Help with building early Career mode Mun ships.

[Engineer of Stuff]

I need some help with designing a manned ship capable of going to the Mun and back. I don't want .craft files, because I feel that's cheating. Just post pictures or some tips on designing a capable craft.

Thanks for your help!

[Jovus]

How early we talkin'? You can do it with nothing above the LV-909, but it's nice to have the long FLT, for example.

[UmbralRaptor]

I'm not entirely happy with this design at present, but it's simple and can be done with as few unlocks as Basic Rocketry and Survival. Additional ones just make it nicer:

Big problems currently: adding goo pods/materials bays removes the ability for Mun landings. And shortly thereafter Minmus landings. Scaling up the launcher much requires struts (and/or fuel lines if you wish to convert from SSTO to asparagus). And it's really too expensive for higher difficulties.

[Pecan]

I'm not entirely happy with this design at present, ...

I am!

We showed similar designs for a similar question before and I agree that's the way to do it for very early tech.

@Engineer - for a more logical mission progression (not tech tree) have a look at the tutorial in my signature. If you just want to go straight to Mun (or Minmus, which is easier) have a look at chapter 5 of the tutorial - yes, there are several chapters of vehicles before I even go there manned.

[Engineer of Stuff]

for a more logical mission progression (not tech tree) have a look at the tutorial in my signature. If you just want to go straight to Mun (or Minmus, which is easier) have a look at chapter 5 of the tutorial - yes, there are several chapters of vehicles before I even go there manned.

Very complete! Thanks for the tutorial.

[Torquemadus]

I launch mine using my partially re-useable "stack shuttle", which I call the Kerbooster. It uses an expendable solid first stage, a re-useable orbiter, and a re-useable lander.

After stopping to pick up a passenger, the Kerbooster sends the upper stage on it's way to the Mun, before looping around and returning to Kerbin.

The Kestrel upper stage lands vertically on it's landing legs. The undercarriage is used for surface mobility, with small amounts of rocket fuel used to give a gentle push when needed.

[Starman4308]

I launch mine using my partially re-useable "stack shuttle", which I call the Kerbooster. It uses an expendable solid first stage, a re-useable orbiter, and a re-useable lander.

That is very much not what he's asking for. He's asking for help with something he can launch early in career. This means no wings, no struts, no solar panels.

I whipped up something which should get you to the Mun with four Science Jrs. and four goo pods: it's a little bit prone to rotation during the first stage, and it comes down hard back on Kerbin (unless you add a couple radial parachutes* or use a lot of thrust from the LV-909), but it's got an excess of delta-V. Most of the engines are LV-T30s, with one LV-909 for the last stage. I would recommend tweaking the RT-10's thrust to around 75-80%, and removing all the monopropellant from the command pod. It requires only basic rocketry, stability (for the radial decouplers), survivability (for the LV-909 and landing legs), and science tech (for the Science Jrs). If you don't have science tech yet, probably go with the earlier design, since this was based around getting 4 goo pods and 4 Science Jrs to the Mun and back with an excess of delta-V.

*Two radial parachutes remove ~300 m/s delta-V, but would still leave you a lot of margin for error. Also, the batteries also require Science Tech; they're physics-less, which means they won't affect rocket performance, and will give you a little more margin for error, because you don't get solar panels for a while, and before then, your only source of electricity is liquid engines (NOT including the LV-909, which generates no electricity).

EDIT: In general, you want a wide landing base so your lander doesn't tip: I accomplished that by placing the legs on radially-attached Science Jrs. The specifics of staging are a bit of a fine art; KER and MechJeb can help enormously by letting you see what the delta-V and TWR are for each stage as you build the thing. This delta-V map helps you figure out what you need. Beyond that, the biggest piece of advice is to figure out what you need, and try to trim every kilogram of payload that you don't absolutely need (for example, the monopropellant, which I forgot to remove from this).

Edited November 14, 2014 by Starman4308

[Zylark]

Your basic "To the Mun and back" rocket.

Made with all stock parts - no extras included. It's pretty early career, though a few unlocks are needed.

The Lander and return vehicle:

Top to bottom:

Parachute - you'll need this later.

Capsule - one kerbal only. If rescuing anyone, add an okto probe between top chute and capsule and send off unmanned.

2xInline Parachutes - you'll need this later

---

Decoupler

Fuel tank - can never remember what they are called, but holds enough fuel for the return trip and then some.

2xBatteries - power you will need, but not much.

4xSingle cell solar panels - for recharging batteries, probably not needed but just to be safe.

2xRadial decouplers - also doubles as girders to widen your craft a bit.

2xTiny Fuel tanks - for Mun deorbit and landing.

4xLanding legs - for, well, landing.

2xLV909 - for Mun deorbit and landing.

LV909 - for taking off from mun and return to Kerbin.

Now all one need is something to carry this thing up to Kerbin orbit, say 100km, and get it towards Mun. This booster will do nicely:

Again, top to bottom:

The lander and return capsule from above.

Decoupler

Advanced Stabilizer - probably not needed, but makes everything much easier to control.

Fuel tank - the long one that holds 360 units of fuel.

4xSingle cell solar panels - probably not needed, but again...

2xBatteries - electricity is good.

LV-T45 Engine - plenty powerful enough for our needs.

Decoupler

Tri-coupler

6xFuel tanks - the long ones stacked two tall.

3xRadial decouplers - for hooking up those Solid Rocket Boosters

3xSRBs - again, the long ones, not those tiny short ones.

6xSepatrons - 2 per SRB. Without these you'll have a sudden disassembly when separating the SRB stage

3xLV-T45

3xLaunch Stability Towers - strictly speaking not needed, but I like them.

Staging (parachutes and stuff to recoup launch costs removed for clarity):

6: Fires all booster engines (3xLV-T45 + SRBs) and release the rocket from the towers.

5: Release the SRBs and fires the Sepatrons.

4: Release the lower booster stage of 3xLV-T45 + Fuel tanks. Fires upper booster stage.

3: Release upper booster stage. Fires 3xLV909.

2: Release 2xLV909 + Fuel Tanks

1: Release LV909 + Fuel Tank

0: Deploys capsule Parachutes.

Schedule:

1: Stage 6, 5 and 4 will get you to Kerbin orbit, with fuel left over in the upper booster to get you well on your way to Mun

2: When stage 4 is dry (upper booster), release it and finish whatever maneuver you were doing. When done, transfer fuel from middle tank to top off the radial tanks.

3: Orbit and then land on Mun. If any fuel is left over in the radial tanks, transfer it to the middle tank.

4: Do your Mun business.

5: Take off from Mun. Once the landing legs are off the ground - release the radial tanks and engines.

6: Once in Mun orbit, plot a course directly for Kerbin. Aim for a Pe of 0 to 10000 meters.

7: Before hitting the atmosphere of Kerbin, point capsule prograde, release LV909+Fuel tank.

8: When in atmosphere, point capsule retrograde (doesn't matter but looks better).

9: After the worst of the re-entry fires, release parachutes.

10: Happy landing.

---

That lander and booster setup can be embellished on to do some science as well, by simply strapping a Science Jr pod under the capsule and then bolting on various science instruments and such to the Science Jr pod. Though, to be certain of a happy return, Id also add an inline Parachute or two to the Science Jr Pod.

Good luck and have fun

Edited November 14, 2014 by Zylark

[SRV Ron]

Some early designs.

Early Career Mun flyby;

Later probe contract lander;

Some manned lander designs;

This is from the demo;

Minotaur 5 probe that could easily go to Duna or Eve;

Build and test to find out what works.