why is there the 4x RS-25 cluster in the SLS but not the standalone version of it?

[lammatt]

i am just curious...

why?..

?.?

(i want to make space shuttles with it)

Edited April 12, 2014 by lammatt

[KasperVld]

I'd say because it'd take a lot of time to create it and go through the whole process of getting it NASA approved. I'm also moving this to suggestions, since that it was it seems to be, secretly

[Rakaydos]

I'd have preferred a 1m shuttle engine and a 3m to 2m+8x 1m adapter. Would have meant being able to build any number of designs with the shuttle engine, without the current mess. of strictly-better-than clusters.

[MKI]

I agree with kasper. NASA wanted to put a realistic practical launch system in the game. So the future SLS is what we get, the Shuttle as we all know was practically a failure and didn't reach expectations.

I personally would LOVE the Shuttle Engines. The way they added the engines goes with how they wanted the new parts to replace more part intensive older ways of getting things to orbit. So a giant engine cluster single part keeps players from using more parts.

Hell i feel Kerbodyne will be bound to release a single variant of the RS-25 engines for SHUTTLE DESIGNS! That is once Squad gets back around to giving some love to Shuttle Systems. (the most neglected part of the game IMO)

[NERVAfan]

I'd have preferred a 1m shuttle engine and a 3m to 2m+8x 1m adapter. Would have meant being able to build any number of designs with the shuttle engine, without the current mess. of strictly-better-than clusters.

Sure, but that would be like 10 parts instead of 1. As someone playing KSP on a not enormously new laptop, I like the part-count-reducing effects of ARM a lot.

EDIT: I'm fine with it existing as an option of course, the standalone engine would be cool. I just really do like the clusters.