Where do the RCS thrusters go?

[jebster]

I've been putting my RCS thrusters where the center of mass on my ship is, and putting the camera in Chase mode, but when I use RCS it seems to go everywhere when I press the keys. Where should I put them?

[oktupol]

Try putting them as far away from the center of mass. You have to put them on both sides of your spacecraft, to keep it balanced and efficient. With SAS activated it should be no problem anymore to turn and strafe.

Edited August 7, 2013 by oktupol

[Anton P. Nym]

There are two schools of thought.

One school says that RCS should be mounted in a ring around the centre of mass; this allows maximum precision for fairly low monopropellant use, but is slow.

The other school says that RCS should be mounted in two rings either side of the CoM, near the ends of the craft but the same distance away. This doubles the propellant use but makes for faster turns.

Which method you use will depend upon your preference for fast-but-heavy or light-but-slow, and may change depending on what the craft is supposed to do.

(You definitely need more than one RCS block; I never use fewer than 4, using the VAB's 4x symmetry option to make sure they're balanced with each other. On designs where I go with the "fast burning" school, I'll use 4 on each end.)

-- Steve

[petrichorAM]

Best tip I was given is once you've built your rocket in the VAB disconnect the orbiter/lander section and turn the CoM marker on. You then want to place the RCS thrusters in a 4x placement (symmetry button) and make sure the centre of the thruster block is aligned with the CoM marker and it should then be perfectly balanced.

[dave4002000]

You don't necessarily have to choose between the two methods. I incorporated both systems onto my kethane dropship. 4 RCS blocks placed out on each end of the tanks along with 4 blocks placed right in the middle behind the docking port. For normal maneuvering i only use the ones on the ends. Then, when i want to dock, i shut off the ones on the ends and activate the center ring for precise translation.