What did you do in KSP1 today?

[ToThaMun!]

After 2 days of failure I finally got my first rocket to the Mun! Only played Career so far. I've started 4 careers and probably sent up 100 rockets. The best I got up to now is a stable orbit with about 5 ship designs. The main problem I had was fuel. I would get into orbit but that process took all my fuel away.

But I built this baby recently and finally got it done. Went to the Mun, got into the Mun Encounter/Exit moments and was able to change trajectory at the end JUST enough to land. I didn't think I was going to survive reentry. It felt like a Space Camp moment where I was fighting to get the ship oriented right to my radiator panels to where I could slow down fast and not heat up too much. I hit the atmosphere at 3100Km/s lol. Somehow survived with everything intact. Except the small middle engine.

Here is what my first Mun craft looked like.

On the Launchpad

Stage 1 in space. Still firing all rockets. Stage 2 actually kicks out the boosters and sits with the main center engine to push me the rest of the way out, but this time just kept everything on for some reason.

Stage 3 in space

Sorry about all the pics if it is too many. I'm so happy.

[capi3101]

Last night began by putting Fireball 7c (with Bob) in orbit of Mun to do what will hopefully be the last science run out there. He's currently running high-altitude gravioli readings; he got about six before the close of business. Meanwhile, my Midas 7 refinery lander finally arrived at Minmus and I began the process of putting it down at the Wildcat 7 drilling site. The precision landing went well - a little too well, actually. I wound up landing one one of the Mosquito 7 drilling rig's large solar panels and tipping it over halfway. I had to wriggle the Mosquito free but was able to do so and then upright it on pod torque. Hooked the three craft - Wildcat, Midasand Mosquito- up to one another with KAS winch cables, and I'm happy to report that at long last drilling operations on Minmus have begun in earnest.

That's Mosquito on the left, Midas in the center and the Wildcat on the right. The Midas is converting ore into fuel as it's being drilled from the ground. I think the system could easily handle another Mosquito driller and I am seeing a net loss of ore in the conversion, so I'm considering sending another one to the site. For now though, Wildcat is being refueled and as soon as I can refuel her ore tanks, a delivery will be made to Minmusport. I have already successfully refilled the craft's monoprop tanks.

I also put a second space station in orbit of Mun successfully. I decided to go ahead and keep it for two reasons - first, the original Munport station is in a 150,000 m orbit, too high for practical purposes. Second, she's run out of berths -

Project Peacock towards the top, a Fuel Module and Carrier Pigeon on the left, the Mun Buggy on the right, and a Refinery module with Theogel and Verise's Wildcat 7 towards the bottom. I still haven't got them down on the surface yet and they need to get down there so Munar drilling ops can begin.

The Naquadah 7 ore-hauling craft has succesfully made Munar orbit at this point. My original intention was to dock it at the newly dubbed (and originally named) Munport 2 and await an ore delivery, but at this point I'm scratching my head thinking "why can't I just dock the first ore load directly to the craft"? Might have to check to see if it is going to need more gas to get back to Kerbin.

The replacement contract offered for putting Munport 2 up was a rescue contract around Kerbol paying √250k. I passed on that one...

Since I remembered the screenies today, I have a couple more recent ones I'll share with y'all before I go. First is Kerbinport -

That's a Raven 7 plane top, a hab module on the left, a fuel module bottom with the same Carrier Pigeon 7 craft that's now at Munport, and a Stratofortress 7a craft - Bockscar I think - on the left. This would've been before Theogel came back along with the group of tourists aboard that Raven, the same flight that netted me nearly √500k when it landed.

And finally, I caught this solar eclipse a couple of weeks ago.

That's the second Sojourner probe I sent to Mun, the one I sent for money. Not the best shot of the probe but it's still the only time I've actually seen an eclipse in all the time I've been playing KSP.

[Terwin]

After 2 days of failure I finally got my first rocket to the Mun! Only played Career so far. I've started 4 careers and probably sent up 100 rockets. The best I got up to now is a stable orbit with about 5 ship designs. The main problem I had was fuel. I would get into orbit but that process took all my fuel away.

But I built this baby recently and finally got it done. Went to the Mun, got into the Mun Encounter/Exit moments and was able to change trajectory at the end JUST enough to land. I didn't think I was going to survive reentry. It felt like a Space Camp moment where I was fighting to get the ship oriented right to my radiator panels to where I could slow down fast and not heat up too much. I hit the atmosphere at 3100Km/s lol. Somehow survived with everything intact. Except the small middle engine.

Here is what my first Mun craft looked like.

http://abload.de/img/kerbalmunrocket8cjij.png

On the Launchpad

http://abload.de/img/munlauncheronpadlvx11.png

Stage 1 in space. Still firing all rockets. Stage 2 actually kicks out the boosters and sits with the main center engine to push me the rest of the way out, but this time just kept everything on for some reason.

http://abload.de/img/munlauncherinspacesta8eyo7.png

Stage 3 in space

http://abload.de/img/munlauncherspacestage02xdm.png

Sorry about all the pics if it is too many. I'm so happy.

Some suggestions:

* radial attachments cause lots of drag

* Thud engines(those radial engines on your 3rd stage) are not nearly as efficient as your other 3rd stage engine, you would probably have more fuel left if you just removed them.(you do not need nearly as much thrust once you leave the atmosphere, you just need enough to raise your periapps above 70km before you reenter)

* Early thrust is your friend, consider starting your second stage engine at launch and shutting it down after you get over 200-300m/s, this may actually save fuel on your current design(it would be even better if you added more fuel for that engine and your second stage merely consisted of discarding spent boosters

(I will often add solid boosters to get my initial TWR up to about 1.5, but I am still firing my main liquid engines starting at launch. If you adjust the alignment, you might even add some small liquid tanks to the tops of your boosters to feed your liquid engine, letting it be nearly full when you discard the boosters(assuming you have fuel pipes))

* drop-tanks and asparagus staging can make it much easier to add delta-v to your ships

On to my own activities:

I connected up all of my colony modules on Minmus and discovered:

a) my pioneer module vanished without a trace

2-3 connected components would bounce(especially with deployed drills) but several radially connected modules not so much.

c) Once everything was connected, the entire base was counted as being on the Greater flats, so those careful landings on the slopes to get Minerals did not do me any good.(I think I'll edit the persistence file to give Slope minerals to the Greater flats, as the base *should* be able to harvest minerals

d) a single component 'dancing' on a deactivated engine will shut down drills across the entire base as 'moving' (I hope disabling gimbling can stop that until I get some tools up there to remove them)

I launched a replacement Pioneer module and a base component with the stock IRSU, but my command authority was not enough to counter a phantom torque once I got outside the atmosphere, making anything more precise than a periapps boost impossible, so I reverted.

After that Bill flew over to the Minmus base to give the 2-star engineer there some academy training, before heading back to the Pusher.

Pusher launched up and grabbed one of the Kerbal+ship from Minmus, with a stop on the Mun for science and flag planting.

Not sure if I want to land/recover the pusher and launch a new vessel(probably one with science instruments so I can load up the academy on Minmus) to get a couple new base contracts, or use the Pusher to grab the last Kerbal+ship in orbit of Minmus first...

[Gasofidas]

Yesterday I spent my afternoon building a huge lifter for 500-600t payloads.

I want to also say thanks to everyone who contributes to this post, whenever I run out of ideas of things to do in KSP this is the most inspiring source for new ones

[Overfloater]

i flew my 1st proper mission to Moho. >

and made a video about it

[DMSP]

My Kerbin Return Spacecraft carrying 5 crew from Duna-1 is now on its way home, thanks to a quick Burn around Duna. I also finished my ComSat Network, with Full Kerbin Coverage 100% of the time. I do hope to keep expanding it though, as launching a sat tends to help when I am bored.

[Draconiator]

I'm (attempting to) visit Moho properly in my game for the first time ever! Last stock planet I have not even landed on, besides Jool of course. The first time I attempted it I just had a probe as seen here, but I was coming in WAAAAAY too fast and overshot.

This time I ended up having too little fuel in the rocket, but I did manage to slow down most of the way, and in the picture I am finishing the burn, and will need to enter orbit in a wierd way but, eh that's KSP for ya. I may even attempt to land the thing.

[stemi]

After so many years of messing around, I made my first 'manned' interplanetary ship.

It has everything, engines, space lab, lander.

Here is my first flight to Mun for test out its capabilities.

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[PineCone]

I went to the Duna system for the first time, and landed on Ike.

[Vermil]

So I said my Kronos does four things really well. Those basically being going up and down on Kerbin and Laythe. I didn't pay much attention to maneuvering and travel in space. If I ever do a rocket as big as this again, it will get a whole stack of inertia-wheels. Sluggish and slow it is. But first we have chemical rockets left to burn.

That part goes well, because the engines are powerful and also conveys good control through their gimbals. But soon they burn out and it's time for the nuclear engines, all 16 of them. Like that helps, it's basically standing still. Kronos_X13, the first Kronos (unmanned) to make the trip to Laythe, had only 8 engines. What torture the burn times where.

The chemical rockets took care of half of the dV though. Now the long tail of droppable MK3 tanks will slowly provide for the rest.

A sign of that the gals' Kronos_B is in good shape is that it took only two orbits around Kermin before breaking free. As I remember it, Jebediah, Bill and Bob needed four orbits. They were in a lower orbit and had less chemical fuel left. Maybe I was dumb, as I did not slingshot off Mun? But I wasn't in the mood, the rocket was so clumsy and sluggish.

Goodbye Kermin.

[The Aziz]

Define "land safely".

Your post.

So I just unintentionally, kinda recreated Apollo 13 mission. (And my first try with Mk 1-2 pod) Launch with minor problems, such as typical wobbling, then no problems with getting to Mun orbit.. and then stuff happened. Jettisoned nosecone attached to lander engine because of my weird design. Of course, decoupler was attached wrong. Cone disappeared, engine fairing too. But not the decoupler. Okay, so time to transfer one brave Kerbal to lander, undock and land.

Yeah of course. Engine lander was using fuel, burning, but not moving. Then again, minor design problems, this time with RCS systems. Having thrusters on two sides, not four, is not a very good idea. (Or better, not having them at all on your command module). But somehow I managed to dock, transfer Bob back, undock, send that buggy lander to the surface, then aim home. At least I splashed about a hundred km from KSC.

Fixed what I needed to fix, I'm trying once again.

[ToThaMun!]

After last nights successes I decided to try and rework my craft to see if I could get to the Mun and obtain an orbit. After many hours of various techniques I finally came up with a craft that, without some laughter, got into orbit off the main engine and was able to detach the main engine and unload my main craft and go to the Mun. I was going to get to the Mun with about 120 units of fuel left, but somehow the engine got left on ( just realized it is because my screenshot function is shift + prtscr ), very low, and I only have 66 units of fuel left. Augh.

BUT. I am looking at a stable orbit of the Mun if I am able to burn for 20s. I have no idea if I will be able to.

This is what it all looks like.

NU Mun Craft

Trying to look cool in space

1h till burn

MAP

[KerrMü]

Happy Halloween

[LordFerret]

Happy Halloween

http://i.imgur.com/hNlsMpC.png

How or what did you make that with? It reminds me of a type of 'splatter painting', kind of like an airbrush effect. Pretty cool.

[KerrMü]

That´s mostly a noise effect in paint.NET . Not the best program, but sometimes useful.

Edited December 1, 2015 by KerrMü

[cantab]

Got my latest spaceplane into orbit, but the handling was a little obnoxious, I need to improve its roll stability a bit. Probably angling the outer part of the wings up a shade will do.

[Overland]

4016 Came home safe and sound .... 4001-4015 didnt.... neither did 4401-4425..

damn it.. getting emotionally involved with land trains and KSP is a terrible mix..

the sight of KSC on the horizon and having the trains wheels once again touch the runway... always a special time

[inigma]

Exploration ship Innovation and shuttle Excursion undergoing proof-of-concept trials.

Edited October 31, 2015 by inigma

[Gaarst]

Landed on the Moon is RSS for the first time

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[Mikki]

Developing a LaytheSSTO base/ isru dropper...

[Wintersdark]

4016 Came home safe and sound .... 4001-4015 didnt.... neither did 4401-4425..

damn it.. getting emotionally involved with land trains and KSP is a terrible mix..

the sight of KSC on the horizon and having the trains wheels once again touch the runway... always a special time

This was incredibly inspiring, so I set out to give it a try too.

Here's the beast in action on my test journey:

Thread: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/138030-Inspired-by-the-Elcano-challenge-and-Overland-s-trains?p=2270268#post2270268

Mine's less graceful and such, but handles 100m/s over rough terrain I'm too impatient for less.

Just through my testing, though, I was incredibly surprised at just how much fun, and how challenging this is. So much of Kerbin just zips by unnoticed underneath your rockets, once you're actually on the ground in a huge train travelling at 360km/h, every little feature is so very much more important and the scenery is very, very different.

I'm really looking forward to my "circumnavigation" (in as much as my train can; it's not in any way water friendly - that can wait for 1.0.5)

Edited October 31, 2015 by Wintersdark

[Nookos]

I sent an expedition to Duna/Ike. One ship with 7 tourists to be returned with 2 rescued kerbals more and one prototype recovery. A plane for Duna fun. An add-on to assist my grand tour probe landing on Duna. An outpost on wheels for Duna. Two satellites for Ike.

And also sent one exploration probe for each body in the joolian system.

[Generalstarwars333]

Well, I made another station after taking the contract for putting one in solar orbit. this time instead of a poodle for a second stage it had four OMS engines from the Mk II expansion, and the fuel and engine space was replaced with a mpl-g2. got some good science from it. however, ti turns out that the contract requires a capacity of 19 kerbals, not 6. so gonna have to make another one. also, I made a huge landship. main battery is 2 superfiring abrams turrets in the front, one in the back. AA Armament is four goalkeeper CIWS, an oerlikon millennium, 14-16 30 mm chainguns, and 11-13 dual fifty cal turrets. powerplant is a nuclear reactor from the Mk II expansion, plus 4 fuel cell arrays, but since the maritime pack clipper hulls don't have oxidizer, I didn't realize until it was too late that they wouldn't work. it has four Mole RBI tracks for movement, which can get it up to at least 10 m/s, maybe more since I have yet to test its speed. It has a crew of two kerbals in a mk-2 lander can on the top. much better ship than my other landships, although I just realized I didn't add any radiators which I need to do so it has regenerating armor. hopefull I can upgrade the main armament once I have a BDA plugin installed.

[Draconiator]

I COMPLETELY impressed myself with rocket building skills by using the lifting vehicle I built to go to (URLUM, in OPM)

For reference, the green circle is Jool's orbit, the orangeish one used to be Eeloo, but in OPM ir's a moon of a gas giant named Sarnus.

Blue line in the foreground is Urlum. And I landed on one of its moons called Priax:

The thing in orbit is the discarded approach stage.

"After careful observation, Thomcott concluded that Priax is not made of cheese. Priaxan soil however, is very tasty."

Anyway it was a very successful test. Going to use the info to set up a base on Dres. Question to those of you that have OPM though...I have 1044dV left, do I have enough to get to Polta, the other moon? I want to permanently set up shop there with this craft.

A parting shot, views like this are why OPM is among my favorite mods:

Edited October 31, 2015 by Draconiator

[Garbonzo]

Landed on the Moon is RSS for the first time

http://imgur.com/a/NcmQv

what mods did you use? me likey.