Sure, the center of lift on your rocket is really low, because all the wings are on the bottom end. The VAB center-of-mass / center-of-lift display is kind of misleading you here. That causes the (partially) exposed flat ends of the fuel tank above it and the decoupler below it to create a lot of drag - almost as much as you'd get if you took the nose cone off your rocket and tried flying it with the blunt end exposed. Another source of drag is the Terrier engine on your upper stage, which is only half the radius of the rest of your rocket.
![kerbal space program service bay kerbal space program service bay](https://media.forgecdn.net/avatars/12/981/635548162541373841.png)
All of those "warts" on your nicely streamlined cylindrical rocket are causing extra drag. Some of those red lines are coming off the various solar panels, antennas and landing gear attached radially to your upper stage. (The blue and cyan lines represent wing and body lift forces respectively.) Notice all those red lines coming off the upper stage? Those are drag force vectors, and they're what's trying to flip the rocket over. Here's a screenshot of the moment when things started going wrong in my test flight, with the aerodynamic forces overlay active: You've got a lot of draggy parts on your upper stage. How can I successfully fly a rocket like this? Are there other factors apart from aerodynamics that contribute to my failure? I also know that protrusions can negatively affect the flight performance of some rockets. The usual advice to "slap some fins on it" is also clearly not sufficient here. This happens both when I control the rocket myself and when I use MechJeb to launch it, so it cannot be due to my poor flying skills. With some designs, it is also spins around its z-axis, but I was able to reduce or eliminate that. As soon as I reach a couple of kilometers and around 300 m/s of velocity, my rocket starts flipping over uncontrollably. I also tried to use more wings, larger ones (like delta wings), put elevons on them, and tried different placement configurations (only on the main thruster in the middle or the boosters on the side etc.) I realize that a rocket like this is overpowered for a Mun outpost (as it's named), but for the sake of this question, please assume that I need this much δ-v for some other reason.Īs I understand, the center of lift should be below the center of mass (gravity) and this is what I believe I achieved using wings.įor example, I enclosed the thinner part of my rocket and the landing struts into a fairing. I have a four-stage rocket, with my payload consisting of the mobile processing lab an inline wheel and some scientific instruments in a bay. However, with the ever-changing model of aerodynamics in KSP ( I'm using v1.7.0), much of the advice I read on this topic is either outdated or too simplified to be complete. This game can be enjoyable but you can only play for about an hour at a time before it crashes and erases your saves.I am trying to put a large (?) rocket into orbit, but I am still having problems which I believe are of aerodynamic nature.
KERBAL SPACE PROGRAM SERVICE BAY UPDATE
I waited two months for a patch or update but even after the PC 1.2 update there is no PS4 update (there is one for Xbox One but it seems to not be working either). Then, after several hours of work in career mode (taking care not to make ships with very many parts and tempt the game to break) the game crashes and all my saved data is erased. Played it all weekend and despite the poor reviews, it worked very well. I got it because I love my PS4 and my computer is getting old. I have over 1,000 hours on the PC version of Kerbal and it is an extreme blast. I have over 1,000 hours on the PC version of Kerbal and it is an extreme I created a metacritic account to review this game to save you $40. I created a metacritic account to review this game to save you $40. For example being able to turn off motion control on your controler, and joystick sensitivity. A 9 would be a 10 with just a few UI tweaks (very minor). This is a serious space SIM with goofy Kerbals. Definitely a game of trail and error, thought, and patience. Definitely do the tutorials! They can be confusing at fist but once you get a grasp of what is going on its a blast to play. Learn exiting the atmosphere, 're-entering the atmosphere, orbits, space maneuvers, landings and more. Three game types career, sandbox and science. The kerbal space program is like ours set in a similar solar system. If your into rockets, satellites, space stations, and space exploration this is right up your alley. If your into rockets, satellites, space stations, and space exploration this is right We are Kerbal and our mission is space exploration.
![kerbal space program service bay kerbal space program service bay](https://i.imgur.com/d2AZ5ms.jpg)
We are Kerbal and our mission is space exploration.