Mk3 Expansion - [KSP 1.12x] Version 1.6 [10/5/21]

[SuicidalInsanity]

@CptRichardson; I have somewhat neglected the KB stuff, haven't I? Since the mk3 docking ports are coming along well, I think I should be able to get a Falcon and Y-Wing cockpit done by the end of the week.

@Reiver; I did make a few radial conformal SRBs that can be used as RATOs. They won't be of any use for 1000+ ton behemoths, but should me more than adequate for the average spaceplane

[Reiver]

Neat

[CptRichardson]

@CptRichardson; I have somewhat neglected the KB stuff, haven't I? Since the mk3 docking ports are coming along well, I think I should be able to get a Falcon and Y-Wing cockpit done by the end of the week.

@Reiver; I did make a few radial conformal SRBs that can be used as RATOs. They won't be of any use for 1000+ ton behemoths, but should me more than adequate for the average spaceplane

Motivation.

Edited October 21, 2015 by CptRichardson
The perfect moment finally caught on GIF.

[Svm420]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HOPE-X Would you consider making a nose/drone shaped like the front of the Hope-x? I thought either a drone core or making it into a cargo bay would be a great new part.

[SuicidalInsanity]

That .gif makes me want to start humming the Dr. Who theme music. Anyway, got the Millennium Falcon Lustrum Hawk cockpit done:

I ended up taking a few liberties with the design, attempting to keep the more iconic aspects while at the same time making the cockpit more Kerbal, both in art style and game functionality, hence the adaptations to make the cockpit more capsule-like; the front ended up being 1.25m, so it could also be use as an 1.25-2.5m inline cockpit as well.

The Y-Wing cockpit is also modeled, but still needs to be UV mapped.

@Svm420; I can't promise that it would be an exact copy, but some sort of shuttlenose style mk3 nosecone is possible, though it would probably end up being a fueltank rather than a drone

[Nothalogh]

That .gif makes me want to start humming the Dr. Who theme music. Anyway, got the Millennium Falcon Lustrum Hawk cockpit done:

http://i.imgur.com/BQR09Y3.png

I ended up taking a few liberties with the design, attempting to keep the more iconic aspects while at the same time making the cockpit more Kerbal, both in art style and game functionality, hence the adaptations to make the cockpit more capsule-like; the front ended up being 1.25m, so it could also be use as an 1.25-2.5m inline cockpit as well.

The Y-Wing cockpit is also modeled, but still needs to be UV mapped.

@Svm420; I can't promise that it would be an exact copy, but some sort of shuttlenose style mk3 nosecone is possible, though it would probably end up being a fueltank rather than a drone

Whoa, I like it.

This style would make an excellent Mk3 cockpit as well if you upsized it to that.

[CptRichardson]

That .gif makes me want to start humming the Dr. Who theme music. Anyway, got the Millennium Falcon Lustrum Hawk cockpit done:

http://i.imgur.com/BQR09Y3.png

I ended up taking a few liberties with the design, attempting to keep the more iconic aspects while at the same time making the cockpit more Kerbal, both in art style and game functionality, hence the adaptations to make the cockpit more capsule-like; the front ended up being 1.25m, so it could also be use as an 1.25-2.5m inline cockpit as well.

The Y-Wing cockpit is also modeled, but still needs to be UV mapped.

@Svm420; I can't promise that it would be an exact copy, but some sort of shuttlenose style mk3 nosecone is possible, though it would probably end up being a fueltank rather than a drone

[Lando] Well Hello there beautiful. What's a nice gal like yourself doing in such a backwater like this?[/Lando]

Let me work tomorrow morning, I think I have an idea for how to mock up a three or four kerbal setup for that thing. It's perfect for acting as the command pod for tugs and interplanetary shuttles. And, uh, actual flying.

[Siphonophore]

That looks absolutely epic. Btw, any progress on any WIP parts, and how is the Cyclops cockpit coming along?

[SuicidalInsanity]

Lustrum Hawk cockpit ingame; it should work quire well for flying, in either a stack config or an inline one:

And some screenshots of stuff that i finally got around to texturing

Mk2's finally getting that precooler requested way back when, and the much mroe recently requested adapter/airlock/endcap thing

And the much queried cyclops cupola, which wouldn't look out of place on a submarine, station, base or spacecrusier.

[DavidBowman]

Everything looks great!

[Siphonophore]

Lustrum Hawk cockpit ingame; it should work quire well for flying, in either a stack config or an inline one:

http://i.imgur.com/oNWHyWy.png

And some screenshots of stuff that i finally got around to texturing

http://i.imgur.com/qOS2Iy0.png

Mk2's finally getting that precooler requested way back when, and the much mroe recently requested adapter/airlock/endcap thing

http://i.imgur.com/NxW1EqK.png

And the much queried cyclops cupola, which wouldn't look out of place on a submarine, station, base or spacecrusier.

Fabulous work on all of those parts!

Oh...

THE CYCLOPS CUPOLA LOOKS MARVELOUS!!!! Thanks for making my idea a reality, so INFINITE KUDOS to YOU, SucidalInsanity! Are toggleable lights planned, as well as a capacity for 4 Kerbonauts?

[SuicidalInsanity]

@AJTheMighty; It has already has a toggle light option. I haven't decided on crew capacity yet; it'll probably end up being between 2-4, depending on what the IVA allows.

[Siphonophore]

@SuicidalInsanity, I imagine the IVA to be sort of like double-decker, sort of like a real submarine. Also, to make it a bit more realistic and fitting, decrease the heat tolerance by about 28%

And yes, definitely go with a capacity of 2.

Remember when @StarEagle suggested long-term habitation modules? Well those ones' IVAs could be that of a nice, 5-star hotel room! Could you show me an image of the cockpit's lights turned on at night?

[CptRichardson]

@AJTheMighty; It has already has a toggle light option. I haven't decided on crew capacity yet; it'll probably end up being between 2-4, depending on what the IVA allows.

Just about got my sketch concept for the IVA done, and I think that 4 should maybe-possibly be squeezed in with room for a little funky airlock system in a way that's highly reminiscent of the proper Falcon cockpit.

But kerbally.

[SuicidalInsanity]

@AJTheMighty; Breaking orbit around Laythe:

Not quite a nightshot - Kerbol is just beginning to peek around Laythe - but should still be sufficiently dark.

@CptRichardson; 4 kerbals will easily fit into the cockpit, assuming a single deck layout like the Falcon.

[Siphonophore]

@AJTheMighty; Breaking orbit around Laythe:

http://i.imgur.com/gAj1CUJ.png

Not quite a nightshot - Kerbol is just beginning to peek around Laythe - but should still be sufficiently dark.

@CptRichardson; 4 kerbals will easily fit into the cockpit, assuming a single deck layout like the Falcon.

Awesome mothership there! I think it brings to mind the SEV! Think ya can include a craft like this one in the final release, but with a Mk3 ion engine - speaking of ion engine, @SuicidalInsanity, any progress on a Mk3 ion engine? We love seeing parts done!

Here are the last three suggestions from me for a while:

Mk2/Mk3 electrically-powered dark matter drive (bring a fission reactor with you when you add one of these puppies!)

Mk3 triple-mode vaccuum engine (three modes are a low thrust, high efficiency mode, a high-thrust, low efficiency mode, and an in-between moderate efficiency mode)

Mk3 airlocks (one with two doors on either side, and one with one big door on the front)

Hope you like these suggestions @SuicidalInsanity

Edited October 28, 2015 by AJTheMighty

[BudgetHedgehog]

Mk3 triple-mode vacuum engine (three modes are a low thrust, high efficiency mode, a high-thrust, low efficiency mode, and an in-between moderate efficiency mode"

Why not just a VASIMIR? Isp would depend on thrust and not be limited to 3 steps. Granted, you would be introducing a dependency on the NearFuturePropulsion plugin, but still..

[ABZB]

Why not just a VASIMIR? Isp would depend on thrust and not be limited to 3 steps. Granted, you would be introducing a dependency on the NearFuturePropulsion plugin, but still..

My patch set [http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/131806-Starlion-Industries-KSPI-IFS-Compatibility-Patches-for-Fueltanks-Spaceplanes-more-CKAN] currently does that for WarpPlugin. I guess I could add a set for Near Future (with appropriate NEEDS arrangement...) I don't use it myself, so I will have to do a bit of research first.

[MelancholyFlapper]

Here's another suggestion - an inline Mk. 3 cockpit? Something similar to the inline Mk. 2 cockpit, just longer and more aerodynamic.

[SuicidalInsanity]

@AJTheMighty;

-dark matter drive: I might make an Alcubierre drive at some point, but beyond that, I'd prefer to stick to engines and tech that are within the realm of plausibility in regards to a contemporary understanding of physics and materials science.

-Mk3 triple-mode vaccuum engine: That would be a VASIMR engine. Possible.

-Mk3 airlock: I'm guessing you intend these to be similar to the mk2 airlock endcap?

@MelancholyFlapper; I'm not sure what form it would end up taking, but an inline Mk3 cockpit is something that will likely happen at some point.

[Siphonophore]

@AJTheMighty;

-dark matter drive: I might make an Alcubierre drive at some point, but beyond that, I'd prefer to stick to engines and tech that are within the realm of plausibility in regards to a contemporary understanding of physics and materials science.

-Mk3 triple-mode vaccuum engine: That would be a VASIMR engine. Possible.

-Mk3 airlock: I'm guessing you intend these to be similar to the mk2 airlock endcap?

@MelancholyFlapper; I'm not sure what form it would end up taking, but an inline Mk3 cockpit is something that will likely happen at some point.

I feel good to be a part of this mod; heres more suggestions: (I changed me mind)

Mk3 inflatable centrifuge

Mk3 docking nosecone (that opens to the left)

Mk3 cannae drive (like the one in real life, doesn't require any fuel of any type but requires loads of electricity)

Mk2 long-term habitation module (holds 2 kerbals)

[BudgetHedgehog]

Mk3 cannae drive (like the one in real life, doesn't require any fuel of any type but requires loads of electricity)

You mean the engine that violates the law of conservation of momentum and, when tested by NASA, created 30-50 μN of thrust? You want that engine to push Mk3 parts?

I don't think the game can even register a TWR so low.

[CptRichardson]

You mean the engine that violates the law of conservation of momentum and, when tested by NASA, created 30-50 μN of thrust? You want that engine to push Mk3 parts?

I don't think the game can even register a TWR so low.

That's more because they're using unrefined designs, and because they're using less power than you put into the average lamp to test it with. BUT, for the power put in it's still twice the thrust of an equivalent ion thruster.

@Suicidal Insanity: For the Mk3 inline cockpit, I might suggest doing a particularly interesting variant:

An Instrument cockpit/side docking port and/or coupala-ish. A four-kerbal instrument-primary (designed with two big screens for using cameras at the front), with either a docking port placement node on either flat of the hull, or set it up with retractable shutters on as many surfaces as possible to act as a high-visibility control module for managing traffic around a large spaceplane/ship/station and/or observation. The Mk3 profile doesn't make sense to have a Mk2 style upwards blister. It would just look awkward. At the same time, with the size of the Mk3 hull it easily makes sense to have an in-line design for a command module to protect it from debris coming at the ship from the front in flight, and giving it a 360 view around the curvature of the hull would make for a unique and useful cockpit for guiding in vessels or managing kerbals on spacewalks around the ship.

And, you know, look cool as hell.

[MelancholyFlapper]

That's more because they're using unrefined designs, and because they're using less power than you put into the average lamp to test it with. BUT, for the power put in it's still twice the thrust of an equivalent ion thruster.

@Suicidal Insanity: For the Mk3 inline cockpit, I might suggest doing a particularly interesting variant:

An Instrument cockpit/side docking port and/or coupala-ish. A four-kerbal instrument-primary (designed with two big screens for using cameras at the front), with either a docking port placement node on either flat of the hull, or set it up with retractable shutters on as many surfaces as possible to act as a high-visibility control module for managing traffic around a large spaceplane/ship/station and/or observation. The Mk3 profile doesn't make sense to have a Mk2 style upwards blister. It would just look awkward. At the same time, with the size of the Mk3 hull it easily makes sense to have an in-line design for a command module to protect it from debris coming at the ship from the front in flight, and giving it a 360 view around the curvature of the hull would make for a unique and useful cockpit for guiding in vessels or managing kerbals on spacewalks around the ship.

And, you know, look cool as hell.

That doesn't sound very fitting to me, to be honest. A Mk. 2 style (that is to say, a protrusion on the top) that's more elongated/aerodynamic makes way more sense. The lower deck could hold some passengers as well, not as many as a dedicated passenger fuselage part, but a decent few.

[CptRichardson]

That doesn't sound very fitting to me, to be honest. A Mk. 2 style (that is to say, a protrusion on the top) that's more elongated/aerodynamic makes way more sense. The lower deck could hold some passengers as well, not as many as a dedicated passenger fuselage part, but a decent few.

No... because it would badly fit with the geometry of the existing hull.