Help with a space shuttle

[jfries]

I tried creating a shuttle from this video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX07SNaDv4s
I created until 5:52 when the shuttle is tested. My shuttle dosent do what happens in the video. Mine launches stays very straight and then turns and turns until its pointing horizontal rathet than vertical. Any ideas?

[Chibbity]

Shuttles are one of the hardest things to make in KSP.

You need to master both rocket building, and plane building; because making a shuttle is like trying to do both at once and they have very contradicting needs. I'd recommend getting some more experience under your belt before you try to tackle a shuttle design.

If you must persist though, it's an issue of Center of mass vs. Center of thrust. Your shuttle is like a big cancerous lump on the side of the boosters, throwing everything off balance. You need to angle the thrusters to fight this imbalance. However, COM will shift as you burn fuel, it's no easy task.

[killer_Foxy]

in real life the shuttle was very unstable so when you re entering atmosphere dont be surprised if it starts trippin out

[Astronaut]

Build the orbiter as if you're building a plane.

[jhendriks87]

With only 14 or so hours under your belt you are going to have a rough time. The way I do it is to build and test the orbiter first making sure that COM is in front of COL throughout all stages of flight, make sure it is stable and flies well. Then I build the rocket. The trick is to make sure that your COT remains in line with the COM of the entire rocket thorughout ascent. It can be a very tedious build. EDIT: also pics of your craft will help

[invision2212]

ksp last boss is building a shuttle and dock it.

[jhendriks87]

Originally posted by invision2212:

ksp last boss is building a shuttle and dock it.

I don't know about that. What about returning a manned mission from eve? haha. I've done it once...

[Yuki]

Originally posted by josdavlan:

I tried creating a shuttle from this video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX07SNaDv4s
I created until 5:52 when the shuttle is tested. My shuttle dosent do what happens in the video. Mine launches stays very straight and then turns and turns until its pointing horizontal rathet than vertical. Any ideas?

Asymetric LV's are usually balanced for an intentional weight shift during launch. With the fuel burning up your weight will shift more and more towards your still full shuttle.
If you do not follow the same ascent profile (the same angle at the same speed shown)- you tip over. Those design principles however are indeed not exactly beginner material...

Originally posted by invision2212:

ksp last boss is building a shuttle and dock it.

Piece o cake.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1223080876
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1224567181
You know you are doing it right when you move east with your nose still straight up, just like the nasa shuttle.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1238405267

Want a real boss fight? try this ;)
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1226110024
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1226119075
COM/COT relation becomes several times as complex.

Buuuut, lets start at the beginning. Why do you want to do so? Because of the coolness factor?
Or because of re-useability?
There are indeed a lot of things to keep in mind, and things to master. Especially- landing. Preferably non propulsive, like...well, a space shuttle.

Originally posted by killer_Foxy:

in real life the shuttle was very unstable so when you re entering atmosphere dont be surprised if it starts trippin out

Nope. Actually shuttles tent to be less complex and more stable than even SSTO's during re entry. Not to mention the comparison with pods. The very shape of shuttles, no matter if RL or KSP, is usually aimed at such, up to the degree of self stabilizing. I can throw my CRV's into atmo at 45° and go grab a coffee, no autopilot, not even SAS activated, it will end re entry on -10° pitch at about 20km.

Their agility and stability is THE reason why you would want to go for all the hazzle of launching them. Because you get a lot of stuff and expensive equipment safely back down for full recovery. Its generally more easy to land a cargo bay full of science equipment and some crew compartments than the same payload with a pod based design. Once you mastered landing...

They also dont need a heat shield, no praying the ablator is enough...They trade horizontal for vertical velocity and wise versa and that way can extend an interplanetary return re-entry within safe heat margins by a lot. Even to an upper atmosphere cruise that can bring them around more than half the planet without leaving the atmosphere again until they finally go down. No need for a multi pass atmo break for everything up to and including Jool.

TLDR: Dont launch with an asymetric LV. Try a simple design ontop a normal rocket first, and land it safely without engines. Test re entry, experience their capabilities to decide when to use them in the first place. And thats usually kind of "medium weight high return value" cargo. Then proceed from that point onward.
For inspiration maybe take a look at "CRV's" - Crew Return Vehicles, essentially small shuttle systems like ESA's IXV and Hermes or NASA's X-38.

http://www.esa.int/var/esa/storage/images/esa_multimedia/images/2009/12/ariane_5_in_hermes_configuration_1991/9657602-3-eng-GB/Ariane_5_in_Hermes_configuration_1991.jpg
http://www.esa.int/var/esa/storage/images/esa_multimedia/images/2011/06/esa_s_ixv/9644806-3-eng-GB/ESA_s_IXV_large.jpg

Starting space shuttle like with an asymetric LV is merely only about craft design and such can easily be copied from others. But even that wont help you if you dont come down safely. And the knowledge you gather during landing such will help you designing asymetric LV's as well.
Once you come down safely they become addictive for their THEN ease of use and awesome fund efficiency ;)
Just needs a bit of training.

[RoofCat]

just build them with symmetric boosters around Shuttle. There are plenty of different decouplers in KSP for that.

You could also try to put Shuttle on the nose of a large booster, but that will require a lot of wings at bottom too to balance drag which aren't really necessary otherwise. So rather bad idea, but doable.

And then best Shuttles in KSP are just launched from Runway like regular planes, because Kerbin orbit requirements are much lower than on Earth and because there are a few miraculous Jet engines in KSP.

[Astronaut]

Make sure to offset the engines too. I think the center of thrust is suposed to point towards or near CoM.

[jfries]

Thank you for taking your time to write those! I will definitly get more experience before trying to build a shuttle. Once again thanks for your time!

[Astronaut]

Originally posted by josdavlan:

Thank you for taking your time to write those! I will definitly get more experience before trying to build a shuttle. Once again thanks for your time!

Also KER offers torque visibility, the closer to 0 the number is the more stable your rocket it.

[jfries]

How would I get to this data through the game?

[Chibbity]

Originally posted by josdavlan:

How would I get to this data through the game?

Did you download and install the KER mod?

[jfries]

No, what mod are you reffering to.

[Astronaut]

Did you bother to google "ksp ker"?