Things you always do, or never do.

[Superfluous J]

After several very unsuccessful attempts to create a Kethane refueling system at Minmus, I've decided that my Space Program needs some guidelines. The first three I've come up with are as follows:

Must-Do list:

1. Every ship or ship part that has ANY chance of reaching orbit will have a docking port on it. That includes spent stages if they may be dropped once orbit has been reached.
   
2. Every space station will have 3 docking ports on it at LEAST, one of each size. That way, anything I build can dock to any station, no matter what kind of port I put on it.
   
3. Any ship that is found, upon launch, to get something into orbit without a docking port on it will be reverted to launch and redesigned to either add a docking port or dump the portless part earlier in the launch sequence.
   

Does anybody else do something like this, or even do this very thing? What do you make sure to do EVERY time you launch? Alternatively, what do you make sure you NEVER do?

[fancycat]

for me every command pod has a decoupler parachute and sepatrons all rigged to the abort button. even if i don't abort, (especially on space stations) i will have a method of returning them home.

great thread idea i feel like ill learn a lot from this.

[Scotius]

I add at least one RTG to every ship or probe that goes up. No more situations where i try to maneuver my ship, only to find it powerless and dead.

[Garek]

I never launch Kerbals on a craft without proper Launch Escape System and Reentry Capability.

Another guideline I stick to after I got annoyed by the different docking ports: stick to standard-size clamp-o-trons except for single-purpose dockings where a Jr. or Sr. improves the craft design significantly.

EDIT: I know that urge to slap RTGs on everything, but I resist if I have solar panels and enough battery for the night.

[Sapphire]

Despite always putting solar panels and batteries on everything, the craft is always equipped with multiple RTGs to power it indefinitely, making said panels and batteries obsolete.

Everything gets a sensor package and piles of dishes and antennae that do nothing; yes, space stations and meteosats get barometers on them too.

Everything, including long-range one-way space probes, get at bare minimum a 0.625m docking port and ladder rungs on them, just in case a ship or Kerbal runs across them.

Even if the ship is stable, it gets struts anyway.

Yes, all my ships are horribly overengineered and lag like crazy, why do you ask?

[SpaceSphereOfDeath]

1. Always at least RTG

2. Contingency plans

3. Abort system

[SteevyT]

Every rocket has RCS fuel on board. (although that does not necessarily mean that it will have RCS ports on the first launch)

[DChurchill]

Double post.

Edited October 15, 2013 by DChurchill
Double post.

[DChurchill]

Always have nosecone or a procedural fairing. Dunno why, I don't run FAR. I just can't look at a ship with a blunt nose.

[ZedNova]

Almost always a probe to go along with a manned module.

Always an RTG and a Small Solar panel

Always one light or more

Always an Escape pod or method of escape

[AmpsterMan]

must do

1: Launch Escape on Manned Launches

2: Self-Destruct on unmanned

3: Hitchiker can per every 360 Kerb-days in space (That is, it can supply 3 Kerbals for 120 days or 4 for 90)

4: Launch Vehicle width cannot exceed 1/5 of total vehicle height.

5: Payload width cannot cannot exceed 1/2 Launch Vehicle width

6: Payload length cannot exceed 1/3 of total vehicle length.

never do

1: Asparagus staging (Fuel crosfeed to center is fine)

2: Dropping Nuclear engines on worlds

3: No radioisotope generators or nuclear engines in places where it can affect crew (I.E. Needs to have at least two parts of separation)

Edited October 15, 2013 by AmpsterMan

[Barklight]

- Every ship, station module, or even component of an orbital assembly has some kind of lights on it.

- EVERYTHING that ever goes into a stable orbit or long range mission has at least 1,500 battery, 2 satellite dishes, and a parachute. Even my Mun lander probes had parachutes, just in case I wanted to pick it up on a later mission.

- Every crewed lander must be able to launch back to orbit without leaving parts. I never leave lander debris ala Apollo landers.

Finally, every station I build has to be able to do everything I could conceive of it needing, from refueling to science to comms to orbital construction yards. Hence my stations get stupidly large and laggy, and I never have more than 1 or 2 up at a time... And rarely "finish" them lol.

[Kerbal01]

More fuel than necessary, more boosters.

[FellipeC]

Always do

Safety first!

Manned rockets have LES

Manned shuttles/planes must be able to ditch or land on grass and don't kill kerbals. Sometimes with help of parachutes

Be lightweight as possible

Try to deorbit debris when possible.

Never do

Intentionally kill or strand a kerbal

Over complicated rockets

Fire nuclear engine in atmosphere

Keep old probes or ships on orbit when they still can be deorbited. If they can't, rename they with debris icon

Terminate a flight in map screen. Either destroy it by deorbiting or change their icon to debris.

[Whackjob]

Must do: Overbuild everything, even for the most simplistic of goals. Efficiency is abhorrent.

Never do: Ask myself, "Why?"

[DaveofDefeat]

Always do:

Build gigantic asparagus rocket

Strand kerbals everywhere

dump nuclear engines on every planet

aboose air intakes

aboose aerobraking

eva kerbals in aerobraking maneuvers

bomb target planet with kerbals.

Make 7km long stations.

Never do:

[Kromey]

Always

Manned rockets have an escape/abort system and reentry capabilities.

Manned stations/bases always have return craft capable of bringing home all crew.

At least one backup small solar panel (ever since an unmanned mission went dead because I forgot to extend the solar panels).

Never

Deliberate explosions (unmanned rockets may be exempt, but only where said explosion cannot harm a Kerbal).

Asparagus staging (crossfeed into center tanks acceptable).

Leave debris in orbit around any planet/moon (and try to avoid as much as possible leaving debris anywhere else).

Terminate any manned flight except upon safe return to Kerbin's surface.

Almost Never

RTGs. (I just find solar panels+batteries more fun/challenging. Have yet to build a lander/beacon that can keep the lights on all night on the Mun without an RTG though.)

[Godot]

Well, 6 general guidelines:

1. Every probe/lander/rover gets tested first ... atmospheric probes/landers/rovers get tested on Kerbin, vacuum probes/landers/rovers get tested on Mun

2. Every manned capsule gets a launch escape system, so the Kerbonauts might survive in case of an emergency during the start phase

3. If possible, stage separation has to happen in a way, that debris either falls back on Kerbin, or at least, doesn´t clog up orbits that are reserved for satellites, space stations, or as transfer orbits for spacecraft

4. Always land a probe or rover first, before doing a manned landing on another planet/moon

5. If possible, every manned lander should be equipped with a small rover

6. Ensure that Rocket parts that fall back on Kerbin can be recovered (by equipping them with a sufficient number of parachutes)

[Geschosskopf]

NEVER DO:

• Asparagus staging
  
• Abort systems to save Kerbals--they're pressganged vagrants, easily replaced.
  
• Life support--Kerbals go dormant until needed
  
• Docking ports other than Srs
  
• Rely on solar panels for domestic daily use--that's what RTGs are for
  
• Install batteries
  
• Worrying about radiation. Space is full of horrid radiation from Kerbol so a little more won't be noticed.
  
• Worrying about space junk, unless it starts bogging the game down.
  

ALWAYS DO:

• Probe core on absolutely everything
  
• 2 RTGs for domestic daily use on absolutely everything except the smallest of expendable rovers.
  
• KAS fuel port on absolutely everything that can land on a planet or doesn't have a docking port.
  
• Assign deploy parachutes to an action group just in case I ever need to repack them.
  
• Assign toggle ladders to an action group because they're often hard to right-click on.
  
• Test all hatches and ladders for functionality before launch
  
• Test all action groups for functionality before launch
  
• Use Delta-V map and Kerbal Engineer during ship construction
  
• Use the parachute calculator to make sure I've got enough for where I'm going
  
• Use the launch window calculator to know when to go where
  
• Test everything that will land, take off, and/or move around on another world in a separate save using HyperEdit
  

[Starwhip]

Always do:

Protect probes with detachable shell (no mods just decouplers & structural panels)

Have an abort system

Have at least one generator

Never do:

Use mods

Bring too much fuel

Have no struts (eventually I figure out why the thing is so wobbly)

Use unnecessary parts, including structural fuselage.

[jcraft]

Always do:

- try to build realistically looking and efficient designs

- construct ships in way which launches do not generate debris in Kerbin orbit

- manned missions beyond Kerbin orbit must have at least 3 kerbals on board

- when starting a new "serious" save nuclear motors are not allowed until at least two successful manned mission to surfaces of Mun and Minmus are done

- manned interplanetary missions must include crew module for kerbals, you don't want your crew go mad from sitting whole half year trip in tight capsule

- use parts that for now don't have any use beside being there for the looks but realistically should be put on the ship (things like comms, aerodynamic cones, etc)

- test everything thoroughly before launching a mission

Never do:

- build ridiculous oversized ships with insane amount of parts

- build ridiculous ships in general

- put K at start of every name

- use nuclear engines in atmosphere

- make one way trip manned missions

- use RTGs (solar panels = more fun, less ugly)

Edited October 15, 2013 by jcraft

[TeddyDD]

Always do:

- use asparagus staging

- use mods

- take care about Kerbals life

Never do:

- worry about debris

[WafflesToo]

Heh, what a fun little thread you've started.

Always do

-one pair of OX-STATs to replenish electric charge

-orient the vehicle either north or south when not maneuvering both to aid EVA and to ensure good alignment of at least one solar panel

-calculate dV capacity by hand (burned too many times by Engineer)

-launch non lander units (ones not designed to land on Kerbin) unmanned then fly the crew up in a SSTO plane later.

Never do

-worry to much about space trash

-airhog

-asparagus (too much hassle, parallel staging works just fine)

[Matt56]

Always:

Rotate craft 90 degrees in VAB to make gravity turn by pitching down instead of yawing right.

Put a probe core on orbital insertion stage so I can deorbit.

Use standardized lifters for light, medium, and heavy payloads

Never:

Use a bigger rocket than I need

[Kromey]

Always:

Rotate craft 90 degrees in VAB to make gravity turn by pitching down instead of yawing right.

That... is brilliant! Why didn't I ever think of that??