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[da_nang]

Landing with booster
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S8Viec6TkCw

Can you do something like that, but after dropping from orbit?

I think so, it seems to have reached terminal velocity by that drop

So, pretty much the same build works?
What's the timing you need?

Suicide burn timing.

[Graknorke]

Landing with booster
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S8Viec6TkCw

Can you do something like that, but after dropping from orbit?

I think so, it seems to have reached terminal velocity by that drop

So, pretty much the same build works?
What's the timing you need?

According to the video, 250m off the ground.

[LoSboccacc]

for that, you might find this mod useful:

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/76320-23-5-%28Apr12-14%29-Landing-Height-Show-distance-from-bottom-of-your-vessel-to-ground?highlight=altimeter

when in surface speed mode, shows radar altimeter instead of slm altimeter.

it is a godsend along with enhanced navball and docking navball

[GreatWyrmGold]

I had an idea, or rather a clarification of an idea I've had for a while. Basically, a cannon that shoots things at other ships. Like, an actual cannony cannon.

Basically, it would include two aerospike engines (or something else), pointing opposite directions, with a fuel tank and a targeting computer (probe body) in between. Control from the targeting computer, turn to the target, and shoot. Aside from that...I've got a few ideas.

1. A magazine of projectiles, probably RCS tanks or something separated by stack separators. Also put a little panel next to the engines, to stop the projectiles at the right point. Aim, separate the separator, wait for it to move into place, shoot.
2. Something like above, but the projectiles are all separated at once, and the one in back propels the others towards the end of the barrel. Allows for a "machine gun" effect.
3. Use KAS to have kerbals grab some part from a nearby container or something, drop it in front of the cannon, retreat, fire.

3 is too complex for my taste; maybe I could put ammo storage and a cockpit or something near the cannon, so he could just EVA, grab something, drop it, return, fire. 1 is really not any better than torpedoes. I think I'll try 2...Wednesday or Thursday, that's when I'll have time.
If others want to try out cannons of various sorts, I'd be interested to see.

[nogoodnames]

So I went back to my huge battleship, fixed its weapons and launched it into orbit for the fourth time. I've decided on "Adamant" for the name. Don't know what I'll do with the broken one. Probably blow it up or crash it into an asteroid.

After a slight redesign, the Adamant's fighter complement has arrived and is ready to dock. Flight leader Billy-Bobdrin EVAs out to pilot them in.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

"Docking successful. It's a little cramped in here now, but we'll manage."

The fighters are heavily influenced by Macey Dean's Mosquito fighters. Unfortunately, unlike the Spirit of Kerbin, the Adamant isn't a dedicated carrier and doesn't have enough space in its hangar for a sophisticated reloading system. The fighters have to undock and then re-dock with their torpedoes which are stored at the sides of the hangar. Not very convenient when things are running at a fifth of real time at best.

And because I'm still not satisfied, I built a couple of torpedo frigates to provide some heavy firepower while retaining decent maneuverability and framerate.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The fleet is assembled and just needs a bit of refueling before it can move out to Jool, where it will defend my future orbital construction yards.

[MarcAFK]

Don't know what I'll do with the broken one. Probably blow it up or crash it into an asteroid.

Weapons training for the new fleet. What better to test on than an actual battleship?
Though I suggest copying your save before this so you can just revert and avoid having to reload torpedos.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Especially since those torpedoes look to be questionably reloadable.

[MarcAFK]

I Just watched Titanic, and have downloaded Hanger Extender, Part welder, and Kerbal paint.
May god help my poor overworked processor and stop it from melting.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Remember my barely-SSTO spaceplane fighter? Rather than fly it anywhere, I'm just gonna deorbit is and see how it functions under re-entry heat. I'm half a minute from apoapsis, so I just turn and burn. Shame, too. I had such a nice orbit.

I burn, bringing my periapsis to 26 kilometers, then turn prograde and wait. I still have almost 34 units of liquid fuel, enough to help power a flight to somewhere. I also test the weapon systems.



I...Macey's went faster. Did the engine turn off when I decoupled the node or something?

Anyways, we enter the atmosphere. As we drop below 30 km, various bits of the ship begin to get worrisomely warm. The cockpit temperature soared to nearly 350 degrees, other bits were closer to 900, the wings were nearly a thousand. But, nothing exploded, and that's what matters.
I tried to tilt up, to slow my descent, but that failed. I tested my engine, found that it worked. I burn my engine low for a while, before deciding to just glide for a while, save my fuel for later.



Like when I realize I'm about to hit the ocean, or a mountain. (My ion engines will be on, too, thanks to staging, but I don't think they'll help much.)
I tilt my nose up and start spinning. Not much tilt, not much spin, so I can regain control. I do gain an unstoppable tilt to the right, though. 7,600 meters or so up, I activate my engine, hoping to avoid hitting the ocean at extreme speed. I do reduce my vertical speed to little. Fiddling with attitude leads to one of this fighter's characteristic uncontrollable spins.



Everything I try to do to fix it makes it worse! One wing is pointing straight down, and I'm...pitching out of control! I'd say at something like a hertz? This knowledge in no way prevents the inevitable.



So...anyone know why my spaceplane did that or how to prevent it?

[Lightningfalcon]

When deorbiting always make sure that you have a good landing zone, away from mountains or the ocean before you deorbit. 
One thing that you could of possibly done is to actually aim for the ground and then turn your engines on to gain speed.  Risky, but you might be able to get enough speed to level out.  Not sure if you had the fuel for that thou.   

[GreatWyrmGold]

When deorbiting always make sure that you have a good landing zone, away from mountains or the ocean before you deorbit. 
One thing that you could of possibly done is to actually aim for the ground and then turn your engines on to gain speed.  Risky, but you might be able to get enough speed to level out.  Not sure if you had the fuel for that thou.

I'll see if I can do that next time.
The problem is that I was spinning badly enough that I couldn't control which way I was facing. Also, I'm trying to figure out how to not spin out whenever I move too fast or too steep. (Well, with "too fast" and "too steep" being reasonable values.)

[BigD145]

My second asteroid grab went soooooo much better than the first, even with the same type of craft but double the SAS (just 4 big stock ones). Still wobbly little f'ers. Rendezvous are fairly easy by hand with RCS. I've been walking away and having Mechjeb do it for awhile, so I was very rusty. Second try and I'm good. Now I have another asteroid at a terrible angle between the orbits or Mun and Minmus.

[Sean Mirrsen]

When deorbiting always make sure that you have a good landing zone, away from mountains or the ocean before you deorbit. 
One thing that you could of possibly done is to actually aim for the ground and then turn your engines on to gain speed.  Risky, but you might be able to get enough speed to level out.  Not sure if you had the fuel for that thou.

I'll see if I can do that next time.
The problem is that I was spinning badly enough that I couldn't control which way I was facing. Also, I'm trying to figure out how to not spin out whenever I move too fast or too steep. (Well, with "too fast" and "too steep" being reasonable values.)

Do you use FAR? I kinda gathered that you have Deadly Reentry, so...

[MarcAFK]

I don't know if far copies real high speed aerodynamics so thoroughly but, in real life your control surfaces become basically useless at very high speed, but we're talking high Mach velocities, I didn't see shock waves in those screenshots so I can't be sure.
Try strapping some sepratrons to the plane then hit too speed in low atmosphere and activate them, see how the speed affects your stability.
You gotta make sure they're positioned right though.
Or you could modify the engine to be 5 times as powerful, be careful with the throttle.

[Sean Mirrsen]

There's more than that. FAR does model the loss of control at supersonic speed, but more importantly it models surfaces obstructing each other from airflow, and angles of deflection. GWG's aircraft returns lightweight, and it has canards on the front - which are meant to aid in low-speed maneuvering. When he starts turning, the canards quickly pull the nose away from the airflow, and then lose effect because of the attack angle, turning into nothing but a source of drag. Which translates to the plane immediately starting to do violent spins when in atmosphere at any sort of decent speed.