Kerbal 2
The Kerbal 2 is a stock ship which can be found in the VAB since version 0.21. It has a total mass of 19.36 t and a part count of 17. It is a small, powerful craft but is only capable of a very short flight. Therefore it would have to be attached to a large launcher in order to get it into space, let alone into orbit.
Craft Description
| “ | The Kerbal 2 was built as a 'trainer' rocket. It's not meant to reach very far, but it does feature most of the important systems found in the larger vessels. It also comes with a parachute. Most astronauts agree that that's one of its best features. — Squad |
” |
Stages
The craft has three stages:
- Stage 2, which starts the engine and detaches the three TT18-A Launch Stability Enhancers
- Stage 1, which decouples the command pod from the rest of the craft
- Stage 0, which activates the parachute
The first stage (stage 2) is comprised of a Rockomax "Mainsail" Liquid Engine and a Rockomax X200-8 Fuel Tank, and includes a large Advanced SAS Module, a FL-R1 RCS Fuel Tank and a Rockomax Brand Decoupler, along with four RV-105 RCS Thruster Blocks. It has three Delta-Deluxe Winglets for stability during the (very short) flight, and three TT18-A Launch Stability Enhancers for launch stability. At full thrust this is enough to reach a height of 3088 metres above sea level.
The rest of the craft is just a Mk1-2 Command Pod and a Mk16-XL Parachute.
Specifications
The ship has a ΔV of 689 m/s.
| Stage 1 | |
|---|---|
| Engine | Rockomax "Mainsail" Liquid Engine |
| Diameter | Large |
| Mass (t) | 19.36 |
| Burn time (seconds) | 8.03 |
| TWR | 7.9 |
Possible Uses
Just purely as a stock craft, this craft is only good for short flights up to 3088 metres only, and not capable of orbital flight. It can also be used to train the player for landing a spacecraft in a celestial body with no atmosphere (such as the Mun) with the addition of landing legs. Alternatively, with the addition of a launch vehicle below it and some modifications made, it can be used as an orbiter spacecraft.
Modifications
In order to reach orbit, it would need a launcher which can lift it into orbit. As well the Rockomax “Mainsail” Liquid Engine should be replaced with a less powerful engine but more efficient one, such as the Rockomax "Poodle" Liquid Engine (this has a lower Isp but its much lower mass compensates for this). The player should also replace the Rockomax X200-8 Fuel Tank with a Rockomax X200-16 Fuel Tank to add more fuel. Also adding four more RV-105 RCS Thruster Blocks and organising all eight to be the same distance from the centre of mass as all the other ones would allow for easier maneuvering. The FL-R1 monopropellant tank is overkill for a craft this size and could be replaced with smaller tanks, saving mass. And finally, moving the RCS Blocks so that they are not diagonal from the centre of mass would allow the player to translate (move the craft sideways) faster and easier.
