[0.90] LazTek SpaceX Launch, Exploration, Colonial Transporter & Historic mods (1/25/14)

[Beowolf]

I love your work, but it feels overpowered. Just tried a Falcon 9 v1.1 launch carrying the official 13.5t into orbit...and it was an SSTO! I'm in a 100km orbit with 2% fuel remaining in the first stage.

edit: After a few more tests, MechJeb ascent with your Falcon 9 v1.1 can put a 35.2t payload into 100km LKO, not reserving fuel to soft-land the booster. I'm going to play with lowering the specific impulse of the booster. Wikipedia says a sea level specific impulse (Isp) of 282 s and a vacuum specific impulse (Isp) of 311 s for the Merlin 1D.

And please don't take this input the wrong way; I'm having a great time! Playing with the numbers is what I do for fun, and you've built my new favorite launch vehicle. It's too advanced a design for a lot of KSP play, but looks perfect for deploying my antimatter detectors and collectors all over the system.

Edited August 11, 2013 by Beowolf

[LazarusLuan]

Anyone else have issues with the main engines suddenly snapping off? Happens to me every time unless I put at least 25 struts to the tank using edextensions...

I've never been able to work around the physics problem that Kerbal has with parts that are very long, such as the main tank(s) of the Falcon series, without using struts. Luckily, you only have to use 4 if you attach them to the tank first, then the engine cluster.

[trepnick]

Most mods that have that problem just integrate the engines into the tank. I don't know if that would work for you because of the separate center engine, but it's possible that integrating the outer ring of engines and having the center engine separate would work.

[Motokid600]

I've never been able to work around the physics problem that Kerbal has with parts that are very long, such as the main tank(s) of the Falcon series, without using struts. Luckily, you only have to use 4 if you attach them to the tank first, then the engine cluster.

I just downloaded this pack. The engines don't actually break off for me though. They want to. It doesn't matter what engine infact it seems its the fuel tank itself. The engines just don't hold on properly and it looks like hell. Shame too I love that spaceX fuel tank. Is there a work around or do I just have to strut the hell out of it? However the mod creater is doing it in the presentation videos is beyond me.

[Nibb31]

You don't need to strut the hell out of it. Just add 4 struts between the tanks and the engine like. SOP.

There are still a few balance problems. The size of the upper stage implies that it should carry 2070 and 2050 units of fuel and oxydizer instead of 800 and 960. It should be much heavier, with an empty mass around 4 or 5 tons instead of 1.

The lower stage is more balanced in terms of fuel, but should also be much heavier, at least 10 tons.

Even with those values, it's overpowered, especially the upper stage. I suspect the Merlin engines have way too much thrust for a rocket of this size. I'm cutting them down to 300 instead of 475.

Edited August 25, 2013 by Nibb31

[HeadHunter67]

I took a Falcon Heavy/Dragon Rider for a test flight last night - made it into a very high Kerbin orbit even after the boosters were gone, and had loads of Delta-V left afterwards. So yes, I agree that it could likely use some balance.

Edited September 4, 2013 by HeadHunter67
.cfg didn't seem to work.

[Kerbal01]

I'll be using this for a Mün rescue mission.

[HeadHunter67]

You honestly won't need the nearly 14,000-dV the Heavy has for a Mün rescue... the regular Dragon/Falcon has almost 11,000 dV and should suffice. No point in all the extra mass to haul all the extra fuel you won't need - especially as the Heavy doesn't torque so easily until lower stages have dropped.

I like the idea behind the reusable boosters with landing legs, but in practice the game really won't let me make the best use of them - since you can't switch craft while in atmosphere, you either have to let your command module coast and hope you get back to it in time, or leave it in a parking orbit (by which time the booster has probably crashed).

If anyone can honestly pull it off as intended, I'd love to see a video.

[Fonso]

1.- Burn to a 300k apoapsis (remember to save 10-15% fuel for reentry)

2.- Drop first stage

3.- Burn till orbit has been circularized

4.- switch to first stage and land it securely

5.- ??????

6.- Profit.

Also:

1.- Use kOS + TT NeverUnload

2.- Get best Kerbal experience possible.

[Kerbal01]

I will use the dragon 2 F 1.1 then.

[MDBenson]

Honestly, F9H is better suited to lofting heavy stuff to LEO and letting it take over from there, than to launching long range missions with the Dragon pod. The long length makes it a cow to steer for orbital manoeuvres. I'd rather BOO something using F9H to launch the fuel then dock a Dragon Capsule to the back side or something.

[HeadHunter67]

1.- Burn to a 300k apoapsis (remember to save 10-15% fuel for reentry)

2.- Drop first stage

I think you're going to drop the first stage well before a 300km apoapsis... but I could be wrong.

Regardless, the Dragon is the coolest capsule in the history of the human space program, so it's no wonder that it's also the coolest in KSP.

[Virtualgenius]

The HD on these are very nice you have done a very good job I will be using this for sure all we need is built-in economy for KSP

I started playing with your mod I like it alot however it needs just a small adjustment the landing legs on the second stage are to wobbly they need to be strengthened and the stance widened if it lands on any kind of gradient it falls over if the legs where strengthed and wider stance adopted this would be better otherwise its a great piece of work i congratulate you

VG

Edited September 9, 2013 by Virtualgenius

[hellion13]

i have massive fuel issues with this, using the stock falcon 9 satellite launcher with payload, it can get all the way out to minmus orbit and still have half the fuel left in the tank, it was kind of a trip, I wasnt trying to go there but launched at the perfect window, got up for a soda came back to find i was moving at 3200m/s and had a 10km encounter with minmus hurried up and hit X to kill thrust and still had half my fuel i was even able to return the first stage to kerbin FROM minmus i had so much fuel

[Raptor831]

I really like this pack, first off. The parts seem to fit nicely into KSP, to me anyway. I could reuse them with other things, which is something I really like. So, awesome job!

I felt it was a bit overpowered for KSP stock, so I made some ModuleManager edits for myself. Basically, I just increased the dry mass of the tanks to something similar to KW Rocketry sizes and upped the weight of the engines and the pod. Dry mass on the pod was only 1.5 tons, which seemed really light when you think the standard 3-man pod is 4 tons. But, the monoprop adds weight, so I settled on 3 tons. Had to edit the parachute to hold more weight, but it feels pretty good to me. You can still recover both stages with powered landings on the stock Dragon 2/Falcon 1.1 craft if you're smart, so it still fits the spirit of the mod. I can put up a link to my file if anyone is interested.

[wasmic]

Regardless, the Dragon is the coolest capsule in the history of the human space program, so it's no wonder that it's also the coolest in KSP.

Sorry, I have to disagree with you here. Yes, the dragon is cool, but the Gemini is simply cooler. One: It's black and red. Two: It had badass pilots. Three: It was the first capsule to successfully dock in space.

[Nibb31]

Sorry, I have to disagree with you here. Yes, the dragon is cool, but the Gemini is simply cooler. One: It's black and red. Two: It had badass pilots. Three: It was the first capsule to successfully dock in space.

And don't forget the gullwing doors!

[HeadHunter67]

But it didn't have the wicked blue ground-effect lights and stadium seating for nine.

(But yes, the Gemini was awesome too. I just wouldn't want to have to try and use it for anything but low-orbit uses).

[wasmic]

But it didn't have the wicked blue ground-effect lights and stadium seating for nine.

(But yes, the Gemini was awesome too. I just wouldn't want to have to try and use it for anything but low-orbit uses).

True. A moon mün trip in a Gemini capsule would be horribly cramped. Did you know that they even made concept art for a Gemini-based Mars-return capable spacecraft? Sitting for more than a year, two persons in a small Gemini capsule... not funny.

Edited September 10, 2013 by wasmic

[HeadHunter67]

Indeed. I have read a number of excerpts from Jim Lovell's time on Geminin VII with Frank Borman. The two of them were at the end of the rope, physically and emotionally, by the end of two weeks. Even simple things like toileting and changing clothing became trying. A lunar mission in a Gemini craft might have been possible, but an interplanetary trip would have required some serious modifications to the capsule and the payload.

[SFJackBauer]

Just wanted to congratulate the OP, this mod is amazing.

The way the capsule was modularized (parachute, ladder, the SuperDracos) is really cool and all parts fit without a seam.

But please try to reduce memory used as much as you can, as KSP with a handful of mods is an absolute memory hog. It even loads textures and models not being used anywhere - I end up disabling not used parts to keep the memory usage down (even wrote a little software for this )

I will most certainly edit mine to remove about half of monopropellant. I can't see how 1200 units can be squeezed in it

[Kerbal01]

Any chance of a Falcon 9 1.0 or Falcon 1? They'd make this mod complete.

[Jacob M.]

Well the forums are back, is there any news on this mod? It hasn't been commented on by the laz in a while. Sorry if I sound rude I just want to know if laz has loss interest or has irl work to do or something like that.

[Kerbal01]

Describe the bug, Were going to need more information to help you fix your problem.

[Virtualgenius]

Mechjeb works perfectly with this mod I am using the Sarbian fixes from this thread (http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/47317-MechJeb-2-Patch-test-bed-release-%28September-9%29) and havent had a problem, if mechjeb isnt working you have probably run out of electrical power which used to happen to me a lot till I figured it out.