The Kraken Drive is Showing It's Worth

[Spacepigu]

Also, kissSh0t, could i get the subassembly for that k-drive?

[Spacepigu]

BTW, something to add to the thread, i have a craft! with a kraken drive! that needs no fuel and can go almost anywhere!

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my drawing skills are terrible.

Anyway, this thing has been worked on to look very nice. I worked so hard to get the wings like that

.Craft file!

See if you can get it to eve!

==How to fly==

Flap a bit before lifting off

once you are going at least 20m\s, lift off SLOWLY.

Once you are clear, hold s and tap w. after a while, let the SAS do the work.

Once you are up to 800m\s, press 1.

Orbit stuff!

[Frozen_Heart]

Looks really nice which is unusual for a k-drive craft.

How did you get a k-drive to work in 0.24? Any I try don't work even if they are downloaded off others.

[Spacepigu]

Here's the download link for the one i am using; pretty reliable!

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/71309-The-Falcon-III-K-Drive-Spaceplane

[Decent Weasel]

Okay guys, if this is addressed earlier and I missed it I apologize, but:

I've managed to build several working K-drives. They necessitate a number of non-krakened reaction wheels to keep them pointed straight, plus Jr ports to damp transverse impulse and standard ports to pump axial motion. But they work.

However, when I manage to enter the SOI of Mun or Minmus and attempt to thrust retrograde, the craft instantly sheds all of its orbital velocity relative to the moon, begins tumbling madly, and when I right it again I can't push myself back into orbit. The drive seems to 'turn off' all velocity relative to an object in a new SOI.

I haven't tried it with the Sun yet - heck, that could be a great probe idea! - but I'm wondering if the rest of you guys have run into this issue and if so how I can treat it.

Thanks!

[-ELF-]

This is why I like KSP forums.

We are talking here about something that works on two rolls of duct tape, a screwdriver and a hole in time-space.

And we have questions why it doesn't work AS INTENDED (sic!), though it was not intended to work at all.

And I do believe someone here will have an answer how to resolve a SOI-change-kraken-drive-burnout...

Go, KSP. New horizons await!

[Frozen_Heart]

Okay guys, if this is addressed earlier and I missed it I apologize, but:

I've managed to build several working K-drives. They necessitate a number of non-krakened reaction wheels to keep them pointed straight, plus Jr ports to damp transverse impulse and standard ports to pump axial motion. But they work.

However, when I manage to enter the SOI of Mun or Minmus and attempt to thrust retrograde, the craft instantly sheds all of its orbital velocity relative to the moon, begins tumbling madly, and when I right it again I can't push myself back into orbit. The drive seems to 'turn off' all velocity relative to an object in a new SOI.

I haven't tried it with the Sun yet - heck, that could be a great probe idea! - but I'm wondering if the rest of you guys have run into this issue and if so how I can treat it.

Thanks!

Does switching off the K-drive allow you to cross the SOI change unharmed? Also don't drop below 750m/s while using it or bad things happen...

[GoSlash27]

My k-drive infiniglider still works fine in .25.

I never cross an SOI with the k-drive engaged and I never time warp. That's just inviting a kraken attack.

Best,

-Slashy

[SelectHalfling0]

Ever since the kraken attack of year 2 day 259 which destroyed my second Duna mission, my space program and Kerbins government has banned use of the Kraken technology.

[Frozen_Heart]

Really don't get how you guys have working K-drives. 0.23.5 broke all mine and even the craft files that people provide me don't work on my PC.

[Decent Weasel]

In fact, I've always crossed the SOI border without the drive active. Despite the fact that it theoretically enables brachistochrone travel, I've mostly been flying Hohmanns with it. Could it be the result of a high lunar orbit dropping relative velocity below 750m/s? Would that cause me to freeze in place, in which case I've got to ask, why don't I hover as I do when I activate my drive on the pad? Or does that cause spontaneous unplanned disassembly instead?

You guys are awesome, by the way.

[inigma]

SSI's Positron still works. And we have been working on a duel nacelled kdrive for the past year. Reliability of our duel design is an abysmal about 33% though.

[GoSlash27]

In fact, I've always crossed the SOI border without the drive active. Despite the fact that it theoretically enables brachistochrone travel, I've mostly been flying Hohmanns with it. Could it be the result of a high lunar orbit dropping relative velocity below 750m/s? Would that cause me to freeze in place, in which case I've got to ask, why don't I hover as I do when I activate my drive on the pad? Or does that cause spontaneous unplanned disassembly instead?

You guys are awesome, by the way.

That'd be the latter, and thanks. Your K drive will attempt to decelerate instantaneously from 750 M/sec to 1 M/sec. The g forces involved easily exceed the strength of the parts, and rapid unplanned disassembly results.

Best,

-Slashy

Edited October 27, 2014 by GoSlash27

[Frozen_Heart]

why don't I hover as I do when I activate my drive on the pad

The K-drive tries to hover when dropping under 750m/s. Trouble is it tries to decelerate from that speed to 0m/s instantly!

It would be interesting to test it with unbreakable joints though...

[Decent Weasel]

I tested a drive on a tinier ship and was able to get it into solar orbit reliably. However, my tiny K-drive didn't work, so I put a big K-drive on a small ship. I found the thing liked to fly backwards.

Given the payload was lighter than the drive assembly, is the CoM important in directing K-drive impulse, I wonder?