Jump to content

Shuttle Challenge v4 - The STS thread [Stock and Mod Friendly] [THREAD CLOSED 06.08.17]


Recommended Posts

On 2/8/2017 at 2:23 AM, Speeding Mullet said:

A "reusable" winged Orbiter which carries Kerbals (and cargo for any mission beyond STS-1a) to orbit and back and is capable of a horizontal landing. The Orbiter must be lifted into space by a Launch System that decouples or un-docks once expended, allowing the Orbiter to land entirely under it's own power.


8.  SSTO's are not eligable for entry to the challenge

What if the launch system reaches orbit in one stage before decoupling the orbiter?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, 1.2 certainly changed a few things, especially with respect to fuel flow.

Here's my Mun STS-1 mission: http://imgur.com/a/MRNxn

I got halfway through my TLI burn when I ran out of oxidizer.  KER told me that a TWR of about 1...on the Mun.  Undaunted, my brave kerbonauts decided it was worth the risk.  With nothing but a couple of LV-N's to propel the 75-ton craft, they lumbered into Munar orbit and then started a very long deorbit and landing burn.  They discovered a novel new way to unload oversized cargo from underneath--simply shift all the fuel to the rear tanks and pitch up!

Without the Lunar science station in the cargo bay, the craft had a Munar TWR of about 1.4--just barely enough to clear the edge of the crater on the way out.  The return trip was fairly uneventful until re-entry, when the craft entered a VERY stable tail-first-but-nose-up attitude, due to a high CoL and a too-far-back CoM.  Fortunately, this was a hastily-repurposed Duna craft with 20 parachutes, which brought my brave kerbonauts safely to the ground, albeit a long way from home.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, Martian Emigrant said:

But while you were awol I loaded pictures for STS-2b. Imgur http://imgur.com/a/qKrgX

The pics are at the top, last one first.

I have complete STS-2b.

The mission report is appended:

You lot are voracious.  I don't think the challenge was this fast moving the last time I ran it.  Anyway, badge-worthy mission.  In your opinion was it harder to get the payload up there, or recover it?  YbUvgWK.jpg

14 hours ago, eloquentJane said:

Is there a minimum mass for the space telescope?

Nope, just make a telescope however you want it.  I opened up to see new and interesting designs, and its definitely working!  The challenge with this mission is purely in the engineering stage, assembly, and the inclined re-entry.

 

10 hours ago, Shadow dream said:

So now here is the final take on Mission 2b:

First of, I loaded my savegame in space with the broken tank. Kicked it out, F12ed a fixed version into the 130km orbit (where the original was deployed in Mission 1b) and loaded that one in. Since I still used the same craft I actualy lost dV for that maneuver - but doesn't matter, I had plenty left after landing =)

So here is the album: https://imgur.com/a/IlVFE - it's the complete one, so scroll to the last few images if you missed my first post

No one helps themselves to badges :wink:  I could fail you for any number of things on this mission.  Well actually, I can't, good run!  Here's your badge, the one you took doesn't count!   YbUvgWK.jpg

 

 

8 hours ago, JVMES said:

What if the launch system reaches orbit in one stage before decoupling the orbiter?

Then it's not an SSTO and you are fine :)

 

8 hours ago, zolotiyeruki said:

Woohoo, the challenge is back!  I really enjoyed this challenge last time around (well, except the potato mission.  That was a pain).

I completed through the potato mission in the 1.1 version, so I believe I'm on the Mun mission now.

Can't I get any love for potato missions?  I'm going to make another one just for that!  Once you've completed the Kerbin missions you can go for whichever mission category you like!  Good to see you kicking it in the shuttle thread again!

 

5 hours ago, SapperChop said:

This was hard, as it was my first time to purposefully try to land at the KSC. I used SpaceY boosters and launch clamps so I guess that means I am modded. Thanks!

Welcome to the challenge!  Nice looking shuttle you have there!  Just for the future if you could provide a few more pictures in your mission report, it's nice to be able to see each step (separation of boosters etc etc), but for this first mission I trust you, Commander!   8joD5Di.jpg

 

1 hour ago, zolotiyeruki said:

Well, 1.2 certainly changed a few things, especially with respect to fuel flow.

Here's my Mun STS-1 mission: http://imgur.com/a/MRNxn

Hey wait, when did I ok parachute landings?!  If this had been the Commander rank I might not look so kindly, but as you arrived in Pilot territory with that emergency deployment I'll forgive you :wink:

How did you find the Mun Mission?  Another one was in the pipeline, but seeing as you love potatoes so much I might make you take one to Dres and back :wink:

Stock right?   qAhq0Vb.jpg

 

I'm aware I still need to update a couple of scores to the OP.  Please bear with me :)

 

SM 

 

Edited by Speeding Mullet
Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, Speeding Mullet said:

I think the MMU's are supposed to be separate in the spirit of the challenge as it makes for more complexity, and also creates a challenge around properly packing everything into the cargo bay.

Ok, thanks for the feedback. I worked a bit more on this (was not happy with the relatively tiny antennae either), so I removed the MMUs from the solar panel assemblies, and made separate ones.

Working on a shuttle to use, I overkilled it with the main engines: in the test runs with a 41t payload, they took care of all maneuvres and still had fuel left after landing with the payload still aboard. I could add some extra engines for the visuals and call it 'OMS', but it would be rather pointless add-on mass. Would it invalidate a mission if the OMS goes completely unused?

Also, does the OMS have to use other fuel than the main engines (iow, would I also need to add some tanks of something other than LFO)?

 

 

Spoiler

 

8 hours ago, AeroGav said:

so i'd say 5.5 tons is a reasonable weight

The HLST-1c hits that target almost dead-on (5.513t), if you don't count the separate MMUs (puts it at 7.53t). That's with the LFO tanks completely empty (since it has no use for fuel); up to 12t can be added in fuel alone without needing any other changes, if one wishes to lug a heavier telescope.


 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, swjr-swis said:

Ok, thanks for the feedback. I worked a bit more on this (was not happy with the relatively tiny antennae either), so I removed the MMUs from the solar panel assemblies, and made separate ones.

Working on a shuttle to use, I overkilled it with the main engines: in the test runs with a 41t payload, they took care of all maneuvres and still had fuel left after landing with the payload still aboard. I could add some extra engines for the visuals and call it 'OMS', but it would be rather pointless add-on mass. Would it invalidate a mission if the OMS goes completely unused?

Also, does the OMS have to use other fuel than the main engines (iow, would I also need to add some tanks of something other than LFO)?

Do you know what.  checking out my Buran 11F35 Kerbal I I haven't even tried to put an OMS system in there have I?  I mean if I went through 3 iterations of this challenge with an illegal shuttle (Yeah so I was running two of them) why can't you?  I think OMS was only put in there to make the Shuttle have to fit a pretty specific model of what the actual shuttle looked like.  Seeing as we are so, so so very far from that these days I think I might just remove the OMS requirement!  Most peoples entries just use their main shuttle engines anyhow so yeah, rule gone!

EDIT - I just made it an advisable instead.  We will see how we go.

SM  Oh yeah I'm still loving that telescope.  Also I'm going to update my JSC Shuttle IIc and see if it still flies!

 

Edited by Speeding Mullet
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Speeding Mullet said:

You lot are voracious.  I don't think the challenge was this fast moving the last time I ran it.  Anyway, badge-worthy mission.  In your opinion was it harder to get the payload up there, or recover it? 

Hello.

You are a night owl.

Recovery.

I read the missions ahead  of designing. Then I hoped I had made some good design choices.

As it turn out I chose well enough so getting mass up wasn't a problem.

But loading was a bit like your first EVA or First docking.

Re-invent walking. Docking backward with the engines in the way. Heavy ship, sun was low when I got close enough to load.

One can see why the Canadarm was a good add-on to the shuttle.

I did some test flights before accepting the shuttle as operational but somehow it didn't like the load....Perhaps it had to do with coming from higher up. IDK.

 

ME

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Speeding Mullet said:

Do you know what.  checking out my Buran 11F35 Kerbal I I haven't even tried to put an OMS system in there have I?  I mean if I went through 3 iterations of this challenge with an illegal shuttle (Yeah so I was running two of them) why can't you?  I think OMS was only put in there to make the Shuttle have to fit a pretty specific model of what the actual shuttle looked like.  Seeing as we are so, so so very far from that these days I think I might just remove the OMS requirement!  Most peoples entries just use their main shuttle engines anyhow so yeah, rule gone!

EDIT - I just made it an advisable instead.  We will see how we go.

SM  Oh yeah I'm still loving that telescope.  Also I'm going to update my JSC Shuttle IIc and see if it still flies!

 

And here I have a shuttle that has 1-2 OMS systems, which are monoprop and sometimes LV-N to go with it.

Edited by 53miner53
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Speeding Mullet said:

Hey wait, when did I ok parachute landings?!  If this had been the Commander rank I might not look so kindly, but as you arrived in Pilot territory with that emergency deployment I'll forgive you :wink:

How did you find the Mun Mission?  Another one was in the pipeline, but seeing as you love potatoes so much I might make you take one to Dres and back :wink:

Stock right?   qAhq0Vb.jpg

Yup, stock.  And I was not intending to use the parachutes--I had plenty of fuel left to fly back to KSC, and had no intention of using the chutes.  It's just that 1) the shuttle was stable in the wrong direction, and 2) I had kinda forgotten how to fly it on re-entry :eek:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Speeding Mullet said:

Do you know what.  checking out my Buran 11F35 Kerbal I I haven't even tried to put an OMS system in there have I? 

What do you mean by no orbital maneuvering system? Given that the ascent engines are all on Energia, all Buran has is orbital propulsion. Those engines are literally called Двигатели Орбитального Маневрирования - Orbital Maneuvering Engines

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Speeding Mullet said:

No one helps themselves to badges [...] Here's your badge, the one you took doesn't count!

My badge doesn't c...? awww man! :D

I just planed Mission 3, I'll upload the result later, once I've completed it.

(Can you believe it, I'm doing all of this just because I want the Duna Badge, that one will call for some heavy calculations!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Martian Emigrant said:

Hello.

You are a night owl.

Recovery.

Nope, just living In Sydney :)

 

4 hours ago, Alchemist said:

What do you mean by no orbital maneuvering system?

Clearly a major brain fart on my part!  Really good to see you on here Alchemist.  Is the HRO to make another appearance?  So does the definition for a Shuttle make enough sense as it stands?

 

3 hours ago, Naito said:

Question if trying STS-2b......Would a AOA abort qualify?

You'll have to expand on what you mean I think.  If you mean you get up there, get the payload and return it to Kerbin within 1 orbit while simulating an AOA that's fine.  You can go backwards straight up and straight down for all I care as long as the payload gets home :)

 

Everyone else I'll get to you tonight after work!

SM

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Been working on a shuttle for the large-payload STS missions (40 tonne capacity for the fuel pod). Ascent worked perfectly on the first try. Landing from re-entry, however...not so much.

FrkHoBm.jpg

IejhuVZ.jpg

It's a pain because it's the most perfectly balanced shuttle I've ever made; center of mass barely moves as fuel depletes, and the ascent worked incredibly well too. I know how to fix it though, and it does have an abort system (which is good, because the crew cabin blew up when it crash landed).

Edited by eloquentJane
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Mission 3: Success!

dexter.gif

Now even though I did a lot of careful planing (= open shuttle, insert telescope, close shuttle), I managed to run into a severe dV issue on the go which lead me to do the mission twice. The first one was about as perfect as the second one (see album) with the exception that I didn't had the dV to even out my inclination. No zero-inclination = no easy landing at KSC. I had just enough fuel to touch the atmosphere, bleed off my orbit and crash in the middle of nowhere. The Telescope was in orbit, the crew survived but that badge wants daddy to land on the runway.

Spoiler

LC2n1Ep.png

So I revocered my brave men (and women) and stuffed them into the next shuttle. Actually I didn't modify it before, I used the exact same craft again with the exact same payload. The difference was soley to use the main engines up into stable orbit only and from there on use my LV-Terrier, which ment my Ascent Fuel Tank took me way further and almost up to the 550km. Ok, I also got the inclination on launch much better than before, so there's that.

Deployed the Telescope, stuck it together nicely and back home we go! Now I got low on fuel again, but at least I could get my inclination down to zero, so I didn't care that much, still had tons of RCS and an atmosphere to slow me down. I got pretty nervous on decent, seeing how the orbital trajectory raised and fell with aerodynamics kicking in. Remember, no fuel to safe me if I messed up! Unfortunately my craft stalled somewhere arround Mount Kerman (or what that mountain's name next to KSC is) then went flat-spin. I though I had to F9 that one, but managed to catch her again and get her down perfectly on the runway! Phew!!

Here's the album: https://imgur.com/a/2GZif I have tried to get better shots during daylight, since the last happened mostly at night which was pretty aweful.

I hereby claim the "STS Commander ** Badge" - the official one :wink:  neSFTQk.jpg

 

Now for Mission 4: All I have to do is launch two shuttles with some crew, rondezvous them to transfer the kerbals, and land again? It sounds so easy...

Edited by Shadow dream
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guess what I have!

An awesome new shuttle, an STS-9 mission plan, and a class B asteroid!

eFnVpJ8.png

Guess what I don't have...

Spoiler

Hint: look in the top right corner...

Spoiler

An ore tank

 

*facepalm*

 

Anyway, glad to be back with the Shuttle Challenge.  I got to STS-8 on the Shuttle Challenge V3, so I'm very happy to try out the exciting later missions.  More pictures will be coming once I sort this out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, luizopiloto said:

 

K.Weeb Telescope
Orbit Altitude: 612Km
Inclination: 33°

 

SUPREME.  Just simply a wonderful mission.  The telescope is incredible and we are definitely not worthy!  The level of detail you put into everything, including your flight profiles is astounding, and I'm super happy to prresent your badge.  Cannot rep your post enough unfortunately!   neSFTQk.jpg

 

10 hours ago, Martian Emigrant said:

Though act to follow.

I have just completed STS-3

Mission Report:  Shuttle Challenge

Gotta love those cute MMU's!  nice mission and again this telescope is really really nice.  There's two now that have already proved opening up the telescope design was the right thing to do!   neSFTQk.jpg

 

8 hours ago, eloquentJane said:

Been working on a shuttle for the large-payload STS missions

Cool can't wait to see how this turn out!  nice looking vehicle EJ!

 

8 hours ago, Shadow dream said:

Mission 3: Success!

Wow another absolutely beautiful scope!  Congratulations on a tidy mission.  That's really a fantastic telescope, loving the diversity here!   neSFTQk.jpg

 

1 hour ago, sdj64 said:

Guess what I have!

An awesome new shuttle, an STS-9 mission plan, and a class B asteroid!

HAHA YES!!!!  I really have to design a couple more asteroid missions!  Good top see you back here once again!  That's a particularly neat nose assembly there.  Can we get a closer view?

 

SM

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have actually managed to build a spaceglider that can both launch like a shuttle, and actually land safely again :o I've got as far as getting into orbit, but alas, Orbiter Number 3 crashed after I attempted to steer it to the runway landing following a massive overshoot (should have just brought it down at sea, its rated for water landings).

Orbiters Number 1 and 2 were both lost during the initial runway-launched glide stability tests, while Number 3 successfully landed at sea, then flew on four vertically launched missions, the first and third of which saw the orbiter stack lose control after clearing the tower (one due to forgetting to cross-feed into the orbiter so it pitched over, the other due to not having gimballing on the booster so it lost control authority), but the orbiter was able to detach, roll to horizontal and come down slowly enough to avoid damage. The second launch lost aerodynamic stability at main engine cutoff, spun round and ended up just doing a suborbital hop with a landing on land half-way round Kerbin, while the fourth launch achieved orbit, performed a successful deorbit burn with the aim of landing near KSC, and then crashed into the slope at the end of the runway, destroying the orbiter entirely. We are now ready to proceed to manned testing :P I'm fairly confident the revised Mk. 1a orbiter will be able to orbit and return a crew safely, with larger landing gear to avoid taking the nose off (the clearance for the on-land landings has been very tight).

TdOHjis.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi there,

To shorten the waiting for the next mission, I re-flew the fuel pod mission, this time with a modified shuttle to fit in the "stock" category. I replaced the SpaceY boosters with clusters of Kickbacks, and unistalled the KJR (the autostrut function was working fine, so I guess KJR is no longer needed), and was able to take the pod to 83,000 km orbit with fuel to spare.

All is documented in an imgur album:

http://imgur.com/a/zJvAb

All went fine, and no special maneuvers like gravity assists were needed, the shuttle is performing great even with stock boosters (I'm still going back to SpaceY, mainly for the looks).

I might try landing the pod sometimes soon, this could prove to be an interesting challenge, I'm not sure how the shuttle will reenter weighing 40 tonnes more than usually, but hopefully much better than with a large space potato attached to it :)

Michal.don

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a ~400 ton shuttle that is somewhat realistic...

+2 SRBs (full fuel every launch)

+VERY large external fuel tank with ASAS stability

+~250-500 m/s dV OMS

50 ton shuttle with 20 ton cargo capacity, you can fill the bay up.

Max altitude is around 350 km

Reentry is never a problem with the shuttle. Glides very well.

I'll have to find the link again. I do believe it was made in 1.2.

Edited by TheKorbinger
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...