How to Make Effective Space Station Launch Vehicles
Using this tutorial, you will be able to fix and problems you have with launching a space station (with the exception of gravity turns and circularization burn).
So, if your here at this page, you have probably either had trouble getting to orbit (Not enough Delta-V) or the deep space Kraken mercilessly shakes your creation, the one you devoted your time to, to pieces. Fortunately, after this tutorials, you will be able to get into orbit, no matter the payload.
The problem you are likely experiencing is not having enough Delta-V, or momentum, to get into the orbit of Kerbin. (You can skip this if your ship has at least 4000 m of Delta-V). 4000 meters, or 4 Kilometers, of Delta-V is required to reach a stable LKO (Low Kerbin Orbit). While the 5-meter fuel tanks help a lot, they are not needed for this launch system. Using the 3.75 meter parts are more effective. Below is a list (from top to bottom) of the parts that you should use:
- Kerbodyne S3-14400 Tank x2
- Kerbodyne KR-2L+ "Rhino" Liquid Fuel Engine
- TS-37 Stack Separator
- Kerbodyne S3-14400 Tank x4
- S3 KS-25 "Vector" Liquid Fuel Engine x9 (8 Radially Mounted + 1 in center)
To make the 4 boosters add a Hydraulic Detachment Manifold radially 4 times. Holding the Modifier Key (Alt for Windows and Mac) Left click on everything below the stack separator and place those on on the Hydraulic Detachment Manifold and use EAS-4 Strut Connectors to secure them. (Usually by attaching one from the booster to the rocket on both sides, and then booster to booster. Add Protective Rocket Nose Cone Mk12A to the top for aerodynamics sake. Attach you payload using a 3.75 meter Ferring. Helpful tip: Use EAS-4 Strut Connectors to connect the payload to the base of the Ferring. Also, make sure the center of mass is centered horizontally, and vertically low.
This paragraph is for those of you who keep tipping over. There are two problems: a. the center of mass is not horizontally centered and b. the vehicle is top-heavy and will tip over. The first one is a simply fix, by adding liquid fuel tank until the center of mass is centered. The second one requires you to split the payload in half and add a Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port Sr. to each half.
