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[Mast]

Hi all!

I've started playing KSP around november last year. Been a while since I played though (since March I guess), so I pretty much have to start all over again learning the basics.

Building a rocket and dropping it safely on Eve isn't a problem. Shooting a small space station in orbit of Kerbin about 200km up isn't one either.

Landing on the moon however, has proven to be very fuel consuming. I've succeeded once, but I didn't have enough fuel to return.

That's what made me decide to build a space station before trying again. It certainly helps, but there is something very inefficient in my current design.

The first stage consists of a bunch of boosters (liquid and solids). The solids burn faster than the liquids, so I want to dump them as soon as they're out.

However, it won't cut loose the solids till the liquids are out of fuel.

What am I doing wrong in the staging?

The final objective is putting a small self-sustaining base on the moon

[BlackBicycle]

Welcome back : )

Just make sure you have a stage (stages) that separate(s) boosters. With your experience in this (that you claim) I don't really understand how you cannot separate boosters from stage. You are welcome to ask questions, I'll do my best to answer those, in the timely manner too.

[Mast]

I do know how to seperate boosters, but they usually are an independent stage. I've never learned how to launch rockets with unresolved stages (next stage starting while previous stage still has an engine running).

My current tactic is to build enough boosters to reach orbit, dock with the station, refuel, get to the next planet. I've never returned a craft which has reached it's destination back to Kerbin.

Current staging:

- 1st Booster stage (liquids + solids)

- 2nd Booster stage (usually skippers)

- Main stage

- Interplanetary + landing stage

What I want to accomplish:

- 1st Booster stage (liquids + solids)

- 2nd Booster stage (solids ran out, decouple, liquids go on)

- 3rd Booster stage (skippers)

etc.

[Vanamonde]

Could you post some pictures of your ship with the staging display on the screen, Mast?

[BlackBicycle]

It IS hard to figure out where you go wrong without pictures, but I'll just lay it out for you:

1. All the engines of the stage that can start, should start right away, that means BOTH boosters AND the stage they are boosting (the engine(s) in the middle).

2. Make sure that after you separate the boosters (and the core keeps working), the core had exhausted its fuel enough (ie is already light enough) to keep accelerating your craft well when you jettison the boosters. The starting stage core must not work much longer than its boosters, ie you drop the boosters, another 30 sec to 1 min, you ditch that stage too.

3. Forget the solid boosters. The best booster is a tank and an engine. When you are at the end of the tech tree, the best "booster" is an orange tank with a Mainsail feeding off it. Earlier on, it is a stack of a couple of medium tanks, with the most powerful engine you can stick at the bottom of that.

Keep on asking, that's how you get to boldly go where you have never gone before : )