AlphaMensae's Saturn Mobile Launcher Standalone BDB Version 20Feb18

[Z3R0_0NL1N3]

Looks great! I liked the FASA towers included with BDB, but this gets put together much nicer. This doesn't sway the rocket violently when decoupled, does it?

For other ideas, a shuttle pad could be next to match with Cormorant Aeronology.

I donno how feasible a crawler would be in either case, but there was an old abandoned project for one that I liked the look of.

@Puggonaut Can you show some more detail for your crawler? It was obscured by buildings in nearly every shot of your video.

[AlphaMensae]

2 hours ago, Z3R0_0NL1N3 said:

Looks great! I liked the FASA towers included with BDB, but this gets put together much nicer. This doesn't sway the rocket violently when decoupled, does it?

For other ideas, a shuttle pad could be next to match with Cormorant Aeronology.

I donno how feasible a crawler would be in either case, but there was an old abandoned project for one that I liked the look of.

@Puggonaut Can you show some more detail for your crawler? It was obscured by buildings in nearly every shot of your video.

Thanks, @Z3R0_0NL1N3!

Nope, no violent sway when the rocket is decoupled.  One, the launcher base has a mass of 2000t; that may not be realistic, but it does keep it on the ground without moving, especially when the F-1s are started.  Two, there is 0 force on the decouple action, all the separation is done by the thrust of the engines

Like other things related to this, I have thought about a shuttle version of the Saturn mobile launcher.  Another future project. once I get done with the Mercury-Gemini-Apollo-Skylab era of NASA.

And I actually have given some thought to a crawler, and should be doable.  The top part, upon which the mobile launcher with Saturn V sits, could be made a separate part and hinged; airbreaks or a custom part with similar action could be used to keep it level as the crawler climbs up the pad (like the real one did).  Animated pistons could be used to lower the mobile launcher to the ground (it does have the support legs already attached) and allow the crawler to move away.

Nothing serious yet, just ideas.

 

[Nittany Tiger]

Ooooh.  I'd love to make this fit with this beauty (though it's FASA, procedural parts, and RSS/RO).

 

[AlphaMensae]

@Nittany Tiger and others.  Good time to announce this:  I'm going to make an alternate version with a modular tower (different height sections) and a second, larger base.  It'll probably be a new, separate release, as I'm going to include my Soyuz pad as well in a launch pad pack.

I've already made the hold-down arms separate parts with an animated retraction like the tail service masts.  I'll also make an insert part for the flame hole to make it work better with smaller rockets.  The elevator will be in the tower base section, and I'll include the deploy-limit setting so the elevator can stop at the desired height.  The crew-access floor will be its own section so it can be placed at the appropriate spot

I'll have to test out sizes for the bigger base, it might have to be wide enough to completely cover the launch pad and have the support legs sit on the ground.

 

 

[AlphaMensae]

And with some rescaling via MODEL {} and a bit of Unity editing (moving some of the footing beams), I made the large version of the launcher base:

 

It's shown with a 10m-wide version of my S-IC (only changed the diameter to keep the bottom node in place).  This should handle most real-scale rockets; will probably also make a version with a rectangular flame hole to handle rockets with large side boosters.

[Nittany Tiger]

Awesome, @AlphaMensae.  Good luck with it.

Would love to use this in RSS with Real KSC (I think it's called) that gives you the real Kennedy Space Center.

Real KSC has a MLP for Saturn rockets, but it's just a static KK object.

Another thing with rockets like the Saturn VB is that there might be a need for extra flame holes for the SRBs.  Maybe either small extensions for the SRBs or a larger hole in general.  This is something that's not a necessity in KSP except for realism buffs.

[AlphaMensae]

@Nittany Tiger The large version of the base I made should be able to handle most if not all real-scale rockets.  There will also be upzised versions of the tower sections.

Speaking of which, got the "regular" (size 2) tower sections done:

 

There will also be a straight-sided base section (has the elevator and generator) and a shorter angled base for additional options.  Plus the crew-access and roof/crane mount 1X sections.

Oh yeah, what do about large side-booster rockets has crossed my mind.  I'll probably will make the "empty" flame hole rectangular in shape, and provide additional inserts for side-booster rockets, and alter the square inserts to fit in the new flame hole.

There will also be gray versions of all the tower sections. Which might also mean making a shuttle-style RSS add-on.

 

Edited March 4, 2018 by AlphaMensae

[astronaut2019]

It's awesome!

[AlphaMensae]

Well, my idea for a modular crew arm to make it customizable for dfferent-sized command pods was a dead-end since silly me forgot that attach nodes do not move with an animated part.  So instead I'll make different lengths of the crew arm.

First up was one for 1.875m pods.  The regular "standard" arm for 2.5m Apollo-type capsules can work with a bit of moving with the offset gizmo, but a slightly shorter arm does help a lot.  All I did with it was just move the whole white room back a bit.

Then I tested it and the modular tower sections with the Bluedog Design Bureau Gemini-Titan II:

 

I'll also make some swing arms for 1.875m stacks; I used the only 2.5m stack arm I had, the Apollo Service Module arm, for the test, and I had to move it out quite a bit.

This will end up being a separate release, but I'll leave the original launcher up as well, in case someone  just wants a simpler solution for the BDB Saturn V.

 

Edited March 6, 2018 by AlphaMensae

[AlphaMensae]

Making 1.875m-stack versions of the Saturn V swing arms, for variety...

Will add a 2 or 3 more.

Edited March 14, 2018 by AlphaMensae

[AlphaMensae]

 

Modular Saturn launch pad work continues:

The arms are done, and here's the BDB Saturn V with the new modular tower, consisting of one 8x floor section, one 2x section, the 1x crew section, one regular 1x section, and the 1x top section with the crane mount.

Yeah, I forgot that I only put the crew arm on...since this was to set the Apollo CM at the right height for the...milkstool.

Yep, I'm now starting work on the milkstool.  Early rough outline for setting the positioning and sizing with the BDB Saturn IB:

 

Yes, it's red right now.    There will be gray and red versions available.  

Edited March 14, 2018 by AlphaMensae

[AlphaMensae]

Making good progress on the milkstool;  main structure done, hold down arm attach nodes in place (plus a smaller alternate version of the Saturn V hold down arms to use with them), all that's left is the structure that attaches the milkstool to the tower and other details.

Did a quick launch test with the Bluedog Design Bureau Saturn IB, for which the milkstool is being designed, though other rockets can fit on it.

 

[AlphaMensae]

Milkstool is mostly done, just a few final details and tweaking

 

Edited March 16, 2018 by AlphaMensae

[AlphaMensae]

The Milkstool is completed....barrring any last-minute tweaks

 

A part I added for the modular tower is a snap-in platform walkway for the crew access section; this allows access to the crew arm for manned spacecraft that just can't be aligned normally.  Just move the platform up/down and adjust the tower elevator's deploy limit to match the platform's height.

 

The last major thing to do is to alter the launcher base's flame hole to accomodate large side-booster/triple-core rockets; this requires new inserts as well. Have two of them done, one sized for 5-5.625m or so stacks, the other for 3.75m ones.

 

I also added a third hold-down arm, an alternate version of the milkstool one which is shorter and narrower, and with a long reach for better adjustment.

Edited March 21, 2018 by AlphaMensae

[[HM]GloriousSupremeLeader]

This is beyond amazing, it's definitely going to make me want to launch everything with a tower!