[0.20.2] Zenith rocket family (modernised for 0.20.x with perfect subassembly)

[BigD145]

You can't even save the craft files in sandbox and copy them over to career, apparently. Subassemblies made in the VAB also do not work. It keeps saying I don't have the tech, but I do. I stripped them down to the bare bones and found the hidden pods.

You can make a beeline to fuel ducts. That's how tech trees work. You go down the line based on your priorities.

[Nephf]

Very nice!!! I love the variabiliry of crafts

[rottielover]

If I paste the craft files into my subassemblies folder of my save they don't show up, is that because of the tech tree, or is there something in the craft file I need to update?

[BigD145]

Most likely the tech tree. I ended up unlocking everything before the Zenith's showed up. If you go into sandbox you can strip off some parts, but there are the smallest unmanned pods hidden in most designs.

[mhoram]

I was going to say somewhere between 33% and 40% of the total fuel in the core stage - that's just based on my own observations of staging in general, though. Sounds about right.

I don't think this can be generalized.

Several lifters I have designed show peak performance with payload fractions of 16-18% when 10% of fuel and about 16% of thrust is in the core stage.

For reference see http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/55615#post735090 and http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/50074.

[Bigred2989]

I wish temstar or someone else could redesign this so that the root part isn't located right under the top docking port. Makes changing out the port almost impossible.

[BigD145]

You have to turn part clipping on.

[Bigred2989]

You have to turn part clipping on.

That doesn't work either. I even made everything under the root part a subassembly but I can't attach a clampotron sr to the top without parts clipping, and then nothing will attach to the docking port. It's all very screwy. I even tried taking my new root part, the largest disc shaped drone core, and put it between the RCS tank and the fuel tank. It refused to attach in that way.

Edited October 29, 2013 by Bigred2989

[El Gribbo]

I hope Temstar is still planning on releasing a .22 update of these. They are awesome and my go to launchers.

[Dvarx]

nice, but would be very useful if you could see weight of cargo in subassemblies menu

[BigD145]

nice, but would be very useful if you could see weight of cargo in subassemblies menu

There's only 8 of them. Do it yourself.

[Zuni]

Bump! Don't care if I'm necroing. I find these rockets very useful.

[darklordchris]

I wish temstar or someone else could redesign this so that the root part isn't located right under the top docking port. Makes changing out the port almost impossible.

Redoing this is easy select the fuel tank near the probe, put it aside (still on-screen but red) then delete the probe, from the item Command Mob TAB select the larger Probe, re-attach the the fuel tank, the put what ever docking port u want on top.

Though thanks to sub assembly, I dont really need any thing above the 2.5m decoupler

[Valentina Tereshkova]

I have been unable to get a stock Nova to launch using MechJeb in 0.23.5. Has anyone else had this problem?

Everything is fine until the vessel does its pitch over at about 7 km. Then everything goes unstable, and the control system doesn't seem to have enough control authority to recover and stabilize. The SAS indicator shows the circle of arrows that (I think) means that the control system doesn't have enough power.

Do we need to modify these for 0.23.5? Or is this really a MechJeb problem? The Zenith/Nova series have become my go-to boosters, and I really don't want to have to move to something else.

[Throggdor]

Does anyone have a link for this rocket family?

[Heckspress]

2 hours ago, Throggdor said:

Does anyone have a link for this rocket family?

HOLY NECRO, BATMAN!

No I don't, actually.

[Thingymajigy]

I saw the 0.20.2 tag and clicked this thread out of curiosity

[Stone Blue]

3 hours ago, Throggdor said:

Does anyone have a link for this rocket family?

They are working media fire .com links, which have recently been forum blocked...

Copy & paste the link in the address bar of a new browser tab... Then insert the media fire .com bit in the right spot...

Although I am sure Temstar (the OP) will probably be leaving a comment here soon...

[Temstar]

54 minutes ago, Stone Blue said:

They are working media fire .com links, which have recently been forum blocked...

Copy & paste the link in the address bar of a new browser tab... Then insert the media fire .com bit in the right spot...

Although I am sure Temstar (the OP) will probably be leaving a comment here soon...

What he said.

But being from 0.20, these rockets are designed to work in an environment very different in modern day KSP. It's no surprise that the atmosphere of those early days are known as "souposphere", it was really thick as far as flying through it is concerned and you need about 4500m/s of delta-V to reach 75km LKO. Nowadays the atmosphere is not early as soupy so it only takes about 3500m/s of delta-V.

I did use the same asparagus staging design of the Zenith to make a modern day Nova:

 

 

[DerekL1963]

51 minutes ago, Temstar said:

But being from 0.20, these rockets are designed to work in an environment very different in modern day KSP.

I'd love to see a Zenith family designed for the current environment myself.   Not all of us use reusables.