Kerbal Space Program (in-dev retail game)

[Master of the Blade]

UKSR vessel Kitchensink has landed successfully! (On the night side of the planet so it exploded, but whatever.)

Mission time: 1hr 52min 12sec
Maximum Distance From Kearth: 346km
Maximum speed on ascent: ~2500m/s
Maximum speed during orbit: 2357m/s
Maximum speed on descent: ~2800m/s
Orbits made: ~3. At least 2.5.

So yeah, Kerbmonauts Bobski, Jebediahuri and Bilad have returned heroes. (Or would have, had the night side bug not killed them. )

[EmperorJon]

I still can't do the orbits properly... how do you do it!?

I can get the altitude and the speed, ok, but where do I point it? Do I use SAS? Do I leave fuel JUST IN CASE?

Last time I tried it I did an orbit, sure, but with corrections, and it was a sprial.

[Master of the Blade]

I pointed it at the horizon (as shown on the attitude thingy, not as your eye sees it) when I was ready to initiate the orbit. SAS isn't very helpful for most of it, but it is useful for keeping you pointed at the horizon while you accelerate to orbital velocity.

If you want your kerbals to come home, you'll keep some fuel on hand to leave your orbit path. Now, complete nuclear disarmament of the United States of Kerberica, please.

[esd]

Must admit to running a bunch of modded parts - some good ones, and some overpowered ones, out there.

Currently installed:

• ETP 2+1 Coupler - a horizontal structural bridge, one node at the top, three underneath.
• Stabiliser Fin - same as other fins, but looks like the tailfin of the Space Shuttle.
• Parachute Triple - three parachutes instead of one, for heavier drops.
• MicroEngine + MicroTank - Small orbital manouvering and retro-burn engine.
• EXCELSIOR engine - overpowered liquid-fuel engines. Single stage to 100km stable orbit AND retro-burn on only two tanks??
• Wing (left and right) - atmospheric style wings.
• Gravity Bomb - so I can drop bombs. Is just a non-functional propulsion unit in the shape of a bomb.
• Plasma Engine - It's a plasma engine, like VASIMR.

Very much looking forward to 0.8.5.

[OmegaKnight]

I had a look at the user created stuff on the their forums, some of it looks pretty good, haven't d/l'ed any yet.
A working external fuel tank would be nice though, but haven't seen one, might have to wait for the next update for that.

Still trying to get a decent stable orbit. With the standard stuff.
That and making mad, barely stable, completely impractical, structurally sub-optimal, frankenbeasts.

[andrewas]

I still can't do the orbits properly... how do you do it!?

I can get the altitude and the speed, ok, but where do I point it? Do I use SAS? Do I leave fuel JUST IN CASE?

Last time I tried it I did an orbit, sure, but with corrections, and it was a sprial.

Best advice I can give is to download Orbiter and do some tutorial flights. That game provides all the instrumentation you need to make it easy, so you can easily learn enough about orbital mechanics to give you a headstart in KSP. Once you have the feel for it and know what type of burn to use to accomplish a given maneuver, you can get by with KSPs limited instruments. Just don't memorize numbers or try to judge altitude by looking at the planet, KSP's planet is much smaller and denser than Earth.

[Dantrithor]

I'm using the "big parts" to create multi-stage rockets with a "delivery package" (a normal-sized module) into high orbit.

For now, I'm happy trying to get the stages properly arranged. I hope he fixes all the issues related to them for the next patch.

[EmperorJon]

http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/7656 ... 0221827459

Don't ask me how it flies. I DON'T KNOW!

EDIT:

"Look Bill, it's another rocket launching past us! Let's wave!"
"Jeb... that's not another rocket... that's the 4th engine. WE'RE GOING TO DIE"
"Well, at least I saw another rocket. Look, there it goes. Wheee. This is so fun. What time do we get home?"

[red assassin]

My first successful suborbital flight (covering a mere 235km downrange) and I'm already in love with this game. Now for an orbit.

Edit: First flight of my K-3 rocket (my third design, surprisingly enough) and we're headed for a highly elliptical orbit. Currently at 206km height, travelling 1932m/s, still climbing at 15m/s. Mission time so far: 0:12:30. Wondering whether I've got enough fuel left to get home... Keeping an eye on it to try and circularise my orbit at perigee, then I can gun the engines whenever to try and lose enough energy to land...

Just passed apogee at 0:16:12, at 231.5km doing 1856m/s.

Sidenote: I thought the launch was a failure at first, too. Forgot to turn the SAS on before firing up the solid rocket boosters and achieved a neat lap of the space centre at about 1km. Managed to regain control when the main engines kicked in, though. If I don't have enough fuel left to return to the planet, that's what I'm blaming it on.

Watching the dark side of the planet drift by underneath me. There's something oddly mesmerising about it.

Edit again: Not sure perigee is going to miss the planet. I could kick the engines to try and miss it... or I could go home. I think I'll take the latter option. Blast. Try and orbit next time.

[Master of the Blade]

Meanwhile, at the UKSR testing base...

[ external image ]


[ external image ]


The KiG - BX2 bomber passes its flight tests. Fear it, Kerbitalist dogs!


I decided to have a go with some of the part packs. They're awesome.

[Gavrushka]

I've managed thirty meters.... I think I put my stabilisers on wrong... Still, it's all good fun!

[red assassin]

Last missive of K-3 mission 2: In orbit at 47km. Fuel tank almost empty. Chances of making it home any time soon: minimal. But we made it to orbit!


Random question: Has anyone worked out if the planet rotates, and if so in which direction? Obviously, orbital velocity is easier to achieve in the direction of the planet's rotation.

Edit:
[ external image ]
Now that's a sight.
And I even had enough fuel left to de-orbit! I'm back in the atmosphere directly above the space centre, speed dropping rapidly, going for a sea landing shortly downrange.

Edit again: Squee. First flight of the K-4 is in an almost perfect circular orbit at 45km. Altimeter is ticking at a rate of maybe a metre a second at the moment. Doubt I'm going to do much better than that. And I have 2/3 of a tank of fuel left. Plenty to assure a well-placed return.

[Usenko]

No rotation as yet, but that will be built in to later versions.

Just flew my first aircraft - that's right, winged flight!

Well, got the boys back in one piece each; that required the use of the punch-out tower and the chute, but the beast was completely uncontrollable. . . .

[EmperorJon]

I've still not managed a decent orbit. I just... can't do it. At all. If I try to fly horizontal I start drifting down too much. So I correct my course and start to get slung out, so I... etc. etc. etc. Grh.

[amtct]

What orbit people?This game is against physics.When you go far enough from the planet you no longer fall back on the planet.This planet is a black hole and I guess the event horizon is somewhere at 5 trillions km away from the planet.

[esd]

Just completed my latest space-plane test-flight. Very controllable, nice and stable. Flying straight is easy, so I banked round back to the space center:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAPoN9gMUpU

What orbit people?

You know, circles and stuff.

[amtct]

You know, circles and stuff.

Then why the hell the Moon is on the sky?It doesn't have any engines .Do what the Moon does with your ship to see if you can (you can't btw because the physics are f**** up )

No matter how far I go that black hole's gravity takes my ship back on it.

[esd]

Then why the hell the Moon is on the sky?It doesn't have any engines

....there is no moon in KSP yet...

[amtct]

....there is no moon in KSP yet...

Our Moon .

[esd]

Our Moon .

In that case, I have no idea what you're on about... our moon isn't in KSP.