How to Kerbal

[Kerbalsaurus]

Greetings new players! I'm sure I already know what you want to do: get to the Mun! I mean, look at it! It's just sitting there, all smug. But your issue is, you can't even leave the ground! Well have no fear, this guide will possibly help you reach that rock high above, and other rocks much much further away! Once you learn, it really isn't rocket science. Oh wait...

CHAPTER 1: ROCKETS

Kerbal Space Program (KSP) is very much a game about trial and error. You learn from doing. But sometimes, you still can't get a good idea about what's wrong with your spacecraft. Well, maybe you can draw an example from real life, or visually learn. Watch and look at a rocket. Observe its behavior. Does it fall apart? Does it turn while flying? When and where does it fire its engines? Let's look at perhaps one of the most iconic rockets, the Saturn V.

The Saturn V was built by the United States in 1967, and at the time of writing this it's the most powerful rocket to ever fly. It carried the world's first explorers to the Moon, and completed 6/7 of its intended Moon landings. Safe to say, it's a good rocket to observe (unlike the N1 ).

Apollo 4 lifts off from LC-39A

The Saturn V was divided into three stages: stage 1 (S-IC), stage 2 (S-II), and stage 3 (S-IVB). The rocket was so big that the S-IC and S-II simply had to lift the S-IVB. Typically with three stage rockets, the first stage lights on launch, the second stage fires when the first stage runs out of fuel, and the third stage fires at apoapsis, or the highest point in your trajectory. If it's a Moon rocket, the third stage fires to push your spacecraft towards your intended body. Whenever you watch a rocket fly, you typically see it turns. Why would it turn? It's supposed to go up, dummy. Well, rockets turn because it makes the orbital  insertion burn much more efficient. If a rocket turns, the planet gives you a boost, and you can make it to orbit with fuel to spare. Simple as that.

Now, going to the Mun is cool and all, but you should probably start out small. Kerbin orbit should do. To simply put something in orbit, you don't need a whole Saturn V. You just need a 2 stage rocket: the first stage puts your trajectory above the atmosphere, the second stage puts you in orbit and possibly lets you return. This would be easier to use for simple orbital crew missions or satellites. Hopefully this guide helps you with rockets. Next time, we will go more in depth with actually getting to orbit.