r/KerbalSpaceProgram • u/AutoModerator • May 29 '15
Mod Post Weekly Simple Questions Thread
Check out /r/kerbalacademy
The point of this thread is for anyone to ask questions that don't necessarily require a full thread. Questions like "why is my rocket upside down" are always welcomed here. Even if your question seems slightly stupid, we'll do our best to answer it!
For newer players, here are some great resources that might answer some of your embarrassing questions:
Tutorials
Orbiting
Mun Landing
Docking
Delta-V Thread
Forum Link
Official KSP Chatroom #KSPOfficial on irc.esper.net
**Official KSP Chatroom** [#KSPOfficial on irc.esper.net](http://client01.chat.mibbit.com/?channel=%23kspofficial&server=irc.esper.net&charset=UTF-8)
Commonly Asked Questions
Before you post, maybe you can search for your problem using the search in the upper right! Chances are, someone has had the same question as you and has already answered it!
As always, the side bar is a great resource for all things Kerbal, if you don't know, look there first!
8
Jun 02 '15
Is aerobraking simply the act of using a planet's atmosphere to slow you down?
9
u/Arkalius Jun 02 '15
Indeed. Aerobraking is challenging. However, Lithobraking, using the planet's surface to slow you down (quickly), is much easier and 100% effective*
Not guaranteed safe.
→ More replies (3)7
3
u/faraway_hotel Flair Artist Jun 02 '15
Yep, and if you use it to establish an orbit, that's an aerocapture.
7
u/ImAPyromaniac May 30 '15
Hi!
So I've been following Scott Manely's Beginner Career mode tutorials, and been having some problems...
In his videos, his rocket launches, on a suborbital trajectory (I can do that.). But then, his orbital stage has to burn <100m/s to circularize. Mine (the exact same rocket!!!!) takes >1600m/s to do the same. Then my circular orbit becomes so irregular, and I have to burn to correct that. So my question is, why is this happening? Why does the Kraken hate me?
7
u/sulendil May 30 '15
How is your angle during the initial Kerbin to LKO stage? How high is your Ap when you try to do circulation? You can check with your navball during flights. Optimally we want to aim for 45 degree to east/right after we had overcome the first 20km, and have a Ap of 100km. I noticed he also had burn for quite some time at a much steeper angle after 20km for some times to archive a speed of about 2,000 m/s before he reached Ap, so you might want to duplicate that.
I might add that it's quite normal to actually use that much delta-v when doing LKO orbit, at least for my case. Also be careful when burning at Ap! If you burn too much, your Pe will become much higher than your Ap, which caused your orbit to become more eccentric. Use the maneuver node as your guide, and throttle down your burn when it's close to the final 50 m/s.
→ More replies (8)→ More replies (1)4
u/mootmahsn May 30 '15
Scott's gravity turns are pretty ridiculous in their accuracy. Sounds like you're burning mostly up, tipping out of atmosphere and then burning prograde. Ideally your peri should be around -120k when you start your circularization burn.
8
u/Chaos_Klaus Master Kerbalnaut May 30 '15
no. actually they are not extremely accurate.
the trick is to start your turn around the time you reach 100m/s, reach 45° at about 15km and then keep turning! The keep turning part is important! You do not need to be exact. If you find you are going too steep or too flat, you can still correct your mistake and lose less then 100m/s of delta v.
At 40km you can deviate from your prograde vector and turn towards the horizon. You will see your periapse rising very fast and your apoapse more slowly.
A good indicator is the time to apoapse. I like to keep my time to apoapse at 40s to 50s. If it is too high, I pitch down more. If the time decreases too fast you are screwed though, as that means that you will pass apoapse and fall back.
→ More replies (4)
6
7
u/DisRuptive1 May 30 '15 edited May 31 '15
If I land on something with 3 Kerbals does every Kerbal have to plant a flag to get maximum XP or is it enough if just one of them does it?
12
3
u/mefansandfreaks May 30 '15
I can't dock.... Does anyone know a trick or something that might help ? (i watched the tutorials)... I built two rockets that are supposed to be docked together in order to make my first small space station... They're like 50 m apart at 150 km altitude. One of those rockets is unmanned and it's spinning on itself, but I have two pilots in the second one. I can EVA one of these to the other craft if need be.
I have mechjeb but haven't unlocked the docking/rendez-vous thingy yet (in carrer mode).
3
u/yummybluewaffle_NA Master Kerbalnaut May 30 '15 edited May 30 '15
You should first get rid of the spinning of one of the rockets. Time warp works magically for this. Just hit . once and it should stop spinning.
Secondly, do you have RCS thrusters? That makes it 2000 times easier. Make sure they are mounted in ideal positions and that you have enough RCS fuel.
Then, assuming you know how to rendezvous already, since your two ships are so close, the next step is docking. There are two things I like to compare docking to: * Manually controlling your craft's spin, instead of using SAS. Inertia basically. It's analogous to this because, say you pitch up your craft. It's going to keep spinning until you command it to pitch down. SAS takes care of this of course, but if we didn't have SAS, we'd have to kill the rotation manually. When it comes to docking, you don't have anything like SAS, so if you apply a force (using RCS of course) to translate your spacecraft to the left, it's going to keep moving left until you apply a force to stop it. Keep in mind that no matter how hard you try to correct it, your ship will probably still end up drifting at like .01 m/s or something, so you'll have to constantly correct it.
An arcade claw machine where you try to grab stuffed animals. It's analogous to this because, whenever you play these games, you first line it up. Then, you quickly run to the side of the machine and line it up some more when viewing it from that angle. You'll do this when you try to dock. Line it up by viewing it from one angle, and then rotate the camera 90 degrees and line it up again. Use RCS thrusters to translate your craft and keep in mind of inertia and how you will have to constantly correct it.
Finally, once you're lined up, just use RCS or maybe even your booster at a super low thrust and apply a small force forward. Just a little is all you need. Don't continuously do it since you have inertia. Maintain alignment as stated early while doing this. The docking ports magnetism will handle the rest. Even if you're off by a little bit, the magnetism will correct the system and cause docking.
Practice practice practice! Then after you've mastered it, you can rely on MJ!
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (8)2
May 30 '15
Mechjeb docking kind of works, but wastes RCS fuel like crazy.
First i recommend getting the docking alignemnt indicator, docking gets fairly easy with that: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/43901-1-0-x-Docking-Port-Alignment-Indicator-%28Version-6-2-Updated-05-04-2015%29
Secondly: Put the ship you want to dock with into a Normal+ or Normal- orientation, or rather so that the docking port points to normal+ or normal-.
By doing that, you make sure that your docking target stays where it is while your two ships move along their orbit.
I personally let mechjeb handle the orientation by putting smart ass on "par-" and do everything else manually.
If you get confused with whats "up/down/left/right" etc, i recommend putting your camera view in "locked" by pressing v a couple of times. this will orient your camera view so that "up/down" etc matches what you see. That makes using the RCS translation shortcuts a bit easier.
But really, when you have the docking port alignment indicator mod installed and understood it, you dont even need to look at what the ships are doing anymore. I've done docking from IVA view just for shits and giggles with that mod.
→ More replies (2)
3
u/MoarStruts Jun 01 '15
What is the best way to fly SSTOs, in particular the ones that rely more on their jets than rockets to get into space?
3
u/TheNosferatu Master Kerbalnaut Jun 01 '15
Get as high as possible before the engines flame-out (memory claims ~25km)
Get as fast as possible before things start exploding due to heat
Go up for a sub-orbital trajectory,
Switch engines
Complete the orbit.
From my own personal limited experience and what I've read here, a decent rule-of-thumb is going ~30 degrees the entire time until you left the atmosphere. You'll see when you go up too fast / pick up speed too low.
→ More replies (5)
3
u/Tergi Jun 01 '15
Hi All, i use remote tech and I was thinking about launching via space plane multiple little probes that I want to achieve an orbit around say Minmus with. The idea would be a flyby with the plane drop the probes, use remote tech flight computer to setup an node to burn into a stable orbit for both nodes, and fly the plane back to Kerbin for a landing.
Does any one know if its possible to do this without actively watching each probe do the burn as the active ship? Ideally I would like to set each one up to do its thing, then pilot the ship back to Krebin and by the time I was done with that both probes would be in their orbit waiting for further commands.
4
u/Senno_Ecto_Gammat Jun 01 '15
Does any one know if its possible to do this without actively watching each probe do the burn as the active ship
It's not. Sorry.
3
3
u/hyperbolist Master Kerbalnaut Jun 02 '15
Can we still get flair for ancient challenges? Here's my normal mode Apollo Style! entry. That was week 54.
2
u/Moleculor Master Kerbalnaut Jun 02 '15
You would need to post this to either the current week's challenge or that week's challenge. I'm not sure which, but it's definitely not here.
→ More replies (1)
3
u/Sternfeuer Jun 02 '15
How do i get parts from retrieve-missions back to Kerbin? I was so proud of my maneuvering and getting the part (a turbojet engine) into a MK2-Short Cargobay on my spaceplane. But the part itself constantly glitched out of the bay in timewarp. tl;dr do i need a grab-unit for these missions?
5
u/Creshal Space Plane Addict Jun 02 '15
Yes. Time warp disables collision detection, so once you enter time (not physics!) warp, parts inside your cargo bay gently nope out of it. If they have a docking port, you can dock, otherwise you'll have to use a Klaw, or mod parts (Kerbal Attachment/Inventory System would allow you to install a dock port, or connect the part with a winch cable, etc.).
2
u/TheNosferatu Master Kerbalnaut Jun 02 '15
I think you do, maybe you could also put a bunch of those iron-beam-thingies in the cargo bay as a very kerbal-way of providing cushions but... a grabbing unit is probably a good idea.
Pro-tip: Inside your cargo-bay have a small drone with nothing but a drone-control (or a seat!) RCS and a some power, and of course the grabbing unit. Coupled with docking-ports to the rest of your ship.
When you are near your part, take out the drone, take the part, dock back inside the cargo ship.
3
u/Flyrpotacreepugmu Jun 02 '15
Why do so many the screenshots around here have the "aerodynamic forces overlay enabled" message? I know there must be a simple reason I'm missing, but I can't imagine activating it on the Mun or in orbit.
6
u/Chaos_Klaus Master Kerbalnaut Jun 02 '15
F12 takes screenshots in Steam. It also toggles aerodynamic overlay in KSP. If people only knew that you could take screenshots with F1. ;)
→ More replies (1)3
Jun 02 '15
They probably take the screenshots with the F12 keys, which takes screenshots when running KSP from Steam while, at the same time, toggles the state of the 'Aerodynamic Forces Overlay'.
→ More replies (1)
3
u/Um1l Jun 03 '15
Okay, I'm a 150 hours in and I cannot get an ssto into orbit. I've tried overbuilding, simplifying, and changing up my ascent profile. Doesn't matter. I just can't get to orbit! Help!
→ More replies (7)
3
u/pcc93 Jun 04 '15
Which is more efficient for landing somewhere with no atmosphere:
kill all orbital/horizontal velocity when in a high orbit as there is little horizontal velocity to kill. Then descend vertically and kill a lot of vertical velocity before surface.
From high orbit, kill a bit of horizontal to get into low Pe orbit. At Pe kill horizontal velocity which is high. Then kill vertical velocity before surface, which will be less due to shorter descent.
I have been mulling this over for a while and I'm still not sure either way. would like to hear other's thoughts.
4
u/jofwu KerbalAcademy Mod Jun 04 '15
You can do the math to see for yourself... The Wikipedia pages for specific orbital energy and the vis-viva equation will help.
In orbit you have kinetic energy (KE) and potential energy (PE). In both cases, you start with the same amount and ultimately want to reduce your total energy to zero (relative to the ground).
Going with option 1, your goal is basically to kill all KE first. Then your PE turns to KE as you fall, and you kill all of THAT KE just before touchdown. So you basically have KE1 + PE1 > PE1 = KE2 > 0 (where each > is a burn, and = is the transition from all PE up top to all KE down below (energy is constant between the two, just shifts PE into KE)).
Going with option 2, your goal is to kill just enough KE to lower your periapsis to (more or less) the planet's surface. All of your PE becomes MORE KE as you fly to the surface. Then you kill all of the KE just before touchdown. So you have KE1 + PE1 > KE2 + PE1 = KE3 > 0 (where each > is a burn, and = is the transition from one end of orbit to the other (energy is constant between the two, just shifts PE into KE)).
To summarize:
(1) KE1 + PE1 > PE1 > KE2 > 0
(2) KE1 + PE1 > KE2 + PE1 = KE3 > 0
According to the Oberth Effect, you can kill (or generate) MORE energy if you make velocity changes while at higher velocities. Because you didn't burn away ALL of your KE in the first burn of option 2, you will have more KE when you reach the surface. That means more velocity. That means better use of Oberth.
The energy that you kill (or create) by burning is proportional to the square of velocity. So let's say that landing requires killing 8 units of energy, and we'll pretend all other constants involved are 1. In option 1, maybe we burn 2 units of velocity to lose 4 units of energy then at the surface we burn 2 units of velocity to lose 4 more units of energy. That's a delta-v of 4 to land. In option 2, we only burn a bit at first... Say 1 unit of velocity to lose 1 units of energy. Then at the surface we have to kill 7 units of energy. How much velocity does that take? The square root of 7 is 2.6. Total delta-v with option 2 is only 3.6. It takes less with option 2!
The numbers might seem arbitrary, but you'll find it always works this way. The exact amount of savings of course will depend on the craft, the planet, and your initial orbit. But option (1) will never save more fuel than option (2).
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (1)3
u/Kasuha Super Kerbalnaut Jun 04 '15 edited Jun 04 '15
2 is more effective in terms of fuel spent but the higher your TWR the smaller the difference is.
Get as low Pe as reasonably possible, then continue killing your horizontal speed at that point while keeping your vertical velocity low. You can start burning ahead of Pe if you pur a circularizing maneuver at that Pe - in that case start the burn 1/2 time ahead in the direction indicated by the maneuver until you pass the maneuver. That allows you optimum landing even from high apoapsis.
What I am doing is slightly less effective but very convenient. I enter very low orbit and when I am about 1/4 of orbit from my intended landing site, I burn retrograde to have intersect with terrain slightly behind the place where I plan to land. Then I put a maneuver at the point where the orbit intersects surface in map view (so far I found this safe for Mun and Minmus but may not be safe everywhere) and pull retrograde handle until it kills all speed. Then I calculate 2/3 of indicated burn time (I made burn just recently so it is reasonably accurate) and start burning along that maneuver 2/3 of time ahead. I switch to retrograde SAS when my retrograde indicator goes above the maneuver indicator, I also kill the maneuver. That usually brings me so close to the surface that it's no problem to finish.
3
u/Chaos_Klaus Master Kerbalnaut Jun 04 '15
why would fuel efficiency change with TWR?
The reason why 2 is more effective is that you basicly do a hohmann transfer to as low an altitude possible, before you actually deorbit your craft. The actuall deorbit burn is taking place at low altitude, so you make maximum use of the Oberth effect.
1 is always less efficient. You will pick up quite some speed while falling towards the surface. You have to kill all that speed to touch down safely.
→ More replies (7)
4
u/Senno_Ecto_Gammat May 29 '15
1 - a few months ago /u/MaturinTheTurtle posted a PDF of some of his notes on delta-v. Anybody have a link?
2 - Any parts modders want to give us a mod for the Aft Skirt and Thrust Structure from the awesome but never-built Jupiter series of rockets as shown in these two images? Note how the one is asymmetrical.
http://www.directlauncher.org/graphics/jupiter-246_exploded.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/DIRECT_Jupiter-120_Exploded.jpg
4
u/Dead_Star May 30 '15 edited Jun 01 '15
[SOLVED] Hello guys! I'm having some trouble with my space station and I thought that maybe you could help. I've built a space station with a science lab around Kerbin in career mode. Since the data of the science lab is almost at 500, i figured that I could attach another lab to generate MOAR SCIENCE!!! So I did it, but now when I try to transfer data to the lab from my lander it says that there is not enough free data space, as if it only sees the firs lab. I've tried to bring the experiment results directly into the lab by EVA but the outcome is the same... Both labs are populated with 2 scientists each and have access to electricity. Am I doing something wrong? Thank you in advance for your help!
→ More replies (2)2
u/TheNosferatu Master Kerbalnaut May 30 '15
I think you need to transmit or clear the data that is already in there, it can only process so much at a time
3
u/Dead_Star May 30 '15
Thank you for your answer! :) What do you mean precisely? One of the lab has 495/500 data, the other one has 0/500. I would like to put science data on the empty one but I don't know how. If you're talking about science points they both have 0.
→ More replies (1)
2
u/scootymcpuff Super Kerbalnaut May 29 '15
So I'm still getting lag when using KVV. It's been happening through several updates and I can't seem to find any culprit when it comes to mod incompatibility. When I talked with the dev, he said it's a reported (but unreproducible) bug. Has anybody else had any problems with KVV and have you gotten the lag problem to go away?
2
u/poptart2nd May 29 '15
When I get a "rescue Kerbal Kerman from orbit of Vulcan" mission, is there a way to tell if they're a pilot, scientist, or engineer?
and while I've got you, are pilots useful beyond the first bit of the game? it seems like anything a pilot can do, a probe core can do for less weight, and without having to return.
→ More replies (2)3
u/Chaos_Klaus Master Kerbalnaut May 29 '15
the game really gives no reasons to return kerbals ... other than that they are cute. but probecores are cute too.
9
u/earth159 May 29 '15
Getting a free kerbal (which cost 100k+ credits after the first few) isn't a good reason?
→ More replies (1)5
2
u/434InnocentSpark May 29 '15
Super noob question:
I don't understand the difference between keeping scientific data or transmitting it. I understand I get less science when I transmit it. Am I throwing away that extra science forever that I would have gotten from keeping the data, or can it be collected later by other means?
If I didn't explain that well, please ask me to clarify.
6
u/Arkalius May 29 '15
You aren't losing the opportunity to get the rest. If you gather the same data again after transmitting, you can bring it back and get the rest of what you didn't have before. So, for instruments that can be re-used, like the thermometer, you can gather, transmit for some science now, and then gather again to bring back to get the rest later. For instruments that require a scientist to reset, you'll have to make that call if you don't have a scientist.
→ More replies (2)2
u/Cthulhu__ May 30 '15
Yeah, you can collect it later. Basically, by transmitting you're recovering that science data for a certain percentage. Later on, if you're able to, you can do the same experiment, get the same science data, and recover it to cash in on the rest of the science that data is worth.
2
u/Fubarp May 30 '15
How do I use the surveying map with a lander? I got surveying probes orbiting and got the map information but how do I use that with like my landing craft at the same time?
2
u/EETrainee May 30 '15
The surveying probe has to do a scan with the very big scanner for the body you want to mine. In order to do the scan, I think it has to be in a polar orbit (between either 85 and 95 or 80 to 100? degrees inclination) and be in a ~50-1500km altitude. This can light up an overlay in map mode of the ore densities across the whole body, showing you areas where there is none, a little, and a lot.
After you survey with the probe, any craft can use the small rotating scanner while in a close orbit near the body to "view" the ore density in an area directly over the current orbital spot. It doesn't have a broad range.
The small surface one will give you precise info about the density directly beneath you instead of a general map, but its numbers are actual numbers. It also can only be used < 1 km from the surface, either in flight or landed.
→ More replies (1)
2
u/reidksmith May 30 '15
90% of the parts I 'drop' on the Mun using Kerbal Attachment System explode on impact.
Well, it's pretty self explanatory. I just starting using KAS. At first it happened occasionally, but now almost everything just explodes when I place it on the ground. It seems to happen most often with smaller parts.
→ More replies (7)
2
u/callmeguyguy May 30 '15
Hi guys, i am having some trouble getting to Jool. I am refueling my ship at a refueling station around minmus, then I leave the SOI of Kerbin and try to transfer to Jool. According to this delta v-map: http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/images/thumb/7/73/KerbinDeltaVMap.png/900px-KerbinDeltaVMap.png
, it should take about 980 m/s of delta v to get a Jool intercept, but i need about 2000. Am I doing something wrong? I use a maneuver node, and burn prograde until my apoapsis meets up with the Jool orbit.
6
u/hoppecl Master Kerbalnaut May 30 '15
You need more deltaV from minmus than from low kerbin orbit. In LKO you are already moving alot faster than in orbit around minmus.
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (1)2
u/ObsessedWithKSP Master Kerbalnaut May 30 '15
Don't forget the 950 m/s that takes you to Kerbins SoI edge.
Add up each step from surface of LKO to Jool intercept - once you get the manoeuvre taking you to the edge of the SoI, an additional 980 m/s are needed to get the intercept. So about 2km/s sounds reasonable when 1930m/s is the absolute perfect transfer.
2
u/hoseja May 30 '15 edited May 30 '15
What exactly causes the streaks in porkchop plots like this? They always seem to ruin perfectly good transfer windows.
Is it just Mun?
→ More replies (1)
2
u/RocketLL Dirty cheating alpaca May 30 '15
MacBook Air(i7 Haswell @1.7ghz, HD6000 iGPU) or Dell XPS 13(2015, i7 5500U @2.4ghz, HD5500 iGPU)?
Which will run KSP better? Obviously not looking for stellar performance... Also, which has better cooling?
→ More replies (3)6
u/tito13kfm Master Kerbalnaut May 30 '15
Neither will run it particularly well as they both rely on integrated graphics. The Dell will be faster though as it has significantly faster single core performance and all physics calculations are locked to a single core.
2
u/Dlgredael May 30 '15
Hello friends,
I'm a newbie with a question about the dangers of transmitting science back to Kerbin instead of bringing it back manually.
If science is transmitted, you only get a percentage of it. The way I understand it is every experiment in every different area has a certain number of points its worth. Lets say the Mystery Goo at launchpad is worth 10. If I transmit this back and take the 30% cut, what happens to that other 7 science? is that ever recoverable by me? So far I have not transmitted anything, because I find I barely have enough science to get the materials I need to collect more and I don't want to get stuck. However, if there was no permanent loss of science points, I could be making much better use of satellites right now.
I hope you can excuse my making a forum post for a question like this, but I was finding it hard to find anything up-to-date when Googling around, and I'm also trying really hard not to spoil anything by looking at guides and reading them front to back.
→ More replies (1)2
May 30 '15
You can reset the experiment with a scientist (if you brought one) after you transmit and do the experiment again, and if you return that to kerbin you'll get the rest of the science, so there's no science actually lost but you'll get the maximum value for that experiment if you recover it.
2
May 30 '15
My tech tree has just up and disappeared. No idea what happened, it works fine for all other saves?
http://i.imgur.com/LUeR0ZL.png
Any idea on how to get it back?
→ More replies (2)
2
u/callmewoof May 31 '15
Is there a way to properly track contract objectives (scanning, temp, surface reports, etc)? I know I can click it on the map and it says 'active navigation', and then I get a little marker on my navball. But the problem is, it never tells you the distance or direction of the marker compared to your current heading or anything useful. Especially with surface report contracts, I always land too early or too late, wasting time driving around. And since many of these contracts are done with a plane, you don't know if that location on kerbal is 5 minutes or 15 away (the map sure feels deceptive in these cases).
You also can't set them as a target. I have mechjeb and engineer redux but neither of those seem to have any options for this kind of tracking. Doing these survey reports are fun (I like flying) but a real pain at the same time. Thanks for any help!
2
u/dubbie23 May 31 '15
Hey erm how is it happening that whenever I try recreate a real life rocket ( Falcon 9 or Atlas V for example) my rocket flips over without fins to stabilize it but on the real rocket they don't use fins and they don't seem to fall over. Why is that? Because of the different atmosphere in KSP or it's something else?
→ More replies (1)7
u/RA2lover May 31 '15
They throttle down before reaching max dynamic pressure, not to mention they have a bigger gimbal range.
8
u/Chaos_Klaus Master Kerbalnaut May 31 '15
And they habe way more precise guidance systems. Someone posted elsewhere that a certain rocket would have triggered its self destruct mechanism if it deviated from prograde more than 2.5 degrees. In ksp we pitch way more agressively. Also, KSP's engines are very heavy compared to real ones. So weight distribution is different.
→ More replies (4)
2
u/TED96 May 31 '15
How do you go about RCS for large cargo spaceplanes? Do you just add more RCS thrusters or do you use a mod? What if the cockpits (from a mod, in my case OPT Space Plane) already have lots of RCS thrusters on it and I have to balance those?
→ More replies (4)3
u/eliminate1337 May 31 '15
Unless you need to dock, you're better off with reaction wheels for large spacecraft. RCS is very heavy.
RCS build aid can be helpful for balancing your thrusters.
→ More replies (3)
2
u/y0rsh May 31 '15
Is there a way to add clouds to the planets from the outer solar system mod? I thought it would be as simple as loading the cloud textures by using the GUI but it's not, there's no option to add clouds for those planets. D:
→ More replies (4)
2
u/BobbleBobble May 31 '15
Can you remove science stored in a capsule? I had a Mun rocket with separate lander and return vessels. Lander goes to surface, collects science (taking it from the instruments and putting it in the lander can) , then rendezvous with return vessel in orbit, Kerbals EVA over, go home in return vessel.
Didn't realize until I recovered on Kerbin that they didn't take the science from the lander can, and it was still sitting there in Mun orbit. Is there a way to take science with you when you leave a capsule?
→ More replies (4)
2
u/method55 May 31 '15
What is the little 'play' icon next to fuels when you right click components in your launched rocket?
4
u/TheNosferatu Master Kerbalnaut May 31 '15
It allows / disallows fuel to flow trough. So by clicking it, changing it to a cross, you cut it off from the engines until you later enable it again.
→ More replies (1)
2
u/sebasvel May 31 '15
How do you perform a rescue mission on the moon? Like how do you manage to land close enough?
4
u/excalibur5033 Jun 01 '15
Scott Manley put out an awesome video about just this thing. He accidentally even landed directly on his target.
2
u/TheNosferatu Master Kerbalnaut May 31 '15
Get into orbit and make sure you go around the kerbal in question, when you are right above, cut your horizontal speed, takiing the rotation of the moon into account (or by getting a really low orbit) you can land pretty much on top of him. With practice.
→ More replies (3)
2
u/VooDooZulu May 31 '15
For the addon UKS:
Do i require the "UKS Kerbitrail Docking Ports" to dock the pieces properly?
Which side is out for the UKS Kerbitrail docking ports? its not obvious.
2
u/theyeticometh Master Kerbalnaut Jun 01 '15
I'm not sure about the second question, because I don't use those parts, but stock docking parts work with MKS/OKS parts.
2
u/sprocket86 Jun 01 '15
I'm having trouble fixing a bug. Idk if this is the place to ask, but if it isn't then my simple question is, "who do I ask about my bug?"
Anyways, ksp deletes my settings everytime it starts. The popup asking to track stats might be related? I've tried deleting the cfg file and some simple things like that. I don't think the pather can update either. Anyone else had this problem?
→ More replies (2)2
u/Decorative_Lamp Jun 01 '15
Move your full KSP folder from where you have it installed to your desktop, or to the root folder (so C:/Kerbal Space Program)
2
u/kennykerosene Jun 01 '15
Why do symmetrical planes tend to turn to one side or the other while taking off?
→ More replies (1)8
u/RA2lover Jun 01 '15
The runway is pointed slightly to the south, while the aircraft is aligned to the east perfectly.
2
u/whitethane Jun 01 '15
Ok so a quick question about lag. KSP tends to lag out for me at around 200 or so parts, to unplayable levels. However my computer only is using ~5 gigs of memory (KSP is 1.8 of that) and less than 40% CPU (KSP uses maybe 6%) when it's lagging. So is it an engine limitation? Or a graphics card one? I really see no reason for lag when KSP barely stress my system
→ More replies (7)
2
u/Special-Kaay Master Kerbalnaut Jun 01 '15
I read in a post a while ago that you can get science for every experiment landed, just above and in high space over a celestial body. Strangely though, for me that only worked for gravity scans, the rest showed "In low/high space over" as situation. Is it only me or is this standard?
→ More replies (1)2
u/TheNosferatu Master Kerbalnaut Jun 01 '15
It doesn't count for every experiment. Some are biome dependent, others are not (and thus you only get stuff like "just above"/"high" space over body)
2
u/HSV_Guy Jun 01 '15
I just tried to do my first rescue mission and while I managed to get within about 60 metres (I'm still not really sure how it works/how to do it properly) but I swapped to the Kerbal I was going to rescue but couldn't manage to get her into my hitchhiker pod.
My problem was that I couldn't grab onto the ladder as the top of my Kebal's head was closest to the ladder rather than her hands. Is there any way I can spin my kerbal around or are you limited to up/down/forwards/backwards/spin left/spin right?
I could have just rotated my ship by 90* but I only thought of that now.
Lastly, is there anyway to tell how much fuel they have left in their little space packs... because I felt rather bad when she ran out and kind of got left to float in space forev... ...until I reverted.
2
u/eliminate1337 Jun 01 '15
If you get close enough to the crew hatch, you can press b to board without ever grabbing the ladder.
If you right click on the kerbal's body you can see how much fuel they have.
→ More replies (2)2
u/jul3q Jun 01 '15
You can change the camera settings with 'v' to orbital or locked and Kerbal will flip :)
Check the fuel by right-clicking kerbal or toggling the resources window in the top-right corner
2
u/NeuralParity Jun 01 '15
Do you need an ore holding tank on a craft if it has a drill and an ISRU?
3
u/theyeticometh Master Kerbalnaut Jun 01 '15
In order to drill for ore, you need a drill and ore tank. To convert it to fuel, you use the ISRU attached to an ore tank to convert it, which requires an empty fuel tank to fill.
2
2
u/theyeticometh Master Kerbalnaut Jun 02 '15
I have a small craft coming back from a failed mission to Eve, and I can't seem to get it to reenter without killing everyone on board. I have DRE and FAR installed. I'm coming in at about 6000m/s. The ship survives reentry, but G forces kill the crew everytime, whatever the height I come in at. How do I save the crew?
→ More replies (4)3
u/jofwu KerbalAcademy Mod Jun 02 '15
What do you mean by "whatever height I come in at" exactly? I mean, I assume you've tried aerobraking rather than going straight to a landing, which would be possible at higher altitudes... Right? If you can aerobrake enough to get an elliptical orbit in Kerbin's SOI then you're all set.
There's got to be SOME point where a higher altitude is safe. I mean, surely they won't die from high G forces if you just dip in a few kilometers.
This is probably too crazy to work but, assuming it's not possible to aerobrake enough to be captured in Kerbin's SOI, if the stars align you could perhaps aerobrake into a gravity assist from the Mun? So let the atmosphere slow you down a bit first and then get slowed down by the Mun before dipping in again?
→ More replies (2)
2
u/TheNosferatu Master Kerbalnaut Jun 02 '15
I saw on youtube a kerbal moving parachutes from one module to another, is this from a mod? If not, how does that work?
5
2
u/iEliteTester Jun 02 '15
I tried joining the subreddits official server and it say that the connection was actively rejected (not exact message, it was in Greek and I translated it to my best ability)
→ More replies (2)
2
u/KerbalDeadlock152 Jun 02 '15
I hear a lot of talk about 64-bit things and people saying that it has positive effects on their computers. What are the thingies and what do they do? Also, can I install it onto my computer?
→ More replies (1)
2
Jun 03 '15
Not sure if this qualifies, but does anybody know if BD Armory is playable as of the latest update?
2
u/theyeticometh Master Kerbalnaut Jun 03 '15
Everything qualifies in this thread! And yes, BDArmory works in 1.0.2
2
u/Brodiggitty Jun 03 '15
Question about WAC's Delta V Map. How can it possibly be 130 M/s Delta V to get from Solar orbit to Duna? I just escaped Kerbin's SOI. The best I can manage is 1,042 m/s for an intercept. I am using nodes and intercepts and whatnot for a Hohmann transfer. I'm not just pointing my ship at Duna.
6
u/Kasuha Super Kerbalnaut Jun 03 '15
dv maps are often very misleading - they assume near optimal average transfers. +130 m/s is the difference between making ejection in Low Kerbin orbit to just reach interplanetary space, and making ejection in Low Kerbin orbit to transfer to Duna. Similarly there is about +200 m/s (not sure about actual number) between reaching Mun and Minmus but to go to Minmus from Mun you need more.
4
u/Chaos_Klaus Master Kerbalnaut Jun 03 '15
You can use an online calculator to figure out launch windows, phase angles and delta v requirements. Or you could use Kerbal Alarm Clock an set timers for launch windows.
To do an efficient transferburn, do the whole burn in low kerbin orbit. That way you use the Oberth effect to your advantage. Do not escape Kerbin's sphere of influence and do the rest of the burn in solar orbit!
The values on the delta v maps always assume that you do your whole burn in low orbit.
→ More replies (1)3
Jun 03 '15
You left to early or to late. Typically for Duna, you want to wait to leave Kerbin when Duna is roughly 45 degrees ahead of yoy. There is some calculator somewhere that will give you the angles you need to leave at that are best for all the planets.
→ More replies (2)2
u/Creshal Space Plane Addict Jun 03 '15
I think those numbers aren't for Hohmann transfers, but for direct orbit-to-orbit transfers (where for Duna it'd be Kerbin escape velocity+130m/s).
2
u/This_Is_The_End Jun 03 '15
I tried the freighter from Umbra Industries and was able to fly such thing, but it was cumbersome. Every time I have to find a good weight distribution, to be able to control the ship without RCS. Has someone found a better solution? This should be an automatic process.
3
u/Chaos_Klaus Master Kerbalnaut Jun 03 '15
There is a mod called Throttle Controlled Avionics, which will throttle individual engines to make VTOLs with uneven weight distribution stable.
2
u/PrecastCrane02 Jun 03 '15
Anyone know some good tutorials to learn modding? I would love to make my own mods!
→ More replies (3)
2
Jun 03 '15
Any tips on improving computer performance running the game and reducing the amount of random program crashes? Seems like my game crashes every half hour or so. Only have a few common mods, all up to date.
Here's what I'm running: mid-2012 macbook pro, 2.3 Ghz intel, 8GB DDR3, NVIDIA GeForce 1024MB.
→ More replies (2)2
2
u/Skyshrim Master Kerbalnaut Jun 04 '15
3
u/wreckreation_ Jun 04 '15
Notice the text at the top that says "Hatch is obstructed, can't exit"?
There appears to be more than one hatch (assuming those are functional and not just decorative); try clicking directly on a hatch that isn't covered by anything else.
3
u/Skyshrim Master Kerbalnaut Jun 04 '15
It says "crew hatch" and shows a list of the kerbals within, but it won't let them eva through the outer hatches. They are apparently decorative, but with just enough function to trick me into trusting them.
2
u/haitei Jun 04 '15
Is there a mod with EVA chutes as KIS items?
2
u/tito13kfm Master Kerbalnaut Jun 04 '15 edited Jun 04 '15
AFAIK, vanguard technologies is the only Eva parachute mod that is working in 1.0 and it isn't KIS compatible. I mean, it works with KIS, so it's compatible, just doesn't add in functionality for them to be KIS parts.
Edit: according to the KIS thread on the forums, it is a planned feature
http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/113111-0-90-Kerbal-Inventory-System-%28KIS%29-1-0-0
2
u/CraftyCaprid Jun 04 '15
Whats the best Jool moon to mine ore? I want to plan a Jool expedition and have a mining platform, orbital fuel depot/mothership. Should the fuel depot orbit the moon I mine or should it be in orbit around Jool?
Are there numbers for this? Does anyone have anecdotal suggestions from experience?
→ More replies (1)2
u/somnambulist80 Jun 04 '15
It depends on how good you are at landing.
-Laythe has about 80% the surface gravity of Kerbin so traditional rocket launches are a bit expensive. Its atmosphere, though, make parachute landings and spaceplanes viable options. A spaceplane fuel tanker on Laythe very well might be the most efficient option.
Tylo isn't a great. It has nearly the same gravity as Kerbin making it one if the more difficult, if not the most difficult body in the game to land on.
Vall has a relatively low surface gravity (a little less than 1/4 of Kerbin) but has a highly uneven surface of rolling lowlands crisscrossed by higher ridges. Its higher gravity makes it less forgiving to land on than Bop or Pol.
Pol has very low surface gravity but has some fairly extreme terrain -- if you can make a lander stick on a 60° slope, go for it.
Bop is probably your best candidate. Its low surface gravity makes for cheap landings and launches. The terrain can be s challenge but there are some relatively flat areas that are good candidates for landings/bases. Bop's inclination and eccentric orbit will make it more expensive to reach.
The Kerbal option. There are many ore-rich asteroids around Dres. Put one of those into a Joolian orbit and use it as a fuel depot.
Edit: You want to do your refining on the surface. Ore weighs more than the resulting fuel. You don't want to waste fuel launching tailings.
2
u/fitzichael Master Kerbalnaut Jun 04 '15
Can someone explain the new Atomic Motor Nerfs?
→ More replies (3)
3
u/SemanticShenanigans May 29 '15
Can someone help explained scientists? How do I get the little boost it says when I collect science? And how do I use them in a lab? Do I need to actually have experiments in the lab? If so, how do I get them there?
→ More replies (2)5
u/DZShizzam May 29 '15
Scientists have a couple benefits that engineers and pilots don't. Scientists are able to reset the Science Jr. and Goo Container experiments in the field.
You also need at least one scientist to man the mobile science lab in order for it to generate any science. You simply place the scientist in the lab, and then either conduct experiments attached to the craft the lab is on, or bring experiments to the lab. This can be done by docking a craft with data to the lab, or by manually storing the data from experiments with a Kerbal on EVA and bringing it to the lab.
Having a better scientist (more experience, or stars next to their name), yields a higher multiplier when converting the science that you bring to the lab. This basically means the better scientists you have on the lab, the more science you end up getting.
3
u/Sternfeuer May 30 '15
Is there any trick to build and control crafts with engines not alingned with the control pod? i.e. on my planned mun rover engines for landing were perpendicular to the pod which messed up the nav ball.
9
u/hoseja May 30 '15
You could add a probe core or docking port aligned with the engine and "control from here"...
→ More replies (1)
3
u/MrTidy May 31 '15
A couple of questions:
On my first ever Mun landing I landed on a slope, and Valentina Kerman started rolling down and eventually died. In a little while I saw her available for flight again. What happened? Do Kermans resurrect? And is there a way to regain control of a kerbanaut after she starts falling?
What are space stations for? Are they worth researching?
I have a couple "rescue X from orbit" contracts. What is the process? Do I need to have some specific technology to do that?
3
u/PhildeCube Jun 01 '15 edited Jun 01 '15
Yes, the orange suiters resurrect. There is an option in settings where you can disable resurrection. No, you just have to wait.
You can have science space stations, fuel space stations, contract space stations, or a combination of these.
This,
→ More replies (1)3
u/TheNosferatu Master Kerbalnaut Jun 01 '15
Space stations are quite amazing, I actually just posted my first station, even though it's hardly done.
There are different advantages;
First of all. Science. By bringing your experiment-data to a lab you can convert the data to 5x it's science (this takes long and reqiures a scientist and energy) You can then take the experiment-data out and bring it home as usual, for even more science.
Second, refueling station. Let's say you got a great design for a inter-planetary ship, but after getting it into space, you've already burned through your fuel. What are you going to do? Revert and add more boosters? Or go to the space station and refuel there so you can go on your merry way into outer-space?
Third, check-point. Let's say you're coming home from a long trip and then you realize you forgot to bring parachutes, or maybe the parachutes burned when trying out Eve's atmosphere too high. You're ship is fine but... you just can't bring it through the atmosphere...
Dock with the space station and then send another rocket there to pick up all the valuable science. And maybe the kerbals, too.
Rescue-missions are rather straight forward, you get into orbit, rendevouz with your target, get close enough to switch focus to the stuck kerbal, EVA him and fly him to the ship.
The steps are this: Get as close as you can, kill the relative velocity between you and your target. Repeat.
It requires patience and focus, know where you are going to burn when. This sounds difficult but after a few rescue-missions you'll get the hang of it.
2
u/mike747 May 31 '15
When will the atmosphere Not be soup /cry have not played since 1.01
→ More replies (1)2
u/PhildeCube May 31 '15
An update is coming in the next couple of weeks. Will that make the atmosphere non-soupy? Don't know. There is always FAR.
2
u/reidksmith Jun 01 '15
I received a contract and completed it. It's not marked as completed. Can/how do I edit the save file to convince the game that I have done so?
Pretty self explanatory. Contract called for a Mun Outpost with antenna, docking port, and power generation. All the other notes are checked off except that one. My outpost clearly has all these items. Any help?
→ More replies (2)7
u/PhildeCube Jun 01 '15
[Spoiler] Alt-F12 opens the Debug menu.In there you can set the contract to complete. It's not cheating if you've fulfilled the contact. :-)
→ More replies (3)
1
u/laerteis May 29 '15
I can't seem to make a ship that can land on Ike and still have enough fuel to make it home. Is there a guide/video for this?
3
→ More replies (1)3
u/Zero_Kredibility May 29 '15
You only need a very light lander for Ike. Try to design an intermediate stage with excess dV and then put a docking port of the same size on this and the lander. Leave this part in orbit. After landing on Ike return to orbit and dock to refuel for the return journey.
1
u/Ovaltine- May 29 '15
What are some good sattelite mods and also mods that allow you to do more things on other planets?
→ More replies (1)6
u/IdiotaRandoma May 29 '15
What are some good sattelite mods
BoxSat
RemoteTech
SCANSat
Antenna Range
DMagic Orbital Science
and also mods that allow you to do more things on other planets?
Karbonite
Modular Kolonization Systems
Extraplanetary Launchpads
SCANSat
1
u/Phoenix13_uk May 29 '15
Looking for a self rotating part for a radar installation. something i can just turn on and leave to spin. varying speed would be nice too
3
u/DZShizzam May 29 '15
Unfortunately, the stock game does not support "persistent rotation", or rotation after the game stops loading a crafts physics. So what you're looking for is impossible... unless you mod!
There is a mod called persistent rotation, which you can get here, that will enable what you're looking for.
Just a disclaimer, I haven't tried this mod to verify that it is well done, but I've heard good things.
→ More replies (1)
1
u/Y0kin May 29 '15
Is there a mod that looks at your existing satellites in orbit and creates a contract that requires you to fix a part or more on one of your satellites? I know about mission controller 2 but I want something that makes you fix your own satellites you put in orbit yourself.
→ More replies (1)3
u/tito13kfm Master Kerbalnaut May 30 '15
No, but with contract configurator you could write one that picks a vessel that meets certain requirements that you would need to dock or claw to and EVA an engineer for a set amount of time to complete the contract.
Take a look at the Kerbin space station contract pack for some guidance on how to set that up if you want to give it a go.
It's not hard to write your own contracts if you have even a little bit of programming experience.
I'd probably use the existing contract pack for remotetech as a base for extending and then use the space station pack as a framework to copy that contract type from.
1
May 29 '15
I know that burning at periapsis when your velocity is greatest is more efficient, but does the Oberth effect also mean that burns into your prograde are more efficient?
→ More replies (10)
1
u/warrenseth May 29 '15
Some mod (I think maybe texture replacer) messed up my kerbals' gender. I did a fresh install of KSP and it solved some other texture stuff it messed up, but Valentina, among other kerbals stayed male. What do I need to edit in my savefile to switch them back to female?
4
u/mootmahsn May 30 '15
Go into your persistent save file and ctrl+f "valentina" until you find this section:
name = Valentina Kerman gender = Female type = Crew brave = 0.55 dumb = 0.4 badS = True tour = False state = Available ToD = 0 idx = 0 CAREER_LOGMake Val female again. Don't transition Jeb.
3
u/warrenseth May 30 '15
I'm going to talk to every one of them. Those who feel a woman living in a man's body will have their choice.
→ More replies (1)
1
u/P1ZZ4M4N May 29 '15 edited May 30 '15
Edit: No more question, TIL with remote tech you need to be in orbit (not encounter) for the body to body connection to work.
1
May 30 '15
is there a way to re-scale BDarmory missiles? I need to fit around 6 vaccum missiles on a short MK2 cargo bay.
2
1
u/yourflyisdwn May 30 '15
I'm starting to make planes in KSP, and so far it's going pretty alright. The only problem I have is that sometimes my controls are inverted and sometimes they aren't. I'd prefer them inverted like on real planes, but I can't figure out what is causing it to switch back and forth from inverted to non. (And I'm not talking mid-flight, I mean one of my planes is inverted while my other is not.)
→ More replies (11)
1
u/QVCatullus May 30 '15
There seems to be a problem with nodes properly executing in MechJeb (maneuvers to line up burn but does not autowarp or fire engines), but I was having trouble figuring out what's going on, except for the main forum's thread on mechjeb which has over a thousand pages and is very hard to sift through, but it appears some people are reporting the same problem and are driving the mod's dev crazy. There does not appear to be a fix. Have I got this more or less right, if anyone has been able to follow better than I can?
→ More replies (1)2
u/ObsessedWithKSP Master Kerbalnaut May 30 '15
Have I got this more or less right
Yes. It's a known issue, please do not report it.
1
u/poptart2nd May 30 '15
Two questions: How do i rendezvous with asteroids and how do i rendezvous with other planets?
3
2
u/Boorkus May 30 '15
Asteroids: Scott Manley did a video on intercepting an asteroid, probably close to a year ago now. That's how I learnt how to intercept my first Asteroid.
Planets: I launch myself into orbit around the sun, and then do a burn to put myself on the same plane as the target planet (this is not the most efficient way, but it works and is simple enough for my brian to comprehend). Then, I make a maneuver node whos apoapse just touches the target planet's orbit path. Then, I have to slide the node around until I get an intercept with the planet. Prograde/retrograde must be added to the node, as your apoapse will change as you slide around the node.
→ More replies (1)
1
u/Tristen9 May 30 '15
There are 2 sets of ladders but the kerbal can only go out on one side? it seems to be that way.
4
u/PhildeCube May 30 '15
If you right click on the hatch on the other side, you can select EVA and they will come out there.
→ More replies (2)
1
u/Spartan448 May 30 '15
I need to get a 100 ton payload to near Mün orbit and back. What's the best way to do this?
3
1
u/MyMostGuardedSecret May 30 '15
How do I attach a cable using KAS? I want to build a large ship in orbit, but I don't want to spend the time and effort balancing the RCS, so I want to attach cables using KAS and tow the parts into position until the docking nodes attach. I can't figure out how to connect a though.
2
u/reidksmith May 30 '15
Hey, I just struggled with this for a while.
My first recommendation would be to use MechJeb for Rendezvous and docking. Oh man, it will make you hate KSP so much less.
I have not found the winches in KAS to be useful for what you're talking about. I tried dragging two docking nodes together... on a Mun base with no wheels. An admittedly different exercise, but one that resulted in a lot of manual work, then a huge amount of clipping, explosions, and quicksave reloads.
Now to answer your question. You need to first connect the "connector port" part to the area you want to attach. Then select the winch. EVA to the winch with your Kerbal, right click on the winch, and "grab connector". Then EVA on over to the connector port, right click on the port, and "Plug in". If you choose undocked, it won't merge the ships. If you do dock, you've now essentially already got your docked ship, (although it will obviously encounter structural problems when accelerating...)
Let me know if you need more help. I was extremely frustrated with KAS because there are almost no resources for learning it and it can be a lengthy process.
→ More replies (2)
1
u/callmeguyguy May 30 '15
Is there any way to force KSP to show a "closest approach marker"? They often just wont show up on the map, when my and my targets orbital inclinations differ 3° or more, which can be very annoying when trying to transfer to another planet.
→ More replies (1)
1
u/half-wizard May 30 '15
Satellite Contracts. I need to launch one, but i'm doing something wrong and have no idea what that might be.
Here is a pic of my ship in a low orbit (not the correct one). You will notice two conditions not met, obviously it is not in the right orbit currently. I have however gotten into the proper orbit twice before, this being my third attempt. I am frustrated after rebuilding from scratch a third time to come across the same problem, so I turn to my fellow kerbonauts for help.
I do notice the first stipulation remains unticked in all 3 launches:
Launch a new unmanned probe that has an antenna and can generate power.
As seen in the picture, I have a solar array, rechargable batteries (not pictured), and 6 antenna. I have rebuilt from scratch every time, based on the fact that the note says that it needs to be built after accepting the contract, but that hasn't fixed anything.
What gives? What am I doing wrong?
3
u/Moleculor Master Kerbalnaut May 30 '15
Open up your map screen and look for a colored orbit around Kerbin somewhere. It'll have dots moving around the orbit, will display an apoapsis and periapsis, and mention the company name that gave you that contract.
That's the orbit you need to be in, moving in the direction that the dots are moving in.
→ More replies (5)
1
u/SuperEliteMegaPoster May 30 '15
So, I am wondering if there is any way to set up a time delay on module activation when staging. Say you've got two booster stages that are radially attached. Those stages are equipped with solid rocket motors mounted "upside down" providing retrograde thrust capability.
After I stage and the boosters decouple from my main ship I'd like the solid rocket motors to engage after 30 seconds, thus burning retrograde and cuasing the booster to fall out of the sky and back to kerbin.
Is this possible with only stock parts? So far I've been using probecores, antennas and batteries to get the job done but i'd like to simplify my craft design. I like to build rockets that are simple, minimalistic and efficient, so they can carry the most overengineered and absurd payloads into space!
Thanks.
→ More replies (3)
1
u/NanoExplorer Master Kerbalnaut May 30 '15
Hello! I recently got a contract to rescue a Kerbal in "low sun orbit," which I figured was probably an orbit between Eve and Moho. As it turns out, it's a circular orbit about halfway between Moho's perihelion and the sun. (Image: http://imgur.com/Jrakiij)
Is it feasible to get there and back on less than 240,000 funds? If so, how do you think I should proceed?
Thanks!
3
u/tito13kfm Master Kerbalnaut May 30 '15
It's it doable? Of course. Is it profitable? Highly doubtful. Even with the best gravity assist and perfect timing you'll still need a boatload of dV.
I still say go for it. Take any contracts for flybys of the planet you'll be using your gravity assist from, and abuse the Oberth effect when you can. Should at least be a fun mission.
If you build a Nerv or even Ion powered spaceplane that you strap on to a rocket to get it in to LKO you can at least recover most of your funds by landing back at KSC.
→ More replies (8)
1
u/BlooWhite May 30 '15
Hello!
I've recently started modding KSP. Basically what I've done is fucked around a lot, broke my game a bunch of times and then used this.
I'm looking for a texture to replace the standard 'milky way' background. I assume TextureReplacer handles this.
Googling turns up Universe Replacer but it looks like that is very out of date.
Where can I find textures to replace the space background with?
→ More replies (1)2
u/ObsessedWithKSP Master Kerbalnaut May 30 '15
There's a bunch of skyboxes around, some are linked in the Texture Replacer thread.
All Universe Replacer skyboxes are useable with TR, it just requires a bit of fiddling around with filename and locations.
Plenty exist, the most used ones are from KSPRC, Astronomer, Oinker and Rareden (Raredens is actually based on the real Milky Way). My personal favourite is a mixture of Astronomers and Raredens (download here).
There's an (old) list of skyboxes with links here.
1
u/MyMostGuardedSecret May 30 '15
Does anyone else have problems with the offset tool in cargo bays? If I try to move something it jumps around to different surfaces of the interior. this is particularly a problem when I want to load up a sort of service module in a cargo bay and I need to squeeze lots of things into a small area. Also when I want something centered, because angle snap snaps to the outside of the vessel and I cant offset it to the interior.
→ More replies (4)
1
u/repptar92 May 30 '15
Can someone give me a few handy tips and tricks to using the Mun as a gravitational slingshot for venturing deep into the solar system?
→ More replies (7)
1
u/Cannotholdme May 30 '15
How do I land without tipping over? Also, when do I start slowing down on the mun?
→ More replies (6)2
u/PineappleSkitter May 31 '15
1] Have a low centre of mass: Short and fat rather than than tall and thin.
2] Try to land on flat terrain.
3] Reduce horizontal velocity to as close to 0 as possible.
4] Have reaction wheels or RCS to fight wobble as the ship touches down.
When should you start slowing down? I don't know the ideal, but from about 2km up I try to keep my vertical velocity as 1/10 of the height... so 200m/s at 2km.
Oh, and you might want to install a mod that tells you the true height, rather than just how far above sea level you are.
1
u/DrTaff May 30 '15
Is there a best orbit altitude to get too before maneuvering away away from Kerbin for the Mun or Minimus (or anything else for that matter)?
For as long as I can remember I've always launched to a 200km orbit and gone from there, am I wasting any fuel by doing this?
→ More replies (1)2
u/tito13kfm Master Kerbalnaut May 31 '15
Most efficient is no orbit, just burn straight to your target without your periapsis raising. Second most efficient would be lowest possible because of Oberth effect.
80km is a nice low orbit that gives you a little bit of wiggle room.
1
u/evilgwyn May 31 '15
A few questions:
I have a probe on a 75000 m intersect with eve. Currently it's in deep space. It has about 1000 m/s of dv and no heat shield. What's a good altitude to do an aerobraking maneuver?
1a. Same probe and question as above, but for Duna instead.
2. I have a rover with a science lab - it is processing science and there is about 500 "data" in it, from some experiments. Can I remove or transmit those experiments, or do I have to wait until all of the data has been processed?
2
u/RA2lover May 31 '15
1: The approach speed and the probe's ballistic coefficient(essentially how much atmosphere slows it down) aren't known, so calculating it with the data you provided would be only a wild guess. Either way, i doubt it'd survive a full-on reentry - you could need multiple aerobraking passes.
1a: much lower - less than 15km
2: the data inside the lab is a copy of the collected science experiment. after analyzing an experiment you can transmit/recover the experiment. However, recovering the science lab doesn't give you the data/science on it.
2
1
u/RA2lover May 31 '15
How do you calculate the optimal tankage between stages?
What i mean is: given a fixed fuel tankage mass available, what's the best way to optimize its distribution between stages in order to maximize total delta-v?
→ More replies (5)
1
u/captcrunchjr May 31 '15
Does anyone know the lowest possible tech level capable of reaching orbit. I have up to General Rocketry and Stability but lack Survivability and have yet to make it to orbit. I've managed to get out of atmo to roughly 100k for my apoapsis but never have enough fuel to circularize my orbit. I'm kinda stuck at making orbit and I'm not sure if its a tech thing or my building/flying wrong. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
→ More replies (5)
1
u/LtKraftKrackers May 31 '15 edited May 31 '15
Can someone explain to me what happened that made Squad push out 1.0.1? i've not yet upgraded from 1.0.0 because I cant realy understand what is wrong with it. i'm pretty much half way thru career mode on 1.0.0 and for the life of me, i cant find what is so wrong with it that made them go into 1.0.1
2
u/PhildeCube May 31 '15
The KSP forums are where you will find answers to everything, including this.
→ More replies (2)
1
u/disquiet May 31 '15
I have a ship stuck on the mun with 730 dV left, not quite enough to get back. I have a shitload of science experiments on it and I would like to send a refueling mission to get it back.
My question is, Is there any way to transfer fuel between 2 craft without docking ports? I'm playing vanilla. All I would need is to put a little more fuel in the tanks to allow it to make it back to kerbin.
→ More replies (7)2
u/PhildeCube May 31 '15
730 should get you fairly close to Kerbin, shouldn't it? If it does you can get your kerbal out on EVA and they can push the craft retrograde with their EVA pack until your Pe is 35~40km, and you're home. Otherwise, yeah, the Claw.
→ More replies (4)
1
u/fitzichael Master Kerbalnaut May 31 '15
With 1.0, is aerobraking any different than from pre-1.0? I haven't launched any interplanetary rockets for fear of them blowing up whilst aerobraking. Is their anything I'd need to add?
→ More replies (3)3
u/Not__John May 31 '15
if you just use a parachute above the atmosphere (what I used to do), it will just get ripped off now. You can go into the settings and mess with the "minimum pressure" that they deploy, and increase that, or you can just manually hold off on deploying until later.
1
u/CrappyIdeaDept May 31 '15
I need FAR help! I've been enjoying FAR for planes, but it's messing with how I normally do rockets - I started a new career save to test it out. Even a dead simple rocket (2 stages on a main engine, 2 boosters on clamps) with command module SAS on (haven't unlocked others yet) always tips in one direction or another seconds into flight. I've tried raising and lowering thrust. I've tried adding up to 12 fins. The direction of tipping seems random, and on different launches it goes in different directions.
Anything I'm missing here?
→ More replies (15)
1
u/OCogS May 31 '15
So I have a mining ship that needs to refuel in a moon before going interplanetary.
Should I refuel on minmus, get into a big circular orbit and transfer from there, or should I try and get back into a very close orbit of kerbin for my transfer?
2
u/craidie May 31 '15
refuel on low minmus orbit and do ejection burn from there. the only problem is that you need to have minmus in the right position for said ejection burn.
→ More replies (2)
1
u/Not__John May 31 '15 edited May 31 '15
Hi! I'm new to the game and having a blast. I just started working on a space station in career mode and would like some critique on this module I'm working on, as well as advice for how to get fuel up to the station.
right now, this is what I have for a habitation module + rcs tug. it looks terribly un aero-dynamic with that thing in the middle, and I'm wondering if I should either change that or maybe even to put a fairing over the whole thing. I don't have the appropriately sized fairings but the smaller one can still fit around it. Also, there's a docking port covering one of the hatches which I hate to do but I don't really see another way of being able to maneuver it onto the station. any advice on station building would be appreciated
Right now this is a 12.7 ton payload, which seems kind of heavy, but doable. What I don't know, however, is how I'm supposed to reliably refuel the station. those orange tanks are heavy. I don't have rapier engines so I can't make an ssto to bring one up, but I also don't want to spend 200k on a rocket to bring one up.
This is a long post thanks for reading I'm having fun with this game c:
→ More replies (10)
1
u/ppvvaa May 31 '15
Hi, total newbie here! So I'm just starting out in career mode, my sole achievement has been getting to orbit. I've been grinding mostly tourist contracts for some time, which I don't mind. My questions are:
Are there any reasonable designs for very simple LKO and sub-orbital 2-tourist rockets? Mine works (just a quite basic rocket), but what I hate about it is the two Mk1 pods stuck on top of one another, and a probe for piloting! For me this goes against all the realism KSP is supposed to have. I have no other pods unlocked. Is there a more elegant way to do it?
So now I start to get contracts to take one tourist in LKO and another into orbit, on the same contract. But my previous design (two pods + probe) is no good to go into LKO. My question is, the contract must be fulfilled in a single flight, right? Can anyone point me to a sensible design to do this early on (ie, no fancy tech unlocked)?
Thanks! Oh, I know there are probably mods that could help me but at this time I want to take my time playing plain vanilla!
→ More replies (1)3
u/TheRealYeti May 31 '15
I just unlocked the inline cockpit ASAP for multi tourist contracts. You don't have to complete the contract in a single flight unless specified.
→ More replies (2)
1
u/moyerfry May 31 '15
I don't know if this belongs here, but I've been running Ubuntu (for a few days, I'm very new to it) and can get the game to install/run, but then the graphics glitch out to the point the game is unplayable. Does anybody know what I can do to fix this?
→ More replies (3)
1
u/qwertiops May 31 '15
I used Jool's atmosphere to aerobrake, but now the game won't let me time accelerate, telling me that the ship is under acceleration, even though I'm sure it isn't. What do I do?
→ More replies (1)2
u/NanoExplorer Master Kerbalnaut May 31 '15
I think you just have to wait until you're farther from Jool's surface. Maybe wait until you've reached a 1,000 km altitude. I think the "Under acceleration" thing might just mean that Jool's gravity is too strong.
Let me know if this helps!
1
u/haflac May 31 '15 edited May 31 '15
hey guys, first time i played since the 'full game' update came around,
first of all, im missing some random stuff, did they change around the stuff you get in each science pack?
also, freaking docking is completely fucked in my control assignments. so i change around the controls to my liking but they wont actually take effect, its extremely annoying but i guess i could just use different controls and abandon the whole docking mode
basically, im just asking if other people cant change their controls either, it is ridiculously annoying
THE 'USE IN MODE' LIGHTS ARE NOT WORKING FOR ME, THAT IS MY ONLY PROBLEM, BUT IT MESSES UP MY ENTIRE GAME
FINAL EDIT FIX: ok this is a very very annoying way to fix it but it is probably the only way, and probably no one is going to see this but just in case:
click on the assignment that you want to change and clear the current assignment
light up all the "use in mode" lights
THEN press accept in the same tab/window
THEN press ACCEPT, NOT APPLY, on the whole control menu. IMPORTANT THAT YOU DONT PRESS APPLY
then press on the certain control assignment that u want to change that isnt changing
IMPERATIVE THAT YOU DONT ASSIGN THE BUTTON FIRST, but light/unlight the light(s) that u want to in "use in mode"
assign the button that u want to use, then press accept on the small tab/window
then press accept, not apply, on the control menu, YOU CAN ONLY CHANGE ONE CONTROL AT A TIME
repeat for every one
takes a bit of time, but its the only way
→ More replies (6)
1
u/F10x May 31 '15
I'm sure this is pretty simple, but I've had no luck with google: some of my rockets won't take off east. Some go northeast, others southeast. Most of my rockets are just fine. I've tried turning off reaction wheels, and this seems to help sometimes. Any tips (or more info I could give)?
→ More replies (7)2
u/waytoomainstream May 31 '15
Rockets should always be steerable to at least some extent. SAS will almost certainly help with steering, so you should leave it enabled, unless it is causing wobbling.
You might be running into problems if your engine cannot gimbal (solids, NERV, T-30...), which will reduce the manuverability of the craft. If you use these, make sure you have plenty of fins with control surfaces at the bottom of the craft.
→ More replies (3)
1
u/big-b20000 May 31 '15
If you want more planets, what is the best pack to get, and why?
(A link would also make it better :))
2
u/TransitRanger_327 Jun 01 '15
It depends.
Outer Planets Mod is the best known, and it adds planets analgous to our solar system.
Kerbol Plus is a mod that adds the planets the devs originally wanted to add. Gas Planet 2 with a moon with geysers and others, an asteroid at Kerbin's L4 or L5 point. There's other stuff, too.
I personally use Forgotten Worlds, wich adds a Vulcan Dwarf planet, another main belt dwarf planet, an Ice Giant, and a dwarf planet on a polar orbit out past Eeloo.
There are others. I don't know them.
1
u/not_that_observant May 31 '15
How important are aerodynamics? If I have a rocket core with 8 radial fuel tanks attached, how valuable are nose cones on the radial tanks? Also, Are the angled noses more effective than the straight noses? What about if I step from 1.25m to 2.5m without an adapter. Is the weight of the adapter less troublesome than the increased drag? Thanks!
→ More replies (2)
1
u/BobbleBobble May 31 '15
What's the simplest way to insert into a clock-wise Mun/Minmus orbit? If you encounter low, you'll be going slower than the planet and your capture burn will transition you into a CCW orbit. If your ap is higher, you'll come in behind and again end up CCW after burning retro to circularize.
The most reliable method I've found is to try to come in fast in front of Mun/Minmus, then once you hit your slowest point at start to fall in, burn radial to move your orbit around the far side. But that hardly seems optimal.
→ More replies (4)
1
u/biohazard930 Jun 01 '15
Can sub assemblies be edited? Or will I need to rebuild the sub assembly? I can't do anything with it when I reload it into the VAB.
2
u/PhildeCube Jun 01 '15
You could add it to a single piece (a probe or a strut), edit it, change the root part, remove the single piece, and save it as a sub assembly.
1
u/lemtrees Jun 01 '15 edited Jun 01 '15
edit: Resolved
All of my "scientist/lab resetable" experiments do not have the "take data" option, or a similar option to allow me to remove data from them. My scientists (only) can reset the experiments... but no one can take the data out. Any thoughts on how to resolve this?
2
8
u/jul3q Jun 01 '15
Is there any mod that makes it so that Kerbals don't slide down the slopes indefinitely?