Too good for its own good...

[davieholgate]

Ok guys, I made what I call a 'Universal Launcher', it is designed to be able to launch all manners of spacecraft... and I have just realised that it has basically killed my launch hype, as i:

1: know it always works (100% Success Rate)

2: Carries heavy loads with ease *Disclaimer: I don't take any responsibility if your Station Core blows up attached to our hardware*

3: Long distance (To Eeloo... but ive not tried to get back yet...)

Anyone else have any certain craft(s) which became a victim of its own success (like the NASA Shuttle Program or my rocket)?

P.S. If you have steam, there will be screenshots of my rocket (and other designs).... it looks like a Delta IV - Heavy.

STEAMID: davieholgate

[Klingon Admiral]

The Shuttle became a victim of everybody wanting to add their little or not so little feature to it.

Now, on topic: Not really, I'm more the guy who builds a new lifter for every launch and/or craft (if this particular craft is to be used multiple times).

And you can easily show you Steam screenshots here.

[Soda Popinski]

Sort of. I built an asparagus based heavy lifter (70t) that works well. But after 0.23 came out, I also built a medium lifter using turbojets & RAPIER engines (30t). That one requires a bit of "piloting" - opening and closing different sets of intakes (action groups), turning off or throttling engines, and when to switch to closed cycle. So that one keeps me on my toes.

Otherwise, the main challenge has been orbital assembly and doing complicated (for me) interplanetary missions.

[Demon_82]

Since subassembiles came, I have 5 launchers. Sparagus style, for Kerbin's SOI purposes, a light, a medium and a heavy launchers, for different weights, and for any place other than Kerbin's SOI, a heavy LR launcher, altought for light payloads I use sometimes the previous launchers. Also I have a single three stages "vertical" launcher (without side boosters) that does a nice job depending on the weight, it can deliver a two stage lander to Mün and Minmus, and lighter things to other planets. And before subassemblies, I tried to reuse as much as possible the same basic 4 sparagus designs xD

[Sabreur]

I've been trying to design my launchers for efficiency, so I haven't had quite the same problem. It really bugs me when a rocket makes it to orbit with plenty of fuel remaining - that means I could have lifted the same payload with a much smaller rocket! As a result, I have several "perfect" launchers that I've only used a couple times because I figured out a more efficient design later. Right now I'm experimenting with replacing large single engines with clusters of aerospike engines, and my next plan is to experiment with reusable rockets that parachute down safely after their stage is spent.

It's basically pointless right now, but I'm betting it will all pay off once we have to worry about a budget!

Edited January 21, 2014 by Sabreur

[Captain Sierra]

I've been trying to design my launchers for efficiency, so I haven't had quite the same problem. It really bugs me when a rocket makes it to orbit with plenty of fuel remaining - that means I could have lifted the same payload with a much smaller rocket! As a result, I have several "perfect" launchers that I've only used a couple times because I figured out a more efficient design later. Right now I'm experimenting with replacing large single engines with clusters of aerospike engines, and my next plan is to experiment with reusable rockets that parachute down safely after their stage is spent.

It's basically pointless right now, but I'm betting it will all pay off once we have to worry about a budget!

I'm like you. I cluster my engines, and I try to avoid overkill rockets (though my overkill threshold is higher than it should be; I still end with too much juice in my upper stage). I've used perfect rockets before. my old asparagus design could reliably get 50 tons to Duna (and probably back). It does kill some of the fun. Then again, the designs I've been doing lately mean that failure cannot be tested for prior to mission start.

[RickRastardly]

I rarely reuse a launch platform, the exception was when I have different modules for the same mission to get into LKO.

[yaur]

Try Mission Control Extended, where you need to budget your launch cost to the reward and not just throw delta v at the problem. I still have some platform reuse, but much less than when one heavy lifter could do just about anything.

[SpaceSphereOfDeath]

I use ye olde 7 mainsail asparagus system for launches and I get more creative for smaller launchers, like a 4 stage with the first 3 being all SRBs.

[SuperBigD60]

I tend to reuse a good spaceplane every now and again.

Though to get those to get to orbit properly, it takes probably 20-30 minutes of careful attention, so often I just resort to a simple generic asparagus stage that gets the job done.

It is super nice to be able to land your launcher back on the runway at KSC, though.

(Note, "runway" might be a little optamistic, I guess...)

EDIT: I guess that's actually my shuttle, but whatevs

Edited January 21, 2014 by SuperBigD60