Commands chairs irl?

[z26]

While command chairs in ksp are awesome, using them to carry kerbals in a rocket can dramatically reduce the weight of its payload compared to a conventional capsule, so much than a 3 kerbals rocket could be made smaller than a standard 1 kerbal spacecraft. Therefore, I guess most players avoid using command seats this way, since it kinda feels like cheating.

However, would this kind of tactic possible in real life? the problem with a flaming atmospheric reentry in a chair is obvious. Also, being unprotected to radiations during a month long trip would pose problems. However, let's say you somehow were interested in going on something hard to land on like tylo with a docked lander and then getting out as fast as possible. In game, by simply using a chair, you can achieve this with a far smaller lander than with the 600kg lander can. what kind of minimal weight do you think a real-life command module to land on something like tylo (then immediately take off) would need to be? Also, I'm curious about what kind of autonomy a spacesuit has.

[Kasuha]

For a real world example there is planned, later abandoned Lunar Escape System (LESS). Since you need way more dv to escape from Moon than you need to escape form Mun (larger diameter means higher orbital speed), I guess a variant for Tylo would not be significantly larger.

Edited March 15, 2014 by Kasuha

[Hodo]

The command chairs are a bit of a exploit when used as the primary means for a rocket or plane to get from a planet with an atmosphere or back. But they are perfectly fine for non-atmospheric landers or even rovers, which is what I imagine they were added for.

[Red Iron Crown]

I don't use them at all, I consider them cheating for any craft where the Kerbal is expected to spend a significant amount of time, or for anything that goes reasonably fast in an atmosphere.

[Sirrobert]

I only use them for rovers myself

[StrandedonEarth]

Gee, and that's how I was planning to build my first Eve ascent vehicle. I guess I'll go with the lander can then

[Red Iron Crown]

Gee, and that's how I was planning to build my first Eve ascent vehicle. I guess I'll go with the lander can then

Don't feel that because others don't use them that you shouldn't. Play how you want to and don't worry about what others think.

[Madrias]

I've mucked around with command seats. They're amusing ways to make a mission a little harder. Rovers offer an interesting way to surface-sample/EVA report on the move, I've flown open cockpit stock jet planes around with them (building my own cockpit out of structural panels and I-Beams...), I've strapped Jeb to the side of a rocket and shot him into orbit, and I've used them as minimalistic station ejection pods. One seat, an octagonal strut, a decoupler, four radial parachutes and four sepratrons. Enough delta-V to send your butt screaming back to Kerbin while keeping parts count low.

[z26]

Thanks for the feedback guys! I'm going to look into that LESS thing. Personally, in career mode before I could get the command seat, I've descended to the mun on a ladder... It was tricky and involved the f5 key.

[John Crichton]

They are very handy on crafts used to save stranded Kerbals. My Kethane plasma thruster SSTO has one in front of the command pod.

I set myself the rule of only using it to ship Kerbals from a planet/moon to another orbital vessel...so no interplanetary rescue missions.

The only exception is Jeb. I'm allowed to save him from the Mun and Minmus back to Kerbin with it. He's a tough mofo

Edited March 15, 2014 by John Crichton