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[andrea]

me too. took me hours to get 2 crafts close enough ( although that was partially because rocket kept exploding).
and then I discovered I didn't have docking clamps!

but still...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[jhxmt]

also, I am now semi confident that the cross shaped thing doesn't actually have clamps included.

I believe you are correct.  I had to manually add docking ports onto the one I shipped up there.

However, I did finally manage to (a) ship the multi-way hub up into a more-or-less circular orbit, then (b) rendezvous and dock with it with another, subsequent rocket! 

Need to rework my lifter design, though - burned through my fuel so quickly on (b) that I ended up having to do all my orbital adjustments with RCS.  Not close-up manoeuvring - orbital adjustments.  Of dozens of kilometres of difference.  It was not fun, and I ended up having to try and match the damn spin of the station hub at the same time as equalising the orbits.  Luckily, after bumping into it at very low speeds a few times, the automatic docking kicked in and locked me in.   

Then I ended the flight, and now it just registers in the tracking office as 'debris'.  Should I not have ended it that way? 

[da_nang]

Spoiler: The Twin Mk 1 SSTO, never reached orbit velocity (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Mk 2, higher altitude but no orbit (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Flying, FOR SCIENCE! Also, I spy a runway below (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: The Skybee Mk 3, so close! (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Mk 4, almost there! (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Mk 5, PARTY TIME! With 88 units of fuel left in the tank (click to show/hide)

[Chattox]

Got my first probe into stable orbit around Kerbin, using the ion drive to correct the orbit path once it was up there. Awesome! What exactly do the communication satellite things do? Also I'm disliking how wobbly the mainsail engines are on the landing pad now. I hope that get fixed soon.

[JacenHanLovesLegos]

I'm pretty sure antennas can remotely control other spacecraft if you are close.

[Mageziya]

Welp, I suck at controlling rockets.

I'm certain that in the past when I played this some of the rockets I made were likely easily capable of reaching Mun, yet I couldn't reach it.

Now I'm likely going to be making Jool worthy rockets, but intended for Mun, and failing to reach the the target.

[Ozyton]

also, I am now semi confident that the cross shaped thing doesn't actually have clamps included.

They don't. You can find two kinds of docking clamps in the utilities tab, one big and one small. not sure if small ones can fit into big ones yet. You can rotate pieces with WSADQE and fine rotate while holding shift. Attaching docking clamps together will create a ship that is pre-docked.

So far I've made a space station and actually made a proper landing on the Mun. I left the lander there and returned the Kerbal home safely. Unfortunately the Mun is tidal locked so you wouldn't be able to see the lander from Kerbol =<

Next I might try docking with the station I made because why not?

[Sean Mirrsen]

I'm setting up a station of my own. So far just the essentials hub, and the habitat.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Next addition is the service module, equipped with a fleet of flitters to act as local tugs and rescue craft. Adding it would be easier if I remembered to set an action group to disable the flitters' RCS thrusters, because the whole thing is now impossible to finely control while the flitters are attached.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[LoSboccacc]

HELP!

all my craft looks like shit crap

I wish I was able to make something as cool as:
http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/31741-0-18-MunShot-X1-%28Apollo-style-craft%29

But I have zero artistic sense.

Suggestion accepted 

[Sean Mirrsen]

The docking of the service module to the station was a success.

Meet the flitter:

I'm quite happy with this design. Fast, agile, sustainable, docking ports of both sizes, lights, ASAS.. quite a loadout.

Station as of now:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Most of the flitters are still undocked.

Flitters at work: deorbiting the pusher stage.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Flitter picks up a space-tug module from the station hub (top center):



Docked to pusher stage:


Deorbit burn complete:


Heading back:



Returning the tug:



Returning the flitter:


Topping up the tug:


And all done!

Yes, the service module is a little off, but that's a docking bug. I tried undocking and redocking, and it is still offset. At least it doesn't seem to affect the connection strength.

Next up, putting some fuel tanks up there!

[andrea]

wow, you docked so much stuff... I don't know if I would have the patience to do that. mainly since I have to design new rockets for each module, if I need to introduce variations in size or weight... and new rockets tend to explode :/
I almost made my first docking yesterday, but I clicked end flight instead of space center...

[Skyrunner]

How you people manage all that mad maneuvering and design is so ...

I mean, I can't even match the orbital paths so I can meet the core I sent up ;_; I thought there was a flight planner thingy, but I can't seem to activate it.

[andrea]

click on your orbit path, and then click "add manouver" ( or something like that). a circle withh appear, showing possible thrust direction ( forward, backward, left, right, up, down). by pulling the symbols of those directions, you plan a change in your orbit, that will appear as a dotted line.

also, you can select a target. click on your target, and then on select as target.
this will highlight targets orbit, and also will show the points in which orbits are closer ( called intercepts). you will also have an arrow pointing at where target will be during intercepts. your goal is to make the intercept arrow and "target at  intercept" arrow become as close as possible. then, you can get close by aiming at target, without messing more with orbits.

you can also drag manouver points around your orbit, to see the effects of the position in which you make the Delta-V change.

near the nav ball, you will be shown time to node, and delta v required.
on the nav ball, a blue cross will show the direction in which you must thrust.

[ank]

My first mission was Apollo styled:

First i tried to make a rocket as close to Saturn 5 as I could:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

But it was simply too wobly, and not powerful enough

So I built another better launch vehicle:
Launch craft:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Return module, Lander + Unlander and moonshot stage on the way to the moon:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Orbit Art:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Separation, God Speed!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

On the way down:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

One small step for kerb, one giant leap for kerbalkind!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Returning to orbit, lander left behind:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Docking successful!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Midnight splashdown:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

And it wouldn't be KSP if the mission didn't end with a fatal splashdown...
More chutes next time!


Also, apart from the first crew that flew into the moon, and this crew that splashed down fatally, no Kerbals have been lost, due to the implementation of an escape tower.
With the new control group feature, I can always save the kerbals, even if the rocket explodes on the launchpad.
I've had about 30 rockets explode, but no deaths.(Besides from the deaths incurred while testing the escape tower... gotta break some eggs I guess)


@Everybody that sucks as much at docking as I did 30 minutes ago:

1: Set you docking target as target (duh)

2: Use planning to get a close approach, anything under 10 km will do.

3: When you use the target function, your prograde and retrograde icons(the green ones) on the navball is relative to the velocity difference of your target.

4: That means: burn towards retrograde, until you have no speed difference to the target.

5: Then burn towards the target(the purple icons on the navball) Now you are heading straight for the target.

6: burn retrograde again when you get close to the target.

7: repeat steps 5-6 until you are very close, then dock using rcs and the docking mode.

[Chattox]

Is there any benefit to putting parachutes on staging parts to save your empty fuel tanks yet?