Tips for not running out of fuel?

[ToastOfDoom]

Can somebody help me, I find that my constant problem is that I run out of fuel midflight. I have no idea what any of the things in the vehicle assembly building do, so I have a limited number of usable parts until somebody tells me what they do. My constant trade off is either have just enough fuel to get into orbit and hardly move an inch off the launch pad, get a good speed going, but be dead out of fuel right when I hit orbit. I try doing things like adding boosters, but those end up having the first trade off. Any tips you guys could give a noob to help him not plummit the face of the plannet?

[benneralan]

The proper way to estimate the amount of fuel needed is by calculating the craft delta V.
For how much thrust you need to get off the launch pad, you need to calculate the thrust to weight ratio (which must be above 1).

Currently, the game doesn't show these vital information, but there some mods that do. Two popular mods are:

Kerbal Engineer Redux:
http://kerbalspaceport.com/0-18-1-kerbal-engineer-redux-v0-5/

MechJeb:
http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/12384-PART-0-20-Anatid-Robotics-MuMech-MechJeb-Autopilot-v2-0-8

[ZEnON]

Yes :) Thrust to Weight is your best friend. here are some videos to look at that will help you.

To better understand Thrust to Weight.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-CsCuPo6a0

To better understand how to shed Weight when parts of the spacecraft are no longer needed (empty fuel tanks etc)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvedJvFSXAE
hope this helps you a little :) good luck

[ToastOfDoom]

Thanks guys, maybe now I will actually be able to to the moon and still have enough fuel to stop myself from crashing into a crater! :P

[Nep Nep]

another way to create a efficant rocket is by using the asparagus staging method, its very simple but kinda tough to explain without a video so here, have scott manley (who by the way has very informative and interesting tutorials for ksp)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZMkQvbk0zw it gets into it about 21 minutes c: this is an advanced rocket design video but still c:

edit: i should also mention as im not sure if its mentioned in those videos, try starting off with solid fuel boosters as once you start thier thrust, its always going to be max so solid are good for that inital thrust

[Zombo]

I recommend the 'engineer-redux' Mod. It will help you design your ship for all planets and moons. So you can know exactly how much fuel you have for each section of rocket (stage), and if it can do the task you ask of it.

There are charts at the KSP wiki that list how much fuel you need to escape to orbit each celestial body in the game world. Or how much fuel you need to leave orbit around Kerbin, and reach orbit around whatever planet or mun you want to reach (Useful for designing your service module, the section that takes you from planet to planet and back).If you want a separate lander, it calculates the weight, and the fuel for all of its tasks.

It does all the calculations, and spits out the raw numbers you need to know. If you need 11,000m/s to escape Eve, this mod will tell you when your lander has the ability. The numbers change as you change the ship. More engines, more fuel, etc. This mod will allow you to go as nuts with your designs as you wish to go. But also is useful for just foooling around building contraptions. Once you understand what the numbers mean, you will know exactly what every ship is capable of, and how much fuel mileage it has.

It takes all the guessing out of the game, unless you were figuring all this out with pen and paper.

edit: Another tip, use fuel lines on external tanks and any tank not connected in a stack. Especially if you are using the engineer mod. It will tell you if the tank is feeding the engine, or cut off, because your mileage will change. Not all crossfeeds work as they should. Some radial side tanks are especially bad. So use a fuel line to make sure you arent hauling gas for nothing as dead weight. Almost every build I find a tank of something that isnt connected properly, so I just hose everything as standard practice now. Plus it looks cool.

[tik]

The fact that the lower atmosphere has a high air pressure compared to the rest of the atmosphere means that you need more fuel to get through it. Usually, most of your first stage fuel is spent on the lower atmosphere, so reducing fuel used at this point will make everything easier.

A good way to do this is to keep yourself at around 100m/s (if you have more weight on the upper stage then aim for around 150-200m/s) until you reach around 10-12km above the ground. After that point, throttle up gradually as you turn over to prograde and do the usual circularization thing.

[Sepkio]

Hello Toast,

Sorry for the not so perfect video but I think its short and to the point. Some slides just fly by but you can still see everything. Hope it helps and if you have any questions feel free to ask.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akd6LKlvqCU

Also this video cannot be watched on the Steam launcher. It has to be watched through an Internet Browser. Sorry for the inconvenience but I am new to posting videos and looks like I didn't use the correct format.

Any how Good Luck,

[G for short]

I have a very easy solution. You have to remember one thing; always use stages. It would be much more efficient if you have a space ship with a perfect number of stages for that ship (keeping in mind how big and heavy it is, or how light). If you're sending a space station core to orbit Kerbin, you definetly need a larger amount of fuel and thrust to get it into orbit. And logically, if you were to set it on an orbit around the mun, you most definetly need even more fuel and thrust.
However, how do you know how much fuel you need? Well, i come to conclude that it comes with practice. It took me nearly 6 months of playing the game to get to Duna (the mars analog of the game).
Efficiency:
Efficiency plays a very important role in the game. You have to think: Do I wana get there faster, or more efficiently. Answers like that again lie behind the fact of how big your payload is and where you're going. It would take you further out if you fire, lets say, solid rocket boosters around your ship pair by pair instead of firing them all at once.
Good luck! i recommend watching a couple of people on youtube: Scott Manley; Pleborian; HOC Gaming; xPDxTV .. They provide tutorials and also have amazing channels!
Good Luck!

[G for short]

You can always try refueling in orbit.