[0.19.1] Zenith rocket family

[Chocki]

The only repeated issue I've had is that if I try to do a timed launch (to rendezvous) with one of these under my payload, it often breaks apart and explodes before even reaching launch ignition. I suspect this is due to some struts somewhere that got left out/deleted/lost in the course of switching from the standard booster to my custom payload. Anyone else seen this problem?

Check the flight logs after an explosion. The rockets (9 and nova i think, maybe 7 also) that have monoproplent inside the decoupler often collide with the payload during launch. I solved it by simply adding a 2nd decoupler directly on top of the first. Also, if the payload has a smaller diameter then the main body, I put a structural adapter (not the thin flare one) on top of the lifter with a smaller decoupler directly under the payload. Dont forget struts! I have had good luck attaching struts from the lifters last 2 boosters to the payload. Along with basic 4 or 6 around the main connection.

[Rune]

I already made the comment before the "great crash of '13", but I should put it here for posterity: the Nova is awesome. I recreated it (personal preference, not using other people's files), and it is proving invaluable as my super-heavy lifter of choice. If you head to the KIDI thread, you will see one of the uses I have put it to.

[TheWanderer]

Another great set of rockets

[Shuttle]

Part count seems to be a bit high to me but these rockets look good, I'll test Nova! And it is always nice to compare your own rockets with someone else's - I am very glad you provided such a handy table with all possible kinds of parameters. Thank you very much! Are you planning to build more powerful rocket - 130+ tons into orbit, for example?

[Spanier]

Are you planing to release a bigger version of the Nova Rocket (150t+)?

[Temstar]

Are you planing to release a bigger version of the Nova Rocket (150t+)?

I have one with the capacity of 159.5 tons to LKO fully tested and everything but I feel it lacks a certain... finesse? It uses 12 mainsails as engines instead of my usual engine cluster because I felt that with a rocket (and payload) this big the most important thing would be part count and not efficiency. As a result I feel it doesn't quite belong in the same family as the rest of them:

Are you still interested? What kind of payload are you envisioning that requires 150t+ anyway?

[Spanier]

I was just interested, if you rose the challenge of constructing a Ãœber-Lifter

[Spektyr]

I have one with the capacity of 159.5 tons to LKO fully tested and everything but I feel it lacks a certain... finesse? It uses 12 mainsails as engines instead of my usual engine cluster because I felt that with a rocket (and payload) this big the most important thing would be part count and not efficiency. As a result I feel it doesn't quite belong in the same family as the rest of them:

Every family has that unrefined brutish uncle who no one wants to invite to family get-togethers but someone always does.

Are you still interested? What kind of payload are you envisioning that requires 150t+ anyway?

What kind of payload? Roughly what you've got there for proofing, I'd say. That's a hell of a fuel anchor for a mega-station. Launching it all as one unit can save a lot of parts, which in turn means (slightly) less lag when I'm docking and refueling at it. Getting it up there already full... hell, that's just a huge bonus since that saves you the trouble of multiple trips to fill it back up. Personally, I'd be tempted to just treat it like a beer can: when it's empty, toss it into the nearest gravity well and lift another to replace it.

One other thing: I've found that adding winglets (same ones you use on the asparagus stages) to the center stage, tucked neatly between the outer stages, allows much better high-altitude control without having to switch on the RCS. This is particularly true for payloads that don't have command modules onboard (probe vehicles). I like to build and send off probe clusters - for instance I sent a massive cluster of various probes to Jool, all snuggled up around one of the big orange tanks. The back probes pushed the whole cluster to Jool, then they all split off and went about their various tasks at the different moons. This avoids trying to organize multiple launches for the same interplanetary window.

The only drawback it is results in a rather heavy probe payload with very little integral torque. Maybe manned capsules wouldn't be much better, but the point is that I was having trouble on some launches that shortly after the last asparagus stage separated the rocket would want to tip over and struggle to keep the nose horizontal or higher unless I switched on RCS, and sometimes not even then. Pop on some winglets and it flies straight as an arrow. I don't need RCS at all until I'm over 70k. Generally I never run out of RCS, but every bit you save going up is that much more you have later if you need it.

Plus, if you're like me and your computer weeps uncontrollably at the thought of launch with a part count anywhere near what the Nova or even the bigger Zeniths will hurl upwards, MechJeb is your only hope of getting them up there and it is NOT sparing with RCS.

[Peekie30]

these will be the only launchers I will be using from now on!

[Shuttle]

I have one with the capacity of 159.5 tons to LKO fully tested and everything but I feel it lacks a certain... finesse?

What's the part count?

[Gojira]

Is there a smaller version of any of these (ten or less tonnes)?

I need them for a space station I'm making and I suck at making my own launch vehicles.

[Giggleplex777]

Is there a smaller version of any of these (ten or less tonnes)?

I need them for a space station I'm making and I suck at making my own launch vehicles.

I can help.

[Gojira]

Alright, could you PM it (or the thread) to me please?

I'd greatly appreciate it!

[Pyromaniacal]

Your computer weeping may not be the problem. PhysX is rather limited too. My PC can do insane things, and there's still the aforementioned weeping when my part counts get too high. Launching the MOLAB was a bitchandahalf, and that's with a nVidia580, an i7, and 24Gb of RAM.

[Frostiken]

The thing of not letting parts lost in space is amazing. I try do it here was i can.

Not on every rocket i have this.

I'm the opposite. I think it's way too easy to make things *not* be left in space. I like having clutter, it makes seeing other stuff lying around feel like I've been making progress. Otherwise it feels too sterile and unused.

I rename my debris based on what's in it. If it's just fairings or empty tanks I rename it to Debris (Scrap). If it's got a decent amount of fuel or resources in it, I mark it as Debris (Mono + Fuel). This way I can siphon out some extra gas if I have to. It makes everything a refueling station.

[Akalaël]

Amazing job you did here !

Congratulations !

[Temstar]

Good news everyone, the Supernova SHLLV is released:

[BaneOfPilots]

I have a question. How exactly do you calculate the payload capacity to LKO?

[Spektyr]

I have a question. How exactly do you calculate the payload capacity to LKO?

You can use math, of course. If you add up your delta-V and get to 4500 or more you can be reasonably certain it will make LKO. Using something like MechJeb or a similar mod that gives a lot more data can do that for you without you breaking out the calculator.

Of course from there it's on to testing. The only way to know for sure is to launch, several times, to make certain it lifts the weight reliably.

[Mokmo]

I'm doing something wrong with these launchers.

Is the last stage supposed to stay on or is it a placeholder ?

EDIT: I went back to the first posts, found my answer: Last stage = placeholder of the weight it can lift.

Edited May 12, 2013 by Mokmo

[Pyromaniacal]

Lifted my heavy tug KSS KASSANDRA and the fuel storage manifold for my fuel depot.

An important note, the outside tanks are empty. If they weren't, the payload would have weighed 155 tons, and PhysX wouldn't let me do the SRB thing above.

Here's a shot of her in orbit.

And on the night side. I put the small red lights from B9 Aerospace around the docking ports for some low profile docking guides for night time operations.

Temstar, these launchers are great!

Sonofacrap, I just finished wrestling this thing up, and never thought to see if the Supernova had been released yet! I suck!

[elkar]

So I've just tested it and even when I was putting a 10-20% less max payload on it, none of them was able to make it higher than 40km with mechjeb as it seemed to be extremely ofcentered so it with every next stage the ship was flying more and more side-ways.

[DerekL1963]

So I've just tested it and even when I was putting a 10-20% less max payload on it, none of them was able to make it higher than 40km with mechjeb as it seemed to be extremely ofcentered so it with every next stage the ship was flying more and more side-ways.

None of them? That sounds extremely odd, as the Zenith IX is my go-to workhorse for heavy lifting, and I've flown it to orbit using MechJeb a couple of dozen times.

[Temstar]

So I've just tested it and even when I was putting a 10-20% less max payload on it, none of them was able to make it higher than 40km with mechjeb as it seemed to be extremely ofcentered so it with every next stage the ship was flying more and more side-ways.

Sounds like the subassembly strut/fuel line bug. One way to test is try to fly the standard version with the proofing payload. If it flies fine then what happen is some of the struts and fuel lines have gone missing after you load up the rocket as a subassembly. You'll have to fix them manually.

[elkar]

I have that mod with weights so I put like 10 tons on mk II and so on.. It is possible to get on orbit, yes. but 75km orbit with no fuel for deorbiting is not useful for me. In the end I just gave up and went with KW rocketry. They have two crafts there one light and one heavy and thats all i need.

PS: You know what, I'm gonna give it a shot. The heaviest load I need to get on 160km orbit is now 26 tons so ill try mk IX.

Edited May 20, 2013 by elkar