Various Difficulties

[Hunter-K13]

So, I've been playing for a couple weeks, and I'm currently trying to land on the Mun; however, being a noob, I've run into some difficulties, so I'm hoping you guys can help me out. This is the ship I've been using: [URL]http://pastebin.com/6ASKMhuu[/URL]
It's being flown by 1-star pilot Jeb.

These are the problems I've been having:


[LIST=1]
[*]My electrical charge is constantly draining, even when SAS is turned off, so I'm empty by the time I reach the Mun (I don't have solar panels yet). Is something else draining my juice?
[*]Although I have managed to safely land on the Mun a couple times, every time I haven't had enough fuel to return home. (And I can't send a rescue ship because the whole reason I'm landing on the Mun is to get science so I can build a rescue ship to save Valentina and a couple of tourists from Minmus orbit.) Am I running out of fuel because of my design, or because I'm not doing a good job of flying it? Could an experienced player fly this ship to the Mun and back?
[*]Relating to the previous problem, I'm trouble flying my ship the way wiki and video tutorials are telling me. For example, I've heard form some sources that I should tilt over 45 degrees once I reach 10km. However, although my ship's design is similar to those I've seen in videos, it starts to somersault if I tip over more that 15 degrees before I reach 30km. Again, is this because of my ship or me?
[/LIST] Edited November 19, 2015 by Hunter-K13

[Vanamonde]

1. This is how it's supposed to work. Add batteries or something that generates power.
2. Haven't tried your ship yet.
3. These instructions are for a previous version of the game, and aerodynamics have changed a lot since then. Make a more gradual turn, and add fins to the lower end of the ship, or take some other measures to make it more stable.

Will try your design later. :)

[Snark]

Could you post a screenshot?

Yes, the actual ship can be handy, too... however, when you post the ship, the only way for someone to help you is if they're very very patient and friendly, like Vanamonde :), and actually load it up in KSP and try it out, which takes time. On the other hand, if you post a screenshot, anyone in the forum can see it instantly and you'll probably get a pretty good volume of useful critique. It lowers the barrier to entry for people who would like to be helpful but don't have the time to load up your ship themselves.

[disembodied]

1. The radiators drain electricity. You don't need even a single radiator for that ship.

2. Loading the ship up into KER shows it as having 7353 dV, which is more than enough to land and return from Mun.

3. The ship is slightly unbalanced because of that mystery goo, but probably not enough to cause issues. More importantly, those radiators create a lot of lift and drag above your center of mass, which makes the ship flip happy. Put fins on the bottom, get rid of the radiators at the top.

EDIT:You also put the heatshield on wrong. It has to go to the bottom of the stack, otherwise everything below it will likely melt.
Hilariously, your craft manages to avoid the problem by having another one - namely, those radiators. On reentry, the capsule flips parachute-first and they manage to cool the capsule and parachutes off just enough that they don't explode.
It flips because the heatshield is above the science junior with no decoupler between them, so the center of mass is toward the top of the craft. I'd suggest leaving the science jr. with the lander stage, collecting the science on EVA and reentering Kerbin with a simple parachute/capsule/heatshield combo.


Here's a simple guide: Get your ascent speed close to 100 m/s, then tip the rocket over 5 degrees east, wait for the prograde marker to start dropping and follow it without deviating from it during the first ~30 km, or your ship will do more somersaults. Edited November 18, 2015 by disembodied

[Vanamonde]

Okay, I tried your ship. 4 steerable winglets near the bottom of the central stack are enough to keep it from flipping during ascent, and it does have more than enough fuel. As disembodied points out, the radiators were the power drain, and are not needed on this ship. The design has a couple of other problems, but I don't want to ruin the learning experience by fixing everything for you. :D Let me know if you would like more tips, though.

[Taki117]

I don't think you realize how over built this rocket is. With a proper flight profile, remove the radiators, and add some fins to your center stack, you can make it to the Mun and back with plenty of wiggle room. I will however advise that you bring all of your science into the capsule before you leave the Mun. (If you are able)

[Hunter-K13]

Okay, thanks a lot for the feedback everyone! I thought the radiators were just differently-shaped heat shields :blush:. Thank you again for the help! :D

[Guest]

[quote name='Hunter-K13']Okay, thanks a lot for the feedback everyone! I thought the radiators were just differently-shaped heat shields :blush:. Thank you again for the help! :D[/QUOTE]
They use a different module. Just saying...

[xiej]

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Edited November 15, 2024 by xiej