Yay, more parts! (How do they work?)

[KevinTMC]

Howdy all!

I\'d been playing some Race Into Space (RIS a.k.a. BARIS) and, in searching for strategies online (that game is hard!) stumbled across KSP. So glad I did! After playing around a bit with the demo I just had to contribute to the project.

(By the way--though it\'s a very different game of course, there are plenty of campaign-mode ideas to be gleaned from RIS. The developers are familiar with it, I trust?)

I was just starting to figure out how the standard parts in 0.13 worked...now I haven\'t a clue what to do with the cool-looking additions in 0.15. Most of them are for spaceplanes, I gather? I tried making a spaceplane out of them, but most of my inventions exploded on the runway...and the one I got off the ground wasn\'t much good at anything except spinning uncontrollably. Any pointers on spaceplanes, and/or links to good guides on what parts are meant to do what and how to use them, would be welcome.

Also, a question for successful Mün-landers out there: do you establish a Münar orbit before trying to land? I left out this step and still managed to land...if you call hitting the surface at 325 m/s 'landing'...

[Epsilon]

Welcome!

RIS has been a topic of discussion several times here and I believe is one of the inspirations for creating the campaign mode in the future. The new parts implemented in 0.15 are indeed for spaceplanes. You could probably write a whole essay explaining the uses and functionality of each one. One idea that might be helpful is to look at other people\'s work. I\'ll get some links to some helpful instructions as well shortly.

Definitely establish orbit before landing on the Mun. It helps immensely not just for landings, but also for making orbital plane changes and altitude adjustments.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask away. Hope this helps.

[MunarAssassin]

Welcome,

Your being welcomed by a Star trek fan

But i hope you have a good time here.

Enjoy your stay

Make sure you have the basics of a plane.

Wings

Nose

Tail

landing gear.

Make sure you have symmetry on because without symmetry your plane will spin out of control if there not even right.

Hoped i help too.

~ MunarAssassin

[dogon11]

Salutations!

Spaceplanes are tricky beasts. Try to balance the wings, and not have too many control surfaces. I personally use both ASAS and SAS on my planes to avoid the slightest of wobbles. Also, bias the wings more towards the rear. I really don\'t know exactly what the matter is here.

I never brake into a Munar orbit before landing, unless I\'m trying to land at a specific location.

[KevinTMC]

Wow...helpful replies already. Thanks!

(The sense of humor and bonhomie I saw on arrival at this forum did help make plunking down my $15 even more of a no-brainer.)

dogon11, how many control surfaces would be too many? My last design had one large one on each wing and one small one on each horizontal tailfin, for a total of four.

[Capt'n Skunky]

Welcome to the KSP Forums!

Don\'t forget the rudder!

Happy Launching!

Arrr!

Capt\'n Skunky

KSP Community Manager

[dogon11]

Wow...helpful replies already. Thanks!

(The sense of humor and bonhomie I saw on arrival at this forum did help make plunking down my $15 even more of a no-brainer.)

dogon11, how many control surfaces would be too many? My last design had one large one on each wing and one small one on each horizontal tailfin, for a total of four.

That might not be enough. Try putting canards up by the nose.

[RedDwarfIV]

In my experience, a set of weak canards [the light grey fins] will work well on the nose of a spaceplane, while the strong canards can work well at the rear. Use a delta wing. I tend to use a \'compound delta\' or \'cranked arrow\' design, for maximum lift and maximum style. They put all the lift at the back, which is good for reentry but not so good for landing - you need to keep the nose up yourself if SAS/ASAS can\'t do that.

Use a strong canard as a yaw control surface on the tail, and put fins vertically on the wings [have Angles Snap set to circle.] That will help keep it stable on ascent. Remember to have both Turbojets and Aerospikes. You could have Basic Jet Engines, but I wouldn\'t recommend it since they cut out pretty low.

Types of delta wing:

Compound Delta Cranked Arrow

[KevinTMC]

Well, on the Munar front there\'s progress of a sort. One thing I\'ve determined is that the term 'Munar/Lunar landing' is far too broad and imprecise. I\'ve instead made an itemized to-do list:

1. Reach the surface of Mun

2. Leave non-exploded parts on the surface of Mun

3. Leave a non-exploded capsule containing live kerbonauts on the surface of Mun

4. Leave a complete lander, still with all its parts, on the surface of Mun

5. Leave a complete lander, still with all its parts and upright, on the surface of Mun

6. Leave a complete lander, still with all its parts and upright and with some remaining fuel, on the surface of Mun

7. Land on Mun completely intact, and then take off again

8. Land on Mun completely intact, take off again, and escape Munar SoI

9. Land on Mun completely intact, take off again, escape Munar orbit, and enter Kerbin orbit

10. Land on Mun completely intact, take off again, escape Munar orbit, enter Kerbin orbit, and return safely to Kerbin surface

#1 is a snap for me now. I\'ve had good luck with #2 and #3...

...and even pulled off #4 once.

Getting all the way to #7 and beyond seems like a dream still, but my program is getting there. There\'s an even loftier dream of mounting a rescue mission someday (presuming the kerbonauts on Mun are still patiently enjoying their infinite life support then). But...baby steps for now.

Oh, and here\'s the monster I\'ve developed to launch these Mun shots. Good-natured laughter at the woeful inefficiency of it all is expected; helpful hints would be an extra bonus.

(.craft file attached)