Highest density part

[Wanderfound]

What are the parts that have the most mass for their size?

I'm trying to work out the maximum lifting capacity of my SSTO, but it's well within its weight capabilities when the cargo bay is chock-full of orange fuel tank. I need some small but heavy things that I can use to test the limits of it. Which Kerbal parts have the highest density?

Edited July 25, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Pecan]

I can recommend the NRAP mod - it's a test weight!

The whole point of it is that you can set its mass and size to whatever you need, so you don't have to mess around trying to make a test load.

[NFUN]

Technically potatoroids are parts and sink like bricks... What you can do is take a Stayputnik core, and add a bunch of toroidal fuel tanks to its end. If you do it right, you can clip as many parts as you need into the size of one tank. Test weights might be somewhat better/easier, but you can do this in vanilla, with the added fun of designing rockets with such dense fuel.

[LethalDose]

In 0.23.5, I used the ASAS module, but all the SAS wheels got a pretty hefty tweaking in the update.

My experience has been that the fuel tanks tend to be relatively heavy for their part lengths, and they're "dumb" payload (no control) so they shouldn't affect handling. Or check the wiki for the mass of stock parts and see which one works for you.

Edited July 24, 2014 by LethalDose

[Geschosskopf]

What are the parts that have the most mass for their size?

I'm trying to work out the maximum lifting capacity of my SSTO, but it's well within its weight capabilities when the cargo bay is chock-full of orange fuel tank. I need some small but heavy things that I can use to test the limits of it. Which Kerbal parts have the highest density?

You can always make your own. Do you have Module Manager? If so, you can pick any part you like (and isn't used in the design you're testing) and write a very simple text file for it that changes its mass using Module Manager, without you having to edit the actual part file.

[QuesoExplosivo]

Or just edit a CFG (make an arbitrary part have an arbitrary mass).

[Red Iron Crown]

My experience has been that the fuel tanks tend to be relatively heavy for their part lengths, and they're "dumb" payload (no control) so they shouldn't affect handling. Or check the wiki for the mass of stock parts and see which one works for you.

I use fuel tanks for test payloads, too. They're usually a reasonable approximation for the bulk of an equivalent mass real payload, are available in a variety of sizes, and they keep the part count reasonable.

You do have to be careful to disable them if they are placed such that they can flow to the engines, I've had some invalid test results from the engines having more fuel available and reducing the payload mass.

[TheTranceMan]

I can recommend the NRAP mod - it's a test weight!

The whole point of it is that you can set its mass and size to whatever you need, so you don't have to mess around trying to make a test load.

i had no idea that there was a mod for this. i have been in the same boat as OP, but i created my own parts by copying the part folder of an existing part (i used existing fuel tanks) and altered the mass in the the part.cfg file. these parts have persisted throughout updates since .17, still work as test ballast/weights, and i still use them

[Wanderfound]

NRAP for the win. Thanks, folks.