Is there any skill/ ability that you still haven't mastered in KSP?

[RoadRunnerAerospace]

4 minutes ago, ARS said:

Okay, I'll gonna try again next time from higher altitude. 100 km should be enough?

You mean those ascending/ descending node? I tried to match the orbital plane and try to make those nodes as close at 0 degree as possible

All vessel launched from my launch pad goes to east to make an orbit, so from KSC perspective, my vessels orbits from west to east. Usually as soon as 1st part of the station is in a stable orbit, I launched 2nd part when (looking kerbin from above) 1st part is around 45-90 degree angle while 1st part is at 0 degree angle. From there when the 2nd part makes a stable orbit, they go in the same direction, so I fine tune my 2nd craft to make sure it isn't overtaking the 1st part, but usually it ends up the 1st part overtaking it while I'm going suborbital

Is there anything wrong in my procedure?

well, I recommend not trying a direct rendezvous with your craft, but getting into a parking orbit, then adjusting it to arrive at your target, and yes, aim for around 100-150 km up for your parking orbit, also, its not a bad thing to go through several orbits, getting closer to your target

Edited July 27, 2017 by RoadRunnerAerospace

[Ultimate Steve]

1. Building Eve Ascent Vehicles

2. Not burning out

3. Eyeballing Interplanetary Transfers

4. Docking using Solid Rocket Boosters

5. Everything about RSS/RO/RP-0

6. #4

7. Also #4

8. Not mistaking "Hydrogen" for "Hydrazine" when playing RP-0

9. Not stranding moon probes that have been fueled with hydrogen instead of hydrazine while playing RP-0

[qzgy]

23 minutes ago, ARS said:

All vessel launched from my launch pad goes to east to make an orbit, so from KSC perspective, my vessels orbits from west to east. Usually as soon as 1st part of the station is in a stable orbit, I launched 2nd part when (looking kerbin from above) 1st part is around 45-90 degree angle while 1st part is at 0 degree angle. From there when the 2nd part makes a stable orbit, they go in the same direction, so I fine tune my 2nd craft to make sure it isn't overtaking the 1st part, but usually it ends up the 1st part overtaking it while I'm going suborbital

Yeah, that sounds good, if I'm reading it right.

What I mean is when you have your encounter and are 1km or less from the target. How do you kill your speed. Just burn retrograde relative to the orbit or relative to the target? That's a setting on the navball.

[OhioBob]

There are many things I haven't mastered.  But if we eliminate the things that I'm at least adequate at, and list only the things I downright suck at, I would say the list includes,

• Pretty much anything haven't to do with aircraft.  So far I've been almost strictly a rocket guy.  The few times I've tried aircraft, I'm terrible at flying them.
• Controlling Kerbals on EVA using a rocket pack.  I don't know why, but I just can't get the knack of it.

[purpleivan]

Anything with wings... well, wings that are there to act as wings and not as some kind of general guide as to where I want to go (i.e. slapped on the side of a rocket).

I've flown a total of two spaceplanes to orbit.

The first overshot the KSC runway on its return by some margin, so I was forced to land at the alternate on the runway island.

Almost came to a stop by the end of the runway though... but not quite.

 

The second made it back to the KSC runway, but not in one piece.

 

Yep, anything I build with that fancy shmancy wing technology is pretty much doomed to some kind of failure.

Edited July 27, 2017 by purpleivan

[Tyko]

1 hour ago, ARS said:

Okay, I'll gonna try again next time from higher altitude. 100 km should be enough?

You mean those ascending/ descending node? I tried to match the orbital plane and try to make those nodes as close at 0 degree as possible

All vessel launched from my launch pad goes to east to make an orbit, so from KSC perspective, my vessels orbits from west to east. Usually as soon as 1st part of the station is in a stable orbit, I launched 2nd part when (looking kerbin from above) 1st part is around 45-90 degree angle while 1st part is at 0 degree angle. From there when the 2nd part makes a stable orbit, they go in the same direction, so I fine tune my 2nd craft to make sure it isn't overtaking the 1st part, but usually it ends up the 1st part overtaking it while I'm going suborbital

Is there anything wrong in my procedure?

Here's my process. Launch ship 1 into a nice circular 100Km orbit.

Launch the second ship when the first is directly over the KSC into an 85Km orbit and circularize it. Now ship 2 is behind and below ship 1. Since it's below it will catch up. 

Drop a maneuver node somewhere in front of ship 2. Make it at least 15 minutes ahead so you have time to adjust it. 

Use the maneuver node to raise your AP to 100km to match ship 1. You now have a maneuver plotted that will get you to the right altitude. The only question is "when to start it?" You want ship 2 to reach its 100km AP at the same time that ship 1 is passing through that same spot. 

Grab the center ring of the maneuver node and slide it east until you get a close (less than 2km) encounter. Depending on how far you are behind it may take a full orbit or more to get the encounter close enough. You can keep dragging the node around the orbit - even past where your ship currently is. The node will know it's in a future orbit. 

This isn't the fastest way, but it gives you lots of time to think because you're starting with both ships in stable orbits. 

Edited July 27, 2017 by Tyko

[ARS]

1 hour ago, qzgy said:

What I mean is when you have your encounter and are 1km or less from the target. How do you kill your speed. Just burn retrograde relative to the orbit or relative to the target? That's a setting on the navball.

Usually, when my vessel is within 1km or less, I start to kill my speed by burning relative to target. The problem is, most of the time, when I'm trying to kill my speed, the vessel's engine points at or near retrograde node so whenever I try to perform a burn to slow down relative to target, it usually also ended in burning retrograde too. My 2nd craft is usually faster than the 1st

And by what you mean relative to target is by clicking the text "orbit" on navball multiple times until it shows "target" right?

[CaptainTrebor]

Large SSTOs that can carry anything more than a small probe or fuel tank.

[qzgy]

57 minutes ago, ARS said:

Usually, when my vessel is within 1km or less, I start to kill my speed by burning relative to target. The problem is, most of the time, when I'm trying to kill my speed, the vessel's engine points at or near retrograde node so whenever I try to perform a burn to slow down relative to target, it usually also ended in burning retrograde too. My 2nd craft is usually faster than the 1st

And by what you mean relative to target is by clicking the text "orbit" on navball multiple times until it shows "target" right?

If your second craft is faster, I think you might be ina lower orbit, so its funny that relative to target retrograde is near actual retrograde.

And, yes, that's what I mean.

[suicidejunkie]

When your distance is under 5km or so, Burn near but not on target retrograde, and push retrograde to anti-target so you're heading right for it.  Keep the overall relative velocity respectably high compared to your distance to target, so that the curvature of the planet doesn't cause you to drift too much.

If you go suborbital, just double check that you're burning target retrograde and the navball didn't switch modes when you weren't looking.  Suborbital is fine temporarily.  Switch to a locked camera mode so it doesn't swing around so much and make you spacesick.

 

If you keep target retrograde on anti-target, then you will collide.  Stop just before that happens by more burning target retrograde.

[regex]

9 hours ago, ARS said:

So, is there a skill in KSP that you still haven't mastered yet (or still in the process of learning)?

Transfers to other planets from launch sites at higher latitudes. I like to challenge myself and launch from places like Baikonur or Wallops (where my current career is based) which makes timing for things like going to the moon or Mars very important.

[RoadRunnerAerospace]

1 hour ago, regex said:

Transfers to other planets from launch sites at higher latitudes. I like to challenge myself and launch from places like Baikonur or Wallops (where my current career is based) which makes timing for things like going to the moon or Mars very important.

I`ve watched rockets launched from wallops... from my backyard, its a very interesting place, wallops

[Spraki]

Been playing mods so much that:

I haven't mastered (or been) at all stock planets yet. Such sins like not being at Jool or Duna (in my defense, I always miss the launch windows due to doing stuff on Mun and Minmus).

Make normal stuff with a weight budget rather than nerding on scifi designs. Although, I am playing Career mode by default.

Make a decent SSTO (lol).

I still haven't really played stock (well, back in my noob sandbox times).

PS: still a kerb noob ;).

 

[NSEP]

I really do know how to do pretty much everything in the stock game (expect for the unnecessary things like landing on Duna with only SRBs). The thing is: I have not done all of them yet. I have never attempted to land Kerbals on Duna, yet i have a spacecraft ready, that im 100% sure will make it back safely. I just get kind of bored of it while thinking about it, and flush it down the toilet, and do something that sounds more like fun.

But when it comes to RSS/RO/RP-0 im, well, lets just say im currently in 1967. Im planning to do a manned Moon FlyBy soon so yeah.

Edited July 27, 2017 by NSEP

[invision]

docking is what im weak at. i can meet up and dock usually with little issues  i just dont like too.

in my early stages of docking shenanigans ive blown off parts to my own ship, shred off giant solar panels from the other ship im docking too, and one time blew both ships in half leaving just the command pods which later had to be rescued and landed with the claw lol.

planes.......seriously the hardest thing for me to make, i can build a 9 trillion ton rocket and fly to orbit but the moment i need to make a plane RIP things are going to get quite interesting real fast.

other than that everything else goes pretty smoothly....we just stay away from those pesky plane

[MythicalHeFF]

Mk3 SSTOS. I've only ever gotten one into orbit, and that almost ended in disaster, when I discovered that my nuke engines had an insufficient TWR. I still barely made it, and successfully docked it with my giant space station. 

Also, RCS controls. Not knowing what any of them do except for H and N makes docking harder for me. I know you can use J K and L, but they always seem to do random unexpected things..

Here we go, we're about to dock! *Presses J by accident* Ah! *Tries to cancel it out with K* AH! NOOOO!

[Curveball Anders]

Flying an aircraft.

I've tried a couple of times but stopped before I started to destroy monitors and other equipment in sheer frustration.

Too many hours in "serious" flightsims has taken away any form of fun when presented with anything else.

So I stick to ballistic rockets and orbital manoeuvres in the dark (-ness of space).

[Confused Scientist]

Getting the Delta-V just right (I had way too much when I started playing and now I'm having to launch rescue missions for my rescue missions)

Also SSTOs. Man, if I only has an extra 200m/s that one time...

[RoadRunnerAerospace]

Just now, Confused Scientist said:

Getting the Delta-V just right (I had way too much when I started playing and now I'm having to launch rescue missions for my rescue missions)

Also SSTOs. Man, if I only has an extra 200m/s that one time...

droptanks?

[PT]

20 hours ago, KerikBalm said:

Come on, Mech jeb is not needed. I've never used it nor downloaded it

My sanity requires it. If I would want to perform same repetitive actions dozen or two times per day I would better be paid for it, because it sounds like work.

Edited July 28, 2017 by PT

[Alshain]

I've never captured or redirected an asteroid.  Not because I can't master it... I just don't see the point so I've never even tried.

Edited July 28, 2017 by Alshain

[Just Jim]

6 minutes ago, Alshain said:

I've never captured or redirected an asteroid.  Not because I can't master it... I just don't see the point so I've never even tried.

Other than making a really cool looking base on, the really big asteroids make excellent re-fueling stations, especially in LKO. My Emiko asteroid (Big class-E) has (had) almost 3,800 tons of ore to be drilled... tons! That's a huge amount of fuel to be had once it's processed. 

So today (yesterday) I discovered I need a lot more practice flying under Mun arches... lol....  

 

Edited July 28, 2017 by Just Jim

[Alpha 360]

Making an efficient SSTO. The most efficient SSTO I have created is below. It can carry 6 tons into orbit. Laugh.

At least I made it back to the KSC totally on accident, but that is all I can boast.

Well, with the Gamelinx planet pack, the KSC is splat in the middle of a random mountain valley, which makes for very steep landings. 

Spoiler

NOTE:

I will not be offended if you laugh at this post, it is almost purely for humor purposes. I laughed after I realized what a tiny achievement I made. 

FURTHER NOTE:

The least efficient of my SSTO designs were three times as big, and carried 2 tons into orbit. Thank you Mark Thrimm on your enlightening video about how to build SSTOs.  

 

Edited July 28, 2017 by Alpha 360

[Adstri]

Eve takeoffs...

 

And lithobraking.

[Gaarst]

SSTOs, but I've given up on those.

Complex gravity assists, but I'm working my way through and have two missions planned (in RSS) with EVEJ and EVEJS trajectories.

Bases building and the colonisation stuff, mostly because I'm not interested and never tried. Also include all the mining stuff, for the same reasons.

Planes, even though I've been building a lot of planes recently I'm still not capable of building something able to fly over 10km while subsonic. I either blast over Kerbin while on fire or stall.