eddiew Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 ...it floats... and it has propulsion in the 'water'... Ok, so on the return leg it decided to move at 0.9m/s, but since that fell to zero when turning off the throttle and went back to 0.9 when driving, it's pretty hard to argue that this thing does have some level of amphibious capacity. Which we didn't expect. Mission control gives the engineering department a long, hard stare and asks why Scorpio wasn't expected to work in the oceans to start with? We knew there were oceans. We have technology that would have made oceanic movement viable. The rover floats, but nobody joined the dots and make the rover a boat. Someone has just lost their snack expenses for a month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Emigrant Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 (edited) 30 minutes ago, Zosma Procyon said: I've been trying to build ring stations wider than the standard 43 meters. I couldn't get 8 spoke stations to work without summoning the kraken. I thought I was going to get a 4 spoke 80m station to work today, before I finished the ring only to discover that one side was somehow a meter lower than the other in the VAB. I think the problem with the 8 spoke stations might be autostucting. Not sure about this 80m (I have built thing that sticks out od the VAB) limit but to help reduce the mismatch between start and end of a circle. Use symmetry and have your ring be built from each spokes. So you have 4 quarters or 3 thirds spreading the error on each other. I do use autostrut. This is what I am working on now: Long ago I built this: Spoiler Album: https://imgur.com/a/s7cQE ME Edited January 14, 2019 by Martian Emigrant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaverickSawyer Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 Re: Ring Stations: use ReCoupler. As long as the nodes are close enough, it'll lock them together. It ca sometimes be a pain to work with (*glares at BDB Saturn V stack*) but when you need it, it's awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddiew Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 26 minutes ago, Martian Emigrant said: Long ago I built this: That is rather impressive... I use Editor Extensions for rings. Go for <many> symmetry with the ring pieces surface-attached to the central axis, drag them out until they're the appropriate distance away to look nice. No mismatch regardless of how many spokes or ring segments you want to use Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triop Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 (edited) Today I finally got my Elkano bridge completed succesfully. It's 57.1 km long and takes about 35 minutes to cross at 100 kph speed. *FACT The Afsluitdijk in my country (The Netherlands) is 32 km long: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afsluitdijk Edited January 15, 2019 by Triop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavscout74 Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 I built & tested a new jet, the CF-05 Firebar. Loosely inspired by the Yak-25 & -28. I really need a better engine, as it's just a little too slow (210 m/s at 5 km, maybe a little faster) right now. On the other hand, it can land around 40 m/s with flaps Climbing out from KSC at dawn Bomb bay door open, preparing for test drop "Bomb"'s away - just a 0.625m fuel tank. I was off on my drop, it hit the grass a ways southwest of KSC. But it didn't blow up the plane when I dropped, so we'll call that a win. Landed back at KSC. I'm probably going to remove the speed brake, or at least tweakscale it smaller. I also built and launched a twin rescue claw for two rescue contracts around Minmus. Both require retrieving the capsule as well. And one is very low Minmus orbit, the other is a very high, retrograde Minmus orbit. I'll find out in about 5 more days if I built it with enough dV for the jobs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triop Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 1 minute ago, Cavscout74 said: Loosely inspired by the Yak-25 & -28 Nice, I love old Russian planes, build like tanks, Russian pilot: "You can land a Yak-25 on it's belly, clean out the engine and take off again". Once a Russian pilot got to flew a F-18, his comment: "you couldn't buckle up yourself, there where hands everywhere, in Russia we just hop in the plane and take off." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeOfMaar Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 4 hours ago, Tyko said: Starting a new game...I've played 2.5x and 3.2x ... and I'm struggling with which one to use for the next play through. Science will be set at 30% but I'm using DMagic, so the extra experiments nets me out at around 50-60% science (roughly guessing). 2.5x is pretty easy with stock parts and makes me want to push myself harder. I really feel like I accomplished something when I use 3.2x. The tradeoff is that mid - late game when I want to build bigger more complex missions the "fun challenge" of 3.2x early game starts to become less fun and more "struggle" I really like early game and optimizing, so I was leaning towards 3.2x, but then I think back to my early days of KSP when I was playing stock and got to build big stations and motherships - that's achievable in 3.2x, but borders on "not fun". Install a mod for OP fuel and engines (whether something mystical like USI's Karborundum, or a half-plausible, half-pipe-dream thing in the nuclear arena such as Nertea's Far Future Tech). And set personal rules for how and when you'll use said engines, and set something like, a global limit on how many of said engines can exist or be in service at any given time. IRL we have yet to find any handwavium propellant. We have yet to send anything crew-rated to Moon or Mars. But don't let that hold back your advancement in a game and in a world of your making. Don't let the current length of the Periodic Table keep you from whatever mega: ship/station/infrastructure you're dreaming of. 1 hour ago, Triop said: Today I finally got my Elkano bridge completed succesfully. It's 57.1 km long and takes about 35 minutes to cross at 100 kph speed. Good, good.... Now bring one of these to KSP and cross your bridge with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triop Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 (edited) 18 minutes ago, JadeOfMaar said: Good, good.... Now bring one of these to KSP and cross your bridge with it. No problem. Edited January 15, 2019 by Triop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeOfMaar Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Dayyum. I....... I underestimated you and your ability to have a car engine melt itself (of all things). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triop Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 (edited) 4 minutes ago, JadeOfMaar said: Dayyum. I....... I underestimated you and your ability to have a car engine melt itself (of all things). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LvU4Gp0q4s Edited January 15, 2019 by Triop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyko Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 29 minutes ago, JadeOfMaar said: 5 hours ago, Tyko said: Starting a new game...I've played 2.5x and 3.2x ... and I'm struggling with which one to use for the next play through. Science will be set at 30% but I'm using DMagic, so the extra experiments nets me out at around 50-60% science (roughly guessing). 2.5x is pretty easy with stock parts and makes me want to push myself harder. I really feel like I accomplished something when I use 3.2x. The tradeoff is that mid - late game when I want to build bigger more complex missions the "fun challenge" of 3.2x early game starts to become less fun and more "struggle" I really like early game and optimizing, so I was leaning towards 3.2x, but then I think back to my early days of KSP when I was playing stock and got to build big stations and motherships - that's achievable in 3.2x, but borders on "not fun". Install a mod for OP fuel and engines (whether something mystical like USI's Karborundum, or a half-plausible, half-pipe-dream thing in the nuclear arena such as Nertea's Far Future Tech). And set personal rules for how and when you'll use said engines, and set something like, a global limit on how many of said engines can exist or be in service at any given time. IRL we have yet to find any handwavium propellant. We have yet to send anything crew-rated to Moon or Mars. But don't let that hold back your advancement in a game and in a world of your making. Don't let the current length of the Periodic Table keep you from whatever mega: ship/station/infrastructure you're dreaming of. Thanks. I can just solve the problem by playing in 2.5x. I have no prob building or launching anything I've wanted to. I'm just trying to dial in the game to "just hard enough to be interesting" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthernDevo Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 (edited) I can sum up my progress in my Hard-settings career with a single pic: Spoiler Er...BIG edit!!!! Seems I forgot one teeny tiny detail in building my Mun lander... Spoiler Yikes! Yup - that whole 'Life Support' thingie. Jeb was coming in to a 40km aerobrake after a successful mission...and LS screamed suddenly; telling him food, water and O2 was OUT. Ewps... OK; Jeb's gotta get out of that thing NOW! I eyeballed it, made a quick burn to lower Pe to 33K and blew the return engine. A screaming re-entry followed by a last-second parachute pop at 1200m, but by the time he splashed down, look at his numbers! Less than 30 seconds! Talk about lucky; just a few more seconds and I'd have lost him. Whew! Won't be mistaking THAT mistake again... Even luckier; he got out within swimming distance of the West shore of KSC's peninsula. Gene's put a call in to @Triop to see if he can go pick Jeb up in a fast car...oh; and bring a hot dog! Jeb's a mite famished... Edited January 15, 2019 by NorthernDevo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
septemberWaves Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 @Tyko I typically play at 3.2x scale (with atmospheres scaled by 1.4x and day lengths doubled). Something which I find makes it less tedious is designing launch vehicles for particular payloads, testing them (for which I typically use the NRAP test weights mod, but any payload with the right mass will work), and then reusing the same rocket designs for everything until such time that they need upgrading, at which point I make new designs for my standardized launch vehicles. In my new playthrough I will probably also make rocket variants specifically for pushing payloads to Mun, Minmus, and/or other planets too (by adding an extra stage to existing rockets and adjusting payload capacity accordingly; I did something like this already with my 150kg launch vehicle and I think I will continue the trend for larger payloads and other destinations). All that said, I suppose it all depends on play style; I know some people like building unique lifters for every new payload, and my method probably does not lend itself well to enormous single-launch motherships (which I personally hate using; what is the point of docking ports if you do everything with one launch and several hundred 3.75m tanks?). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaverickSawyer Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Didn't do much, as the Program is currently on a safety standdown after the near-disaster of THAAD. Jeb and Bob teleconferenced into the debriefing and conference regarding THAAD's failures and successes from Minmus Express 1, which was on a return trajectory from Minmus (duh) after a rather lengthy stay in orbit. A few hours later, they boarded their Gemini capsule and performed a direct reentry, discarding Minmus Express 1 and landing in the ocean a few hundred kilometers east of the KSC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
septemberWaves Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Continuing with my 3.2x scale space program, today I developed a more powerful launch vehicle and used it to launch the first space probe capable of being returned the surface of Kerbin. I also sent a satellite to each of Kerbin's moons. Details about these missions can be found here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARS Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 (edited) Finished tweaking and modifying all of my three VTOL-capable microfighters. Each of them has different role: The smallest of the three, Flea Flia - Kukuruznik, is designated as light fighter. It has the highest maneuverability and handling. However, it has a relatively light armament of twin .50 cal machineguns and trades it's durability for it's phenomenal maneuverability ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The next one, Flea Mays - Kukuriza has better armament of quad .50 cal machineguns and respectable handling, making it a medium fighter with no noticeable advantages or disadvantages. It isn't as maneuverable as light fighter, and loses against heavy fighter in terms of armament ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The last one, Flying Flea - Kukuruza, is a heavy fighter, armed with powerful twin 20 mm rotary cannons that unleashes devastating firepower, it dominates light and medium fighters in terms of armament. It's heavy mass also provides enhanced endurance and better firing stability. On the other hand, it's also the slowest and the least maneuverable of the three Edited January 15, 2019 by ARS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSA Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 I flew by Dres, Duna, and changed my probes inclination to get a Jool, Laythe, Pol, Bop, and Tylo incounter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capi3101 Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 (1.5.1; T-3 days to 1.6.x) Had a fairly busy day overall yesterday. With the need to add an adapter to LSV House Harkonnen so that a Minnow 7 ferry craft could dock, I went ahead and designed one and printed it up at the Dystopia Planitia shipyards. The adapter was fueled and sent on to rendezvous with Harkonnen, arriving successfully. Sometimes the simple things are worth a screenie, I guess. Over Mun, I designed a variant of the Venkmann 7 science lander for the purpose of delivering Research Kits to the Stevie Wonder 7 solar observatory in orbit, printing up the new probe at the Non Caseus Yards. Upon completion and fueling, I realized I'd forgotten to include any sort of electrical system - no batteries, panels, nothing. Fortunately, I had a Spamcan 7a lander docked at NCY and dispatched it to dock with the probe and ferry it to the telescope; this plan was successful, with both craft docking safely, allowing the ongoing gravioli wave experiment at Wonder to continue. Shortly before the debacle with the Venkmann, a Minnow 7 craft departed space station Kerbinport with Val, Bill, pilot Billy-Bobcal, scientist Wenmy Kerman and engineers Gemlorf and Chadul Kerman aboard, heading for a rendezvous with House Harkonnen. The craft arrived and the new adapter performed as expected. Didn't I already do this screenie once already in this post? Unfortunately, upon arrival none of my kerbals could board House Harkonnen, despite the fact that the Mk1 Docking Port used in the Buffalo mod said it wouldn't be a problem. Several solutions were considered - in the end, it was decided to print up a Black and Decker 7 delivery probe lander at Dystopia Planitia, have station engineer Jergar Kerman grab the KAS screwdrivers out of the craft's default payload, load them into the station's mass driver and shoot them directly to Harkonnen. Note to self - replace the standard KAS container aboard the Black and Decker with a Pathfinder Buckboard. Jergar will thank you in the future. The plan actually worked as intended, but upon returning to Harkonnen, the crew was allowed to board without issues. I suppose all I really needed to do was re-load the craft. The upshot of this, I suppose, is that the crewmembers aboard Harkonnen are now well-endowed with KAS screwdrivers... After recycling the rest of the Black and Decker at Dystopia Planitia, House Harkonnen's own on-board dockyard was brought online and a second docking adapter was printed up for a personal warp drive experiment. Meanwhile, Strange Cargo arrived at space station Munport and refueling shots between the Piper Alpha outpost on the surface and the station took place. The station's Spamcan 7a lander was dispatched to Piper Alpha with Bob and tourists Rodlorf and Melfrey aboard, arriving safely at the outpost. Bob got out to assume his post at the outpost's science lab, beginning a couple of experiments upon his arrival. Trajectories told me I was going to hit the center of the landing pad dead on. Probably means it's time to update the waypoint for the center of the pad... Rodlorf and Melfrey then returned successfully to Munport, though they had skosh fuel upon rendezvous. A final set of refueling shots took place, after which Strange Cargo departed for Minmus, burning for Kerbin to pick up a gravity assist. Upon completion of the printing of the new adapter module aboard Harkonnen, the ship engaged its Alcubierre Drive and proceeded to warp to Minmus, finalizing its orbit on conventional thrust. A series of three refueling shots were required to fully equip Harkonnen for its historic journey to Duna; the warp from Kerbin to Minmus fulfilled the experiment I was running (mainly my own curiosity there), so it was released and allowed to dock to the ship. With that done, House Harkonnen again engaged her warp drive, this time heading over Kerbol to top off her exotic matter tanks once again. Ugh...the ship is backlit. Who put that star there, anyway? With that done, the ship warped to Duna, fulfilling the flyby exploration contract. New contract involved putting a craft in orbit and gaining science, so the craft warped back to Kerbol to pick up enough speed to enter Kerbolar orbit; the idea is to get into a proper position to then bleed off enough speed to directly warp into low Duna orbit. As of this morning, the ship's in free-fall over Kerbol. Did some calculations there; I might ask the KSP community to check my math to see if I did it right... That's pretty much been what's been going on so far. Some Pathfinder Gold Digger drills were printed up at Piper Alpha and the South Base outpost near KSC in an attempt to pick up some CoreSamples, and I began an Auk XIII single-passenger spaceplane flight with tourist Gilbree Kerman aboard; she's just doing a simple up-and-down, and had completed the de-orbit burn when I had to shut the game off. Today I'll be finishing up that flight, and I'm hoping to get Harkonnen to Duna. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zosma Procyon Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 18 hours ago, Martian Emigrant said: Not sure about this 80m (I have built thing that sticks out od the VAB) limit but to help reduce the mismatch between start and end of a circle. Use symmetry and have your ring be built from each spokes. So you have 4 quarters or 3 thirds spreading the error on each other. I do use autostrut. This is what I am working on now: That's what I do. I have more than a dozen ring stations. Have you used structural tubing for the spokes? I think that also might be a problem; maybe they're too light? I think I'm just going to try a double ring attached to an asteroid for this contract. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Emigrant Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 1 hour ago, Zosma Procyon said: That's what I do. I have more than a dozen ring stations. Have you used structural tubing for the spokes? I think that also might be a problem; maybe they're too light? I think I'm just going to try a double ring attached to an asteroid for this contract. Hi. I have used structural tube in the past but not in this case. I use autostruts but not on all the components. I wonder if using too many components with autostruts be like putting too many elastic on a watermelon....??? ME Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Emigrant Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 (edited) Hey all. The other day I introduced this bad boy: Today Jeb launched it. Designation the LoneStar. Then Val....made the LoneStar obsolete with the TwinStar. Spoiler The booster stage ran out of Delta-Veese (100m/s) for the circularisation. She finished with the interplanetary engines. ME Edited January 15, 2019 by Martian Emigrant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loskene Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Re: ring stations. Use empty SRBs or procedural parts as spokes. Structural members need to be made of as few parts as possible to minimise the presence of krakenbait. Autostruts are out too, use real struts as band-aids if you have wobbles, you shouldn't ever need so many that it overinflates your part count. If you have to use autostrutting (it should be avoided in general where not strictly necessary) don't use heaviest part mode on anything that has a docking port. Grandparent is the preferred choice, followed by root. A small number of larger launches is preferable to a large number of smaller launches of modules that all have to dock together. I once launched an entire Deep Space Nine-style station in one go because I couldn't figure out a decent way to bolt it together in space without headaches. You can always add more boosters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triop Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Build 4 bridges today for my upcoming Elkano trip. Also designed a new fighter thanks to @panzerknoef who came up with the fuselage design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cantab Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 @Martian Emigrant That Twinstar is quite something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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