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New Part: Interstage Ring


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We were discussing the fairings and how they can't adequately be use for solid interstage fairings without being ripped apart by the piece above them. I think I came up with an idea for a solution. We need 3 parts that fit the following description:

1. Thin rings, similar to the TR-XL Stack Separator.

2. Have attachment nodes on top and bottom.

3. Completely structural, no staging actions.

4. Completely hollow, we want to be able to pull things through them, unlike decouplers which have things in the way.

5. Can have fairings "closed" on them.

6. One for each size fairing.

8. Make sure we can attach struts to them, since you can't attach the first part of a strut to the fairing bases.

7. Call it an "Interstage Ring".

This will solve our problem of not being able to do TD&E maneuvers using the new fairings.

Edited by Alshain
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This also gets my vote. I've been wanting a structural part like this for years. Allowing it to interact with the fairings in this way just makes it better.

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Why no staging?

Because it's not a decoupler. It's something to attach a fairing to that doesn't decouple. That is the whole point, if it decouples it will just rip the fairing apart.

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Would you create an Appollo-type mission with this?

Yes. Sort of. Apollo staged off it's SLA like a fairing to uncover the command pod engine and the top portion of the LM. It then turned around and docked with the exposed LM and pulled it the rest of the way out. This exact thing wouldn't be possible, you would have to have a fairing that half staged away, which would be hard to do in KSP. But it will allow you to extract a lander from a solid fairing.

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Unlike current interstage thing It should have colliders, don't you think?

Ideally if possible, yes. But right now I'd settle for something that just works at all.

I'm not trying to work miracles here, ProcFairings didn't even have colliders. All I'm trying to do is find a way to make what we have work with something close to TD&E as easily as possible.

Edited by Alshain
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It was the same thing I was thinking about myself, and with current fairings available it wouldn't be that much of problem to implement. Inter-stage decoupler could be made in similar way like fairings, but they would end with another structural plate(also it need to transfer fuel trough the plate to attach engines and other objects under it ,but not transfer fuel on the other end of the fairing).

This is great workaround(no need for building rod thought the ship while using clustering) as unlike current engine fairings they would provide structural support and remove the need of stacking the previous stage directly to the engines.

However it's important that such hollow part would be a solid object and not shatter after being jettison like current fairings, also there should be option in VAB to switch from which end of the faring we want to decouple or disable jettison option altogether to have hollow hull similar to cargo bays.

At the end, I like to add that It's important that such part shouldn't be thick or massive so it could be used for short decouplers and hull parts as well as longer inter-stages.

interstage.jpg

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It was the same thing I was thinking about myself, and with current fairings available it wouldn't be that much of problem to implement. Inter-stage decoupler could be made in similar way like fairings, but they would end with another structural plate(also it need to transfer fuel trough the plate to attach engines and other objects under it ,but not transfer fuel on the other end of the fairing).

This is great workaround(no need for building rod thought the ship while using clustering) as unlike current engine fairings they would provide structural support and remove the need of stacking the previous stage directly to the engines.

However it's important that such hollow part would be a solid object and not shatter after being jettison like current fairings, also there should be option in VAB to switch from which end of the faring we want to decouple or disable jettison option altogether to have hollow hull similar to cargo bays.

At the end, I like to add that It's important that such part shouldn't be thick or massive so it could be used for short decouplers and hull parts as well as longer inter-stages.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-P243ItImJcY/U6MkvS448vI/AAAAAAAAEaw/P4rdORAw6Xg/w512-h288-no/interstage.jpg

Well, the part I'm talking about would be a structural part, not a piece of the fairing. The idea is to be able to enclose landers and then extract them similar to Apollo, not to enclose engines which have their own fairings. I know Apollo did both but the way the engine fairings currently work I don't think that would be possible. All I'm looking for is a way to keep the fairing from shattering when you detach from the part it is closed onto.

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Why not just allow fairings to "close" on another part?

Current.....|....Solution

....../\.......|

...../..\......|

..../....\.....|

...|./a\.|....|......./a\

...|..|....|....../\

...|.[c].|....|.....|.[c].|

...|.\d/.|....|.....|.\d/.|

...|.[e].|....|.....|.[e].|

...[...f..]....|.....[..f...]

...[..g..]....|.....[..g...]

...[..g..]....|.....[..g...]

...[..g..]....|.....[..g...]

KEY

a = Command Pod (Stage 0)

b = Science Bay / Misc (Stage 0)

c = Fuel Tank (Stage 0)

d = Engine (Stage 0)

e = Stack-Seperator (Stage 0 to 1)

f = Fairing Base (Fairings are Red & Green) (Stage 1)

g = Fuel Tank (Stage 1)

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I was reminded of this thread in today's Squad HQ twitch broadcast:

HarvesteR built up a large fairing around a moon stage, then went IVA on the pad to check out the view. Pod inside the fairing.

"Tourists don't seem to mind it..." (lack of view inside a fairing.)

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Well, the part I'm talking about would be a structural part, not a piece of the fairing. The idea is to be able to enclose landers and then extract them similar to Apollo, not to enclose engines which have their own fairings. I know Apollo did both but the way the engine fairings currently work I don't think that would be possible. All I'm looking for is a way to keep the fairing from shattering when you detach from the part it is closed onto.

Actually my suggestion was implying exactly what you said, hollow and solid fairing(so procedural like current fairings) enclosed from both sides with ring parts (one initial part (A) like with current fairings and one (B) which spawn on the other end of it) so the fairing walls act as structural support, engines or payloads could be attached to nodes inside so it would allow to make Apollo style LM fairing with service module above it.

20150508_012352.jpg

Current engine fairings are pretty much useless for many applications as they aren't bearing any load.

Edited by karolus10
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Actually my suggestion was implying exactly what you said, hollow and solid fairing(so procedural like current fairings) enclosed from both sides with ring parts (one initial part (A) like with current fairings and one (B) which spawn on the other end of it) so the fairing walls act as structural support, engines or payloads could be attached to nodes inside so it would allow to make Apollo style LM fairing with service module above it.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IRPqSAKGLv4/VUv0XG_EitI/AAAAAAAALxk/kDtkSQ3JHjU/w707-h942-no/20150508_012352.jpg

Current engine fairings are pretty much useless for many applications as they aren't bearing any load.

but what you are suggesting is much larger than what I am suggesting. I am suggesting a ring you have a whole fairing drawn out there. It shouldn't be that tall, not any taller than the fairing base and no angled side walls, you can do that with the fairing itself. This idea is NOT to make an engine fairing, it is to make an TD&E fairing.

I think that can be done if someone edits the way fairings work.

No, the fairings wouldn't have to be edited with this idea. You just place a fairing base at the bottom of your payload and the interstage ring at the top and draw your fairing from the base to the ring.

Sorry guys but you are over complicating the idea.

Edited by Alshain
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