Greetings from a space-travelling Tadpole

[Commissioner Tadpole]

Hello!

I'm naturally a fan of space-based games, so when I heard about Kerbal Space Program, I simply NEEDED to get this game. Unfortunaly, back then, I didn't have a computer strong enough to withstand KSP, but now I finally have one, though it may take some time until I can upgrade from the demo to the full version.

Regardless, I've been having a bit of difficulty to actually fly a rocket to the only other destination you can; the Mün. Either my rocket spins madly and I'm forced to eject everything and safely land the main control pad in order to not kill the crew, I terribly miss the orbit and it ends diagonally/I fall back to Kerbin, or I run out of fuel. I'm pretty sure my rocket can be able to get to the Mün, I just can't seem to be able to control it properly.

Sorry if I end up writing typos, english is not my first language.

[Starwhip]

Do you have fins/RCS thrusters on your rocket? Otherwise, unless you have the LV-T 45 engines, you have no control.

[LtHeckard]

You should try putting ailerons and RCS on your spaceship, otherwise you have no control

[SRV Ron]

Flying in the Demo version, you need to use the ASAS under the capsule and activate it while flying during the launch phase. Fins at the base also help but only during the first 20,000 meters. Don't use RCS, during the launch phase. The fuel will just be wasted.

This design will get you to Mun orbit and back. You may have to use thrusters for part of the return to aerobraking to Kerban.

Perfect your orbital and add maneuver skills in the demo. When you do get the paid version, you will find that capsule SAS will be sufficient for flight controls as well as the annoying flutter and wobble of flight controls in launch will now be gone.

[Commissioner Tadpole]

Do you have fins/RCS thrusters on your rocket? Otherwise, unless you have the LV-T 45 engines, you have no control.

You should try putting ailerons and RCS on your spaceship, otherwise you have no control

Hm, I installed fins(the one that's not found lying by the side of the road), but I forgot to install RCS. Thanks for the tip.

Flying in the Demo version, you need to use the ASAS under the capsule and activate it while flying during the launch phase. Fins at the base also help but only during the first 20,000 meters. Don't use RCS, during the launch phase. The fuel will just be wasted.

This design will get you to Mun orbit and back. You may have to use thrusters for part of the return to aerobraking to Kerban.

Perfect your orbital and add maneuver skills in the demo. When you do get the paid version, you will find that capsule SAS will be sufficient for flight controls as well as the annoying flutter and wobble of flight controls in launch will now be gone.

But how exactly do I land in the Mün? There's no tutorial on the demo that explains how to do that.

Edited November 6, 2013 by Commissioner Tadpole

[Sirrobert]

Best tuturial you can find:

In short: Start with Minmus. Lower gravity makes it easier.

When you are in low orbit around the Mun (or Minmus), burn prograde (the circle with the lines through them) until your orbital speed drops down to 0 (or very low).

Now you are falling down to the surface, switch to surface mode (click on the speed meter on the navball) and make sure your prograde marker is right ontop of the navball. If you get this, you don't have any vertical velocity. If you had, your lander would fall over on touchdown.

Now just maintain a a reasonable speed while you decent. Below 10m/s is a good speed to touch down with Lander legs.

Make sure you land in the Sun. Look down at the ground so you can see your shadow, it helps judging how far until the ground (meter only shows avarage sea level, which isn't very usefull in the mountains)

[Commissioner Tadpole]

Minmus is not in demo version.

[Sirrobert]

Well, the same applys to the Mun. Just stronger gravity

[Monkeh]

Don't forget to use the quicksave, (f5), and quickload, (hold f9), for practicing the landings. Remember to kill the horizontal velocity by burning toward your retrograde marker to start with. Once that's down you will start to fall and then it's little burns to keep to a decent descent speed, keep it below 100 m/s as you should be able to stop from 100 m/s quite quickly when you need to. Keep burning towards your retrograde marker and it should start to move towards the top of your navball, ie you're falling straight down.

Also, RCS is pretty much pointless unless you're docking with something, there are uses, but nothing that you'll need to worry about for A mun landing. Ignore RCS, you don't need it to stabilize, that's the job of the SAS and the pilot

Click on the 'orbit' button which will then show you your speed relative to the ground you're approaching and not orbit, this is very useful.

But yeah, remember the quicksave key and then when it goes wrong you can just hold 'f9' and have another go.

Good luck, the first landing is such a buzz, you'll be so proud of yourself. Be warned though, it's very addictive.

Edited November 7, 2013 by Monkeh

[Commissioner Tadpole]

Well, problem is, none of my rockets can stay long on Kerbin's orbit without running out of fuel, let alone a full circular orbit, so I'm unable to go to the Mün any time soon.

That, and Prograde is trolling me a lot, since whenever I reach an Apoapsis, it instantly swatches positions and even with RCS my rocket is too slow to turn in time, so I am forced to get back to Kerbin.

EDIT: I managed to get a rocket to a low Kerbin orbit, but I'm alterady at the stage that's supposed to send me to the Mün, so it's going to either be an one-way trip to the Mün or an one-way trip to a Kerbol orbit.

Edited November 7, 2013 by Commissioner Tadpole

[scootersoup]

Would it be possible to share your .craft file so maybe some of us can check it out to give you more helpful pointers?