Stuck with wierd missions, need help to finish then

[Cit.Zen]

Hello there fellow astronauts.

So i got a couple of those weird missions, i just started, havnt breached the atmosphere yet. Im designing a pretty descent rocket to start with, but i got 2 of those weird missions that im struggling to complete. Basically what i have to do is to test the Hammer solid booster at 30.000 meters and at 160ms to 240ms speed.

Now i tried to design a rocket that will use liquid engine to get to 30k and then to decouple it and use a second solid booster stage, my problem is that:

1. im running out of liquid fuel too early
2. im running out of solid fuel too early
3. at 20k altitude my speed is already at about 600ms

in addition, i have to test a decoupler while at lunch pad, which is a really weird thing to do

please post me a design that can achive 2 of those missions

as far a research, i only unlocked> "Start" > "Basic Rocketry " > "Engineering 101 " > "General Rocketry " > "Stability"

[Plusck]

Testing decoupler at the launchpad is dead simple. But you might want to avoid doing it if you haven't unlocked the part yet - because you get to use it as often as you like UNTIL you complete the contract.

But to do it? Attach a decoupler to a command pod. Launch. Right-click on the decoupler to "test" unless you are told to activate it in the staging sequence, in which case you put it in a stage by itself and activate. Done. Recover craft for 100% value.

For the booster - if you're going too fast, just build a smaller rocket! Again it depends on whether it says to "test" or "activate", but basically put a pod and parachute then decoupler then your SRB (right-click in the VAB to set throttle at 30% or something) then decoupler then either a seriously under-throttled SRB or a couple of fuel tanks and Reliant + fins. 

If you've got to 600m/s at 30,000m then you're 99% there, just throttle down. For the SRB that just means right-click in the VAB. For your LF design there is really no excuse !

[Starhawk]

Bonus info.  You don't actually need any fuel in the Hammer booster.  In the VAB you can right click on the solid booster and remove all or most of its fuel.  The test will still work when you stage or click 'Run test' even if the booster does nothing.

Removing the fuel will make the craft much lighter, so you will need to use a smaller engine or throttle back to stay below the required speed threshold.

Happy landings!

[Snark]

+1 to earlier posters' answers.  To summarize,

• If you're going too fast with liquid fuel, you can ease back on the throttle to reduce your speed.
• If you're going too fast with an SRB, you can reduce its thrust at design time in the VAB by right clicking and picking a lower thrust percentage
• If you're having trouble running out of liquid fuel too soon, make your liquid-fuel engine's job easier by reducing the amount of solid fuel in the SRB when you build your rocket.

As Plusck said, testing anything on the launch pad is the easiest contract of all-- just make a simple ship with 2 parts (a command pod, and the part to test); run the test while sitting on the pad; then recover the ship.  Takes only a moment, no need to combine it with testing anything else.

[Plusck]

2 hours ago, Starhawk said:

Bonus info.  You don't actually need any fuel in the Hammer booster.  In the VAB you can right click on the solid booster and remove all or most of its fuel.  The test will still work when you stage or click 'Run test' even if the booster does nothing.

Removing the fuel will make the craft much lighter, so you will need to use a smaller engine or throttle back to stay below the required speed threshold.

Happy landings!

Facepalm!

Yes, quite. Stupidly didn't even occur to me when replying.

[Cit.Zen]

ok guys thank you for the help, i finished those missions.