in there.

[legoclone09]

If it truly was +1 you would give me a rep cookie. (just joking, you don't need to)

[cantab]

The small nosecones can be radially attached. They make a nice "blister pod" to hold a probe core in a streamlined fashion.

[ibanix]

I almost never use service bays; they tend to cause all sort of heat issues :/

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

Slap a radial attachment point on the side, and stick the probecore there. Then slap a docking port opposite to balance the weight and drag.

[ajburges]

I almost never use service bays; they tend to cause all sort of heat issues :/

I think you are thinking about cargo bays. I have not heard of any thermal issues with service bays, just Kraken issues.

[ibanix]

Slap a radial attachment point on the side, and stick the probecore there. Then slap a docking port opposite to balance the weight and drag.

Ugh, no, that just looks ugly.

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

Ugh, no, that just looks ugly.

you didn't say you wanted pretty. You said you wanted a probe core on a rocket.

For "pretty" you have to use the RC units.

[The_Rocketeer]

Have you considered designing the payload stage of the rocket in reverse such that the top of the whole assembly is the bottom of the final stage? So, the assembly would go (from top to bottom).

Tug-probe (Engine, fuel, control parts (probe core, rcs etc), separator) -> Payload (fuel tank, docking port) -> Ascent stage (separator, fuel tanks, engines, boosters, control surfaces etc).

Then when the ascent stage burns out, perform a 180 rotation and use the tug stage to make orbital manoeuvres/dock etc (controlled from the payload's docking port).

[Sharpy]

I usually use cargo bays. Probe core, large reaction wheels, large batteries, extra science, monoprop tanks, science, maybe even a small lander/rover/speeder/drone in there... Cargo bays don't experience the problems of service bays.

Or just taper the top of the rocket to a tip with various adapters and put my probe core there.

A trivial method of surface-attaching probe cores would be to use the Editor Extensions mod and enabling surface attachment. Any part can be surface-attached then. But I tend to hold my probe cores and (primarily!) docking ports aligned with the axis of the rocket; the bug with misaligned "control from here" part is a nasty problem for docking.

[LordFerret]

I've done this in the past ...

And this...

It works.