How can you fall faster?

[Deseoso]

I am still early on in the game trying to complete some of the parts testing missions. Right now I am trying to test the parachute but I cannot get all the requirements at the same time. It has to be fired off between 4500 and 5900 metres, and between speeds of 250 and 680 m/s. I don't get it. Every time I try my pod has slowed down to under 250 m/s by the time it reaches 5900 metres. The capsule is basically a conical tin can. Surely it should be speeding up as it falls, not slowing down? What am I doing wrong?

[ratchet freak]

you'll need to thrust down or use a plane and do a horizontal test

the issue is that the souposphere is slowing you down

[kujuman]

Drag is slowing you down. You can go faster by thrusting with a rocket. Also, you can do parachute testing on the way up, not just down.

[eddiew]

I am still early on in the game trying to complete some of the parts testing missions. Right now I am trying to test the parachute but I cannot get all the requirements at the same time. It has to be fired off between 4500 and 5900 metres, and between speeds of 250 and 680 m/s. I don't get it. Every time I try my pod has slowed down to under 250 m/s by the time it reaches 5900 metres. The capsule is basically a conical tin can. Surely it should be speeding up as it falls, not slowing down? What am I doing wrong?

What you've done is hit terminal velocity. The force from atmospheric drag has become equal to the downward pull of gravity, so you're settling towards a constant falling speed. Because the atmosphere gets denser nearer the ground, any object falling at terminal speed will actually slow down as it gets lower, since drag becomes higher.

You can however test the parachute on the way up! It'll jerk your pod around a bit, but if it's just a single pod, liquid tank and thruster, then you should be ok. 250 m/s should be very reachable by that altitude with a simple, small ship, and you can kill your engine straight afterwards and just drift down again. If it's not quite making it, just angle your ascent (remember to turn SAS on!) so's you get more time to build up speed

[soulsource]

At the moment with stock aerodynamics, or better, the lack thereof, the shape of your ship is completely irrelevant. A slim aerodynamic looking rocket will fly as well as a pancake shaped monstrosity, given they have the same weight. An actual aerodynamics model is being planned for a future release of KSP nevertheless, probably the next one. In the meantime, if you want aerodynamics that reflects the actual shape of your craft, you can have a look at the FAR mod, but be warned, without additional mods (for instance KIDS) it will make reaching orbit ridiculously easy.

About the contract, I think everything relevant has been said already: Complete it on the way up.

[DrMonte]

I am still early on in the game trying to complete some of the parts testing missions. Right now I am trying to test the parachute but I cannot get all the requirements at the same time. It has to be fired off between 4500 and 5900 metres, and between speeds of 250 and 680 m/s. I don't get it. Every time I try my pod has slowed down to under 250 m/s by the time it reaches 5900 metres. The capsule is basically a conical tin can. Surely it should be speeding up as it falls, not slowing down? What am I doing wrong?

4500-5900 metres, and speeds of 250-680 m/s. This looks like putting parachute on Solid RT-10.

Going straight down you'll get full refund for the parts.

Remember that the TEST has nothing to do with real flight! You just got lucky if you were able to combine the contracts.

Seriously for atmospheric parts tests you usually build a 100% reusable plane. Accept ~5 part test contracts, launch, perform all at various heights and speeds, land at KSC Runway.

Edited October 31, 2014 by DrMonte

[Deseoso]

I hadn't thought of testing it on the way up. Isn't that a bit of a cheat? I'm sure it works but as a space simulator it seems like a rather unrealistic way of testing a parachute. As for planes, I haven't begun to try building a plane. Still just testing rockets.

[r_rolo1]

Alternatively to having downward propulsion, you can make a ship mostly out of parts that have low drag ( like winglets or even wings, on spite of wings having the issue of producing lift ), that will allow a higher terminal velocity ( in extreme examples it is possible to hit Kerbin surface at 0 m at 1700m/s in stock atmosphere ). But as you are in a career game and those parts are expensive, it is probably better to push downwards or sideways ...

[SRV Ron]

As others have stated, test on the way up and cut thrust as soon as the chute is deployed. Don't stage any parts on this flight. You can tweak the fuel load to reach test speed and altitude faster and fine control the acceleration with the throttle. Aim for a water landing close to KSP to recover parts cost.

While you can use Jeb in a pod for the test, use a probe if available. That is safer and cheaper in case of a failure and crash.

[capi3101]

I hadn't thought of testing it on the way up. Isn't that a bit of a cheat?

In KSP, there is very little that qualifies as a cheat. Maybe overuse of the debug menu. Definitely NOT using Mechjeb, KER, KAC or any other mod.

Besides, there is a scientific test there if you think about it - you could be testing a design to see how it responds to increased drag or something, whatever role-playing you want to do there. "What will happen if we pull the chute NOW instead of LATER? Will the capsule tip over? Will it explode in a big fiery ball?" Folks around here tend to live for the 'splosions.

Point is, I think we've all of us here had to test the chutes on the way up at one time or another. Only thing I'll say about doing it is that your test chute, if you're testing it going up, probably should not be the same chute you intend to use the recover the craft...in my experience the chutes have a tendency to vanish at apoapsis.

[Deseoso]

Okay so I have tried to reach the target specs on the way up but it doesn't seem possible. With a single RT-10 solid fuel booster I cannot get enough speed before I get to the correct altitude. With three together I can reach the correct altitude and speed together but then there is no way of turning them off when the parachute fires so even though all the conditions are met it is not recognized as a successful test. I am assuming that is because the boosters are still firing while the parachute is deployed.

Then I switched to using liquid rocket fuel and engines but regardless of how many I use I always reach the correct height before the correct speed and just as I reach the correct speed I exceed the height. How can I accelerate faster without also shortening the time it takes to get to the correct altitude?

[DrMonte]

Okay so I have tried to reach the target specs on the way up but it doesn't seem possible. With a single RT-10 solid fuel booster I cannot get enough speed before I get to the correct altitude. With three together I can reach the correct altitude and speed together but then there is no way of turning them off when the parachute fires so even though all the conditions are met it is not recognized as a successful test. I am assuming that is because the boosters are still firing while the parachute is deployed.

Then I switched to using liquid rocket fuel and engines but regardless of how many I use I always reach the correct height before the correct speed and just as I reach the correct speed I exceed the height. How can I accelerate faster without also shortening the time it takes to get to the correct altitude?

1. Use "tweaking" to remove fuel from boosters. Those making them lighter, cheaper and faster.

2. Test must be performed on staging - by pressing "space bar". Did you do that?

[Starman4308]

Okay so I have tried to reach the target specs on the way up but it doesn't seem possible. With a single RT-10 solid fuel booster I cannot get enough speed before I get to the correct altitude. With three together I can reach the correct altitude and speed together but then there is no way of turning them off when the parachute fires so even though all the conditions are met it is not recognized as a successful test. I am assuming that is because the boosters are still firing while the parachute is deployed.

Then I switched to using liquid rocket fuel and engines but regardless of how many I use I always reach the correct height before the correct speed and just as I reach the correct speed I exceed the height. How can I accelerate faster without also shortening the time it takes to get to the correct altitude?

A, as mentioned, are you staging to activate the contract?

B, a bunch of Sepratrons firing at liftoff should give you a good kick.

C, to some extent, I prefer liquid-fuel engines for these sorts of contracts: you get 100% recovery anyways, and you get to throttle to the appropriate speed instead of praying that you got the amount of fuel and thrust limiter exactly right on your SRB.

[bdito]

launch, then go horizontal, continue to accelerate, pop the chutes, land in the water.

[SRV Ron]

A simple test with most basic of parts; LV-T30, 2 FTL-200 cans, pod, parachute. (Will work with the radical one too.)

Easily reaches the altitude and speed for the test. You can even remove 50% of the fuel in the upper tank if you want.

[DrMonte]

launch, then go horizontal, continue to accelerate, pop the chutes, land in the water.

Landing in the water does not give you any benefit.

1. Water is not soft in KSP. That does not affect impact.

2. You loose money as you are further from KSC.

If your landing speed is too high just add more chutes and land safely at KSC.

[bdito]

Landing in the water does not give you any benefit.

1. Water is not soft in KSP. That does not affect impact.

2. You loose money as you are further from KSC.

If your landing speed is too high just add more chutes and land safely at KSC.

I know. My point is simply that if he has to go horizontal to get his speed up he has to land somewhere. Everyone typically launches east which is all water. With such an inexpensive rocket he won't be losing too much by being away from the KSC.

[Srpadget]

I think the bigger lesson here is to learn what constitutes a "reasonable" altitude/velocity combination for your playing style, and then pick your contracts carefully.

It's perfectly okay to reject an offered contract--there are NO negative consequences to rejecting one on offer. I reject at least 2/3 of the "test parts" contracts offered, due to some combination of high-velocity/low-altitude, low-velocity/high-altitude, unreasonably narrow altitude/velocity targets, or inadequate money/science payouts.

There's precious little downside to canceling a contract after you accept it, for that matter--the only consequence to that (as far as I've been able to tell, anyway) is you lose the "advance" money that the

contract paid when you accepted it. That doesn't count as "failure", and doesn't invoke the "failure" penalties. The only way to invoke the "failure" penalty is to neither fulfill nor cancel the contract *before time runs out*. And the time limits are ridiculously long for early-game contracts, when a successful parts test mission is typically measured in minutes (even a "test in orbit" mission can be launched, circularized, test completed, reenter, and land at/near KSC in no more than 2 orbits).

tl;dr version: If you're having that much trouble with any specific contract, feel free to just "cancel" it, move on, and resolve to be pickier about contracts and pay more attention to the fine print in future.

[Paul G]

1. Use "tweaking" to remove fuel from boosters. Those making them lighter, cheaper and faster.

2. Test must be performed on staging - by pressing "space bar". Did you do that?

Tests can also be done by right clicking the part and selecting run test I've successfully run tests that required an escape trajectory away from Kerbin, and ran out of fuel before I stage. I ended up with the stage that required the test being out of fuel, but by right clicking on the stage and running the test, the test was successful.

Rgds

Paul

[Kryxal]

That depends on the testing conditions ... some say staging, some say right-click, and they're not interchangeable.

[Polish_Hydra IX]

You could try adding weight to the bottom and/or have a Mainsail point up on the top of your craft. The craft has to be streamline, to prevent air resistance.

[Vlk]

I dont really know the numbers, but this mission should be doable, if you go straight up, 200km or whatever, then fall back, and accelerate downwards when you enter the thick atmosphere. (Maybe you dont even have to accelerate). That way your speed will be high enough, and also because you arrive in a 0 degree angle, the atmosphere will not have enough time to slow you down.

[SRV Ron]

I dont really know the numbers, but this mission should be doable, if you go straight up, 200km or whatever, then fall back, and accelerate downwards when you enter the thick atmosphere. (Maybe you dont even have to accelerate). That way your speed will be high enough, and also because you arrive in a 0 degree angle, the atmosphere will not have enough time to slow you down.

I was able to easily do the contract requirements with the simple tier one career ship. Check the speed and altitude shown. Cut power and deploy the chute while still going up. It and Jeb will survive the test.

Catching the same window on return might require a powered descent to counter drag.