Some questions here...

[LusBax]

Hello! I started playing ksp a month ago and have achieved landing on both moons and duna. During my playtime, some questions popped up in my mind, and i thought i would ask for help here:

 

- How do you get your kerbals back in your sstos/planes? Kerbals don't seem to like ladders a lot.

- Is there a way to visualize CoM and CoL in flight?

- Is part clipping considered cheating in the ksp community? What about autostrut?

- Is the delta V required to get from Kerbin's low orbit to (lets say) Duna low orbit the same as the delta V needed to come from Duna's low orbit back to Kerbin's low orbit?

- Can i write blogs about KSP on this forum and if so, how?

- How do you fit very large objects (like skycranes) into the fairings?

   -Also, why do the 5m fairings have giant holes in them?

- What do CanopyMaxRotationRate and SpreadAngle on chutes do?

- Is there any point to adding nosecones/fairings based on what i heard of the stock aerodynamic system?

- Are ion engines really that useless?

- Is there any point to building stations/bases in career mode?

 

I will probably think of many more later, but this is all for now!

Thank you in advance, LusBax.

 

[Laie]

- Is there a way to visualize CoM and CoL in flight?
MechJeb offers that, perhaps other mods too. I'm not aware of the stock game doing it.

- Is part clipping considered cheating in the ksp community? What about autostrut?
Clipping is definitely a matter of taste. Most people do it "within reason" but what you consider reasonable is your call.

- Is the delta V required to get from Kerbin's low orbit to (lets say) Duna low orbit the same as the delta V needed to come from Duna's low orbit back to Kerbin's low orbit?
No.

- Is there any point to adding nosecones/fairings based on what i heard of the stock aerodynamic system?
They do reduce drag, but more often than not I find that they're not worth the cost or part count.

- Are ion engines really that useless?
No.

- Is there any point to building stations/bases in career mode?
Other than contracts, no. But I'd like to point out that this is a game... nothing you do in KSP really has a point. Whatever you do is for your own entertainment.

[4x4cheesecake]

1 hour ago, LusBax said:

How do you get your kerbals back in your sstos/planes? Kerbals don't seem to like ladders a lot.

Never had a problem with ladders...so, I use ladders^^

 

1 hour ago, LusBax said:

Is there a way to visualize CoM and CoL in flight?

Not in stock, maybe a mod can do it.

 

1 hour ago, LusBax said:

Is part clipping considered cheating in the ksp community? What about autostrut?

Haven't seen a single post of someone who complained about part clipping or autostruts. There are some challenges which prohibit part clipping, so if you want to do one of these, that would be cheating. Otherwise, do what ever you like to do

 

1 hour ago, LusBax said:

Is the delta V required to get from Kerbin's low orbit to (lets say) Duna low orbit the same as the delta V needed to come from Duna's low orbit back to Kerbin's low orbit?

Roughly. You can try to get the perfect transfer window for both directions but you will always end up with a difference of a few hundred m/s. If you don't know already, take a look at the launch window planner by alex moon.

 

1 hour ago, LusBax said:

Can i write blogs about KSP on this forum and if so, how?

There is a "Mission Report" subforum you can use to write about your missions:

https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/forum/51-mission-reports/

 

1 hour ago, LusBax said:

How do you fit very large objects (like skycranes) into the fairings?

If it doesn't fit, you max have to find another solution like splitting the cargo up and assemble it in space.

 

1 hour ago, LusBax said:

Also, why do the 5m fairings have giant holes in them?

AFAIK this is a bug of KSP 1.4.2, you should update to 1.4.3.

 

1 hour ago, LusBax said:

What do CanopyMaxRotationRate and SpreadAngle on chutes do?

No idea, sry^^

 

1 hour ago, LusBax said:

Is there any point to adding nosecones/fairings based on what i heard of the stock aerodynamic system?

Yes (but it is bugged in 1.4.2). You will still be able to reduce drag by putting draggy things (like landers, rovers...) in fairings.

 

1 hour ago, LusBax said:

Are ion engines really that useless?

If you can deal with the long burn times, there are actually pretty nice

 

1 hour ago, LusBax said:

Is there any point to building stations/bases in career mode?

Depends on your playstyle. Labs are nice to get sciencepoints which can be 'transformed' into funds after unlocking the whole techtree. You can also use a station to refuel other vessels. I like to have a spacestation around minmus and dock a vessel there which can mine for fuel and another vessel with all science experiments on it. So whenever a contract come up that requires some experiments on minmus, I can use this little 'SpaceHopper' to get some quick and easy money Also, its fun ^^

Edited June 3, 2018 by 4x4cheesecake

[Gargamel]

3 hours ago, LusBax said:

- How do you fit very large objects (like skycranes) into the fairings?

Use a larger fairing base if the first one doesn't fit.  Then you can either use a second fairing to complete the taper to the intended size (I don't really recommend this, as it really doesn't do any good, but some people just really like aesthetics), or build your launcher using the larger size, and just reduce fuel. 

[bewing]

20 hours ago, LusBax said:

...

 

1. Raise the landing gear, so the plane is on it's tummy. If there's a hatch on the top, you can climb onto a convenient wing. Walk up to the top of the plane, and walk over to the hatch.
Otherwise, for any planet Duna-sized or smaller, I just turn on my RCS jetpack and fly up to the hatch.
For higher gravity planets, a ladder is required unless you use the inflatable airlocks from the MH expansion.

2. Nope, can't currently visualize those things in flight.

3. The whole concept of "cheating" is flamebait in the KSP community. However, clipping is purely visual -- it provides no benefits whatsoever. How can something that provides no benefits be cheating? Autostruts are a gift from the devs to help players work around a fundamental bug in the game engine. So even the devs think that's not cheating. MechJeb -- now, that's cheating. 

4. Nope.

6. Fairings are traditional and boring. Try flying it without the fairing!

7. Because your version is out of date.

8. Prevents rapid parachute rotation, and spreads the parachutes out so they are all cute and not clipped into each other.

9. Depends on the game version for fairings. Nosecones always save you a little dV in an atmosphere. Interstage fairings (when you get to using those) are a gift from the gods -- there is no other way of accomplishing what they do, no matter what their drag numbers are. If your payload is compact but draggy, then in most versions of the game a fairing will reduce drag a lot.

10. In career mode, ion engines and Sentinel contracts are a match made in heaven. For tiny probes, or rescue contracts in low orbit around the Sun -- they are very nice.

11. For mining fuel, a base is essential. And I think that mining fuel makes the game a lot more fun.

 

 

 

Edited June 3, 2018 by bewing

[Gargamel]

8 hours ago, bewing said:

MechJeb -- now, that's cheating. 

SHOTS FIRED!

[Kesa]

On 6/3/2018 at 1:02 AM, LusBax said:

- How do you get your kerbals back in your sstos/planes? Kerbals don't seem to like ladders a lot.
 

Jetpacks (barely) work on Duna. My Kerbals like ladders a lot. If you can go in and out of a plane without jumping on Kerbin, you should be able to do the same anywhere.

Quote

- Is part clipping considered cheating in the ksp community? What about autostrut?

Who cares? It's a single player game. Part clipping mainly allows more aestetic crafts  but does have in game effect : it allows to make craft that are smaller (eg for career mode), more stable, and sometimes less draggy I think. In some settings, like some challenges or career mode, it can feel cheaty. If it makes things more interesting to not use clipping, don't use it, it's really up to you.

Quote

- Is the delta V required to get from Kerbin's low orbit to (lets say) Duna low orbit the same as the delta V needed to come from Duna's low orbit back to Kerbin's low orbit?

Theorically yes, it is the exact same Dv cost, assuming a Hohman transfer. However, you can get some of that Dv for free, if you use aerobraking to get captured and lower your apoapsis.

To know on which trip you spare the most, you have to factor the relative position of the planets (the high burn of a Hohman transfer is smaller than the low burn, so Duna aerobraking saves less than Kerbin) as well as their mass (Oberth effect reduces the capture burn Dv that a Hohman's transfer would predict, Kerbin's effect more so, but Kerbin LKO also is a much deeper gravity well than LDO).

Overall, using aerobraking makes Duna to Kerbin 340m/s cheaper than Kerbin to Duna (I used a KSP map).

Quote

- How do you fit very large objects (like skycranes) into the fairings?

You can

• assemble it from parts, using docking ports and claws and whatnot.
• drop the fairings, and ascent very gently (using airbreathing engines I guess) while in atmosphere.
• Put it between two rockets, rather than on top of one. Autostruts and gentle ascent helps.
• Use a mod to assemble it in situ. (KAC, interplaetary launchpad, and I think one of the USI ones, don't quote me on that, but you find them if you want them).

Quote

- What do CanopyMaxRotationRate and SpreadAngle on chutes do?

Are you using a mod like real chute? Spread angles sounds like the angle the parachute have between them, rather than simply stacking on top of each other. Purely aestetic if I'm not mistaken. Don't know about CanopyMaxRotationRate

Quote

- Is there any point to adding nosecones/fairings based on what i heard of the stock aerodynamic system?

Yes. What you heard is outdated. KSP aerodynamic is very basic, but does take into account front drag, skin drag and supersonic drag. Performance wise, it's easy to overlook them as they seem to just add cost and mass, wheras adding more fuel and booster can solve some aerodynamic problems. But there are situation where they do improve the performance of your craft, by a lot.

Stability wise, there are a couple of situations where a craft is simply unflyable without nosecones or fairing. Keep them in mind before adding tons of struts, reactionwheels and gimballing engines.

Quote

- Are ion engines really that useless?

I don't know where you heard that, and if you doubt that, you probably already have a clue as to what they can be used for. They are best used for craft eexpected to do very long burns, possibly without the ability profit much from oberth effect.

Quote

 

- Is there any point to building stations/bases in career mode?

 

Is there any point to play sandbox mode?

You can play your career game just like you play your sandbox mode and do things just because they are cool. At least that's what I do. Career mode is generous enough (even on custom hardest mode).

[LusBax]

Thanks everybody! Your answers have really helped me a lot, though my kerbals are still kinda retarded when it comes to climbing  Wish ya'll a grat KSP experience!

LusBax