How do you use the Stayputnik?

[Azimech]

Used it as a ball joint in my cyclic/collective experiment.

Also as a pilot head for my turboprop airplanes.

I like it.

[soulsource]

Back in 0.24 I played career mode with Remote Tech and TAC Life Support installed. As with Life Support sending Kerbals is a bit more risky, I mainly tried to do as much as possible with uncrewed vehicles. So, as soon as I had unlocked the OX-Stat solar panels, the first Remote Tech antennas, and the Stayputnik, I built some fancy looking radio relays that I sent both to low Kerbin orbit, and to munar orbit. Those probes were quite pretty... I think I'm going to install Remote Tech for 1.1, once it gets updated (if at all...).

Anyhow, in my current save the more advanced probe cores have replaced the Stayputnik nearly everywhere. The only craft design that contains a Stayputnik which I still regularly use is the one I built for my first LKO rescue mission - at a point in career where I didn't have anything but a few small rocket parts, the Stayputnik, and batteries (I hadn't even upgraded the tracking station, so I had to eyeball the first few rescue missions - that was one of the funniest things I did in KSP up to now). It's basically an Mk1 pod with a Stayputnik attached to the tiny node on top, with radial chutes and batteries on the side. As the Mk1 pod has reaction wheels, it doesn't matter that the Stayputnik doesn't, and as this design is quite effective while being cost-efficient, it's still my choice for that task.

[Kertech]

I use it early in career for the test [x] on launchpad, that's about it

 

Oh and I put it on everyship with jeb in it just in case he goes crazy(-er) and has to have mission control assume command!

[CaelumEtAstra]

I don't. Ever. At least not for its intended purpose... 

See the dome at the bottom? Yeah, that's a stayputnik acting as a doppler radar. 

Edited February 12, 2016 by Mrsupersonic8

[Snark]

15 hours ago, Waxing_Kibbous said:

Werner stuck one on top of a Flea to use as his wig-holder. Since he doesn't actually own a wig it collects dust.

Although, given the shape of kerbal heads, maybe an OKTO would work better...

[DancesWithSquirrels]

I use it for early career spin stabilized rockets, like this:

The fins are canted a few degrees (one click of Shift-W) to spin it after liftoff, and there are extra thermometers that I used to radio results back in case it didn't land properly...

Edited February 12, 2016 by DancesWithSquirrels

[Sir_Robert]

It is quite nice when building bases. I use it as the probe body that controls my unmanned base buildings (like the drill).

But yes, as early satellite body it's not worth using

[boccelounge]

I rather like the Stayputnik.  I've got a dozen or so little low-tech scout probes on Mun and Minmus.  They fly vtol sled around on their RCS tanks...

Recently, one came in extremely handy when Valentina discovered why landers should always have ladders.

Album: http://imgur.com/a/M47c6

Edited February 29, 2016 by boccelounge

[Zoidos]

I don't because no stability control.

It only makes sense as a probe without any controls put into orbit with a spaceplane. But by the time you have the techs for an LKO-capable spaceplane, you have more advanced probes available that are a lot more useful. 

[Rocket In My Pocket]

Hardly ever use it, it's clearly a throwback to the first real satellite...however it differs in one key way.

The only way to put stuff inside it is via part clipping (which is not very fun, not very intuitive, and considered cheap or cheaty by some.) The real life Sputnik obviously carried all it's important bits inside that spherical silver shell.

I'd consider this part a way more useful/neat option if it opened up like a service bay in the VAB so that you could stuff things inside it to be protected from atmo/heat. It obviously wouldn't be able to be re-opened in flight like the other service bays which should make it an interesting early game combination of service bay/probe which is exactly what it is in real life.

Edited February 29, 2016 by Rocket In My Pocket

[Choctofliatrio2.0]

34 minutes ago, Rocket In My Pocket said:

Hardly ever use it, it's clearly a throwback to the first real satellite...however it differs in one key way.

The only way to put stuff inside it is via part clipping (which is not very fun, not very intuitive, and considered cheap or cheaty by some.) The real life Sputnik obviously carried all it's important bits inside that spherical silver shell.

I'd consider this part a way more useful/neat option if it opened up like a service bay in the VAB so that you could stuff things inside it to be protected from atmo/heat. It obviously wouldn't be able to be re-opened in flight like the other service bays which should make it an interesting early game combination of service bay/probe which is exactly what it is in real life.

That's what I've always thought! A lot of probes have internal instruments. You don't see extra batteries or thermometers attached to the sides of the real Sputnik.

[Umlüx]

as a nosecone!

[KaptnKiwi]

You don't you install RLA stockalike and use their incarnation of the sputnik. Saves you from the ugly base aswell. I guess it could be neat tot practice spin stabilized all solid boosters for the added challenge but there's really no point tbh.

[The Optimist]

You clip an OKTO inside of it.

[Geschosskopf]

On 2/11/2016 at 1:06 PM, Choctofliatrio2.0 said:

So my question is how do you use the Stayputnik in your rockets? Do you use it at all? Do you think it should even exist?

It's highest and best use is as a bowling ball for fun around KSC.  But I do use it sometimes on small, early probes in career mode.  It has the advantage of being round, which means I can put angled solar panels all over it without them sticking out oddly off cylindrical or boxy parts.

[wumpus]

I find that the Stayputnik's biggest problem is the lack of reaction wheels, although lack of SAS is also a killer.   Use it for early contracts in positioning satellites (don't blame me if lack of reaction control sends your satellite off course while trying to do a burn) and flybys (in another thread Snark pointed out that you can turn batteries off and on to conserve electricity.  This is helpful for Mun and critical for Minmus).

For those that believe that the BACC "thumper" is the only way to do a first stage [Kerbal system] probe, the lack of reaction wheels becomes a problem.  For the truly kerbal method, you can always give the whole system a rotation (in KSC) and hit the spacebar before it falls over.  For more repeatable methods, you will need launch clamps (a semi-avoidable component.  The other big things are the mark 1 cabin, the lightest cabin per kerbal in the game, and struts, which while important later only kill your part count in the beginning of the game).  At this point I recommend just unlocking the OCTO (and solar panels) and using that one.

[Edax]

Stayputnik is useful as a minimalist means of reversing the navball if your spaceship/spaceplane has both front facing and back facing engines.  Visually, it appears to look like a radar doppler or monoprop tank and has a nice streamlined look, so it wont look as out of place as a hex-a-thingy.

Edited February 29, 2016 by Edax

[Guest]

I used it one time for my first orbit, and it was the main probe core for my best rocket.

Was.

[tranenturm]

As the remote control for Mun base light stands. 

[Nukeknockout]

Honestly, I don't have a use for the Stayputnik. Trying to do orbital maneuvers without SAS is really a poor idea, and better probe cores become available almost immediately. Its main advantage is that its round and therefore sort of aerodynamic and nice as an OX-stat mount, but with a bit of finangling you can put OX-stats on any other probe core or satellite.

Even if you want to reverse the navball for ships with engines on both ends, a docking port is both lighter and consumes less power for that purpose. Really the only reason to use the Stayputnik at all is for the aesthetic. Though the orbital disco ball idea also sounds awesome.

[Archgeek]

I continue to feel that it should really at the very least have just SAS-hold, so it can live up to its name.  Perhaps a really weak reaction wheel, too.  That way the dippy thing can actually stayput.  The OKTO will still be an improvement due to its stronger reaction wheel, and I don't recall but I think it's got a bigger battery, too.

[g00bd0g]

It makes a great impactor

[Francois424]

Eversince they removed it's SAS computer I've not used it once.

It's used mainly as decorative purposes.  And I guess if you want an unmanned early rover (say for Kerbin) then you could... Unfortunately the repeatable science is so far down the tree that the point is moot.

[Barrackar]

Nobody has yet mentioned the thermal properties of the Stayputnik...

Thermal rated to 1800k makes the Stayputnik useful for reentry. A tiny probe with Stayputnik, small reaction wheel, small battery, Oscar-B fuel tank, ant-engine, antenna of some kind, solar panel(s), and a small parachute (or angled "structural wing D") can carry a very small payload through reentry. Spider and oscar-b gives around 1700+dV but this can be swapped out for xenon gas and a dawn ion engine for much more. At under 0.5 total mass it is a tiny capable little probe potentially capable of interplanetary return.

Example reentry uses:

1. An experimental storage unit from interplanetary reentry, or a Munar station.
2. For Scansat, landing survey scanners on a planet with an atmosphere(for parachutes) to "run analysis" and enable narrowband scanning.

Without the stayputnik, a service bay is required which forces 1.25m part sizing and adds 0.1 mass doubling the mass of the probe core. This puts the minimum mass higher which increases reentry heating (because it takes longer to slow down) and increases terminal velocity (requiring a parachute). A stayputnik probe with 2 pairs of structural wing D at 90 degrees to each other and 45 degrees from vertical (forming a wedge) can decrease terminal velocity so the impact resistance of the structural wing D is sufficient to protect the probe landing on Kerbin without any parachutes. Using the light weight and structural wing wedge I have landed an experimental storage unit at 4km/s and 0m periapsis. This use alone makes the Stayputnik pretty awesome (if a bit of a challenge because of the lack of SAS).

[Ratwerke_Actual]

Early career probe cores, until other alternatives available...

And ridiculous bearing hubs in stock motors.