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Shuttle Challenge v5 - The STS thread [Stock and Mod Friendly] - MAJOR CHALLENGE ANNOUNCEMENT! - 30.3.2020


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32 minutes ago, sturmhauke said:

Thanks! I was able to adjust the orbits, it didn't take as much fuel as I thought it would. I had to look up some math though.

Re: the booster - Staging it away tends to shake the entire ship rather violently, and sometimes causes misaligned parts. I tried turning the decouple force to 0 and turning off autostruts across the joint, but that doesn't seem to make much difference. Reloading seems to work, but maybe there was something out of alignment I couldn't see. Might also be that the decoupler is clipped too far inside other parts. On the next mission I'm gonna try a flatter decoupler and see if that makes a difference. I'll also delete that part database file.

Yep, adjusting orbits can be tricky, I've done it a few times as well^^

Misaligned parts after decoupling stuff is something new to me...I knew misaligned parts after timewarp or a hard impact but it never happend to me after decoupling. Well, the clipped decoupler sounds like a good reason, because it is basically an impact as soon as you separate the parts and the physics will be calculated separately.
 

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15 minutes ago, Petrovich said:

New shuttles, new station, more fun! 

STS-5: https://imgur.com/a/xRAYBaH

STS-6: https://imgur.com/a/irHdzKj

STS-7: https://imgur.com/a/i8CNQD9

STS-8: https://imgur.com/a/wX4EFEv

I'm always in for moar fun!^^

Nice design though, reminds me on the BFR ;)
Did you build a different design for STS - 6 just to increase the cargo bay? 

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It was actually because I was getting board with the first shuttle design and wanted to build something based on the Shuttle II concepts

The extended bay was thrown in as a bonus

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4 hours ago, JacobTheFoxx said:

Completed STS-1a and STS-1b

Hey, a new pilot arrived in the challenge :)

Nice mission though, that's a really low orbit :o 
You might want to use an action group in your next flight to turn off the booster engines on separation, to minimze the risk of the booster crashing into other part...on the other hand: I enjoyed the bloopers :D 

Don't forget to post a mod list so michal.don can reward you with the correct badges ;)

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5 hours ago, 4x4cheesecake said:

Hey, a new pilot arrived in the challenge :)

Nice mission though, that's a really low orbit :o 
You might want to use an action group in your next flight to turn off the booster engines on separation, to minimze the risk of the booster crashing into other part...on the other hand: I enjoyed the bloopers :D 

Don't forget to post a mod list so michal.don can reward you with the correct badges ;)

Thanks, I would've used an action group if I had known the craft was going to pitch like that, but I'll keep it in mind for next time. Glad you enjoyed them :D

There were no mods that affected aerodynamics, the atmosphere, physics or and modded parts used, just visual mods.

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Sorry for the slight delay again guys, I had quite a busy couple of days. So, let's get to it!

On 11/7/2018 at 8:42 PM, 4x4cheesecake said:

STS - 4T : Skylab boost mission

Yes, it shows well that you enjoy this kind of missions :) Great MMU work up there, and therefore, a new badge for you. Congrats!

mag5XYH.png?1

On 11/8/2018 at 7:56 AM, mythic_fci said:

Answering the contract for a new Space Transportation System

Man this shuttle looks awesome :) And, I know you're a shuttle veteran, but it's always nice to see such precisely and perfectly executed first mission ;) I'm getting curious how far you'll be able to take this design, but my guess is very far.

To make sure, is the shuttle stock? Just to be sure I'm awarding the right badge. If so, here it is:

QThe6Sf.jpg?1giYU8fw.jpg?1

On 11/8/2018 at 10:04 AM, sturmhauke said:

I completed STS-2a with 4 comsats. I think my orbiter got stealth krakened though; after reentry it seemed to have more drag than expected, and the jet engines couldn't keep the speed up very well. I've been having problems with the core booster separation, it might be related to that.

The jet engine underperformance is weird... No idea what could cause that. Other than that, nice mission, properly spaced sats in orbit (you need either enough fuel or enough time to get the spacing just right ;) ), so a new badge for you. Well flown!

E6Sskam.jpg?1

(next page coming soon)

 

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7 minutes ago, michal.don said:

The jet engine underperformance is weird... No idea what could cause that. Other than that, nice mission, properly spaced sats in orbit (you need either enough fuel or enough time to get the spacing just right ;) ), so a new badge for you. Well flown!

E6Sskam.jpg?1

Thanks! I think the jet problem was related to the decoupler-induced stress on the airframe, like it misaligned the thrust vectors and caused more drag or something. I've done some test since then with a different decoupler and also just flying around, and it seems normal.

I've started working on my telescope payload. I decided to try something a little different, and I found this one called the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer. I think it looks cool, and it's still in development which gives me a bit of artistic license on the design.

ixpe_heapow.jpg

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On 11/10/2018 at 6:10 PM, Petrovich said:

New shuttles, new station, more fun!

Two different shuttle, robotc arm assembly (!), and a good looking station - what's not to love :) Nice payload design, well executed, and four pinpoint landings, that results in a new commander badge for you - congratulations!

dmyqfvY.jpg?1

On 11/11/2018 at 7:57 AM, JacobTheFoxx said:

Completed STS-1a and STS-1b

Always glad to see new pilots come here, welcome to the challenge!

Interesting shuttle design, the wing-mounted engine pods have their pros and cons. And considering the amount of struts on them, I suspect the cons demonstrated themselves rather strongly :D 

Also, quite hazardous choice of orbit, flying just a hundred or so metres above the atmosphere, I see you like to live dangerously :) 

Great first mission, despite one small issue - you shouldn't use sny of the fuelpod's resources (RCS monoprop included). But as I checked, the rules are not 100% clear about that, so I won't let that prevent that from awarding you the badge :) Just, please, when you go up there again to pick it up, do not use any of the resources.

So, great to have you here, I hope you enjoy your stay, and here are the first two (hopefully of many more to come) badges for your collection:

QThe6Sf.jpg?1giYU8fw.jpg?1

Michal.don

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27 minutes ago, michal.don said:

Always glad to see new pilots come here, welcome to the challenge!

Interesting shuttle design, the wing-mounted engine pods have their pros and cons. And considering the amount of struts on them, I suspect the cons demonstrated themselves rather strongly :D 

Also, quite hazardous choice of orbit, flying just a hundred or so metres above the atmosphere, I see you like to live dangerously :) 

Great first mission, despite one small issue - you shouldn't use sny of the fuelpod's resources (RCS monoprop included). But as I checked, the rules are not 100% clear about that, so I won't let that prevent that from awarding you the badge :) Just, please, when you go up there again to pick it up, do not use any of the resources.

So, great to have you here, I hope you enjoy your stay, and here are the first two (hopefully of many more to come) badges for your collection:

QThe6Sf.jpg?1giYU8fw.jpg?1

Michal.don

Yay! Thanks. Yes, indeed the cons did show themselves strongly, rather too strongly :D.  Yeah, doing things dangerously in KSP is just about the only way I can impress people :D

Didn't know I wasn't meant to use the monoprop on the tank, as you said, I will keep that in mind for when the space program inevitably finds out there are contaminants ;)

Thanks, and I likely will!

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2 hours ago, michal.don said:

Man this shuttle looks awesome :) And, I know you're a shuttle veteran, but it's always nice to see such precisely and perfectly executed first mission ;) I'm getting curious how far you'll be able to take this design, but my guess is very far.

To make sure, is the shuttle stock? Just to be sure I'm awarding the right badge.

 

Yep. Shuttle's fully stock (including parts from the Making History DLC, though). Mods used during flight were either aesthetic (TexturesUnlimited, EVE/SVE, Kopernicus/SVT, RasterPropMonitor, KER, Kerbal Konstructs/KerbinSide, PlanetShine, Scatterer) or information aids (Trajectories, KER, KAC, VesselView, RasterPropMonitor).

I really do hope to take this design far too! I think it's got real potential - the fact that it isn't meant to be a strict Shuttle replica means I can be so much more flexible with it. And, of course, always good to get some more practice on KSP...

Edited by mythic_fci
Added a full used mod list for clarity
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@JacobTheFoxx, what I do for that type of layout (or any sort of large, wing-mounted engine) is attach the engines to the main fuselage, offset them outwards, and attach the wings after. Then use autostrut grandparent on all the engine pod parts. This is a lot stronger with fewer parts overall. Some people might consider that cheating, but I see it as more working within the limitations of the game.

Some examples I've made:

Kerberos Seaplane-SSTO

flvW4pG.png

16iTNU9.png

Trident SSSTO (Kerberos' big brother)

y5BcKrD.png

MLnrfqx.png

Sigma shuttle (Kerberos-derived)

22RQ2zf.png

EtAhVaJ.png

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43 minutes ago, sturmhauke said:

@JacobTheFoxx, what I do for that type of layout (or any sort of large, wing-mounted engine) is attach the engines to the main fuselage, offset them outwards, and attach the wings after. Then use autostrut grandparent on all the engine pod parts. This is a lot stronger with fewer parts overall. Some people might consider that cheating, but I see it as more working within the limitations of the game.

Some examples I've made:

Kerberos Seaplane-SSTO

flvW4pG.png

16iTNU9.png

Trident SSSTO (Kerberos' big brother)

y5BcKrD.png

MLnrfqx.png

Sigma shuttle (Kerberos-derived)

22RQ2zf.png

EtAhVaJ.png

Thanks! I have a method down to keep the wings from ripping off now, but for future crafts I will keep this in mind.

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Reading the OP, I had a few ideas for more challenges:

Eeloo: 

1: land

2: deliver base

 

Kerbol (the sun):

1: AP less than 4 billion km (less than Moho)

2: AP less than 2 billion km

3: AP less than 1 billion km

4: AP less than 500 million km

5: AP less than 100 million km

6: AP less than 50 million km

7: AP less than 10 million km

8: AP less than 5 million km

9: AP less than 1 million km

 

Grand tour:

1: orbit all bodies

2: land on all bodies (that can be landed on)

3: deliver rover to all bodies

 

 

Oh, and just a quick question:

For the geostationary satellite mission, do the satellites have to be in a perfect geostationary orbit?

Edited by TeslaPenguin1
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3 hours ago, TeslaPenguin1 said:

Oh, and just a quick question:

 For the geostationary satellite mission, do the satellites have to be in a perfect geostationary orbit?

Perfect geostationary is pretty much impossible, it's more about close to or slightly over with pe and ap really close as well. If you can manage perfect I'm sure that would be considered very awesome though!

The following is my opinion and hopefully something that inspires you to think of something awesome:

Your suggestions, other than dress, aren't really missions as much as they are achievements. Which is interesting in it's own right, but doesn't really gell with the structure of the challenge as is. Even just heading for dress and landing on it, on it's own is an achievement, but not much of a mission. Why go to dress and what will we do there? If you could figure out a reason to go, that could make it a mission and it might be interesting and really cool to perform!

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4 minutes ago, hoioh said:

Perfect geostationary is pretty much impossible, it's more about close to or slightly over with pe and ap really close as well. If you can manage perfect I'm sure that would be considered very awesome though!

I got my various parameters to within 0.001%. Other people have done better, but I think at that point you're looking at your satellites drifting out of position in 100,000 years instead of 1,000 years.

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15 hours ago, TeslaPenguin1 said:

Reading the OP, I had a few ideas for more challenges:

More missions are definitely coming, don't worry. But I try to make the missions that they are more than just "go there and back". I like then to have some sort of "purpose", or a special twist caused by the specific location. I'm not saying we will not go to Eeloo/Dres/wherever, but I don't think it will be in the next one or two missions.

15 hours ago, TeslaPenguin1 said:

Oh, and just a quick question:

For the geostationary satellite mission, do the satellites have to be in a perfect geostationary orbit?

Well... Not perfect, but pretty close. THe purpose of the comm network is to cover most of the surface for significant period of time. So, not neccessarily the Ap and Pe have to be perfect, but orbital period should be precise enough to not drift too much in, let's say, couple of years.

12 hours ago, Dman Revolution said:

So @michal.don what do ya thin know? Got a use for the arm?

While I really like it, I probably won't make it a requirement for a mission. But, if you are willing to do so, I could share it here as a subassembly for people to use, if they like. All credit for the arm would of course go to you ;) 

Michal.don

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So, I have still a lot of space left in my cargo bay after putting in the probe for EVE STS - 1....suggestions for some extra stuff I can carry over there?^^

Spoiler

gcOYkYK.png

(The payload for Jool STS - 1 is finished as well but I got an idea for a different design for the support shuttle, so this needs some more time ;) )

Edited by 4x4cheesecake
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11 minutes ago, 4x4cheesecake said:

So, I have still a lot of space left in my cargo bay after putting in the probe for EVE STS - 1

I wouldn't pack too much stuff for the trip there - Eve aerobrakes can be quite brutal, so the lighter the better.... But your call ;)

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6 minutes ago, michal.don said:

I wouldn't pack too much stuff for the trip there - Eve aerobrakes can be quite brutal, so the lighter the better.... But your call ;)

Hm...the orbiter already weights 236t (in this case 238t with payload) and after the transfer burn ~160t. Not quiet sure if adding 10t or 20t of extra payload will actually make a huge difference at all. I should test the aerobreak maneuver anyway, maybe the extra payload needs to be an 'aerobreak kit' like 10m heatshields attached with a claw all around the orbiter xD

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15 minutes ago, 4x4cheesecake said:

Hm...the orbiter already weights 236t (in this case 238t with payload) and after the transfer burn ~160t. Not quiet sure if adding 10t or 20t of extra payload will actually make a huge difference at all. I should test the aerobreak maneuver anyway, maybe the extra payload needs to be an 'aerobreak kit' like 10m heatshields attached with a claw all around the orbiter xD

I love it! A shuttle completely covered im heatshields for re-entry:cool:

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23 minutes ago, hoioh said:

I love it! A shuttle completely covered im heatshields for re-entry:cool:

Already one on top of the cockpit does a pretty good job....just 2 more for the wings and I can reentry at almost every speed :D

Spoiler

BrdmKs4.png

 

edit: Hahaha, I just love this game. You got a crazy idea? Go for it!

Spoiler

Attack of the heatshields!
yGHkXtx.png

It actually works!
eSZE46R.png

Everything is covered:
bWZMtTT.png

 

Edited by 4x4cheesecake
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