Apollo 15

[WooDzor]

Introduction

Always wanted to fly the Apollo 15 (or 16 and 17, just land somewhere else) mission and feel like those three astronauts hardly anyone remembers (Scott, Worden and Erwin) but can't be bothered to throw a rocket together? This is your chance! Throw this Mighty Saturn on the launch pad and spacebar your way through, though action groups are set up as well. (Example mission and moar! images can be found here)

Please refer to the example mission for more pictures.

How to fly

Since this is about the maximum 5 Rockomax ''Mainsail'' engines can lift, the first 10 seconds after launch can be a bit tricky. My advise is keep the nosecone pointed to the stars and you will be alright. If all else fails there is always backspace (followed by 0 and 9). Start your gravity turn at 7.500m (to 70 degrees) at 15.000 (to 45 degrees) until your periapsis is 50.000m, then start following the direction marker until you have reached your preferred orbital height, 85.000x85.000 works well for me.

Getting the ALSEP from under the LEM can be a hassle. Just tilt the Lem on to two legs and roll the Science stuff away from the LEM. (don't forget to deploy the solar panels (for obvious reasons), and don't forget to bring the science back into the LEM and later on back to the Service Module.)

Which buttons do I press again?

bckspc. abort

0. launch escape tower and fairings (make sure you spin up the craft a bit)

1. pre launch

4. open the rover cover step 1

5. deploy rover step 2

6. deploy ALSEP and other scientific stuff

9. deploy chute

Or just spacebar your way through the launch sequence, it is all nicely set up.

How to get it

DOWNLOAD (right mouse button > save as)

Have Fun! WooDzor

Edited June 29, 2014 by WooDzor

[Fleskhjerta14577]

Uhh, the download is a display..? It shows everything in the .craft file, not a download.. might want to fix that. Great ship nonetheless!

[WooDzor]

Thanks, not sure how to fix it though. 'RMB > save as' is a workaround which works for now.

Edited June 29, 2014 by WooDzor

[Scarecrow88]

That's a nice looking craft, but I am having problems with the staging. Specifically, after detaching the two lifting stages and having achieved a nice orbit using the 3rd stage, the next staging event seems to detach the command module ready to spin round to attach to the lunar module, which is what I would expect. However, the decoupler that fires at this point detaches the command module but remains attached to the top of the lander together with the CM engine shroud, which makes it impossible to redock the two together again.

[WooDzor]

I normally un-dock manually with the docking port, turn the ship around, decouple the shroud, dock with the LEM. Profit!

Edited June 29, 2014 by WooDzor

[benzman]

I had precisely this problem with a very similar ship. The answer is to pan the camera to a side view, zoom in as close as possible and, with the mouse pointer, select the docking port on the LEM that is hidden by the troublesome decoupler. Right click, select undock and the CSM and the LEM will separate. Turn the CSM around, dock with the LEM and with the mouse pointer decouple the troublesome decoupler.

[WooDzor]

@Benzman; Maybe a blue double decoupler could work but you would still have to knock the shroud out of the way. I've never found a good solution for it. Maybe two tiny back to back red ones: decouple from the LEM turn around decouple the shroud dock like a boss without figgiting about inside the craft

[Majorjim!]

@Benzman; Maybe a blue double decoupler could work but you would still have to knock the shroud out of the way. I've never found a good solution for it. Maybe two tiny back to back red ones: decouple from the LEM turn around decouple the shroud dock like a boss without figgiting about inside the craft

You can try my 'No stock fairing technique' in GusTurbo's Open Source Construction Techniques for Craft Aesthetics thread.

That and you can action group the docking port release for the LEM and CSM connection.

MJ

[Scarecrow88]

On my Apollo style rockets, I did what you suggested above and used two small decouplers back to back. The first one is set to decouple from the lander. Once the 180 and reattach manoeuvre is completed, the next stage releases the engine shroud and frees the CM engine for use.

[Majorjim!]

On my Apollo style rockets, I did what you suggested above and used two small decouplers back to back. The first one is set to decouple from the lander. Once the 180 and reattach manoeuvre is completed, the next stage releases the engine shroud and frees the CM engine for use.

http://www.88qv.com/KSP/eg1.png

http://www.88qv.com/KSP/eg3.png

The only problem with that configuration is that it raises the height of the CSM. Plus you still have that horrid stock fairing.

Honestly, try my no stock fairing teqnique and the action

Grouped docking port release. You can map the fairing release to

The same action group too.

[Scarecrow88]

The only problem with that configuration is that it raises the height of the CSM. Plus you still have that horrid stock fairing.

Honestly, try my no stock fairing teqnique and the action

Grouped docking port release. You can map the fairing release to

The same action group too.

Have you got a link to that no stock fairing technique?

[WooDzor]

@Majorjim Would you mind explaining us how to do it? I would love to use it for my interplanetary craft. I always have to come up with an offset de-coupler because losing the fairings of nuclear engines when clipped results in a massive explosion :-/ For my Apollo spacecraft i don't really mind the fairing to be honest..

@scarecrow http://lmgtfy.com/?q=No+stock+fairings+for+engine

Edited June 30, 2014 by WooDzor

[Majorjim!]

@Majorjim Would you mind explaining us how to do it? I would love to use it for my interplanetary craft. I always have to come up with an offset de-coupler because losing the fairings of nuclear engines when clipped results in a massive explosion :-/ For my Apollo spacecraft i don't really mind the fairing to be honest..

@scarecrow http://lmgtfy.com/?q=No+stock+fairings+for+engine

Thanks mate. It can be tricky, and it doesn't seem to work with all decouplers and engines.

Place engine, then small blue decoupler (seems to work best with this one) then place a tank in the 'higher'

Position of the decoupler. Then remove the tank. If you are lucky when you remove the tank there will be no fairing.

Or you could save a lot of time and download my subassembly engine stack.

It has different engine and decoupler a in a stack.

Simple remove the one you want.

MJ

[GusTurbo]

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/43086-Open-Source-Construction-Techniques-for-Craft-Aesthetics?p=985631&viewfull=1#post985631

I used this technique on my stock Saturn V and I was really pleased with how it turned out.

[mike9606]

Thanks, not sure how to fix it though. 'RMB > save as' is a workaround which works for now.

If you use Dropbox make a link to the file and put the website address of it in this post. I honestly do not like having to sit for 10 minutes at my computer holding down my LMB to highlight it all for the RMB > save as thing.

[WooDzor]

If you use Dropbox make a link to the file and put the website address of it in this post. I honestly do not like having to sit for 10 minutes at my computer holding down my LMB to highlight it all for the RMB > save as thing.

Excuse me? Are you saying I used too many parts, good sir? Why don't you just RMB the link itself? I'll try to do it later today, but dropbox is currently busy with some other work related down/uploads and my bush net over jungle drums has been rather unstable today. :|

Would a zip-file work?

[GusTurbo]

If you use Dropbox make a link to the file and put the website address of it in this post. I honestly do not like having to sit for 10 minutes at my computer holding down my LMB to highlight it all for the RMB > save as thing.

Why don't you just right click on the link and hit "Save as"?

[mike9606]

Why don't you just right click on the link and hit "Save as"?

I didn't know that was possible, and WooDzor didn't say to do that to the link specifically. He didn't mention doing the RMB thing to the link itself until I talked about it.