What is your design process?

[Akhar]

Hello, I've decided to make a thread asking people about their rocket/spaceplane/rover/crazysuicidemachine design processes.

I for one do the follkowing:

Watch Scott Manley and Danny2462 videos, get inspired to make an epic Mun craft, try to design it, hope it has enough delta-V, have the side-mounted engines and fuel tanks fly up and destroy the upper stages when I launch, spend half an hour trying to improve it, fail at that, and give up, but enjoy myself nonetheless.

What do you do?

[Francesco]

hope it has enough delta-V

that's the key point: you need to know exactly how much delta-v you have, otherwise it's going to be hit and miss.

kerbal engineer can help you with that. or mechjeb, or a lot of other plugins also.

[Gojira]

Design

Launch

Explode

Guess at what went wrong and attempt to fix it in VAB/SPH

Launch

Lose control and explode

Guess at what went wrong and attempt to fix it in VAB/SPH

Repeat as necessary.

[AustralianFries]

Create mission with objective.

Create vehicle(s) to complete objective.

Test vehicles.

Log test results.

Fly mission for realsies.

???

Profit.

Edited June 15, 2013 by AustralianFries

[Tw1]

1. I work out what I want to do.

2. Daydream. Come up with the plan for the flight, stagings, dockings, landings, etc.

3. Think about how that could work, parts, balance, staging, delta V requirements.

4. Design and test parts, first proof of concept, then the actual vehicles. At this point I start making notes of the thrust, electricity, and Delta V requirements of each. This involves trial and error.

5. Once I'm happy, assemble anything in the VAB and SPH, add launch vehicle, put struts everywhere, then attempt mission.

That sounds complex. Really, all I do is work out what I want to do, make it, test it, and fly it. And fix when stuff goes wrong.

[UmbralRaptor]

Inspiration

Playing with numbers until I have a rough design or give up

Build/test/redesign until it works

Launch and/or get bored

[kinnison]

Sometimes you deal with a lot of failure, you just hope no one dies

1.Design, think about what I want the craft to do, and accomplish.

2.Create the final stage (Probe, lander, rover, orbiter)

3? 4? 5? Create additional stages as needed working backwards from where you are going to end up. whether you need a skycrane type system, a deorbiter, Transfer boosters.

6. Build booster to get to LKO or continue with transfer burn.

7. During the previous points at each step put it on the launchpad with stabilizer to make sure the stages work properly.

I actually started saving boosters in my subassembly, just makes things easier to build based on what kind of tonnage I am putting into LKO

[sanity]

I design in modules, so i design a module to do what i need then i send it to orbit and dock my standard accessories, engine, fuel, etc..., to it once its there and off i go

[SkyRender]

Generally I start with a command pod. Call it force of habit, but how it's going to be piloted is a pretty definitive starting point for any craft. From there I decide what I want it to do (Kethane extraction, fuel ferrying, orbital station, base, lander, etc.). Then I build up what it will need around that. Once everything's in place, I build a drive stage (if necessary) below that, and finally the launch stage to put it into space. If I'm not feeling especially adventurous (or patient enough to hand-calculate), I'll do all this with the help of Kerbal Engineer Redux to get the dV values of everything. Then I launch, and usually accomplish whatever I set out to do on the first try. I think that I can chalk up to the fact that I've been doing launches since 0.11 and it's entirely routine for me now, though...

[rodion_herrera]

I think the very purpose of the existence of science/engineering (as a tool, rather than a body of knowledge) is to precisely eliminate the need for "hoping"...however, even engineers and rocket scientists hope (and perhaps pray) that all go well at the moment of ignition

[Vanamonde]

What an interesting question! This is how I do it:

1. Build the payload.

2. Test the payload, which will include building some clumsy, make-shift launch vehicle to fly it to orbit or a moon, so that I can try it out under conditions close to its intended use.

3. Once I'm as sure as I can be that they payload will work, I discard the test launcher and build proper a transit stage under the payload, then a launch stage under that, etc., as needed. Once I am sure that the delivery vehicle is MORE than big enough to get the payload where I want it to go (so that I don't waste time flying it half-way there and having the mission fail before I've even had a chance to verify that the payload works), I then fly the intentionally over-sized version of the design to the destination and perform the mission. But even though that accomplishes the mission in practical terms, I am a perfectionist, so there's one more step.

4. And that is, because I now know exactly how much too-big the ship is, it's time to pair down the delivery rocket until it is just big enough for the job, plus a bit of a safety margin in case of mishap. This step may require several flights all of its own.

If the design fails at any point in this process, I back up to the last part of the design that did work and start over from there.

Edited June 15, 2013 by Vanamonde

[MR4Y]

Design, Build, Test, Fine tune, Test, Fine Tune, etc.

In some cases ideas get completely scrapped and the whole process starts again.

[Felsmak]

I design my spaceships according to the following formula:

Delta-V*Efficiency^Coolness

[Pursuedtank]

I just keep trying to do various design until I find the one that doesn't explode and has enough delta V (the Kerbal Engineer Redux helps with that). It is worth noting that the people on youtube who play KSP aren't perfect. They make just as many mistakes as other people, it just that they keep at it, and edit out the failures before they post their videos.

[MDBenson]

Throw something together, tune the stages to the right TWR and Delta-V and test it. If it works, we fly.

[Katve]

1. Decide what I do next on KSP

2. Get inspiration for craft/capsule/module/probe (payload)

3. Build payload

4. Test it's functionality without lifter (Action groups, solar panels, ladders, landing legs)

5. Build lifter to get it where I want it to be

6. First launch of whole rocket, normally explodes or breaks

7. Made changes so rocket works as it should (If it doesn't work go back to step 6)

8. Do some flight test (eg. Testing if my Mun design have enough fuel for return trip before trying to land with separate lander)

9. Do changes needed

10. Do mission I wanted to do at first place

[Markus Reese]

that's the key point: you need to know exactly how much delta-v you have, otherwise it's going to be hit and miss.

kerbal engineer can help you with that. or mechjeb, or a lot of other plugins also.

Nah ya dont :-)

I have beeneverywhere without through trial and failure. Now I can prety much hash any craft together for anywhere based on experience which leads to topic of thread.

1. Develop reliable kerbal escape system. I even have stock spaceplane eject.

2. Test critical landed equipment designs for function. This is landers and vehicles. Etc.

3. Step move to destination. If not going to succeed, Turn around.

4. Stage rescue missions for stranded kerbals.

[SargeRho]

1: Strap crap to a command pod.

2: Launch

3: Fail

4: Strap more engines to it

5: Re-try

6: Repeat several times

7: ????

8: PROFIT.

[Themohawkninja]

1. Decide I want to do something in KSP

2. Based on type of mission either load an already created launch vehicle, and use it with the new payload, OR design a new vehicle from scratch

3. Launch

4. Repeat step 3 until successful, and alter craft if necessary.

[rryy]

1. Make payload.

2. Test payload.

3. Choose lifter that has enough delta-v to carry payload to its destination, and modify if necessary.

4. Launch.*

5. If launch failed, modify lifter or payload, or add more struts.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until success.

*can also be postponed indefinitely.

[Panichio]

I'll make the payload and test that, and like most people, with some flimsy testing launch vehicle. My next step is to design the rocket which is usually always the same design for most payloads, with perhaps a few tweaks depending on the weight of the payload. I go for a transfer stage under the payload that also does the final burn into LKO, and a core stage underneath that with four asparagus-staged boosters on the side. A rocket like that usually gets me to where I need to go.

[aven17]

1. Meticulously design and build the rover that is being carried up.

2. Test rover and make sure it works flawlessly.

3. Slap together a few large fuel tanks and some engines.

4. Launch the craft.

5. Explode.

6. Add more struts.

7. Launch the craft and fly to destination.

8. Fail at landing rover because you ran out of electricity.

9. Add solar panels.

10. Launch the craft and fly to destination.

11. Fail at landing/orbiting final craft because you burned to much fuel.

12. Add more fuel.

13. Launch the craft.

14. Explode.

15. Add more struts.

16. Explode.

17. Completely redesign launcher.

18. Launch the craft and fly to destination.

19. Land rover on destination.

20. Flip rover over immediately.

21. Scream obscenities.

22. Alt-F4

23. Return 30 minutes later.

24. Launch craft.

25. Explode.

[Decho]

I'll build the payload and test it on the ground to check action groups and whatnot, then I'll build the launcher for it. Sometimes I use a launcher I've already built but I tend to make very versatile craft so typically launchers will be bespoke. I use kerbal engineer to calculate delta-v, as I can't be bothered doing that myself.

[Aqua667]

1.Decide what to build

2.Build a very basic version (Occam's Razor)

3.Check DeltaV and TWR with Mechjeb

4.Test

If LaunchResult = failure goto 5
Else goto 6

5.Fix the problem, repeat step 3

6.Make it more prettier/stabler

7.conduct a full scale mission

[cesarcurado]

1- Define the purpose of the spacecraft

2- Build as necessary in a basic way

3- Test

4- Modify it according to necessities seen in the test

5- Repeat 3 and 4 as necessary

6- Begin chosen operations and plan future operations involving the spacecraft