Greetings to all intergalactic civilizations

[Guitarman355]

I recently picked up KSP a week ago, and I have to say Im really geeking-out about the whole game.

Ive successfully obtained Kerbin orbit a few times, and only recently obtained Mun orbit, but he didnt make it back :/

I understand the asparagus method and have applied it to my most successful rocket, however Im a little reluctant to delve into calculating equations for delta-v, twr, and all that good stuff.

Im doing career and trying to branch out evenly in all of the scientific fields, just need that Mun fly-by science!

Just thought Id put myself out there, and Im very fluent in modding, and will ONLY be looking for "realistic"-friendly mods (if that statement even makes any sense)

[austin4050]

Welcome to the forums!! We are glad to see a new member here! Also for the mods, there are plenty "realistic" mods out there, either just spend some time searching the forms section, or go the Spaceport. Have fun!!

[larsmaehlum]

Welcome. Instead of caring too much about deltaV and stuff in the beginning, just repeat after me: "More boosters!"

[Specialist290]

As austin said, welcome to the forums!

Delta-v and TWR aren't actually that difficult to calculate on your own if you can understand high-school level algebra. Thrust-to-weight ratio can be done entirely by hand, as it's a simple case of division. Solving the rocket equation to get your delta-v is slightly more complicated because there's a natural logarithm to factor in, but it's nothing you couldn't handle without the help of a calculator. I personally would highly encourage you to delve into learning a bit more about them -- these three pages at Atomic Rockets got me off to a good start, and I'd also highly recommend this series of articles at MyKSPCareer.com -- but it's still quite possible to enjoy the game even if you choose to just go with the ol' tried-and-true method of "trial and error."

As for mods: A few of the ones that might interest you would be Ferram Aerospace Research (overhauls the aerodynamic model to be more realistic than the stock one), Deadly Reentry (adds reentry heat and G-force effects that can actually damage your rocket), and Real Solar System (resizes the solar system to have planet and orbit sizes closer to our own).

Hope this helps!

[Dispatcher]

Welcome! There are a handful of dV charts and such here in the forums (do a search and I'm sure you'll turn up something). I recommend that you obtain and use Kerbal Engineer (and perhaps MechJeb) mods as these can show you your craft mass, dV and TWR by stage; as you are building them.

Check out my sig line for an engine chart and my fueled adapters and cones. Apparently, some Windows users are having problems unzipping the file (my brother being one of them), but others don't seem to have a problem. As I use a Mac, I've yet to determine a proper fix.

[Guitarman355]

I appreciate the warm welcome guys! Well, I have successfully completed manned missions to and from both Mun and Minmus, and I have a probe around Duna.

As far as mods go, the only real game changing ones I have are Ferram Aerospace Research, and Mech Jeb. Other mods include Mk3 Parts Expansion chatter, etc. Again, I dont use any cheating mods, because thats lame

Some pics for clicks

Trying some designs

Didnt go as planed, lol

Ah, symmetry bugs

I now understand that going faster than 200kph in the lower atmosphere is not adequate

Got to the Mun multiple times, but this one was actually a return mission

And Minmus!!

[Seret]

the only real game changing ones I have are Ferram Aerospace Research, and Mech Jeb.

One of the more useful things Mechjeb does is ÃŽâ€v calculations, so you won't need to be doing them by hand if you've already got that installed. I've never been a fan of the trial-and-erro school of rocket design, so I always have either Kerbal Engineer or Mechjeb installed. I like to know my rockets are at least theoretically capable of reaching their destination, even if my terrible flying means they don't always make it.