HIYA! Im Necroniser

[NecroniserRocks]

I'm just introducing myself and I'm fairly new to the game, and usually when I make ships, I pack them with extensive amounts of fuel and thrust, but I make the ships too big and unwieldy, usually too large to make it to orbit, though they have the fuel to do so, so I was wondering if a few of you guys may have a few tips on how to know when it is too big to use.

Edited August 26, 2014 by NecroniserRocks
errors in typing, also title needs the f removed

[Pecan]

It is too big if it is any bigger than it needs to be ^^.

Start small, design stages 'backwards' and only fit what you need on each stage; any excess mass has a huge knock-on effect when building lower stages. Rockets may only be 10% efficient - "payload ratio" = mass placed in orbit compared to mass at launch - so adding 100kg to the payload could mean an extra tonne of launch vehicle.

More specifically there are two statistics you need to design for; neither of which are shown in stock KSP. First, Thrust to Weight Ratio (TWR) - if your engines can't thrust up more than gravity is weighing you down you aren't going anywhere. Secondly, deltaV, the amount you can change your velocity - broadly, how efficient your engines are and how much fuel they have. "Standard" advice is that you want a launch TWR of 1.4 - 1.8 and at least 4,500m/s deltaV. Installing an information mod like VOID, KER or MechJeb (which is also an autopilot) will display these figures for you.

You may like to look at the tutorial linked in my signature for 30-odd vehicle designs, from a basic rover to orbital satellites, lunar landers and an interplanetary space-station infrastructure.

[NecroniserRocks]

I landed on the Mun for the first time!!! I used the kerbal X premarke though, so I won't call it a full victory

(i dont know if the picture worked right...)

http://imgur.com/bYdENZC

Edited August 26, 2014 by NecroniserRocks
broken pic

[Vanamonde]

Congratulations on your Mun landing. But I, for one, can't see the pic.

[NecroniserRocks]

Sadly for the crewmates Bob, Jebediah, and Langee, i didnt have enough fuel to leave it and make it back so a rescue mission is in order i do believe

[SRV Ron]

Congratulations on your Mun landing. But I, for one, can't see the pic.

Landed at night, very dark. That's doing it the hard way. Need to go to the one man pod so the ships don't need to be so huge. Better yet, go unmanned until you gain the experience.

Manned Career Lander

Launcher, some KW rocketry mods in use

On the Mun. Lots of fuel left to return in spite of the difficulity lending in rough terrain