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Behold...the Deathtrap I!



It is stylistically modern and fully recyclable!



Launch! Perfect operation!



NOTHING CAN POSSIBLY GO WRONG!



Total success!

You know I once had all three kerbals with big grins on their faces on an ascent (while still in atmo)... then the rocket exploded...

Scottish Ninja wrote:That Fatboy tank used unaltered is a bit shady; it's actually the same weight as the standard tank but with five times as much fuel.

Given that they are just a plastic bag with fuel in it, it's quite appropriate - you can't bolt side-mounts for boosters onto them, for instance...

The long boosters are deathtraps, and only safe to mount onto a big fuel tank - coincidentally, you can use a 4x nozzle, and the tank and boosters will run dry at the same time - I managed to make one stage like that that ascended stable, but it just isn't feasible in terms of weight-to-power.

Three balls and a 4x seems to be the sweetspot for speed-climbing... I tried everything, including having a stage explode at launch to increase speed, but it's hard to beat.

LaCroix wrote: Given that they are just a plastic bag with fuel in it, it's quite appropriate - you can't bolt side-mounts for boosters onto them, for instance...

Except the game doesn't model fuel mass, apparently.

Plus, the tanks are absurdly stable for a plastic bag

They do feel like cheating...

LaCroix wrote:The long boosters are deathtraps, and only safe to mount onto a big fuel tank - coincidentally, you can use a 4x nozzle, and the tank and boosters will run dry at the same time - I managed to make one stage like that that ascended stable, but it just isn't feasible in terms of weight-to-power.

Bah! I decided to prove you wrong!



YOU WILL CRY!



Okay, yeah, that wasn't the best idea.



This, on the other hand...



A-ha!

Actually could you do a 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place for stuff like that Barn-Actually forget it, nvm about your shitty records. Just proves that there is no point in trying something, you're just going to fail if you even dare try.

Bluewolf wrote:Actually could you do a 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place for stuff like that Barn-Actually forget it, nvm about your shitty records. Just proves that there is no point in trying something, you're just going to fail if you even dare try.

No, go on. I just wanted to make it so that people weren't just doing ever high and faster things. it gets dull fast.

I'm working on an orbit insertion... I thinnk I got it... Nearly...

I didn't exactly work on an orbital insertion. I got to about ~45km on the main engines then turned about 90 degrees and fired the next engine for two tanks, enging up at about 64km and at about 2.5k/s. Then took a look at the velocity vector after a bit and burned another half a tank to get it over the horizon.

No maths, no planning, just a case of 'what happens if I...'

Heck, after my de-orbit burn I still had 1/2 tank of fuel left that I could have used to manoeuvre with while I was up there.

barnest2 wrote:

Bluewolf wrote:Actually could you do a 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place for stuff like that Barn-Actually forget it, nvm about your shitty records. Just proves that there is no point in trying something, you're just going to fail if you even dare try.

No, go on. I just wanted to make it so that people weren't just doing ever high and faster things. it gets dull fast.

No honestly I am being silly this time, nvm.

Had fun building crazy rocket ships that blow up on the launchpad. I don't think I've ever past 36 meters.

One time I just had fun rolling the command module all over the launch pad. Great times. Great times.

Vanas wrote:I didn't exactly work on an orbital insertion. I got to about ~45km on the main engines then turned about 90 degrees and fired the next engine for two tanks, enging up at about 64km and at about 2.5k/s. Then took a look at the velocity vector after a bit and burned another half a tank to get it over the horizon.

No maths, no planning, just a case of 'what happens if I...'

Heck, after my de-orbit burn I still had 1/2 tank of fuel left that I could have used to manoeuvre with while I was up there.

How do you know that you achieved orbit? I mean, where does which indicator point to and what are the tell-tale signs?

0.8.1 is available on the site now. Hooray for auto-symmetry! I am about to just go crazy with SRBs.

Scottish Ninja wrote:0.8.1 is available on the site now. Hooray for auto-symmetry! I am about to just go crazy with SRBs.

I've had some designs with a lot of SRBs in the first stage and getting it stable was a complete bitch so this is gonna be awesome.

Scottish Ninja wrote:0.8.1 is available on the site now. Hooray for auto-symmetry! I am about to just go crazy with SRBs.

HELLZ YEAH!
Oh sooo looking forward to Auto symmetry! Going to go crazy with triple boosters.

Auto symmetry is epic, but...

SAS is now OPed to the point of being broken. Seriously, this is my rocket Silver Dragon, built before this update, and it was capable of reaching 4.16 km/s easy, no problems. Now it shakes itself apart in a gruesome resonance of guidance control:



Launch. (actually a separate launch than the lower two (FRAPS crashed), but what occurs is essentially the same)



Mid launch.



Death. A victim of its own SAS.

Now the ratio of SAS to engines needs to be redetermined.

BLARG you're right...
Using the new super symmetry I was able to perfectly remake the rocket from the first post.
Same rockets, same stages.
Launched and less then 20 seconds after launch, it shock itself apart :<

barnest2 wrote:

Bluewolf wrote:Actually could you do a 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place for stuff like that Barn-Actually forget it, nvm about your shitty records. Just proves that there is no point in trying something, you're just going to fail if you even dare try.

No, go on. I just wanted to make it so that people weren't just doing ever high and faster things. it gets dull fast.

It only gets boring when you're going slower than 30km/s. Using some of the Goon made modules I just 25,000km alt @ 33,370m/s in 29m32s. With a little tinkering I think 50km/s is actually doable.

Ok so I hit a new record.
Using UN-moded pieces I just hit 500,000km passing 47min flight time.
It's STILL going up, mps is 1800 and slooooooowly dropping.

LaCroix wrote: How do you know that you achieved orbit? I mean, where does which indicator point to and what are the tell-tale signs?

You should keep the velocity vector right above the horizon, your vertical speed more or less zero, and be outside the atmosphere (which for Kerbal is about 40-60 km).

I can do orbital missions pretty good now. Though the game needs a time compression feature, I usually get bored and deorbit halfway through the trip.

Yeah, time compression, or even an auto pilot and run in the task bar mode would be great.

Well I am looking forward to it eventually having those missions. It will mean you can't just forget the crew and it gives them something to do. Also someone else noted this but reentry could be an interesting challenge, doing it wrong resulting in your craft burning up. It'd need some sort of computer aid in general (same with orbit imo) to do this so it's not too difficult. What do you guys think?

Presenting the R8-I!

No mods used, stock parts only. With the liquid engines at 100% the whole time the last stage burns out at 500KM with speed at 4.3km/s. Throttling better should produce better results.

PeZook wrote:

LaCroix wrote: How do you know that you achieved orbit? I mean, where does which indicator point to and what are the tell-tale signs?

You should keep the velocity vector right above the horizon, your vertical speed more or less zero, and be outside the atmosphere (which for Kerbal is about 40-60 km).

I can do orbital missions pretty good now. Though the game needs a time compression feature, I usually get bored and deorbit halfway through the trip.

I managed that, but it never is stable - it always keeps on either falling or rising. I am aiming for a perfect orbit that will last. (Or maybe I'm just too impatient. )

LaCroix wrote: I managed that, but it never is stable - it always keeps on either falling or rising. I am aiming for a perfect orbit that will last. (Or maybe I'm just too impatient. )

How do you know it's not stable? Vertical velocity will only be constant with a perfectly circular orbit ; If it's at all elliptical (and it will be with such imprecise instruments), your altitude will vary - it will drop as you approach periapsis and rise when you're past it. This doesn't mean you're not in orbit.

I only mentioned vertical velocity because if it's stable (more or less zero), it means your orbit ir roughly circular. You can get some really weirdo orbits, after all, if your burn is too long or too short, where you zoom out to 15 000 kilometres and then go back down only to zoom past the planet and get climbing again

We should make an orbital contest - lowest stable orbit.