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[GreatWyrmGold]

In space, it doesn't matter how many points your torque comes from. The turning will always happen around the center of mass.

News to me. I thought the torque originated from the torquing parts.

[WillowLuman]

In my experience, large vessels seem easier to turn with reaction wheels spaced out, but they do seem to turn from the center of mass. The main reason asteroids seem to turn slow is that they're bloody heavy.

[GreatWyrmGold]

In my experience, large vessels seem easier to turn with reaction wheels spaced out...

Oh, so my plan isn't useless. Yay!

[puke]

Something that's been bothering me lately, what's the best part to use as ballast? I know engines and pods are heavy, but I can't find anything compact that's heavy enough to use as counterweights.

upward pointing retro-rockets?

Nah they're too light

Even when you turn them on?  Try using stronger rockets.

[GreatWyrmGold]

The other day, I rewatched some (most) of Danny's videos, including the ones with the return cannon and the mass relay. I'm thinking...I failed to do anything with Mainsails, but could I manage something with the NASA or KW parts?

First, let's see what the strongest rockets are. I know the Griffon XX (the strongest rocket in KW) has a thrust of 4900, more than triple the Mainsail's 1500. But what about the new parts for asteroid wrangling? The S3 engine cluster has "only" 2500 units of thrust. Griffon it is.

For the first test, I'm shooting straight up. No point in trying to shoot for orbit if I can't move anything above the atmosphere.



The little OKTO2 is probably the second-lightest thing I can launch, and at 0.04 tons, it's only a little heavier than a kerbonaut.

A launch is tried. The first attempt is a failure, because I forgot to throttle up before starting. The second failed, but I don't know why. I try a third, activating the engine before separating the probe, and...well, it starts, but it doesn't propel the probe, for reasons which are obvious within seconds of coming in closer.


Time to go asymmetric, I guess...or I could launch four!


Bingo.
I adjust the staging so the probes are dropped before the launch rather than after, and we're ready to go.
On one hand, it works; the probes are launched high.

[img]http://i.imgur.com/lThWHX7.png[/img

On the other hand, not very high; they only reach 2,227 meters. They make it less than a minute before crashing into the ground near the launchpad. Yeah...this is hopeless without some cheaty parts.

[WillowLuman]

But try with some kerbonauts, just to be sure?

[SOLDIER First]

is this..
a mistake??

[img]http://i.imgur.com/lThWHX7.png[/img

FROM THE GREAT GWJESUS??
this is an event i will remember for the rest of my life.

[GreatWyrmGold]

is this..
a mistake??

[img]http://i.imgur.com/lThWHX7.png[/img

FROM THE GREAT GWJESUS??
this is an event i will remember for the rest of my life.

...

But try with some kerbonauts, just to be sure?

They're, like, five kilograms lighter. Or maybe 2.5. Something like that. 6%, tops. It's not enough to matter enough to do anything with.

[WillowLuman]

Guess I'll have to launch EVA kerbalnauts 2.5 km into the atmosphere myself.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Asteroids don't impact majestically.

...Yet.

[BigD145]

Antimatter ship building station in progress.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Combination orbital construction dock and interplanetary mod with the help of mechjeb. The new lifters are great for sending up 50,000 rocket parts to refill the station. Antimatter collection arms built on site. The mods aren't entirely updated so after building a craft I usually have to force quit. The button to return to space command does not work.

[nogoodnames]

Proximity alert! Enemy vessel approaching! All hands to battle stations!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

It's Firing! BRACE FOR IMPACT!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Direct hit! The explosions can be seen all the way from the Space Center below. No amount of armour could protect against firepower of that magnitude.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The Oberon has been torn in half. The secondary bridge was knocked free of the shattered stern and is floating freely amongst the debris. The primary bridge was destroyed completely, killing the captain and first officer. The bow of the ship is relatively intact, including the three man capsule that served as the helm, and even a functioning solar array. The heavy shielding on the main reactor must have protected it, but with no propulsion, it's adrift just the same.

The Archon quickly turns to face the assailant, its crew ready to avenge their fallen comrades. They fire two lazor missiles set for proximity detonation but they both veer wildly off target. The second volley doesn't do much better. So much for the high tech targeting system. Finally the crew resorts to manually firing their Lazors.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Hmm... that was much more effective than I anticipated. I don't even know what they could have hit to cause such total destruction. In fact, that attack was so powerful that it crashed the game when I tried to look at the debris.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Note to military research division: Next time, we want weapons that destroy the enemy, not ones that open up a portal to the hell dimension so the Kraken can emerge and devour them. Ultimately the end result is the same, but the former seems much more sportsmanlike.


That's all for now. I'll see about doing the fighters later, after I move the Archon away from the debris field so that doesn't happen again.

[BFEL]

Hows that KMP mod coming along?

Because being able to do stuff like nogoodnames with active participants would be awesome.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Or, better yet, setting up massive space-battles with individual pilots for each fighter. It would be awesome. Some training fights, some copies of FRAPS or something, and then begin a KSP-set war movie. Or something.
With realistic fighters. Ideally, ones designed by the people playing. ("You have $100,000 to design your next fleet and get it into orbit.")

[BFEL]

("You have $100,000 to design your next fleet and get it into orbit.")

I...would probably just make a bunch of kamikaze drones