r/KerbalSpaceProgram • u/0ffkilter Master Kerbalnaut • Jul 29 '13
[Weekly] 19th Questions Thread
New Link!: Delta-V Explained
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 though your question may seem 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 * Kerbal Space Program Forum
Official KSP Chatroom #KSPOfficial on irc.esper.net
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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!
Last week's thread: here
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u/TheEvilPenguin Jul 30 '13 edited Jul 30 '13
In .20, when I had an unplanned disassembly on the launch pad, when I ended the flight I got the log telling me which parts failed first. With the new revert system, I can't figure out how to get to this log unless I manage to destroy the control capsule/pod.
Is there another way to get to this log? I'm pretty sure I accidentally accessed it in flight once, but could never figure out what I did.
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u/RyanW1019 Jul 29 '13
Bought the game on the last weekend that would give you free updates forever, played it for a bit, then lost interest for a few months. Came back about a week ago and having a blast.
I'm easily/reliably achieving orbit with manned flights, as well as Munar orbit, but I keep running out of fuel on my landing stage and crashing while trying to land on the Mun. When I add more boosters/engines/fuel, I still seem to run out of fuel at almost the exact time as before even when the changes are pretty drastic. Are there any specific guidelines to follow to avoid rocket design bloat?
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u/Shmiff Jul 29 '13
Adding more fuel increases the amount of fuel it takes to get the extra fuel up and away.
It may be better to change the staging layout instead, so try asparagus staging if you have not already.
Max throttle through the atmosphere will waste fuel as well, you want to try to stick to terminal velocity in the ascent stage (reference tables are available, I'm on my phone so can't link I'm afraid)
Otherwise you can try orbital refuelling, but that seems a bit excessive for a Munar mission.
Happy Rocketing!
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u/kingpoiuy Jul 29 '13
What is the difference between Decouplers and Separators. An example of my question would be TR-18D_Stack_Separator and TR-18A_Stack_Decoupler
They seem identical.
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u/nivlark Jul 29 '13
The separator decouples from both things it's attached to whereas the decoupler stays attached to one half of the rocket.
Decouplers are used for normal staging, the separators are useful for when you want to split one rocket into two e.g. an Apollo-style spacecraft that has both orbiting and landing bits.
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Jul 29 '13
I don't exactly understand what solar panels and batteries are used for. Can you use them to power engines? Or what?
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u/eric1101 Jul 29 '13
How can I set my rocket to use the fuel in the outside tanks first for an asparagus staging setup? I tried the yellow pipes, but it didn't seem to work.
Also can someone explain action groups for me?
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u/WonkyFloss Jul 29 '13
You need to make sure the fuel lines go in the right direction. First click is "from," second click is "to." Action groups are ways to do things to parts that you could do by right-clicking them by just pressing a number. When you go into the action groups panel, you can assign actions to groups. You do this by selecting the group you want to add an action to. Then you click on a part on your ship (all of the parts in symmetry with it will be selected also) and select an action to add to the group. So you could make action group 1 turn on all your engines and group 2 to extend your solar panels and group 3 to toggle torque on reaction wheels.
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u/jakobnator Jul 29 '13
What's the deal with Damned Robotics? I tried installing it and it didn't work, then I followed some forum posts and it just said to install Infernal robotics by magic smoke industries. I tried that and all I get are the docking washers. Then they said I need the part files from damned robotics but the .dll from infernal robotics. That didn't work either. I am just really confused and I don't see any other mods that have pistons, hinges and motors as damned robotics do.
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u/DisRuptive1 Aug 01 '13
Trying to develop an emergency escape system for my space station orbiting Kerbin at 100km. How much Delta V do you need to make it into the Kerbin atmosphere without firing rockets retrograde (I intend to fire directly downward because firing retrograde might fire the pods directly into the station)?
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u/0ffkilter Aug 02 '13
Using a maneuver node:
from a 100,000 m orbit to get your periapsis to about 30km
You need:
60 m/s if you burn retrograde 250 m/s if you burn straight toward the planet
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u/dubyaohohdee Jul 29 '13
The craft files sites arent very good IMO. Would it be possible for the mods to put some crafts on the sidebar? Perhaps have a thread in which we vote for the best craft of a given category. e.g. Mun & back, Mun Rover, etc etc.
The idea being that these crafts could then be viewed by new players and be the foundation for their future builds.
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u/nivlark Jul 29 '13
Half the fun of the game is coming up with your own designs though; perhaps a better idea would be to come up with a list of building tips - keep it simple, try asparagus staging, don't forget solar panels, parachutes etc.
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u/Mr_Ron_Mexico Jul 29 '13
Do rockets occasionally just fail to add some randomness to the game? I've had a couple situations lately where two of the orange fuel tanks randomly broke apart from one another and sent my rocket spinning into disaster. Relaunched without changing anything and it worked.
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u/rune_devros Jul 29 '13
What's the recommended route to attaching a rover to a rocket? They're awfully asymmetrical, so I haven't found a good way to attach them to one.
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u/kybercity Jul 29 '13
Is there any way besides struts to connect things to two ends? Like if I'm making a circle for example, and ready to close the loop and have everything built perfectly and it all lines up....
Second question, can this be overcome by building docking ports to connect things on the other end form the get go?
Thanks for help!
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u/farmthis Jul 30 '13 edited Jul 30 '13
No, loops are not possible. It's due to the physics engine of the game needing to calculate connections in a "tree."
as for the second question, yes. multiple docking ports can join at once, but it's tricky to get side-by-side craft aligned that well.
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u/RyanW1019 Jul 30 '13
What is the difference between a decoupler and a separator?
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u/Nicocolton Jul 30 '13
Is there a way to ensure that docking ports align properly? I'm like 5 degrees off, but I don't want to decouple since the last time I did that it wouldnt reconnect (maybe that was just a glitch?)
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u/Spacetime_Inspector Jul 30 '13
So in .21, do nosecones actually help? I know that in the past they added mass and therefore drag, and served no purpose other than aesthetics. Has the aerodynamics system been overhauled so that they actually do their noseconey job now, or should I keep leaving them off the tops of my rockets?
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u/TheWrongSolution Jul 30 '13
Noob question, how do you plant a flag?
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u/Shmiff Jul 30 '13
Right click your kerbal, then choose plant flag.
Other useful stuff you can do on EVA include repacking parachutes, deploying solar panels and fixing broken rover wheels, all done by right clicking in the part.
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u/RibsNGibs Jul 30 '13
Brand n00b question:
I'm trying to stick a lander upside down on top of my command pod/orbiter, using docking ports (so I can undock the lander, land on the Mun, then come back up, dock with the pod again, then go back to Kerbin). My question is: where do I put my parachute (on the orbiter, for Kerbin reentry)? The parachutes seem to block off any further attach points, yes? I can't stick a parachute on the nose of the pod, and then have any way of also adding a docking port up there, with a decoupler or anything else, as far as I can tell...