Is asparagus staging still the most efficient method of staging?
When I used to play a ton, I remember reading and hearing that the dry mass of fuel tanks in KSP is unrealisticly high, resulting in asparagus staging being more efficient than sequential staging by a large margin. Is this still the case in the full release?
Edit: reading the forums and old posts about asparagus staging jogged my memory, I remember that there were 2 major factors in making asparagus staging more efficient in practice: the aforementioned dry mass problem and also the crummy old drag model. Because total mass was (believed to be) the factor considered in drag, instead of the actual cross-section of the ship, asparagus staging was more efficient because it dropped mass much quicker than other staging techniques. I'll be doing some basic testing later, comparing the two, and I'll update with my results.
Best Answer
Just taking fuel efficiency into account, asparagus staging is the most efficient.
When taking drag into account, it may have some impact on what's most efficient depending air pressure and rocket design. This is however easier to get away with since KSP 1.0 with redesigned drag formulas.
Cost wise it might be cheaper to use solid boosters since these are very cheap to buy, but again, this might be a matter of purpose of the rocket since they cannot be turned off.
Disadvantages with Asparagus staging is that stability of the craft may be reduced, and that the tanks might collide with the craft when staging, compared to a rocket staging bottom-up.
More things might be taken into account and there might be more disadvantages than those listed.
Sources:
Pictures about "Is asparagus staging still the most efficient method of staging?"
Does asparagus staging still work KSP?
Asparagus staging is possible, but not viable. Mainly because pumping fuel around at the speeds and volumes needed for launch is a really big job, but also partially because the actual tank dry mass we achieve is so much better than KSP does, that the benefit is much reduced.Why is it called asparagus staging?
But this arrangement is still a net gain for the ship as a whole, and the rocket will go farther with these side tanks than without them. This is what is described as asparagus staging, because apparently somebody once thought the cluster of side columns made the rocket look like a clump of asparagus spears.How do you set up asparagus staging?
A stage can consist of one or more parts on the spacecraft. Upon activation of the stage, all parts within become active. Engines will engage, parachutes will prime, decouplers will detach. When designing spaceships, it is essential to put all parts into their correct stages.Fuel Flow \u0026 Asparagus Staging | KSP Beginner's Guide
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: David Bartus, Daria Shevtsova, Marina Leonova, Curtis Adams