[WIP] Destination Mun

[Cykyrios]

So, I just modelled the rocket from Destination Mun, and you can see the current progress here:

Now before I can release this (or even fly it), I have a little problem: this rocket is a single-part one (deals with unwanted wobbliness), which means that it needs to act as command pod, fuel tank, engine, ASAS and RCS, but I don\'t know how to use the Part Module stuff in the part.cfg, and more precisely I don\'t know which parameters to use for each module.

Anybody knows how to use that? Or do I have to wait until proper documentation for those is released?

Features:

[glow=green,2,300]overall model and texture[/glow]

[glow=red,2,300]RCS model and texture[/glow]

[glow=red,2,300]0.16: ladder, door, cockpit (not too sure about that one yet)[/glow]

I also want to wait until 0.16 to compare the scale of the rocket to that of a Kerbal, especially for the ladder.

Download: http://www./?y87mtwiehrdvnsz

Changelog:

0.1: overall model and texture

Next version (0.2): part.cfg adjustments

[Pluto100]

Wow. You are just amazing! Tintin is awesome! Thank you so much for making this! Good job and good luck!

Calculus thanks you!!!

[Maraz]

So, I just modelled the rocket from Destination Mun, and you can see the current progress here:

Now before I can release this (or even fly it), I have a little problem: this rocket is a single-part one (deals with unwanted wobbliness), which means that it needs to act as command pod, fuel tank, engine, ASAS and RCS, but I don\'t know how to use the Part Module stuff in the part.cfg, and more precisely I don\'t know which parameters to use for each module.

Anybody knows how to use that? Or do I have to wait until proper documentation for those is released?

I had the same need and asked the same thing. Answer was that we must wait untill the command pod, ASAS, RCS, etc. functions are released as modules instead of separate parts like they are now. I must say I\'m not holding my breath waiting for that... this seems not to be among planned features of next release.

Maraz

[Cykyrios]

More than a 'planned feature', this is already ready and implemented in the game, but the stock parts don\'t use it that way yet. However, it is already possible to call those parameters, but we don\'t have the necessary documentation to use them yet. (but default modules may not all exist yet)

On another note, I had also tried a 5-part version: ASAS (the antenna), command pod (top red part), fuel tank (checkered part), engine and legs, but the rocket would wobble like crazy after liftoff, and a leg or two would break off upon landing. Thus this more rigid version that can not yet fly :\'(

I guess I\'ll work on the RCS in the meantime.

[CyclonicTuna]

You know Tin Tin was a big part of my childhood and 'Destination Moon' was my favorite comic. If you want to do this right I\'d suggest reading it, or watching the animated version.

For instance, in the comic the rocket used two engines. One was a liquid fuel engine like we see in most rockets. But that was just to get it off the pad and into space. Once a sufficient distance was reached, they would switch over to a nuclear powered engine.

Adventures Of Tintin - Destination Moon

[Cykyrios]

Yes, I actually have both Destination Moon and Explorers on the Moon. I used these mainly for design purposes, but there are indeed two types of propulsion, though they come out of the same nozzle. I don\'t think I\'ll bother with it, as the main engine works with nuclear energy and burns for half of the trip to the Moon (the rocket even goes faster than escape velocity from Earth).

Another design liberty I\'ll take is the addition of two RCS, for a total of three, each between two legs, so as to perform the turn correctly (and I believe it isn\'t even RCS that is used in the comic).

As soon as 0.16 is out, I\'ll try to guess the proper space needed between each rung of the ladder to adapt to Kerbal anatomy and make them retractable.

The next step will be the cockpit (which will probably be quite basic), and eventually the addition of the tank (that will have to be mounted, so this one will have to wait for a bit...).

[requimrar]

You know Tin Tin was a big part of my childhood and 'Dastination Moon' was my favorite comic. If you want to do this right I\'d suggest reading it or watching the animated version.

For instance, in the comic the rocket used a two engines. One was a liquid fuel engine like we see in most rockets. But that was just to get it off the pad and into space. Once a sufficient distance was reached, they would switch over to a nuclear powered engine.

Adventures Of Tintin - Destination Moon

Great. You\'ve just made my new catchphrases 'ACTING THE GOAT' and 'BLISTERING BARNACLES'.

[Budgie]

BILLIONS OF BLUE BLISTERING BARNACLES IN TEN THOUSAND THUNDERING TYPHOONS!!!

Tintin is the best, and i heartily applaud you for making such a nice homage to it. Cant wait to download..

[Cykyrios]

My plan was to have the rocket a single part to avoid unwanted wobbliness, but seeing as the Part Module stuff isn\'t ready yet for stock parts, I\'m going to make another version separating the mesh into several parts, so it is at least usable. Then, if needed and possible, I\'ll go back to a single-part rocket (I\'d also like to model a simplified interior, but that is extremely low priority atm).

I\'ll have to fiddle with the parameters, but you can expect a release by Monday, if all goes well.

[Cykyrios]

We have landed!

I still need to tweak a few parameters, and also to model the RCS thrusters (still not sure about those, though), so I edited the linear RCS for the time being.

Handling feels ok, but the rocket tumbled a bit upon landing, probably because of its weight.

[Pluto100]

That is awesome!!! Good job and good luck!

[Phoenix Aerospace]

I have that book as well, and I must say that a nuclear-thermal translunar SSTO is very kerbal. Makes me wonder how no-one found those...

Stowaways

...with the tightly-monitered closed life-support and all.

[Emilio]

You could maybe try something :

In the default part parameters, there are breakingTorque and breakingForce. Increasing those values should reduce the wobblyness (not sure)

Offtopic :

Explorers on the moon ?

It\'s an inexact translation. The original title is 'On a marché sur la lune', so it should be 'We walked on the moon'.

Reminds me Back to the future : in the french version, they translated 'flux capacitor' into 'convecteur temporel (temporal convector !)

[Cykyrios]

In the default part parameters, there are breakingTorque and breakingForce. Increasing those values should reduce the wobblyness (not sure)

Well I have already tried this, and it\'s pretty much the opposite: if there is a force/torque powerful enough to break a joint with default values, increasing the resistance of the joint means that it will start 'sliding' without breaking.

For instance, the landing legs are part of the engine, because separating them resulted in too high a weight on landing, and the rocket could bounce several meters... However, a result of this is that the ASAS cannot kill rotation due to roll, as physics are calculated based on a point for each part, which is centered due to the geometry of the rocket.

My concern is that the whole part joint is somewhat ineffective in some cases, as it should be able to attach a surface rather than a point.

Anyway, I still have not modelled the RCS thrusters, but I can release a first v0.1 so people can test the rocket. Be aware of the problems I mentioned, though.

Link is in the first post.

[Cykyrios]

A little update on the situation: in the current version (0.1), the parts have their weight way lower than expected (the rocket is about 20m tall but weighs only around 10 tonnes), which makes its engine a bit too powerful to my liking (landing on the Mun requires about 10% of throttle, and I think landing on Minmus would require to apply throttle in short bursts). I cannot lower its thrust, however, as the rocket is affected by the sticky launchpad for some reason (it doesn\'t seem to happen to other rockets...).

The problem is, making parts heavier results in extremely unstable joints while on the ground, as the weight of the rocket tries to tear its parts apart. This is the main reason I wanted a single-part rocket, as I had already encountered this issue.

I will pause my work on this rocket at least until 0.16 is out, when I can see how the new scale of the rockets turns out to feel like when flying. Ideally, when Part Modules are fully implemented, I will follow my original plan, which means that a hard landing will probably result in a full rocket explosion.

[CyclonicTuna]

BILLIONS OF BLUE BLISTERING BARNACLES IN TEN THOUSAND THUNDERING TYPHOONS!!!

Tintin is the best, and i heartily applaud you for making such a nice homage to it. Cant wait to download..

Yeah, a lot of kids pretended to be superman, or batman, or GI Joe, or other tipical American superheroes when I was young. Not that there\'s anything wrong with that, those were awsome comics to. But what I find so attractive to Tin Tin to this day is its simplicity and its maturity. Tin Tin didn\'t have superpowers, or fancy gadgets, he was just a regular reporter who experienced the most amazing adventures. And everyone can relate and enjoy his stories.