Parts & Vessels Fairings appear to have no practical function

[Robo336]

I saw/heard someone complain about the fairings, so I performed a simple test.

Setup 1: Vessel with stabilizer wings angled like a screw inside faring. Launched with small booster. Vessels spins even though the wings are covered by the faring, and should have no aerodynamic effect.

Setup 2: Same as setup 1, but without angled wings. Vessel does not spin and reach around 530m/s before booster runs out.

Setup 3: Same as setup 2, but with the fairing deconstructed. Fairing component remain on vessel, mass is the same. Vessel reach around 580m/s before booster runs out.

Setup 4: Same as setup 2, but the fairing has been constructed to be as non-aerodynamic as possible.. giant pancake essentially. Mass of vessel remains the same.  Vessel reach around 220m/s before booster runs out.

In conclusion, the fairings I have tested are appear massless. They do not shield components from aerodynamic drag, while adding their own drag to the vessel. They currently have only a cosmetic function, and are a detriment if you try to build a practical vessel.

Edited June 1, 2023 by Anth12