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First Flight, for Reals this Time
Feb. 5th, 2024 04:19 pmHow much delta-V is necessary to fulfill the mission of launching a rocket to 10 kilometers? There is a formula but, for as much math as I sometimes do for this game, I don’t like doing math so I am just going to assume that the game designers gave you everything necessary to accomplish this mission in the first Tech Level node.
That node consists of a Mk1 “Tin Can” command module, a Mk16 Parachute, an LV-T45 Stack Decoupler, an FL-T100 Metholox fuel tank, an FL-T200 fuel tank, and a LV-T45 “Swivel” liquid fuel engine.
Tech Level 1.0 also has the LAF-125 “Chanegling” Adjustable Fin but, for such a short flight pretty much straight up, I probably won’t need. And even though I was able to buy two additional tech nodes from the previous mission, I’m not going to be using much of that tech, even though I could probably build a rocket to get me to space. One mission at a time. I will, however, be adding the GSCM-01 “Science Jr.” module from the TL1.2 Environmental Science node because it will give me much more science.
In KSP1, you started with a solid rocket motor. Using the Swivel is a lot more engine than is necessary for the mission, delivering a 4.28 Thrust-to-Weight ratio. The Saturn V crawled off the pad with a TWR of 1.15. The Falcon 9 is also pretty low at 1.19. The Proton, Soyuz, and Space Shuttle launch close to 1.5, give or take. The Atlas V jumps off the pad at about 1.9. TWR has to be, of course, above 1 for the machine to even get off the pad. You want to accelerate quickly enough to get through the thick lower atmosphere quickly but not so quickly that you build up resistance. Going faster in the lower atmosphere has a point of diminishing returns.
That is also a lot of math.
I would typically adjust engine thrust in KSP1 rockets so that my TWR was around 1.2 or 1.3. I considered this a pretty good ballpark compromise. In this case, I lowered the Swivel’s thrust to about 35% giving me a TWR of 1.47 that, when I selected for atmosphere, gave me a surface TWR of 1.29.
Mission Designation : QS-1
Rocket Model : Quicksilver KS-I
Total delta-V : 1,063 m/s
Total Mass : 5.22t
Height : 5.02m
Surface TWR : 1.29
Part Count : 7
Mission Objectives : Fly to 10km
Crew : Jebediah Kerman
Before launch, I made sure to run the Environmental Survey from the Science Jr. module. Ten quick points right there.
Hit the launch button and the countdown begins. Ten seconds and as soon as the craft leaves the pad it’s time to do another Environmental Survey and a crew report. More science.
If you pause the game (as I did to capture the launch screen shot) you still have menu control. You can click on modules and initiate science experiments, can do an instantaneous mission report (what’s the G-forces at this moment, for example). A very useful feature.
The engines run for 54 seconds, after which I dump the rocket. Not up to 10 km yet but the projected apoapsis indicates that, yes, I will complete the mission objectives. Over the top and rotate back-end down. Deploy the chute at about 7,000m. Fully deploys at 1,000m. Splashdown.
Once splashed down, run the Environmental Survey again. Crew Report. Have Jeb exit the craft and do an Surface Survey. He amusingly flips upside down to look under the water to give his report.
Man, Kerbals are like fish. On land, the walking speed of a Kerbal in 0.6 m/s and they can run at 2.0 m/s. In the water, their normal swim speed is 4 m/s and they can fast swim up to 6 m/s! That’s crazy!
Mission Summary
Mission Elapsed Time : 3m, 30s
Highest Altitude : 11,656 m
Maximum Velocity : 347 m/s
Total Distance Traveled : 28km
Highest G-force Endured : 11.8G
Landing Site : Ocean somewhere east of KSC
Science : 95
Look at all that delicious science. That’s going to be enough to purchase half a dozen tech nodes. Probably enough to get a rocket easily to Munar orbit though my next task at Mission Control is only a sub-orbital flight into space.
That node consists of a Mk1 “Tin Can” command module, a Mk16 Parachute, an LV-T45 Stack Decoupler, an FL-T100 Metholox fuel tank, an FL-T200 fuel tank, and a LV-T45 “Swivel” liquid fuel engine.
Tech Level 1.0 also has the LAF-125 “Chanegling” Adjustable Fin but, for such a short flight pretty much straight up, I probably won’t need. And even though I was able to buy two additional tech nodes from the previous mission, I’m not going to be using much of that tech, even though I could probably build a rocket to get me to space. One mission at a time. I will, however, be adding the GSCM-01 “Science Jr.” module from the TL1.2 Environmental Science node because it will give me much more science.
In KSP1, you started with a solid rocket motor. Using the Swivel is a lot more engine than is necessary for the mission, delivering a 4.28 Thrust-to-Weight ratio. The Saturn V crawled off the pad with a TWR of 1.15. The Falcon 9 is also pretty low at 1.19. The Proton, Soyuz, and Space Shuttle launch close to 1.5, give or take. The Atlas V jumps off the pad at about 1.9. TWR has to be, of course, above 1 for the machine to even get off the pad. You want to accelerate quickly enough to get through the thick lower atmosphere quickly but not so quickly that you build up resistance. Going faster in the lower atmosphere has a point of diminishing returns.
That is also a lot of math.
I would typically adjust engine thrust in KSP1 rockets so that my TWR was around 1.2 or 1.3. I considered this a pretty good ballpark compromise. In this case, I lowered the Swivel’s thrust to about 35% giving me a TWR of 1.47 that, when I selected for atmosphere, gave me a surface TWR of 1.29.
Mission Designation : QS-1
Rocket Model : Quicksilver KS-I
Total delta-V : 1,063 m/s
Total Mass : 5.22t
Height : 5.02m
Surface TWR : 1.29
Part Count : 7
Mission Objectives : Fly to 10km
Crew : Jebediah Kerman
Before launch, I made sure to run the Environmental Survey from the Science Jr. module. Ten quick points right there.
Hit the launch button and the countdown begins. Ten seconds and as soon as the craft leaves the pad it’s time to do another Environmental Survey and a crew report. More science.
If you pause the game (as I did to capture the launch screen shot) you still have menu control. You can click on modules and initiate science experiments, can do an instantaneous mission report (what’s the G-forces at this moment, for example). A very useful feature.
The engines run for 54 seconds, after which I dump the rocket. Not up to 10 km yet but the projected apoapsis indicates that, yes, I will complete the mission objectives. Over the top and rotate back-end down. Deploy the chute at about 7,000m. Fully deploys at 1,000m. Splashdown.
Once splashed down, run the Environmental Survey again. Crew Report. Have Jeb exit the craft and do an Surface Survey. He amusingly flips upside down to look under the water to give his report.
Man, Kerbals are like fish. On land, the walking speed of a Kerbal in 0.6 m/s and they can run at 2.0 m/s. In the water, their normal swim speed is 4 m/s and they can fast swim up to 6 m/s! That’s crazy!
Mission Summary
Mission Elapsed Time : 3m, 30s
Highest Altitude : 11,656 m
Maximum Velocity : 347 m/s
Total Distance Traveled : 28km
Highest G-force Endured : 11.8G
Landing Site : Ocean somewhere east of KSC
Science : 95
Look at all that delicious science. That’s going to be enough to purchase half a dozen tech nodes. Probably enough to get a rocket easily to Munar orbit though my next task at Mission Control is only a sub-orbital flight into space.
