Heavy Lifter Construction

[Cordeos]

I have been trying to build a powerful craft for getting large spaceships and space station parts into orbit, but every one I build is extremely unstable. I have been using asparagus staging. Does anyone have any tips or crafts they are willing to share?

[LethalDose]

Launch smaller stations parts and launch the craft as modules and assemble them in orbit.

Maybe more RCS and reaction wheels?

Beyond that, it's really hard to give advice without knowing what your doing.

[m1xte]

You could try these prototypes.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/60399-Viking-Aerospace-Engineers-of-Kerbalkind-s-future!-Hiring-Taking-Requests?p=828769&viewfull=1#post828769

[Whackjob]

I'll chip in here. My suggestion? Build your rocket around your payload. I call it "caging". Regardless of how lop-sided and heavy your payload is, it still works wonderfully for getting your payload into orbit.

Simply attach trusses to your rockets, and string struts between them. This has certain advantages over struts alone. Under heavy load and stress, struts will snap because they cannot flex. However, trusses flex wonderfully. With this combo, I've made magic happen.

[m1xte]

Under heavy load and stress, struts will snap because they cannot flex. However, trusses flex wonderfully. With this combo, I've made magic happen.

I make same magic with structural panels and struts

There is a short strut between every engine and panel below it

[Whackjob]

How the bottom tanks don't hit and tear each other to shreds on that is beyond me.

[EtherDragon]

I make same magic with structural panels and struts

There is a short strut between every engine and panel below it

For some reason, the only image in my head is Jeb sitting on a chair on top of that thing going,

This...

is...

going...

to be...

AWESOME!!!

[Vanamonde]

Moved to gameplay questions.

[Cordeos]

I'll chip in here. My suggestion? Build your rocket around your payload. I call it "caging". Regardless of how lop-sided and heavy your payload is, it still works wonderfully for getting your payload into orbit.

Simply attach trusses to your rockets, and string struts between them. This has certain advantages over struts alone. Under heavy load and stress, struts will snap because they cannot flex. However, trusses flex wonderfully. With this combo, I've made magic happen.

Yikes I think my laptop would implode loading that thing. When I get my tower again I will play around with that design.

[KASASpace]

Dude, just get 2 orange tanks on top of each other, than use the same design for the core for the asparagus boosters. Attatch struts laterally in straight lines. NO DIAGONAL

[700NitroXpress]

Use mine: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/57409-Leviathan-Heavy-Lifter

[DrMonte]

Whackjob m1xte, how much weight does they lift to the orbit?

Cordeos, what is your heavy lift? 50t, 100t, 1000t?

[SRV Ron]

Use carefully placed bracing. Build for launch efficiency. It is too easy to overbuild launch vehicle and end up with very little return in tonnage sent to orbit.

109 tons to orbit. Without careful bracing, this design either fell apart at launch, or was too unstable to fly.

Before bracing was complete;

After fixing the bracing;

[m1xte]

Whackjob m1xte, how much weight does they lift to the orbit?

That is my medium (500t) launcher in the picture.

Here is the heavy.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/59291-Showcase-Heaviest-Lifters!-How-much-can-you-get-into-orbit-1200t-so-far!?p=812818&viewfull=1#post812818