Shuttle Adventures: An Album of Kerbalized Space Shuttle Missions

[pTrevTrevs]

6 hours ago, AstroMods said:

There is one actualy Here

I'm kind of worried though ab posting it to github, I know I (hopefully) won't get into legal trouble, but I'm considering sending it to Invaders because he has an actual mod with permission from Benjee

Nice!

EDIT: I misread the GitHub page. All is well.

Edited June 22, 2022 by pTrevTrevs

[Lil_Bread402]

2 hours ago, pTrevTrevs said:

Nice!

EDIT: I misread the GitHub page. All is well.

Oh that page for the tiles isn't made by me, it's made by someone else, but I'm thinking of making some shuttle stuff as well.

 

My current plans overall are

 

New white ET

extra color or two

better organization of the files

shuttles textures, very specific things for each orbiter

new SRBs stuff

some stupid meme thing for the full stack

(if you couldnt tell I'm kinda lazy and prefer texture switching over Conformal Decals lol)

[Lil_Bread402]

UPDATE: I've taken down reCOLOR (Atleast my fork of it) for now until I can get permission from Benjee, If that doesn't work I'll simple give them to someone else who has a mod with permission already

Edited June 24, 2022 by AstroMods

[Kuiper_Belt]

STS-51A On Pad

Playing Around with Tiled Columbia

Expect STS-51A soon, Constellation soonish and Skylab Power Module soonish² !

[Lil_Bread402]

2 hours ago, Kuiper_Belt said:

STS-51A On Pad

Playing Around with Tiled Columbia

Expect STS-51A soon, Constellation soonish and Skylab Power Module soonish² !

Sadly the mod dev went private on his too until he gets permission just as well. But looks nice. Though the NRM layer for the tiles makes it still look like thermal blankets. (Idk Texture terms 100% so ignore if i got the wording wrong)

[Kuiper_Belt]

Kraken Bait

Been working on the flight for most of the day! Mission was going smooth until reloading physics range, a spontaneous change of cameras position, the altimeter being measured in trillions and the resulting Unity error! The mission is taking much longer than expected, sorry for the delays . 

 

Edited June 27, 2022 by Kuiper_Belt

[pTrevTrevs]

On 6/25/2022 at 1:10 PM, Kuiper_Belt said:

STS-51A On Pad

Playing Around with Tiled Columbia

Expect STS-51A soon, Constellation soonish and Skylab Power Module soonish² !

I don't suppose you ever put that escape hatch marker decal up for download?

[lemon cup]

23 hours ago, Kuiper_Belt said:

Kraken Bait

Been working on the flight for most of the day! Mission was going smooth until reloading physics range, a spontaneous change of cameras position, the altimeter being measured in trillions and the resulting Unity error! The mission is taking much longer than expected, sorry for the delays . 

 

Love it when that happens. I have a video in my file library that I look at everytime I need a good chuckle: I had a Kerbal out on EVA, went back to him and he was being hurled out of Earth orbit at a good chunk of the speed of light. His body was vibrating into near-spaghettification and the look on his face was mild concern 

[Kuiper_Belt]

The Home Stretch

Finished off the mission today! Westar VI was a breeze compared to Palapa B2 in terms of recovery. It helps I did most of it in daylight but I also knew what I was doing. Expect it within the next 24 hours or so! 

On 6/27/2022 at 8:26 PM, pTrevTrevs said:

I don't suppose you ever put that escape hatch marker decal up for download?

If you are talking about the old Columbia ejection seats then I do not unfortunately, though its on the todo list! If you are talking about the danger dorito then you're in luck!

Spoiler

You can follow the link to the drive file with it uploaded there, or you could just copy the image enclosed in the spoiler! 

3 hours ago, lemon cup said:

I had a Kerbal out on EVA, went back to him and he was being hurled out of Earth orbit at a good chunk of the speed of light.

Step 1: Go on EVA Step 2: ??? Step 3: Notice you are at near luminal speeds Step 4: Profit

3 hours ago, lemon cup said:

His body was vibrating into near-spaghettification and the look on his face was mild concern

If this isn't Kerbal than I dont know what is!

Constellation Is On Deck!

 

[Kuiper_Belt]

STS-51-A - The Ace Repo Co. - November 8th, 1984

Space Shuttle Discovery's second flight would prove to push Space Shuttle missions to new heights. Earlier in 1984 STS-41-B launched two satellites Palapa B2 and Westar 6, then debuted the Manned Maneuvering Unit. Palapa and Westar both suffered from faulty apogee kick motors, but were otherwise healthy. STS-51-A would show the world what a Shuttle could do. One could simply describe the mission as "Two Up, Two Down". 

Commanded by Fred Hauck, 51-A marked a new era of Space Shuttle Commanders, specifically Hauck was the first non Apollo era astronaut to command a Space Shuttle. Piloted by David Walker and crewed by mission specialists Joseph Allen, Anna Lee Fisher and Dale Gardner. Together they formed The Ace Repo Company, with the express mission of deploying two satellites and recovering the two previously launched aboard STS-41-B. The satellites indicate the domination of Hughes Space and Communication with all of the satellites involved on the mission being built by Hughes, 3 being the HS-376 (one of the most popular commercial comm sat busses ) and Leasat being the one HS-381.  With one scrub behind the crew, Ace Repo Co. prepared for liftoff at 7:15 EDT.

After the 8 and a half minute ride to orbit was over, Discovery opened her payload bay to reveal the suite of equipment necessary to complete the mission at hand. In the later half of the payload bay were two satellite dispensers the forward dispenser carrying Anik D2 and the aft carrying Leasat-1. Ahead of the dispensers were two Spacelab Pallets. Installed on them were their respective Satellite mounting hardware and the Apogee Capture Devices or "Stingers". Designed to be inserted through the nozzle of the Apogee motors of the to be captured satellites, the Stinger would mounted to the included Manned Maneuvering Unit and piloted by the astronaut to capture the desired satellite. 

Anik D2 would be the first deployed on Flight Day 2 on the far side of Earth. Before being released the satellite would be spun up to 30 revolutions per minute and deployed. The Hues series of satellites are spin  stabilized with the communications antenna placed on isolated plates that stay pointed at Earth at all times. 

After reaching the operational orbit the HS-376 would deploy the extendable solar skirt and various transmission antenna, beginning the service life of Anik D2. Afterwards on Flight Day 3 Leasat-1 would be deployed from Discovery.

After the satellite deployments, Ace Repo Co. would begin to maneuver to rendezvous with Palapa B2 for capture.

On Flight Day 4, Discovery is close enough to Palapa B2 to begin the first EVA of the mission. Beginning at 13:25 UTC on November 12th, Mission Specialists Joseph Allen and Dale Gardner would step outside and prepare the MMU for free flight with assistance from Anna Lee Fisher who would control the CanadArm. For EVA-1 Joseph Allen would pilot the MMU towards Palapa.

Palapa was spinning at the time of rendezvous but after capture was brought down to 1 revolution per minute but when brought back to the payload bay attempts to grab it with assistance with the CanadArm were unsuccessful but with improvisation from the crew and brute force the satellite was placed in the mount.

EVA-1 took 6 hours flat to complete ending at 19:25 UTC and was as success. Now the Ace Repo Company could maneuver and rendezvous with Westar 6

EVA-2 Began on November 14th  at 11:09 UTC where Allen and Gardner stepped outside for the final time. Gardner would get to pilot the MMU and capture Westar 6.

EVA-2 was a resounding success being significantly easier to capture and secure the satellite. Gardner and Joseph then held up a "For Sale" sign in front of the satellites for a bit of fun and then ended the EVA after 5 hours 42 minutes at 16:51 UTC. This would be the final time the Manned Maneuvering Unit would be used and the last untethered EVA until the SAFER test in 1994 on STS 64.

The final day of the mission the the crew prepared for reentry closing payload bay doors and performing the reentry burn.

STS-51-A and The Ace Repo Co. touched down at Runway 15 at the Shuttle Landing Facility in Cape Canaveral Florida at 6:59 EDT, marking the last use of the MMU and no mission like its kind would ever be conducted again. The Space Shuttle would continue to service, deploy and recover satellites but would lack the majesty of floating alone in the abyss.

Thank you for the wait. This mission was a wonderful experience to make and I need to figure out how to integrate the MMU into alternate history missions. I think the next Shuttle Skylab will see an MMU but we'll have to see. But before the Shuttle Skylab...

The Constellation Program Architecture Is Coming Soon!

Edited June 29, 2022 by Kuiper_Belt

[pTrevTrevs]

7 hours ago, Kuiper_Belt said:

STS-51-A and The Ace Repo Co. touched down at Runway 15 at the Shuttle Landing Facility in Cape Canaveral Florida at 6:59 EDT, marking the last use of the MMU and no mission like its kind would ever be conducted again. The Space Shuttle would continue to service, deploy and recover satellites but would lack the majesty of floating alone in the abyss.

 

Remember what they took from you.

[Lil_Bread402]

Sorta just random question for everyone here.

What mods do you use? Do you use reference photos? And if so. Where and what photos?

[Lil_Bread402]

Good news for Shuttle fans

Benjee10 gave us permission for the mods reCOLOR and SOCKrepainted. So you can now enjoy your Columbia and Challenger tiles in SOCKrepainted as well as the new ET textures form reCOLOR

[Kuiper_Belt]

Family Photo

On 7/1/2022 at 1:19 AM, AstroMods said:

Sorta just random question for everyone here.

What mods do you use? Do you use reference photos? And if so. Where and what photos?

The mod list included in the original post is what I use. It's not fully updated but it gives a good idea. As for reference photos I usually first look at the Wikipedia, and a website called spacefacts. I don't go out of my way to recreate a ton of real shots but those are good reference for that as well as looking at the state of the Orbiter, Payload Bay, Satellite etc. In addition I also consult these nice PDFs 1 & 2 for the Orbiter's exterior and the given stack.

Edited July 5, 2022 by Kuiper_Belt

[Lil_Bread402]

 

A new challenger for the moon

 

In the years of 1985-86 NASA made the decision to upgrade an orbiter to lunar capabilities, and will shoot for the moon once again in 1986 with the external tank and refueling to reignite in orbit and then burn for a flyby of the moon

 

Quote

Challenger at the pad pre launch

Another shot from a helicopter, T-6hours til launch

Challenger confirmed liftoff

Challenger Roll Program confirmed

Going downrange now, everything still looks good

Getting close to SRB sep

Challenger we see you in orbit, temps looking good, tanks looking good

Quote

Challenger you are go for refueling

I don't have any refueling photos

Challenger go for TLI

Okay challenger burn looks good, all engines running nominal

Challenger now separated from the external tank on it's way to the moon

Okay Challenger enjoy the trip, and Godspeed

 

Quote

Only getting further from the Earth right now

More Earth photos

Moon spotted

"That's no moon" It's the Moon

It only get's cooler

Quote

Getting close to OMS-1

The furthest Kerbal out as of now, all alone in his suit millions of miles away from us all

It's as if I could just grab a handful of moondust right now

A truly Amazing satellite

OMS Burn 1

Continuing the burn to bring Challenger home

Quote

Welcome but the the Atmosphere Challenger

A real Beauty

Challenger go for landing

This flying brick does have some potential

Note non of this is supposed to be accurate or possible, I was just having fun in ksp 

[pTrevTrevs]

14 hours ago, AstroMods said:

 

A new challenger for the moon

 

In the years of 1985-86 NASA made the decision to upgrade an orbiter to lunar capabilities, and will shoot for the moon once again in 1986 with the external tank and refueling to reignite in orbit and then burn for a flyby of the moon

 

 

Note non of this is supposed to be accurate or possible, I was just having fun in ksp 

I’ve spent more sleepless nights than I care to count racking my brain over how the shuttles in For All Mankind could have done this. It’s super cool to see one orbiting the Moon, I just… can’t suspend my disbelief that much.

[Beccab]

Just now, pTrevTrevs said:

I’ve spent more sleepless nights than I care to count racking my brain over how the shuttles in For All Mankind could have done this. It’s super cool to see one orbiting the Moon, I just… can’t suspend my disbelief that much.

Their main mistake was using the real Shuttle - back before Nixon cut most of the dev funding and the proposals were fully reusable, NASA conducted a study about exactly that in this:

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19730003145/downloads/19730003145.pdf

The study calls for using one of the many propellant depots that would have certainly have been in orbit in the 80s to refuel the integral tanks on the orbiter with LH2/LOX and then make a TLI with its main engines, enter lunar orbit, save someone (the proposal was looking for it as a form of rescue in lunar orbit) and return to earth, skipping the return to LEO for lacking the very last bit of deltaV. Unlike the later study that tried to do the same with the external tank, this one found it to be fully feasible and recommended keeping this option (a space tug rescue still needs less fuel, but some more margin is a good thing here)

[pTrevTrevs]

6 minutes ago, Beccab said:

Their main mistake was using the real Shuttle - back before Nixon cut most of the dev funding and the proposals were fully reusable, NASA conducted a study about exactly that in this:

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19730003145/downloads/19730003145.pdf

The study calls for using one of the many propellant depots that would have certainly have been in orbit in the 80s to refuel the integral tanks on the orbiter with LH2/LOX and then make a TLI with its main engines, enter lunar orbit, save someone (the proposal was looking for it as a form of rescue in lunar orbit) and return to earth, skipping the return to LEO for lacking the very last bit of deltaV. Unlike the later study that tried to do the same with the external tank, this one found it to be fully feasible and recommended keeping this option (a space tug rescue still needs less fuel, but some more margin is a good thing here)

I take it this was also before the Air Force got their grubby paws on the Shuttle and got it redesigned to suit their needs?

[Beccab]

10 minutes ago, pTrevTrevs said:

I take it this was also before the Air Force got their grubby paws on the Shuttle and got it redesigned to suit their needs?

Yup - not a historian in the slightest, but from what I gathered the sequence of events was:

- NASA makes phase A and phase B of the shuttle program, to develop concepts and all

- NASA selects a vehicle from McDonnell and one from Boeing. Both are fully reusable and have low cross range capabilities, though the cargo bay is still of the right size to be able to host DoD spy satellites

- NASA asks for 500 billion dollars to pay for the integrated program plan. When Nixon stops laughing (it must have taken a while) he slowly cancels everything but the Shuttle, which makes jobs in California and could help with his reelection.

- Even the shuttle had a lot less money than NASA asked for, making development of any of the current proposals completely absurd. A phase C is put out to cut development cost in favour of higher cost of operations, plus getting the USAF in to share part of the money needed

- Phase C is then won by the Rockwell orbiter we all know and love, with a few changes like the nose RCS being extendable, the cargo bay hosting two RMS instead of one and the external tank reaching LEO and being debited with a rocket in the front. All of those will disappear soon as well as the design is finalized

[Lil_Bread402]

On 7/8/2022 at 10:11 PM, pTrevTrevs said:

I’ve spent more sleepless nights than I care to count racking my brain over how the shuttles in For All Mankind could have done this. It’s super cool to see one orbiting the Moon, I just… can’t suspend my disbelief that much.

That's fair. I kinda just wanted to do something cool like a shuttle to the moon

On 7/8/2022 at 10:57 PM, Beccab said:

Yup - not a historian in the slightest, but from what I gathered the sequence of events was:

I love the space shuttle but what happened to it hurt my soul

[Jaylr234]

hello, i am wondering what mods were used for hubble? (solar arrays and antennae specifically)

[pTrevTrevs]

We do a little Approach and Landing Testing:

[Kuiper_Belt]

Another Timeline

Expect the Constellation overview soon! Just putting finishing touches on a couple parts of the mission!

[Jim123]

Looks great Constellation still one of my all time favorite programs!

[Kuiper_Belt]

The Constellation Program 

An Overview of NASA's Plans for America's Next Crewed Spaceflight Program

The Constellation Program (CxP) was the successor to the Space Shuttle Program, which at the time of Constellations, establishment in 2004, had been actively launch crew for 23 years, though with its fair share of problems. At the time of Constellations proposal, the Shuttle Fleet was grounded due to the Columbia disaster. Coupled with the Shuttles inability to travel beyond LEO, a solution was needed to travel beyond LEO, rediscover the Moon and ultimately go beyond to Mars, though with the important distinction of not abandoning a presence in Low Earth orbit. These were Constellation's three primary goals, Completion of the International Space Station and maintaining a presence in LEO, ascending back to the moon with intentions of habitation and long duration scientific study, and go forth to Mars and push humanity further than ever previous.

Chapter 1: History - A Documentation of the CxP Launches

Chapter 1: Section 1: The Max Launch Abort System - July 8th, 2009

The Max Launch Abort System (MLAS) was the first launch of CxP, standing as an alternative launch abort system design then the traditional tractor launch abort system design. The design of the MLAS included 4 Solid rocket motor surrounding the encapsulated Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. The Bullet Shaped Forward fairing was designed to alleviate the stressed experienced during Max-Q. 

 However, the launched variant of the MLAS was not the same as the designed. The abort motors were not installed in the fairing shell but underneath in the aeroskirt below the vehicle, leaving the motor fairings on the main fairing shell purely for aerodynamic testing purposes. Launching in the morning, at Wallops Flight Facility, the MLAS took off at 6:26 EDT.

After the successful flight of the MLAS it would be shelved for the traditional LAS tower.

Chapter 1: Section 2: Ares-1X - October 28th, 2009

The Ares-1X was the proof of concept for the planned Ares-I rocket, though sporting many differences to the final design. The first stage functioned only as a traditional 4 segment Shuttle Solid Rocket Motor but with a 5th empty casing bolted on top to simulate a 5 segment booster's aerodynamic properties. The Ares-1X also lacked a functional upper stage and Orion capsule, being for aerodynamic and weight simulating purposes in addition to housing the Avionics and Roll Control System. Finally the LAS also differed form the settled design lacking the notable curve of the ascent aerocovers that would be on the final model.

Ares-1X would also did not use the Ares-1 launch platform, ML-1, but stood on a Shuttle Mobile Launch Platform. This allowed for convenient use of existing infrastructure as the booster could occupy the same mount point as any other shuttle booster. Rolling out began at 1:39 AM EDT on October 20th, 2009.

Launch Complex 39B had undergone modifications and preparations for the Constellation Program but was limited in scope for possible use for launch on need missions. These modifications included the removal of the iconic "Beanie Cap" LOX vent, the LH2 vent and the Crew Access Arm being removed from the Fixed Service Structure and the installation of three six hundred foot lightning towers. Ares-1X was scheduled to lift off on October 27th, 2009, on which day 48 years ago the Saturn 1 first launched but due to a scrub was pushed back to he 28th. Lifting off from Pad 39B at 11:30 EDT, Ares-1X was saluted by Space Shuttle Atlantis standing by at Pad 39A for STS-129

After booster burnout and separation, the Ares-1 Upper Stage Simulator began a flat counterclockwise spin. This was initially believed to be due to a collision with the first stage but was in reality confirmed as a possible outcome from aerodynamic simulations conducted prior to launch and would be mitigated in future missions as designed were updated.

Upon, parachute deploy one of the three parachutes experienced a partial failure to deploy resulting on a faster than anticipated impact with the ocean, resulting damage to the lower segment of the booster was caused by this high speed impact. Partial failures of the parachutes were common with Shuttle Boosters which resulted in limited amounts of concern regarding the failure. Overall the mission was a success but would mark the end of all CxP missions as the program was cancelled before any more could be conducted.

Chapter 2: Dreams - A Outline of CxP Initiatives

Chapter 2: Section 1: The Ares-I & Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle

The Ares-I was the solution to crew delivery to LEO. Consisting of a 5 Segment Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster, and a J-2X powered upper stage would booster America's next space capsule to orbit, the Orion CEV.  Going back to the roots of capsules, Orion would be the successor of Apollo in many ways ferrying the next cosmic explorers to just beyond Earth and the Moon. Being significantly larger than Apollo, Orion could host a fourth person on voyages to the Moon and beyond. In addition, a total of six Astronauts to LEO destinations such as the ISS.

With a planned crewed liftoff in 2015, Ares-1 would lift off from Pad 39B 

After stage separation, the booster would fall back for a parachute assisted recovery for refurbishment and reflight, while J-2X powered stage two would cruse to orbit. Being originally derived from the J-2 of the Apollo Era, more thrust would have been required to make it viable, more thrust than the original J-2 design could accommodate. As a result, a complete ground up redesign of the engine required. 

Once reaching orbit, Orion would deploy its Solar Arrays and begin the transfer to the given destination.

The ISS, would be a primary destination to maintain crew accommodation but additional destinations would occasionally be available...

Chapter 2: Section 2: The Ares-V & The Altair Lunar Surface Access Module

Ares-V was a rocket of titanic proportion. Simply by launching it would be largest first stage, most powerful rocket motors ever flown, most powerful rocket to every fly, and be the most capable rocket to deliver payloads into LEO, specifically 188 tons to LEO. The Ares-V would be a true successor to the Saturn V. Utilizing 10 meter tankage, the Ares-I core would have been comparable to the Saturn V first and second stages combined in size. The core stages power came from 6 RS-68B engines, modified from the RS-68s used on the Delta-IV rocket. Alone these engines couldn't lift the behemoth of the ground. Paired with twin 5 segment boosters the Ares V could get off the ground, but it would need an upper stage to get a payload somewhere further. 

The Earth Departure Stage would answer the call to moving large payloads beyond LEO. Following in the spirit of the S-IVB, the EDS only had one J-2X but with that could push 71 tons on a Trans Lunar Injection trajectory. And the perfect payload to push was Altair.

Altair was the LM of the future, and a future where heavy payloads are meant to come down to the moon. Up to 15 tons, or an entire Lunar Module of an Apollo Mission was the limit of 1 LSAM.  Altair would be capable of staying on the moon for 210 days allowing extended stays conducting research on the lunar surface, harboring a crew of four.

Chapter 2: Section 3: A Lunar Sortie

An Earth Departure Stage for a crewed Lunar Sortie would be equipped with a "Loiter Ring" that would provide power to the stage after being launched a day in advance to the crew. The following day, the crew would be launched and rendezvous with the stage in the Orion CEV. After a secure connection is established the crew prepare for the moon by jettisoning the loiter ring and positioning the joint space craft toward the barren world. 

After TLI, Altair and Orion back away from the EDS and continue on the mission to the moon. Eventually, Altair will be oriented and initiate the Lunar Capture Burn.

After Capture the crew would descent to the surface under power of the LSAM, leaving the Orion Capsule unoccupied in orbit for the duration of the sortie.

Chapter 2: Section 4: Taking The Next Great Leap & The Next Small Step

Mars missions present a significant increase in difficulty, one of which being mass requirement,  which Ares-V would play a vital role with such a large LEO payload capacity. Delivering large segments of Mars bound vessels would be the bread and butter of the Constellation Program's endgame.

As a part of the NASA Mars 5.0 Architecture, the Ares-V would be need 3 launches for the primary Mars Transfer Vehicle and 4 additional launches for the Mars Descent and Mars Ascent Vehicles as well, though one Mars transfer window prior to the MTV. Then following all of the Ares-V launches would be two Ares-I's one to commission the MTV and the following to deliver the crew. 

Chapter 3: Fate - The Demise of CxP and What Rose From The Ashes

Chapter 3: Section 1: The Augustine Commission

The Augustine Commission was a review of the U.S. Human Space Flight plans. When requested by the Office of Science and Technology Policy the quagmire that was Constellation was exposed. The Program was grossly over budget and far behind schedule and would continue to fall behind if the current funding was maintained. With the U.S. 2011 fiscal year budget being drafted, all funding was removed from the national budget, effectively cancelling CxP. In parallels the NASA Authorization Act of 2010 shelved CxP before the 2011 fiscal budget could kill it completely and birthed the Space Launch System.

 

Chapter 3: Section 2: Ares-I & Ares-V

The Ares vehicles we're alleged victims of poor design. Alleged because, specifically to Ares-I the criticisms of its design are questionable in nature. The U.S. Air Force published a document pointing out a design flaw and black zones within the first minute of ascent, stating that an abort within the first 30 to 60 seconds of flight would result in the loss of the crew. This report seems cut and dry but it was conducted with data used form a Titan-IV booster failure. The justification for this is they have comparable statistics such as liftoff propellent mass according to the U.S.A.F.  But contradicting this claim was Constellation Director, Jeff Hanley when he said that in every simulation conducted Orion was safely separated from the failed booster and the parachutes remained intact. (What I'm most intrigued about is the how this issue was reconciled with SLS, considering that it has two 5 Segment Boosters instead of one. Perhaps its due to the fact that SLS will reach higher attitudes faster. It is probably something I don't understand as I am not a rocket scientist!)

The Ares-V also suffered from a design issue as well, though more straightforward in nature. The RS-68 was designed to provide more thrust than the RS-25 at a comparable efficiency but significantly cheaper and expendable. As a result the RS-68 was designed with an ablative nozzle (Where the engine bell nozzle slowly erodes as it burns to eliminate heat generated by it running) An unforeseen result of this design became noticed when it was realized that while running in such close proximity to  the Solid Rocket Motors the nozzles would erode to ablate too quickly. Alternate engine configurations were considered, designed, and proposed to alleviate this problem as well as replacing the RS-68s with RS-25s but would never be implemented before cancellation of CxP.

The Ares-I and Ares-V live on in SLS as an amalgamation between the two. The SLS retains the large core flanked by two 5 Segment Boosters of Ares-V and rectifies the ablative nozzle problems with replacing the RS-68 with the RS-25 (This comes with the added benefit of not needing to human rate the RS-68 which was side stepped in constellation by not launching crews on Ares-V) While adopting the crew delivery role of Ares-I.

Chapter 3: Section 3: Altair, J-2X & EDS, & Orion 

Altair was cancelled with CxP's cancellation dying with the rest of the Ares vehicles. This did present an opportunity for the commercial companies to place bids on landers in the future Artemis Program apart of the Human Landing System contracts.

The Earth Departure Stage died with Ares-V in it's Constellation form but sits postponed for the Space Launch System if not cancelled completely.  The J-2X was also placed on hold as it was deemed overpowered for shorter term Artemis Program goals and time consuming to develop. Thus the EDS and J-2X was not selected for the Exploration Upper Stage utilizing four RL-10s. Though not actively being developed the J-2X is not cancelled as it serves a purpose for heavy Mars bound payloads need to be transferred in end game Artemis Program goals. 

The Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle was spared from the cut of Constellation but underwent an overhaul, particularly in the service module. As an exchange for ESA ending resupplies using the Automated Transfer Vehicle prematurely compared to ISS decommissioning, ESA and NASA resolved the dispute by having ESA provide an ATV derived service module for the newly named Orion Spacecraft. In addition all ISS service with Orion was cancelled now exclusive for beyond LEO missions allowing the private companies to take the roll of US ISS crew rotations. Orion flew once in 2014 aboard a Delta-IV Heavy for Exploration Flight Test-1 and is currently stacked aboard SLS in the VAB as of writing.

Chapter 3: Section 4: Dawn of Commercial Space

Constellations cancellation and the resulting shift to exclusively lunar based SLS missions resulted in a vacancy of Pad 39A and no crew rotation capabilities for the United States. The Commercial Crew Program was the solution where SpaceX and Boeing were contracted to deliver crews to the ISS. At first had been quite underfunded has payed off with SpaceX being well into several missions to and from the ISS and Boeing about to begin flying people to the orbital outpost. As for Pad 39A SpaceX won the bid for pad and has since launched all of their crew from the same pad Space Shuttle's would lift off from before, and currently is undergoing additions to support Starship.

Epilogue: Final Ramblings

The Constellation Program is probably my all time favorite Moon & Mars proposal. I find the rockets, and the overall design of the architecture is incredibly elegant and in my opinion nothing ever like it will be designed again. That's probably a good thing in the grand scheme of things as its for a better architecture with in terms of volume delivered, frequency of missions, and cost, but something about Constellation will never be topped. This mission was also special to me as it was @Jay The Amazing Toaster's Kānāwai: Ares to Mars that inspired me to make this thread over a year ago and it was that CxP he had documented. If you haven't read that mission log you should take your time and enjoy it. It is incredible. This mission was wild to make and I had a heck of a time. That intro image I made took way longer than I should've invested but I wanted to do something special for this special program. Hopefully you guys enjoyed this as much as I did making it . Perhaps share it to a friend who might be interested if you feel so inclined! I hope that this was not only entertaining but educational. I'll catch you guys later!

Edited July 19, 2022 by Kuiper_Belt