What did you do in KSP1 today?

[suicidejunkie]

On Saturday, March 12, 2016 at 10:57 PM, HoloYolo said:

Good luck my friend. WHY IS HE THIRSTY ON A PLANET THAT IS LITERAL FROZEN WATER?!

They were still in flight towards Minmus.  Just over 5 days after launch, started with 6 days of supplies for an 8 day trip.

Bill had some fun with the lopsided rescue vehicle.  It originally had 3-way symmetry with T100 tanks, and two of those three had T400 tanks bolted to the top.  (Third one was left bare so the capsule was not blocked)

Limited to half throttle to avoid a spinout, but being Minmus that was still about 8.0 TWR.

Bill popped up to an AP along the bus' flight path, the bus did its braking down from 1200m/s, but had to cut thrust early to keep enough speed to reach Bill in time.

Bill then burned for rendezvous, almost overshot, but came to a halt 250m away, and bolted the lifesupport can on with 9 minutes left on the clock.

With 15 minutes until PE, Bill then bolted on a docking port, and made a hard dock using just the 909 on a lopsided ship.  Fuel transferred, the bus was then able to make an easy descent to the Great Flats.

Bill then detatched the rescue ship from the top of the bus and tipped off towards the surface; first wondering why the throttle wasn't working, then trying to enable the engine, and then realizing the fuel was still locked out before a jarring bounce on the landing gear marked a successful landing.

 

The engineers were delivered, base expansion contracts fulfilled, and the Minmus economy continues to expand.

Within a few days, water production will begin, although it will be a far cry from the demands of the growing population.

[corvustech]

17 hours ago, Jolly_Roger said:

Thanks, I'm working on a companion video to the one I just released to walk through the ship designs and dogfight techniques.  I'll be posting the craft files along with it

JR

I'm not sure if you did it, but back when Ion Engines were first brought out, I successfully made a TIE out of stock parts that actually used twin ion engines.  It got up to a decent clip in deep space, but was the definition of "short range fighter".   It was also a case study in how the series is total nonsense when it comes to trying to land on those wings....

Today, I got my first 1.0.x aircraft to take off, fly to the abandoned airfield, and land without turning the pilot into soylent green (it's made of Kerbals).   This is a particularly big accomplishment, as it's also the first aircraft I've ever gotten to land on that airfield without parachutes.  Or violence.  

I also perfected my early-game three-stage Kerbin Tourism Board-approved orbital shuttle. Granted, absolutely no snacks on board, but those little 1%'ers that want to go into orbit don't need more than a few minutes up there anyway.  I can get them there and back reliably for under the price of the respective contracts, so I shamelessly saved myself from bankruptcy by going Space-X. 

My next goal is setting up Karbonite and other material mining and refining within KAS-fuelpipe range of the launchpad, to see if I can eliminate my dependency on OPEK (Organization of Petroleum Exchanging Kerbals)  and their inflated prices. 

.  

[Vermil]

... The rover finally freed, the girls wasted no time in tackling the next obstacle. How to escape the crater they had the 'bad luck' to land in.

It seems the weakest point is paradoxically on the high side of the crater rim. There is something, almost a pass, that seems to have slightly less severe inclination towards the top.
After a brief discussion, Eilla steers their rover towards the wall.

 

Going uphill consumes a lot of energy. They have to stop frequently to charge the battery.

 

Closer to the top, it gets steeper and the driving becomes increasingly desperate. Eilla uses Lealian's methods and experience from Duna's canyon to negotiate the angle.
This includes keeping the speed up by driving sideways and using variations akin to channel walls, with the pressure from the momentum, to turn upwards and gain height.
At times it seems impossible. They're sliding down a lot. But as long as they keep gaining altitude, even if it's just inches, they keep trying, trying, trying.

 

And the miracle happens. Just as it seemed it wouldn't go any longer, the angle eases off, the wheels gain traction. - They did it! They have escaped the crater.

 

The second obstacle dealt with. Now they're back in the game again!  They briefly stop to contemplate the crater, and their rocket ship, deep down there. They'll have to descend down there again...   But not now!  - Onwards, getting on with their mission.

Edited March 14, 2016 by Vermil

[Frank_G]

Actually yesterday, i almost finalized my new spaceplane, the Moray Delta VI.

The propulsion is now down to six R.A.P.I.E.R. engines and it still lifts a 36 ton payload to a 95 km orbit. It flies very stable and keeps balance throughout the flight, but it depends on a very strict ascent profile when doing heavy lifting. But as it performs so good, it is now the new workhorse of my fleet, for orbital tasks of all sort. Flying with lighter payload, like space-station modules, leaves quite a large margin for orbital maneuvers and atmospheric flight. Delivering a 12 ton payload to a 100km orbit, left me with 800 m/s of delta V for orbital operation and 7000 m/s for atmospheric flight, after returning home to the runway. The design will still see some minor internal tweaks and probably some wing adjustments to keep the SSTOs nose right on the ascent vector – for a little extra delta V, once in orbit. After those tweaks, the craft is released to the public for download.

Climbing to orbit. At this speed and altitude, the Delta VI only needs to run on 2 engines and almost minimum throttle, while still accelerating.

Delivering 36 tons to 95 km orbit with some ooomph to spare. However, there is almost no room for error.

Lighter payloads, like this station core, will leave you with plenty of fuel, once in orbit. The Delta VI can actually perform a roundtrip around the Mün with a 10 ton payload and de-orbit properly, if a free return course is plotted.

Please 1.1. , dont break this craft!!!!!!

 

[Draconiator]

Trying to find a place to land my Ike refueling rig (which is still in Kerbin orbit)...I love this little Ion lander

Squad, can you PLEASE make even smaller landing legs; I made these out of structural parts and they look hideous lol

[Fearless Son]

7 hours ago, Vermil said:

... The rover finally freed, the girls wasted no time in tackling the next obstacle. How to escape the crater they had the 'bad luck' to land in.

It seems the weakest point is paradoxically on the high side of the crater rim. There is something, almost a pass, that seems to have slightly less severe inclination towards the top.

Yeah, rovers on low-gravity planets have traction problems, especially with those particular tires, in my experience.  Have you considered leaving some of the solar panels open while you drive?  I know, it makes them vulnerable to an impact, but if you are not in a position to have that happen and you need the extra energy (like when you are slowly climbing up a crater edge) you might the extra endurance to be a help, especially as it lets you preserve your forward momentum by not having to stop as much.  And unlike Kerbin, there is no air resistance to drag the thing with the panels deployed.  

[Draconiator]

I COMPLETELY went off the rails with this build.  It DOES fly but now I have to figure out how to stop the veering right on the runway.  It took off from the grass on the left.

....Crazy is normal at KSC though.

[GDJ]

7 minutes ago, Draconiator said:

I COMPLETELY went off the rails with this build.  It DOES fly but now I have to figure out how to stop the veering right on the runway.  It took off from the grass on the left.

....Crazy is normal at KSC though.

I like it.

As for the veering, double check the angles on the landing gear, and you may to add a strut or two to beef things up, depending on how heavy your craft is and how far aft the gear is in relation to the COM.

[Tortfeasor]

I made a basic station in Kerbin orbit to practice rendezvous.  Once I succeeded, Bob went for a walk.

 

[blorgon]

My first Duna landing!

Edited March 15, 2016 by blorgon

[max_creative]

I made my first post and tried to rescue Jeb and Bill from solar orbit! (Failed.) any advice?

[DonaldPK51]

First Mun landing that didn't result in three Kerbals stranded in two separate modules!

 

[fourfa]

I think tonight I reached the final design on my ISRU Grand Tour ship.  No screenshots yet, but she's about 1500T all up, four separate modules, can land on every world but Eve, leaving nothing behind.

[Draco T stand-up guy]

Well, I got these three intrepid explorers stuck in permanent Kerbin orbit...But they seem happy

Was 10 seconds short of fuel.

[msasterisk]

2 hours ago, Draco T stand-up guy said:

Well, I got these three intrepid explorers stuck in permanent Kerbin orbit...But they seem happy

Was 10 seconds short of fuel.

Those rare times when you wish that orbits DID decay in KSP...

[max_creative]

3 hours ago, msasterisk said:

Those rare times when you wish that orbits DID decay in KSP...

Yeah. Like Bob in a retrograde, highly eractic, highly inclined orbit. I know... I'm such a bad pilot once I get to space. Jeb and Bill still in solar orbit... 

[Fearless Son]

6 hours ago, Draco T stand-up guy said:

Was 10 seconds short of fuel.

Well, if you have an exposed hatch and have upgraded the Astronaut Complex enough, I suppose you could use the "get out and push" method.  

[justidutch]

Sadly, today I have nothing, in KSP or this other life some people call "real".   But perhaps in a few hours...

 

But the last couple of days I did a few missions in my kareer:

I had a contract to expand my Mun stayshun, just to add five more living spaces, so I built this nuc powered ship that fulfils the contract, and then I can use to zip around the local system.  I think it could even get to Duna or Eve and back.  Here it is on the burn towards Mun,

And docked to Mun Stayshun

 

Then I noticed a contract to return science from the surface of Duna.  Since I already had a probe crash landed there, that was easy...

 

I wanted to get some fuel up to Kerbin Stayshun, knowing that it would be needed in the near future, so I built this tanker and got it to orbit fully loaded for under $100,000 which I think is a decent deal, and will serve the future missions well...

… and docked it to the K-Stayshun

 

Next up was to think about getting my two science crews home from the moons (since I have only four scientists on the current roster), in order for them to go to Duna and/or Eve when that window opens.  So I built another ship to land at Minmus to return the crew there.

I decided to dock it at Kerbin Stayshun to fuel up even though it didn't really need it, but better safe than sorry...

 

Yesterday out of the blue the idea to build a gullwing plane come into my head, so I jumped right on that.  First was a proof of concept plane to see how the gullwing shape would affect aerodynamics, if at all.  I don't think it does, since I managed to get it into 86x86 orbit on the first try...

Then I tried building one that was actually useful, and ISRU plane.  I also wanted to try building a grabber into the plane so it could sip asteroids, choosing a bottom mounted style...

It didn't have enough get-up-and-go to find orbit though, it needs more power.  I tried adding two turbojets but that made it too unbalanced at top speeds and it ended up flipping over.  I do like the look of them though...

 

 

Edited March 15, 2016 by justidutch

[Vermil]

...So, with the Mun plains finally open to them, the girls' spirits rose, despite the low odds of their mission. They set out on the long drive towards - what they thought - the most suspicious area.

 

Maybe they didn't dare believe - so as not to suffer the disappointment -, just keeping their chins up because it's their style, and stubbornly going through the motions of their mission, because it's their pride, but suddenly something happened that filled them with awe: Cerly's eagle-sharp pilot's eyes picked up something far away to the east, in a temporary opening towards the horizon. - Yes! It was undoubtedly the top of an arch! - Bill was right!

It was much farther away than they would have guessed. It's at least as far again as they have already driven. And much farther towards the east.
"It looks like we have to spend the night out", Asdra sighed. "We'll survive", Eilla said. "The terrain looks difficult, but we just have to reach it", Cerly spelled out the obvious.

 

As they got closer, they got awarded by more frequent glimpses of the mysterious arch. But it didn't seem to come any closer, and the terrain became increasingly brutal and difficult to navigate. And as time passed, the inevitable darkness approached. But behind that crater rim far ahead at the horizon, with the steep rise to the right, the arch should be.

 

And yes. It is.

 

But night falls. Eilla doesn't dare to drive further in the darkness, and dismounts the rover to walk to the edge to inspect the terrain. Not even then can she see how steep it is. It's too dark now. She doesn't even dare walk further forward. She has a bad feeling about the terrain ahead.

 

 

So it's really high time to settle in for the night, as comfortably as they can. The girls plug in their suits' heating system to the rover's fully charged battery. It should last almost the full length of the long Mun night.
They should be alright. They all have double diapers.

[Vermil]

16 hours ago, Fearless Son said:

Yeah, rovers on low-gravity planets have traction problems, especially with those particular tires, in my experience.  Have you considered leaving some of the solar panels open while you drive?  I know, it makes them vulnerable to an impact, but if you are not in a position to have that happen and you need the extra energy (like when you are slowly climbing up a crater edge) you might the extra endurance to be a help, especially as it lets you preserve your forward momentum by not having to stop as much.  And unlike Kerbin, there is no air resistance to drag the thing with the panels deployed.  

 

What are you saying? Have I chosen the worst possible wheel? Why aren't they equal?

I chose them because they fit the desired bill of size, track-width, ground-clearance and weight.  I have wondered about their ice-skating qualities of traction though. Also, I have wondered if six wheels would be better. It shouldn't, but the wheel physics are irrational.

As for the panels... No, the endurance isn't really a problem for me. Keeping the panels open will break them even with a common bump, so it doesn't work. What might work is to use fixed solar panels. However then I need structure and they will be in the way for all kinds of things, like how I mount them on my rockets, for instance. No, I'm good with everything about my rovers except the traction.

In this mission for instance, their limited size - ground footprint - is absolutely vital for negotiating the horrendously difficult terrain.

 

[Fearless Son]

27 minutes ago, Vermil said:

What are you saying? Have I chosen the worst possible wheel? Why aren't they equal?

I chose them because they fit the desired bill of size, track-width, ground-clearance and weight.  I have wondered about their ice-skating qualities of traction though. Also, I have wondered if six wheels would be better. It shouldn't, but the wheel physics are irrational.

As for the panels... No, the endurance isn't really a problem for me. Keeping the panels open will break them even with a common bump, so it doesn't work. What might work is to use fixed solar panels. However then I need structure and they will be in the way for all kinds of things, like how I mount them on my rockets, for instance. No, I'm good with everything about my rovers except the traction.

In this mission for instance, their limited size - ground footprint - is absolutely vital for negotiating the horrendously difficult terrain.

Sounds like you have it thought through.  Those tires tend to be a little "skatey", but they do have just the right size for a lot of things.  The wider, flatter tries have more grip and motive power, in my experience, but this is not necessarily always desirable because they are almost too powerful, and tend to flip rovers more easily than the tires you choose.

As for getting your grip up, I have found propulsion to be an effective means of increasing rover traction.  Not to push it over the ground (or off the ground) but to push it into the ground.  The extra downward force will increase the pressure on the tires and increase their frictional value against the ground.  Higher friction means a tighter grip, which means more of the wheel's force gets transmitted into pushing the vehicle.  This is especially useful when on slopes, since you can literally leverage more of the power in the rover.  

It does not even need to be much propulsion, the tiniest LF/O engine you can get, positioned right in the center of mass, facing upward, and on a very low throttle, will do a lot for a rover.  Even an RCS port and a couple of monopropellant tanks will be effective.  These means do impose a resource limit on the rover's (effective) endurance, but unless you are planning on circumnavigating the Mun, it will probably be sufficient for most of the missions you might undertake.  

Edited March 15, 2016 by Fearless Son

[Archgeek]

Further adventures of the the "I was dared to fly this." -- Gilly edition!

Tune in next time for Moho and the Questionable Gravity Assist.

[blorgon]

Performed another Duna test landing late last night. Pulled a bunch of unnecessary parts off of my rocket, namely the 120 or so retro-oriented Sepatron motors that I was using to deorbit my first and second stages after separation. Pulled all the science stuff off of my first lander (from my most recent post, here), added some Sepatrons to the lander for a probably unnecessary boost back into orbit, and trimmed a lot of struts. The biggest change I made, however, was attaching a buggy to the top of the lander. I put pressure, seismic, atmospheric, thermometer, mystery goo, and surface scanning experiments on the buggy, so I had some science to do while I drove around. Initially, I wanted to build a little ground station, and install the seismometer the way it's supposed to be installed, but that ended up not being a practical solution, because I wanted to do the other experiments multiple times in different biomes (this is sandbox, so I was merely roleplaying with the science), for a proper sampling of the Dunar surface. I tested the buggy's chutes-only descent on Kerbin, and then added Moar Chutes™ for Duna's atmo, but it still ended up looking something like a 20-25m/s descent fully deployed. More on that later. Part count is down to ~445 for the entire rocket, and delta-V is up to ~8500m/s. Found out the hard way that once I undock from my transfer vehicle in Duna orbit, it disappears from my map because there weren't any control units.

I also burned straight into a Duna encounter, skipping LKO entirely. Probably pretty inefficient. I also didn't bother matching my Kerbolar orbit to Duna's, so I ended up coming at Duna at an angle on my way back towards Kerbol. Funny thing is, I actually got to Duna with my second stage, and didn't even use my nukes until it was time for an orbital insertion. Ended up using about half of my ~2800m/s getting my Duna periapsis down to 30km. Then, it was a waiting game, as I had already used way more fuel than I'd planned on the intercept, I resigned to multiple aerocapture passes. Took probably 7 or 8 passes before my apoapsis came down from 15000km to 100km, but at that point, my periapsis dropped to 19km, so I had do do some correction burns to bring my periapsis back to a safe altitude, and then fixed my apoapsis so my transfer vehicle wouldn't aerocapture while I was planetside.

Then came the hard part.

Initially, I had planned on putting Valentina in the Buggy's command seat so that on descent, I could switch to her and deploy the chutes, and monitor the buggy's descent velocity (you can see her helmet in a few of the screenshots, before I came to my senses). After my first aerocapture however, I realized that Valentina was probably going to combust if she was exposed on the descent. I toyed with the idea of EVAing during descent, and trying to get her into the command seat after the deceleration down to descent speed, but again, I quickly came to my senses. Also I didn't have any ladders, so it would've been a total action-movie move trying to RCS her way to the command seat while rapidly descending toward the Dunar (?) surface 

You can see in the screens that on my first descent attempt, I decoupled the buggy pretty high up, did a quick burn with my lander to get some separation so the buggy wouldn't drop right on top of my lander. This was when I found out that I needed at least one more pair of drogues, as the front wheels were destroyed on touchdown. I brought Bill and a drill along for such an occasion, unfortunately, I wasn't expecting the glitch that made my rover hop, flip, and explode, when I tried to repair the wheels. Anybody else have that problem? Somebody should make a Buggy Jack as an EVA item! Anyway, I ended up having to revert back to descent, and try about 50 times to get the buggy to land without breaking the front wheels, or anything on my lander. It was an extremely tedious, and delicate maneuver. In the end, I broke one of my lander's solar panels, but that was it. It was time to have some fun!

Except not, because wheel physics. Ended up skating a lot, and at around 20m/s, the rover would fishtail, hop into the air, tumble a few times, and then explode. I had planned on driving to the big canyon about 1000km away, and then to the north pole, but at that point (it was around 2AM) I didn't have the patience for the trek. I also realized it'd be mean to leave Bill behind twiddling his... whatevers... while Valentina zipped around in a sweet buggy, so I called it a night.

I touched down with about 99.98% of my lander's fuel, so I know it can get back to orbit. I'm gonna go add an extra seat to the buggy, and figure out a better buggy deployment method. Oh, and read up on how to do a more efficient Duna encounter.

 

[Puggonaut]

On 11/03/2016 at 11:04 AM, Proteus said:

 

i was derping with jump beacons mod and finally got it to work on 1.0.5,than i managed to put epl/oks station in the orbit of thahmo.

got some fresh rocket part supplies to the station and build a funky space plane...need to bring more engineers to the station,so far i got 9 only and 2 pilots for the "run ways".i really like neidon without a doubt my favorite gas giant thatmo landing on this bird,was "fun" after 5-6 failed landing attempts i realized that this is not the most ideal lander for thathmo because of its "aggressive" terrain that filled with slopes....but than the most derpy and amazing thing happen to me that can only happen in ksp,i hit the ground with 5ms,trying to do fancy landing and aim for my best,the lander hit the ground flipped a lil bit and i managed perfectly land with out any problems. only in ksp!so far away from mother kerbin! *sad music*

Honest to god , these ships are absolutley amazing

[oversoul]

Finally got my Minmus Orbital Science Station operational after about three weeks real time of dabbling at it.

Edited March 15, 2016 by oversoul
grammar