What did you do in KSP1 today?

[Silverchain]

How massive is that craft and where does the transfer stage attach, and what do you mean by "it wasn't very good"? I'm sitting here bored and that's the sort of challenge I relish; I'd gladly assist in a design.

Oh, cool, thanks. The spaceplane is about 16 tons all-up with a shielded Clamp-o-Tron on the nose; I picked it up from LKO. The transfer stage had several problems; the final stage separation went wrong, leaving it in an inclined orbit around Kerbin which wasted fuel, the docked craft wobbled under x3 and x4 acceleration (not sure if that's easily fixable, maybe with a different engine layout than I used?) and there was only just barely enough fuel to make it to Jool so I was lucky to get an easy Laythe intercept... I'm not brilliant at timing flight windows so like to have a deltaV margin.

[Tw1]

I continued scattering Rail bogie prototypes over KSC. This one's working!

Still needs much tweaking.

[Rage097]

Continued procrastinating planning my Minmus base.

[capi3101]

After finding a proper set of nuclear bomb tests to name them after, I continued my efforts in Operation Outland by docking two new modules to my nascent Mun-orbiting space station - Julin Lubbock 7 and Julin Bristol 7; the station has been renamed "Julin Mun", though I'm still debating whether or not I liked the orginal name (Gates of Hell 7) better. The Julin Bristol module included a Shielded Clamp-O-Tron in the design, so once it had docked to the station I decided to take the Orthus 7 space bike lander (which I designed for the Doing it Gemini Style challenge and left in orbit once the mission was complete) and dock it to the station as well. The station's not even completed or manned yet, and already it has a capability to make surface excursions. Two transfer stages down on the Mun; one crashed, one broke up after tipping over (landed on a grade, and once again these stages are NOT designed to land.)

Also did a proof of concept for Death Engineering's new Constellation Space Program Challenge; basically was trying to see how light of a command capsule I could create. Let's just say I'm pleased with the results and will probably be joining this challenge once I get the "how to do it" part figured out.

@Silverchain: I'll work on a design today and post again in this thread once I have something for you. Meantime, the "final stage separation went wrong" how, and what kind of engine layout did you use for your first transfer stage attempt?

Edited October 9, 2013 by capi3101

[Silverchain]

@Silverchain: I'll work on a design today and post again in this thread once I have something for you. Meantime, the "final stage separation went wrong" how, and what kind of engine layout did you use for your first transfer stage attempt?

The transfer stage was an X200-16 and an X200-32 with four LV-Ns attached to FL-T200s on the sides, some RCS and control and whatnot. It was boosted to LKO by a Mainsail-powered launcher, not sure exactly what happened but it ended up with the stages separated, with the Mainsail booster still on, so the Mainsail was pushing the stages together and pushing the top bit all over the place because I couldn't shut it off and couldn't control it. The transfer stage ended up in a silly 350x100 orbit or something like that.

...in hindsight, it was quite an interesting problem: should I move the spaceplane, using its comparatively inefficient Aerospike but small mass, up to rendezvous with the transfer stage, or should I move the transfer stage with its nuclear engines and high mass down to rendezvous with the spaceplane at 150x100 or wherever that was, and then lift the whole combination up again... I moved the spaceplane. Might do the maths if I get really bored, guess it was about 300ms-1 deltav required.

[capi3101]

The transfer stage was an X200-16 and an X200-32 with four LV-Ns attached to FL-T200s on the sides, some RCS and control and whatnot. It was boosted to LKO by a Mainsail-powered launcher, not sure exactly what happened but it ended up with the stages separated, with the Mainsail booster still on, so the Mainsail was pushing the stages together and pushing the top bit all over the place because I couldn't shut it off and couldn't control it. The transfer stage ended up in a silly 350x100 orbit or something like that.

...in hindsight, it was quite an interesting problem: should I move the spaceplane, using its comparatively inefficient Aerospike but small mass, up to rendezvous with the transfer stage, or should I move the transfer stage with its nuclear engines and high mass down to rendezvous with the spaceplane at 150x100 or wherever that was, and then lift the whole combination up again... I moved the spaceplane. Might do the maths if I get really bored, guess it was about 300ms-1 deltav required.

Sounds like insufficient strutting between the fuel tanks on the booster coupled with dangerously high gee during the launch. If you use that design again, watch your gee meter as you're going up and throttle back if it starts edging its way out of the green zone.

Oh, cool, thanks. The spaceplane is about 16 tons all-up with a shielded Clamp-o-Tron on the nose; I picked it up from LKO. The transfer stage had several problems; the final stage separation went wrong, leaving it in an inclined orbit around Kerbin which wasted fuel, the docked craft wobbled under x3 and x4 acceleration (not sure if that's easily fixable, maybe with a different engine layout than I used?) and there was only just barely enough fuel to make it to Jool so I was lucky to get an easy Laythe intercept... I'm not brilliant at timing flight windows so like to have a deltaV margin.

Okay...this oughta do the trick. For all others in a state of general apathy: long post ahead.

TRANSFER STAGE/PAYLOAD

1x Clamp-o-tron Docking Port (centerline; forward)

1x RC-L01 Remote Guidance Unit (centerline)

1x Advanced SAS Module, Large (centerline)

1x Z-4K Rechargable Battery Bank (centerline)

4x Illuminator Mk1 (mount port, starboard, dorsal and ventral on the ASAS unit, facing forward - towards the Clamp-O-Tron)

2x OX-4W 2x3 Photovoltaic Panels (mount port and starboard on the battery)

5x Rockomax X200-32 Fuel Tank (one centerline, four outboard with fuel lines from the outboard tanks to the centerline tank)

2x Stratus-V Cylindrified Monopropellant Tank (mounted on the port and starboard outboard bipropellant fuel tanks)

12x RV-105 RCS (mounted port, starboard, dorsal and ventral; 4 on the probe core, 4 on the outboard fuel tanks near the unit's center of mass, and 4 on the Girder Adapter)

1x Modular Girder Segment XL (mounted aft (below) the centerline bipropellant fuel tank)

1x Modular Girder Adapter (mounted below the Girder Segment XL; this is the piece that connects to the booster)

4x BZ-52 Radial Attachment Point (mounted port, starboard, dorsal and ventral of the Girder Segment XL to the bottom of the centerline bipropellant fuel tanks)

4x LV-N Atomic Rocket Motor (one attached to each BZ-52)

Total Thrust: 240 kN; Total Mass: 103.155 unburdened, 119.155 with intended payload; Acceration: 2.32 m/s^2 (0.24G) unburdened, 2.01 m/s^2 (0.21 G) with intended payload; delta-V: 11,725.08 m/s unburdened, 8,734.02 m/s with intended payload.

Sounds like what you had already, just with a LOT more fuel.

Struts will be required between the outboard fuel tanks, with two additional struts connecting each outboard fuel tank to the centerline fuel tank. A set of struts running from the tops of the outboard tanks to the probe core is also recommended.

This design will launch off the top of one of Temstar's Nova lifters with no issues (be sure to strut the Nova's main decoupler to the Girder Adapter and add at least one set of struts from each of the boosters to a point on the Girder XL, a point on the LV-Ns and a point on the outboard fuel tanks. I've launched similarly designed payloads this exact same way off of Novas before, and have had no issues (Supernovas are another story...).

If you don't have Subassembly or for some reason don't like Temstar (and if you don't, why?), never fear: here's a five-stage asparagus lifter design (i.e. eight outboard boosters dropped in pairs with the centerline acting as the fifth stage). I won't mention it's generally based on the same design principles that Temstar uses...

CENTERLINE BOOSTER:

1x Rockomax Brand Decoupler (Attach this to the Girder Adapter of the payload and strut the hell out of it)

1x RC-L01 Remote Guidance Unit (centerline; if all goes well you'll need this to de-orbit the centerline booster once the payload's in orbit)

4x Z-100 Rechargable Battery Pack (mount port, starboard, dorsal and ventral on the core; this will keep the core powered long enough to make the de-orbit burn)

4x Stratus-V Rad. Mono Tank (mount port, starboard, dorsal and ventral near the top of the jumbo)

8x RV-105 RCS ((mount port, starboard, dorsal and ventral; four as far forward as you can get them, the other four as far aft as you can get them)

1x Rockomax Jumbo 64 Fuel Tank (centerline)

1x Rockomax X200-32 Fuel Tank (centerline; be sure to strut-stitch this one to the Jumbo 64 above and the X200-16 below)

1x Rockomax X200-16 Fuel Tank (centerline)

6x BZ-52 Radial Attachment Point (mount radially outward either along the Jumbo 64 or the X200-32; doesn't matter which)

6x FL-T100 Tank (one attached to each BZ-52; run fuel lines to the centerline tank)

8x Modular Girder Segment XL (mount radially near the top of the X200-16; attach your booster decouplers to the end of these and strut down at least one end).

1x Rockomax "Mainsail" Liquid Engine (mount aft)

8x Rockomax Mark 55 Radial Mount Liquid Engine (mount radially as low on the X200-16 as you can get them facing aft, leave some room for the RCS blocks).

RADIAL BOOSTER (x8):

1x TT-70 Radial Decoupler (one on each Girder XL of the centerline - use TT-38Ks instead if you don't like how it looks, but be sure to add stage sepratrons if you do; struts either way running from the decoupler to the centerline booster are recommended).

1x Rockomax X200-16 Fuel Tank (attach this piece to the decoupler; this is also where your fuel lines need to be - two going to the centerline tank, the rest attaching to the bottom of each progressive stage).

1x Rockomax X200-32 Fuel Tank (forward of the X200-16; again you'll want to strut-stitch this part to the X200-16 below and the Jumbo 64 above)

1x Rockomax Jumbo 64 Fuel Tank (forward of the X200-32)

6x BZ-52 Radial Attachment Point (mounted radially outward either along the Jumbo 64 or the X200-32; doesn't matter which)

6x FL-T100 Tank (one attached to each BZ-52; run fuel lines to the centerline tank)

1x Rockomax "Skipper" Liquid Engine (mounted aft)

4x Rockomax Mark 55 Radial Mount Liquid Engine (mounted radially as low on the X200-16 as you can get them facing aft)

The vitals on the booster break down this way:

STAGE 5: Thrust: 2,460 kN ; Initial Mass: 190.11 t; Stage Initial TWR: 1.32; Stage delta-V 1,203.94: m/s.

STAGE 4: Thrust: 4,720 kN ; Initial Mass: 338.64 t; Stage Initial TWR: 1.42; Stage delta-V 1,391.079: m/s.

STAGE 3: Thrust: 6,980 kN ; Initial Mass: 487.17 t; Stage Initial TWR: 1.46; Stage delta-V 906.05: m/s.

STAGE 2: Thrust: 9,240 kN ; Initial Mass: 635.7 t; Stage Initial TWR: 1.48; Stage delta-V 588.17: m/s.

STAGE 1: Thrust: 11,500 kN ; Initial Mass: 784.23 t; Stage Initial TWR: 1.49; Stage delta-V 468.71: m/s.

Total Delta-V: 4,557.95 m/s; Total Number of Parts: 253 (includes payload) plus struts.

I recommend the same general strut set between the booster and the payload as for a Nova lifter. You'll also have to add no fewer than three strut triplets (one to the next tank over; two the centerline tank) per booster - I recommend two off the Jumbo 64s and one off the X200-32s at a minimum (72 struts minimum there).

There's a fraktonne of gimballing engines on this design, so I'll recommend you use an action group that locks down the gimballing on the Mk-55s and that you activate it after the physics engine releases.

Add Delta-Deluxe Winglets to the outer boosters if the design proves to be unflyable as I've laid it out above; you should still be able to make orbit even with the extra weight.

The transfer stage, as indicated, will have 8,734.02 m/s of delta-V with your plane attached; that's about 120% of the delta-V generally recommended for a transfer to Jool, an orbit of Jool, a transfer from Jool to Laythe, and an orbit of Laythe - if all goes well you probably could do your Laythe de-orbit burn with it too. Should even have enough juice to do a few initial orbital plane changes around Kerbin if necessary. The acceleration rate, though it sucks, is low enough that it should be sufficient to keep your craft from wobbling; only other thing you could do there would be to go for a Senior or a multi-port setup, neither of which are viable options for a spaceplane in all likelihood. It will gradually improve as you burn fuel, of course; I'd still recommend the periapsis kick method prior to Jool transfer.

I imagine if you sent one of the transfer stages to Laythe without the plane, you could use it for a Laythe orbit rendezvous and get your spaceplane back to Kerbin. Might depend on if the plane can make Laythe orbit again once it's there. I can't actually guarantee it'll make it back to Kerbin...might depend on how well you fly it getting there. I think it would make it back, but don't quote me on that.

Alright - that's all I've got. Good luck; I hope this works out for you - if you have any questions, ask.

Edited October 9, 2013 by capi3101

[Rage097]

....Well then...

Anyway. I put down the first module of my Minmus base.

[Leberschnitzel]

I tested refueling on minimus. It wasn't necessary, I just wanted to check how to get a tank there.

Landed ~150m from the original target, drove the rest with my rover based lander (that was scary!)

but I made it and tested the refuel process and it worked like a charm

I'm no fan of mods, but this one adds a nice realistic use to EVAs! Only thing I want to disable and don't know yet: I don't want to be able to grab everything and put it somewhere else. That's not so awesome. I should plan it in before or else be punished with simply not having the part. Anyone knows how I could do that? otherwise I'll ask in the mod thread.

I just have the struts and the pipe of this mod installed, because I think both thinks are great additions to the game without making it too much easier or being too unrealistic in the kerbaverse.

[Merinsan]

Last night, I sent 7 ships from LKO to Duna in a single transfer window, to set up a new space station. 2 fuel modules (4 orange tanks), 4 crew modules (8 hitchhiker cans) and a huge rover (crew capacity of 36).

Managing the transfer was hard. Lots of switching between ships to make sure I was flying the right one as the entered Duna SOI. Fortunately the closest conflict was 2hrs: 1 ship did it's aerobreaking followed by the next ship entering Duna SOI 2hrs later.

Amazingly, everything went well, except for the rover. I messed up the transfer a little, and had to use a lot of fuel to get a capture, and it was a polar orbit. I had to tap into the landing fuel, so I am not sure I will be able to land it now. If I can get the chutes to open without ripping off it will work, I just need to drop it in a low area.

I did all of this while waiting for a Jool transfer to complete, and it still has over 100 days to go!

Next I'll be assembling all the parts of the station and trying to land that rover!

[Captain Sierra]

I brought Horizon to my new savegame.

[TUFOM]

Desided to fly around kerbin just for change. Looking awesome landscape and testing top speed of my simple aircraft:

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Edited October 10, 2013 by TUFOM

[kildjan]

Just took this lovely screenshot when entering Eve's atmosphere today !

[Lazro]

Built the HK-9 "Octagon" satellite, based on the real-world Hexagon military observation (coughcoughspycoughcough) satellites.

[calebroberts]

I orbited the Mun and returned to Kerbal today!

[TheIncredibleDalek]

I made a 15-part orbit capable mercury analog.

[capi3101]

Added another module to the Julin Mun space station - two more to go. Actually am considering a third - it'd be a cupola module like what's on the ISS, and a way to use a Cupola command module part (cool though they are, they're reaaaaaally impractical for any other purpose).

Picked names for the components for my entries in the Constellation Space Program challenge (mostly focused on death, though the lander's name is an obscure pun). Started doing tests of the LES for the Crew Module; those did not go well at all - reverting was the only thing that kept Jeb alive. That may have been the game having a bad night - the Block II design (which I was using for the tests) should've had sufficient thrust to leave the ground (even KER said so) and it never did.

[Rage097]

Played around in EVA on Minmus and began mentally working out an Ion-powered Rover to acheive Orbit via using a hill as a ramp.

[G4S3FR]

I started preparing my Buran for docking manuevers. Time for some more weight tuning!

[Cydonian Monk]

I didn't (and won't get to) do anything in KSP today, but I did send my first Duna expedition on its way a few days ago:

I also copied and edited some of the snippets of mission reports from my posts on Google+ and finally got them posted. Both on my (incomplete) website (link temporarily removed) and here on the forum (Null Cycles - Cydonian Monk's Tale).

Maybe later this weekend (Sunday while multitasking with football) I'll get around to fast-forwarding to the arrival at Duna. Maybe.

Edited October 7, 2014 by Cydonian Monk

[Kerbal01]

Launched a expedition to test a Duna ship, burned out of kerbin, realized I had a minmus encounter so I changed the mission to putting a station around minmus, burned too early, lost the minmus encounter, went back to a high kerbin orbit, when I de orbited,half of my ship blew up when I spacebar'd because of a staging error, I finished the burn with the stations RCS thrusters, and landed the station and its occupants safely. Station was a Mir Core module from bobcats soviet pack. I'll never do something as awesome ever again. Anyone want pics, I'll post them.

Edited October 11, 2013 by DarthVader

[Commander Zoom]

(Technically yesterday, but...)

Spent the whole frickin' day assembling, strutting, and transporting my Mun base's new habitation module to the surface. It's got a central hub with a cupola, airlock/wardroom (Hitchhiker module), and four hab wings (3 Hitchikers each, horizontal) coming off it. Lucas Kerman, co-pilot of Mun Bus 2, got to play strut monkey on EVA after EVA (and quicksave after quicksave, as I soon found that a single spacewalking kerbal is somehow able to apply incredible force entirely by accident, leading to repeated unplanned disassemblies). But I finally got it down and placed with the rest of the base...

only to discover that this had left Mun Bus 2 low on fuel and dry on monopropellant, which it would probably need to dock with the orbiting station. Fortunately, Mun Bus 1 was already on the surface, with full tanks... twenty minutes of pipe-laying later, both shuttles were half-full and Mun Bus 2 was able to lift off with confidence. (More fuel will be arriving from Kerbin - the beginnings of a tank farm for the base - soon, possibly today.)

Speaking of fuel, several partially or almost completely full transfer stages were left in munar orbit during this whole operation. At some point, I'll be sending up a tug with the hardware to drain them mostly dry and crash them into the surface (well away from anything important).

Edited October 10, 2013 by Commander Zoom

[lajoswinkler]

Saved a Kerbal orbiting Duna in an obviously inefficient lander docked to a tug. Next time more parachutes and more fuel.

[Leberschnitzel]

I had a disastreus new Spacestation launch: didn't get it in a right orbit, forgott parts I needed on it and nearly killed 2 kerbals! But I got them watered alive so it's fine. Back to the drawing board though.

[capi3101]

Finished my paper calculations for the various components of my entry in the Constellation Program Challenge. Now I just need to build the various pieces of hardware and properly join up. Decided I wanted to do the challenge in my main save game, which meant getting my Kerbin-orbiting Mir replica up to specs for the challenge. To that end, I docked a new docking pier to the station, one that included two medium clamp-o-trons and two juniors (it already had free seniors all over the place). Next will be getting it up to the 120x120 required orbit, and then I'll actually have to crew it.

Continued Operation Outland by adding the next module to the Julin Mun station. Two modules to go.

[zekes]

This.