Jump to content

What did you do in KSP1 today?


Xeldrak

Recommended Posts

So I found something out. Suppose you have a rocket with one engine, and a control point (eg probe core) that's not in line with that engine's thrust. Then when you fly the rocket it will try and use the engine's gimbal to roll, and that is a disaster as it induces massive unwanted pitch or yaw. This was a relatively recent change in KSP's behaviour, after 1.0 I think.

Furthermore, if you have a rocket that normally has its control point in line with its engine, but the rocket bends, then the same effect will occur.

This may be why my rocket has such bad handling. Fortunately the solution is simple: Right click the engine in the VAB, choose Show Actuation Toggles, and then turn Roll off.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I finalized some parts of my K/C-135 design that I started yesterday, and added an aerial refueling boom.

Ns4luGI.png

So now, it doesn't pitch up uncontrollably, and is now powered by engine nacelles with a total of 24 wheesleys. The boom itself is really cool, and is controlled by toggling the deploy mode on the flaps between "normal" and "inverted". I've had only marginal success with the design, but I'll keep trying. I think a stronger hinge is in order, so that's where I'll start improvements tomorrow.

Also, I started messing around with the Camera Tools, in preparation for my JSF video.

NuvIw9C.png

It's a cool mod, even just for screenshots.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Atmospheric interface over the west Pacific...

uJh2eQo.png

AMTVsQv.png

Hello Hawaii!

Cq6WEZK.png

7Imyg5n.png

This was my first-ever winged reentry back to Earth.  Approaching the coast of Mexico, I became concerned by my altitude and worried that I wouldn't make it to Florida.  As my flight path was over the Gulf, I banked left and began turning north to try to stay overland and avoid ditching in the water.

diq9xkc.png

eZgcvLD.png

R6KY2x6.png

d035Irt.png

egxw7lH.png

Passing Mobile Bay, I knew I had made a mistake by turning north.  I think I've still got enough speed and altitude to reach KSC, but it's going to be close.  If I had just stayed on my original trajectory, I would have been fine.

1TwOp1J.png

jUK8gny.png

And then I ran out of monoprop at 20 km up.  My flight control surfaces are nearly useless up here, and I tumbled out of control as the RCS died.  I regained control as the air grew thicker, but the damage was done...  I would not be reaching the runway.

XTPVGkT.png

jeVdcUt.png

immHt2D.png

I ended up 240 km short.  Not terribly bad for a first try, I think.  I had to just guess at the right Pe, as Trajectories flaked out and wouldn't show an impact marker.  Oh, well.  I still got like 96% recovery value.

Edited by RoboRay
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Phase one nearly complete. The kat... is out of the bag. :wink:

* TAC LS is not actually installed yet so resources are substituted to prevent potential NRE.

MGchjGQ.jpg

* Converter modules are inserted too but don't register yet.

IHAKzwR.jpg

 

Edited by JadeOfMaar
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Today I've finished "Rockets of the World" project  - collection of ~50 launch vehicles from real life or alternative history. There are still a couple of interesting rockets which I haven't done so far but I think that collection is large enough to share it with other people. Project started in December 2014 when I've built my first RSS launcher - Saturn IB. All of the vehicles are updated to latest RSS/RO version :

bkKMzfr.png

 

Here is link to the album with entire collection:

http://imgur.com/a/ZIf1j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

SZTVKQy.png

Looks like Valentina is enjoying herself :wink:

I`m building another space station, but with a twist. Its orbiting Minmus! There are a few changes to the space station core as well:

  • No more flimsy RCS monopropellent thrusters! Instead, Vener engines have been added to reduce the part count, possible weight and for more POOOWERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! (OLD SPICE BODY WASH IS SO POWERFUL IT MAKE LKO SPACESTATIONS SUDDENLY ORBIT MINMUS!)
  • A electricity generate using PB-NUK Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators. May be slow but if you have 16 of em it will surely make a lot of charge!
Edited by Planetace
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dropped a rover onto Tellumo!

IqN0hsa.jpg

...it didn't go so well.

Turns out that 1.8g, frozen soil, and tinfoil wheels aren't a good combination, and after only a couple of kilometres the mission is brought to a premature, and somewhat disappointing climax. Mission control blames the engineering team. The engineering team blames the route planning team. The route planning team blames the cartographers for not choosing a better landing zone. The cartographers point out that there are no better landing zones since the planet has equal gravity in all directions.

Eventually it is concluded that Tripover did the best it could under difficult circumstances, and since a lot of good data has been returned, the mission is still declared a success. The chemical analyses should provide some interesting tips for Tellumo-pine flavoured ice creams!

Meanwhile, after taking something like 5 years to map the surface of Gratian, Owlbird V finally switches orbit to Geminus. And starts mapping that. It's a dull life for Owlbirds.

AnIWybM.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I played with the idea of visiting Icarus, because I was nearby (at Thalia). Transfer Window Planner said that I would need around 6000 m / s dV. My mother ship does not come so far. Only if the Lander is almost empty. For the descent, however, he does not have to be full. So I took just a little oxidizer - just enough - I hope.
And here I am, the most beautiful planet I have ever seen. The mother ship has only 63 m / s dV left. Hopefully the juice is still enough to land.

Iw0J5ZE.jpg

 

Edit:

It worked. Also here my tried and tested windmill is used. Here one does not need quite as many radiators as on Thalia.

MHn2YiB.jpg

Edited by astroheiko
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Today, I built a working space shuttle. It was hard, and I still need to flesh out some wrinkles, but it works well enough that I've already launched 2 'Moonraker' missions.

Launch:

kiODyql.jpg

Circularizing:

ZaUBYBs.jpg

No pictures of the de-orbit burn, but I took some during landing:

e6c3gEz.jpg

WnhL55t.jpg

A safe landing, with over 1 million kerbucks in cash collected from contracts. :-)

NY8THUN.jpg

Oops! I just noticed that the engines blew up when I touched down!

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Val takes out the next rover for a trip to the northern basin (love the new biomes)

screenshot1758_zpsgxnu7mee.png

By having nerves of steel I didn't need a breaking burn for chute deployment.

screenshot1759_zpsg6tlrnja.png

Val hops out to plant a flag.

screenshot1761_zpseww88eh5.png

And then to bed because I landed at Kerbol set. And tomorrow is a big 15-20 KM road trip to... something spotted by a satellite. 

screenshot1762_zpsuzjh1lm8.png

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, winged said:

Is this planet from Galileo Pack? Very nice looking.

Yes exactly. I am very impressed by the planets. Tellumo is also very nice, and Eta and ...and... I do not know where I should stop. The mod is highly recommended, but there are a few planets that are hard to explore with Kerbals. The good thing about it is, that you can do everything with stock parts.

 

Greetings

40 minutes ago, McFarnsworth said:

In a completely unexpected turn of events, the solution was moar boosters! Who knew?

That is a very big Rocket for such a Lander. Do you need such a big thing? Or do you play with an upscaled Solarsystem?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, fourfa said:

@RoboRay is that Bell X-1 style cockpit from Taerobee?

Yes, it is.  I used it here because it's got great thermal resistance.  The drawback is that it offers very little pod torque, so RCS becomes more important for attitude control in space and the upper atmosphere.

The weak point of my design is the two-man passenger cabin.  It came very close to blowing up in reentry.  I've added some flat radiators (connected to the cabin but slid back over the top of the wings) to see if that keeps the cabin temperature a little more reasonable.

Q0UQWJp.png

Edited by RoboRay
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Today I shortened the booms on my probe. This allowed the fairing to be sized down. The benefit was some additional dv.

mwCzUFu.jpg

Notice there is the equivalent of one orange tank of LFO, 3/4 of which is in the first stage. From memory there is abt 2000 dv with the skipper engine in stage one. The second stage has enough to make orbit, circularize, and still has roughly 2k dv for transfer using a poodle. The probe has 13k dv with the dawn ion engine.

 ZV4ezkn.jpg

"Rocket engines burning fuel so fast. In to the night sky they blast." Passing Mun on my way to the Urlum system.

m8ctvQH.jpg

Arrival at Urlum took several course adjustments despite the early use of the poodle transfer stage. That actually made the journey a bit more fun. Once I started circularizing, an intercept with Polta was made. Why not take advantage, I said. Bad idea. Trying to establish Polta orbit I sort of slammed into the moon. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...