Why aren't you playing Kerbal Space Program yet? It's free

not sure what 'mun' is yet. That was just a straight shot, fell right back to earth

 

Awesome! I just learned how to scroll up and down in the builder area so I'm hoping to get a build a more proper spaceship
--- merged: Jan 14, 2012 4:57 AM ---
Okay, I'm lost in space.... 13,460,830m

 

Awesome! I can't wait to make it to Mun

I'm orbiting the sun.... not sure how to recover from this. Out of fuel so I'm just with my capsule now.


--- merged: Jan 14, 2012 7:29 PM ---
I'm on my second or third full orbit around the sun, I've had a close call with the home planet but not enough to affect my trajectory. Hoping to leave it go and maybe it will crashland within the next hour!

 

Shit, I missed the moon by a stone throw.... tried thrustering back to catch the moon's orbit but failed and ran out of fuel. I tried downloadnig some misc content for the game but it's all too good. It made it way too easy, this was a one stage ship I created and I was able to get this far with it... going to try and stick to the stock stuff

 

Any chance of a mac version?

 

do you have any tips for aiming and steering in space? I'm thinking I likely should grab my joystick but not seeing any hint that this is a joystick compatible game. I can also never tell which side of the plane is left, right, or top... i can usually tell the nose from the tail but that's about it. Theres one particular nose-cone thing that makes it clear, when i put that on i can slide wings on with a rear rudder and that helps alot with visuals...

 

Yes, it is joystick compatible. You can change controls in the settings menu.

Don't steer visually in space, use the nav ball and check the map frequently. You can bring the instrument panel up in map view and control your ship there.

The easiest way to get to Mun is to get into a stable (periapsis>70,000m) orbit with zero inclination and boost prograde until your apoapsis is 12,000,000m and touches Mun's orbit about 90 degrees ahead (counterclockwise) from where it is at the time. If you're orbiting facing eastward, you can simplify it further by just waiting until Mun is visible over the horizon and go from there. Warp time to max until you're almost there and wait until you drop into Mun's sphere of influence, then burn retrograde to achieve a stable orbit. Remember, parachutes won't work because of the lack of atmosphere so hopefully you know what a powered descent is and how to do it. To get home, a direct ascent to Kerbin is foolproof, but getting into an orbit and boosting in a controlled manner until you're on a return trajectory is more efficient.

If you're using Silisko Edition, I built a few rockets and wrote up silly "sales pitches" for them while drunk. I would post the .craft files, but the reversal of fuel lines in 13.1 breaks fuel lines in previous saves and side-attachable liquid tanks have been added, removing the radial stack decoupler. All radially attached liquid tanks feed the center tank via fuel lines. Winglets and struts are needed on boosters when shown to act as radiators.
We at Friends of Silisko Industries are proud to present our prototype, Mun Rocket I mkIII


Mun Rocket I's first stage lifts off with a first stage consisting of an RT-20 SRB as its core, four RTX-20 boosters strapped to the sides, and four RTB-20 boosters tucked in between those. AV-R8 winglets provide trim control during ascent as well as allowing heading adjustments later in the first stage burn; along with struts that stabilize the radial booster groups, the winglets do double duty as radiators, bleeding off excess heat and preventing a repeat of the uncontained combustion event that claimed the "lives" of three crash test dummies aboard the mkI prototype.

The core burns out at T+ 1:00, a full 15 seconds before the eight boosters clustered around it, but research shows that performance in this configuration is superior to that of complex variants that allow it to be discarded when empty.

Refinements from the prototype to the finished product included sequential ignition over the course of the first several seconds of flight. This gives the Kerbals seated in the command module the sensation of being given an enthusiastic shove into space rather than the unpleasant jolt of the mkII variant that copilot Bob Kerman so eloquently referred to as feeling "like a swift kick in the space junk."

After Stage I burnout a TR-18B shroud decoupler discards the empty boosters, and after a short delay to allow them to fall clear of the upper stages, the LV-B20 liquid fuel engine roars to life, fed by the one-meter wide FL-T400 fuel tank. With the right trajectory,judicious use of the throttle, and several shutdown/restart cycles, this combination allows for circularization of orbit around Kerbin with enough fuel left over to perform a Trans-Munar Injection.

Until now, stage III has been patiently waiting unused atop the mkIII (because you're a good pilot and haven't had to touch the RCS fuel yet, right?) and is ready for its moment of glory. After entering the Mun's small but respectable gravitational field, you will be on a free-return orbit if you don't touch anything, but what's the fun in that? The LV-G50 landing engine ignites not with a bang, but a whimper, sipping Silisko Industries' high-potency liquid fuel from the small but formidable FL-M100 Compressed Fuel Tank. Not to be judged by its size, this engine first burns to bring your escape trajectory from the Mun down to a more manageable orbit.

Once you've decided which of the Mun's exciting geographical regions to visit (we highly recommend the flat spots,) the G50 is ready to fire again. As you float down as if carried by a cloud, your crew will be calmed and relaxed by the soothing whir and gentle vibration of its highly efficient staged-combustion turbopump. While descending, your crew can counter potentially mission-ending horizontal velocity thanks to the RV-105 RCS thrusters and a pair of FL-R10 RCS fuel tanks.

At this point, the ground seems to be coming up to meet you pretty fast (hopefully not too fast!) but you can trust the ML-22 landing leg to keep the important parts of your rocket from giving those Mun rocks a close encounter of the fifth kind. Do whatever it is you went there to do, but don't dally because although the Command Pod MkI has ample life support to get you to the Mun and back, space was limited.

Once you're ready to leave, ensure that your lander is still right-side up (if there is any confusion, Silisko Indusrties has conveniently included a bubble level with reference arrow on the inside of the command module door) and fire up that LV-G50 (wow, that little guy does everything!) one more time. Use your remaining RCS fuel now to lighten the load or save it to make adjustments on the way back home, the choice is yours.

As you approach Kerbin's atmosphere, fire that last TR-18A stack decoupler to shed the weight, then throw the parachute control switch to "Automatic" and the tried-and-true Mk16 parachute will arm itself and deploy as you approach the surface. Aiming for the water is the surest way to make your landing as pleasant as possible.


Next up is the Friends of Silisko Industries Large Rocket MkII


After several tests, our engineers identified several areas of potential improvement to Mun Rocket I mkIII. The FL-M100 fuel tank of the lander stage has been replaced with the FL-T200 one-meter fuel tank for improved performance, allowing your lander stafe to fine-tune your Trans-Munar Injection trajectory in addition to performing all the functions of the lander stage of Mun Rocket I mkIII. It also allows for increased payloads.

The first and second stages have been completely replaced with a heavy-lift system to allow increased payload capacity. The Second stage is now lifted by the three-meter LV-X850 dual-nozzle engine (Twice the nozzles, twice the fun!) and supplied by two three-meter FL-T1600 tanks and a conical FL-TX tank. The first stage stack is topped with an ASAS module for when you want to sit back and enjoy the ride instead of wrestling with the throttle.

The liquid fuel component of the heavy lift system fires concurrently with not four but eight RTX-20 boosters with AV-R8 winglets once again providing trim control and acting as radiators. Ignition of the boosters occurs one second before main engine ignition to minimize stress on the rocket's structure and for the sake of your crew members' future children. After solid rocket booster burnout, each booster is separated by a TT-38V radial decoupler. With a little bit of practice and a touch of luck, the boosters will fall harmlessly into an ocean (which one is up to you) and away from populated areas. In the hands of a skillful pilot, the first stage core will carry your upper stage into a stable but eccentric orbit.

Our final product to display today is the Friends of Silisko Industrues Very Large Rocket


It is a longstanding tradition in ground-based astronomy and physics that the grandiosity of a scientific instrument's name should be inversely proportional to its capability, and the modestly named Very Large Rocket stays true to that custom. With an impressive stature and a Delta-V budget that puts other rockets to shame, the Very Large Rocket boasts unprecedented lifting capability. The concept of the Very Large Rocket emerged when an FSI staff member looked at the Large Rocket mkII and remarked, "Yeah, it's pretty big, I guess." The engineering department took this comment as both an insult and a challenge, and the Very Large Rocket was born.

Initially, both junior and senior engineers suggested that the build team "just strap more boosters to it." Members of the team who had outgrown their youthful idealism but not yet earned tenure pondered several possible solutions and proposed them to the team. The solution that emerged represents a compromise in approach but not performance. The liquid fuel core of the Very Large Rocket is surrounded not by solid rocket boosters, but a set of liquid fuel boosters. Below each of eight HSB-808 radial stack decouplers is a pair of FLT-400 fuel tanks and an LV-B20 liquid fuel engine. The solid boosters fire for a minute and a quarter while the liquid tanks fuel both their dedicated engines and crossfeed to the main stack. It's like giving your Large Rocket mkII a running start at 6300m and 125m/s!


Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes our presentation for today. Before we finish, we present the following friendly reminders and helpful hints from Friends of Silisko Industries:

- Avoid crew sickness by turning on your SAS modules before launch
- A slight application of throttle with gimballed engines makes attitude control a breeze while conserving valuable RCS fuel
- Conserve fuel by making short, controlled burns and adjusting your trajectory as you go rather than in large steps.
- Deploy your parachute shortly after atmospheric reentry to avoid the embarrassment and severe bodily harm that can result from terminal velocity lithobraking.
- Decouple your spent stages in unstable orbits or suborbital trajectories whenever possible. Remember, only you can prevent Kessler Syndrome!

 

now that will help me. I've been waiting way too late and been wondering why they are dying.

 

So, I've lost about 5 days of my life to this, but finally:


Although I totally failed my return trip. With a redesign after this I have a pretty good success rate (roughly 2/3).

Also, 100% stock parts.

Right now I'm working on crashing into the sun (I want to see how it works in the game, if it's even there or just a 'point' of gravity). The closest I've managed to get is about 2 billion meters.

PS: Is there way to do file attachments? I'd happily share the .craft file if anyone wanted.

 

Seems reasonable, Martian. I'll just post a picture; it's easy enough to build by looking at.

Here is the whole rocket(spoiler in case any other builder doesn't want any hints):

It has a bit of a wobble of the start, but it's never been a problem for me. The bottom center(the one you can't see) is the smaller gimballed engine which makes steering a breeze (when it's turned on). Same on the 'lander'. The rest is the standard liquid fuel engine.

The one thing you do have to watch out for is that all seven engines on the bottom, above a certain altitude, can break the rocket apart under high acceleration. Just keep an eye on your g-force meter.

 

Through experimentation, you've discovered why one of the steps in launch of a space vehicle is "throttle down through Max Q." You are officially a rocket scientist.

 

I've learned/relearned all kinds of things about rocket science and orbital mechanics, this 'game' was really a great find.

 

post just to stay posted

 

This brings us to the other big mod pack. Some history::

In the olden days of the .7x and into the early .x releases, the Projects and Releases forum, there were many options for parts. Over time, three major developers came to the forefront

Sunday Punch from Somethingawful released his original Wobbly Rockets pack and it grew from there. Some KSP forums people used them and they were hugely popular on SA. This is his thread.
http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/index.php?topic=79
Sunday Punch seems to have lost interest in KSP and spends all his time playing Forza and being awesome in that way.

Shortly thereafter, a timid NovaSilisko, who told Sunday Punch that
"Your stuff is such high quality I was almost afraid to submit my own, for fear of simply being overshadowed...

Oh well, your pack is wonderful and I use it almost everything I build!"

He did submit his own project, stayed with it for a while, and got it to the point that he was happy with it. A majority of the KSP forums' members used Silisko Industries Doughnut Research and Spacecraft Development "SIDR pack"
http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/index.php?topic=1109.0

With both projects having since been abandoned, their creators gave their blessing to the NovaPunch remix and rebalance pack. It leans toward the powerful side of realistic.

At the same time as the original kits were revolutionizing rocket construction, C7Studios made the rockets go sideways. You see, wings and fins can produce lift. C7 made an impressive collection of spaceplane parts and is on an experimental new pack
C-7 Flight Pack: http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/index.php?topic=1172.0
C7 Aerospace Division Experimental http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/index.php?topic=5884.0

NovaSilisko has been working on a stock/realism-oriented version of all parts, including replacements for all stock parts. They're designed to encourage staging and precision rather than the old "slap some more boosters on it" way of doing things. He calls it KSP Silisko edition.
http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/index.php?topic=2925.0

I play with Silisko edition and NovaPunch parts packs.

 

So, uh, you guys still playing? If you are, or if you want to know why you should be, I'll get a new thread together and close this one.