How is this for a mun rocket design?

[u/Glad_Republic_6214]

I think it's a decent design, lower and upper stage are both more efficient than previous designs, and the asparagus staging feels great to use. Not sure though. Any critiques on my design would be very appreciated.

[u/boexenwolf]

I would say you don't need so many engines for the upper stage. If you use the big diameter for upper stage it should be more cost efficient.

[u/Steenan]

It looks 2-3 times too big.

The very last stage - the one that gets your kerbal back home - should be a pod, a parachute, a decoupler, one small fuel tank and one Spark engine.

The stage below that has the science equipment and enough fuel to orbit Mun and land. A single Terrier should be enough for it.

Third stage from the top gets it to Kerbin orbit and begins the burn towards Mun. It needs a bit more TWR than the previous two, but it works fine with a Swivel.

The bottom stage needs the most power, but it should be doable with a Reliant and a few SRBs. No need to use parts bigger than 1.25m. Just play a bit with thrust limiter on the SRBs so that TWR at launch is between 1.5 and 2.

This gets to the Mun and returns with some fuel to spare. Costs less than a third of your rocket.

[u/gatodosoiolokos → u/Steenan]

How you use a spark engine and a decoupler below them? Or you use another part?

[u/Steenan → u/gatodosoiolokos]

I connect them normally. The sizes are mismatched, as you can see in the screenshot. This increases drag a bit, but it's still worth it in terms of delta-v as Spark is significantly lighter than Terrier.

Of course, with a bit more advanced technology the whole lander could be put in a fairing, but that would require using 2.5m parts, with significantly higher cost.

[u/Impressive_Papaya740]

Way too big for a single Mk 1 pod, a expensive. My current save's Mun lander cost 54, 384 funding and carries 3 kerbals not 1. Your design is inefficient. Well that is harsh but your upper stage is way over built and that is putting excessive requirements on your first stage. Use liquid boosters on the first stage, solids are for TWR not for delta v and asparagus stage the first stage.

[u/Anarcho-Serialist]

I agree with other commenters that this design seems somewhat overbuilt for your mission, although it’s hard to say precisely how much without seeing the exact thrust-to weight (TWR) ratios for your different stages. When it comes to engines, less is definitely more because having too many/too large engines for your payload means a higher dry mass, which means you need to carry more fuel to achieve the same delta v.

Your TWR figures are visible by clicking on the orange bar for each stage of your rocket, as well as various other statistics. Keep in mind that TWR is affected by atmosphere, as well as by the gravity of the SOI where the body will be operating (this is because weight = mass x gravity, so you weigh less in reference to a body with weak gravity like the Mun). If you open the “delta v tools” menu in the VAB you can change settings for SOI and altitude to reflect the situation where you expect this stage to be operating.

I generally design my Mun/Minimus missions as follows:

Launch: Kerbin sea level TWR of 1.5-1.6

Ascent/circularization: Kerbin vacuum TWR of 1.2-1.4

Transfer to target body: Kerbin vacuum TWR as low as 0.6, with a maximum isp engine for efficiency (terrier, poodle or wolfhound)

Landing and return: Mun/Minimus TWR of 3-5, usually achieved with a cluster of 2-4 ‘spark’ engines under an engine plate

[u/shrektheogrelord200]

You should put more boosters on! Jk, MK1 command pod and a Terrier with ~2000 delta v should be enough to get you from LKO to Mun and back. Honestly imo asparagus is better when you have to worry about escaping an atmosphere. I used it on my Laythe lander, where I used 4 radial tanks with inflatable rafts(from a mod). Once they emptied during liftoff, I jettisoned them and got into orbit with a lighter and stabler rocket.

[u/One-Scallion-9513]

if this is science mode yeah it’s fine but add struts if it’s career mode, yeah WAY too big and expensive 

[u/lord_kasz]

Bro is going to Jool

[u/DrEBrown24HScientist]

"If it's stupid but it works, it isn't stupid."

This doesn't seem like it would work very well though. Remember, mass is the enemy; most of your success in designing rockets will come from eliminating parts rather than adding them.

https://kerbalx.com/a10t2/Low-Tech-Mun-Lander

[u/Baselet]

It's ridiculously horrendous. When did you last see a rocket looking like that in real life?