My craft keeps leaning in launch - could someone download it and help figure why?

[THX1138]

You can download my craft here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1918347/Manned%20advanced%20science%20craft%20for%20Ike.craft

You'd need to copy it to your folder at:

Kerbal Space Program\saves\**YOUR_NAME**\Ships\VAB

It leans during launch and cannot be controlled. It has the "inline advanced stabiliser" that all the kids are talking about but it's impossible to reach orbit with it. Thanks for any insight.

Feel free to take it to Ike, in the event you can stop it from leaning.

[Taki117]

A picture would help here (So we didn't have to download the craft) On an unrelated note, is this in career mode?

On a much related note I fixed it. Wasn't able to get it to Ike (I don't think you have the fuel for that, but I could be wrong) but I did manage to get it into a solar orbit.

Craft Filehttps://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzOU_F85Qj0YZ1A1ZU1EMFNFcTg/edit

Edited June 29, 2014 by Taki117

[Laie]

It leans during launch and cannot be controlled. It has the "inline advanced stabiliser" that all the kids are talking about

For all who didn't download the craft file: a 12x bundle of these ARM pencil-boosters for a first stage. Second stage is wrapped in eight more of these boosters. Looks like a career ship, the core of the second stage is Rockomax-32 tanks and a Skipper engine.

There's a few control surfaces (which happen to be dead center at launch time) and exactly ONE sas module near the top.

Dear THX: your ship is lacking control. A single reaction wheel(1) on such a large vessel has pretty much no effect at all.

What can you do?

1. more reaction wheels. About one wheel for ~40 tons should be fine. Try to distribute them over the craft, if you can do so without great hassle.
   
2. Gimbaling Engines. Equip your first stage with a liquid fuel core, too. The gimbals do you no good when the engine isn't running / throttled down, though.
   
3. more control surfaces near the tail of your first stage. The ones you do have will work nicely once the first stage is gone, but they're just in the wrong place to help right after launch.
   

BTW: the first stage is strutted down nicely, but dangling boosters on your second stage will at the very least cause severe rolling, possibly even disintegration. No amount of gimbals and reaction wheels can compensate for that.

(1): It was not always thus, but these days, Reaction Wheels and SAS Module do exactly the same thing in the same way. One is heavier than the other for historical reasons.

Edited June 29, 2014 by Laie

[SRV Ron]

While the SRB cluster is fine for a boost stage, they are inefficient in later stages. I see struts scattered about. Additionally, the SRBs generally are not steerable.

For the upper stage, the SRBs are better off clustered close to the core instead of double stacked the way they are and dangling as others have mentioned.

Currently playing with this deep space 3 Kerbal monster. Have the orbiter nailed down. Plan to add several small probes to the payload section and send it on its way to explore the Jool system. The nuke in the payload stage also supplies continuous power. There are also four pairs of drop tanks. Enough fuel remains in the core launch stage for an escape to solar orbit where a long burn of the nuke will not be an issue for interplanetary flight. Note, only one additional SAS was added to aid maneuvering. Ship is quite stable in flight. I found the NASA engines to be more efficient with a bit more power then the Griffons I used earlier. Results, a bit better launch speed with fuel savings.

Edited June 30, 2014 by SRV Ron