Jump to content

What did you do in KSP1 today?


Xeldrak

Recommended Posts

1 minute ago, Audiobotguy03 said:

So I took a couple of formation shots of one of my fictional planes doing a formation flight with a T38 Talon I made.

  Hide contents


<blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" lang="en" data-id="a/5qozWsw"><a href="//imgur.com/5qozWsw"></a></blockquote><script async src="//s.imgur.com/min/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

 

Check your image embedding. The forums don't like imgur albums, for some reason. I recommend just putting all the images (provided that there aren't too many) in a spoiler instead.

 

So I rebuilt my F/A-18 Hornet from scratch. It was an early 1:1 of mine that didn't turn out quite the way I had hoped, and I had noticed a couple details that I wanted to be the first to nail down.

9WKE2Lq.jpg

^ WIP badge. Commentary on the image editing would also be appreciated.

v55Lvdp.png

Here's the part you came here to see. Hornets have been done before, and done well, so what makes this thing special? It has one significant detail that hasn't been included on any replicas, stock or modded (to my knowledge). The boundary layer diverter routes the top flow through a hole between the fuselage and the strakes.

The spoiler contains more images, plus a discussion of boundary layer diverters.

Spoiler

M5604nJ.png

Also, the dark patch in the middle of where the two flowpaths diverge is an inlet of some sort (my guess is that it goes to a radiator. It's in a convenient place and roughly the right size). 

4WapJbI.png

Now, for comparison. The orange patch is a Drill-o-Matic on the top of the fuselage, and is added for clarity.

 

More interesting notes on this:

The redesigned intake on the F/A-18-E/F Super Hornet doesn't require this vent, instead diverting the boundary layer under the wing. This was almost certainly done to improve the aircraft's stealth characteristics. Instead, it uses something which is familiar to all of us KSP aircraft builders: A Divertless Supersonic Intake. 

Divertless intakes are used on stealth fighters since they don't trap radar in the same way that diverters do (small angles/boxes amplify signals), and work instead by having a 'bump' upstream of the intake which tricks the boundary layer, exciting it and increasing the pressure (by making it more turbulent/lowering the speed). This actually diverts a significant amount of the flow around the inlet, while also mixing the boundary layer with the surrounding air (desirable for the intake), as shown here on the F-35.

aTYpQhE.png

The F-35 is the only western combat aircraft in production using a DSI, however China has been experimenting significantly with them, and all of their modern high-performance aircraft use DSIs due to their savings in weight and complexity over traditional designs.

L0pGWyK.png

This is definitely going to be my new favorite replica when I finish tweaking flight performance and release it (soon, hopefully). It's already got superb flight performance (it might need to be toned down a little in some regards, actually), able to climb 90 degrees vertical, achieve Mach 1 at altitude, cruise at an acceptable speed for a replica of this size/scale/part count. It's got all the goodies that I want it to (pitot tubes, antennae, sensor bulges), and a middling part count for my scale (400 exactly), and six panthers allow it to have the mix of looks and performance that it does.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Servo said:

Commentary on the image editing would also be appreciated.

 Cool and actiony, but I think a bit too blurry and the hornet is a bit obscured by the tail plane. I would personally tone down the blur a touch perhaps?

Very nice replica though!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Servo said:

Check your image embedding. The forums don't like imgur albums, for some reason. I recommend just putting all the images (provided that there aren't too many) in a spoiler instead.

 

So I rebuilt my F/A-18 Hornet from scratch. It was an early 1:1 of mine that didn't turn out quite the way I had hoped, and I had noticed a couple details that I wanted to be the first to nail down.

9WKE2Lq.jpg

^ WIP badge. Commentary on the image editing would also be appreciated.

v55Lvdp.png

Here's the part you came here to see. Hornets have been done before, and done well, so what makes this thing special? It has one significant detail that hasn't been included on any replicas, stock or modded (to my knowledge). The boundary layer diverter routes the top flow through a hole between the fuselage and the strakes.

The spoiler contains more images, plus a discussion of boundary layer diverters.

  Reveal hidden contents

M5604nJ.png

Also, the dark patch in the middle of where the two flowpaths diverge is an inlet of some sort (my guess is that it goes to a radiator. It's in a convenient place and roughly the right size). 

4WapJbI.png

Now, for comparison. The orange patch is a Drill-o-Matic on the top of the fuselage, and is added for clarity.

 

More interesting notes on this:

The redesigned intake on the F/A-18-E/F Super Hornet doesn't require this vent, instead diverting the boundary layer under the wing. This was almost certainly done to improve the aircraft's stealth characteristics. Instead, it uses something which is familiar to all of us KSP aircraft builders: A Divertless Supersonic Intake. 

Divertless intakes are used on stealth fighters since they don't trap radar in the same way that diverters do (small angles/boxes amplify signals), and work instead by having a 'bump' upstream of the intake which tricks the boundary layer, exciting it and increasing the pressure (by making it more turbulent/lowering the speed). This actually diverts a significant amount of the flow around the inlet, while also mixing the boundary layer with the surrounding air (desirable for the intake), as shown here on the F-35.

aTYpQhE.png

The F-35 is the only western combat aircraft in production using a DSI, however China has been experimenting significantly with them, and all of their modern high-performance aircraft use DSIs due to their savings in weight and complexity over traditional designs.

L0pGWyK.png

This is definitely going to be my new favorite replica when I finish tweaking flight performance and release it (soon, hopefully). It's already got superb flight performance (it might need to be toned down a little in some regards, actually), able to climb 90 degrees vertical, achieve Mach 1 at altitude, cruise at an acceptable speed for a replica of this size/scale/part count. It's got all the goodies that I want it to (pitot tubes, antennae, sensor bulges), and a middling part count for my scale (400 exactly), and six panthers allow it to have the mix of looks and performance that it does.

Thanks for the info, I was wondering that myself before! :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

edit: this thing is kinda heavy when firing just the nuke engines on the bottom but this it has so much fuel and it actually flies SMOOTH, especially with the extra reaction wheels from the viktor (the ssto attached to it, idc i like the name) hahah

v0LVYJC.png

now refueling a bit more with the extra ore in the tanks (it takes awhile but yeah stay tuned i guess)

i9glvkk.png

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Today I've set up a fresh install with enough mods that it won't crash (often), and I felt like designing a rover this time. Specifically a hardened, multi-purpose, extreme environment all-terrain rover. One optimised for travelling at high speeds across uneven terrain for extended periods of time, or low speeds across even bumpier terrain for a very long time. On top of that, it all has to be controllable under mechjeb's rover autopilot from start to finish, so that all I have to do is set waypoints and toggle engines to cover long journeys. This meant I needed passive and active stabilisation systems that the autopilot could handle well to make sure it survived my test journey from the Dessert airfield runway to the coast southwest of it. I then decided to see if it would float, but that's a story for another day. It's nuclear powered, a pair of RTGs, and solar panels to assist, but I could probably do with swapping the jet engines for something with a more powerful alternator, the wheels drain a lot of juice maintaining speed and braking incurs heavy power losses. The life support (12 days supplies and habitation for 2 kerbals with USI) is nothing in comparison. The journey took about half an hour or so realtime at an average speed of probably 35m/s, though it was a whole night and morning in Kerbal time. We had to stop to recharge the batteries fairly often for the speed we were going (limited to 35m/s. It could've gone faster but I didn't want to push the Mk 1 prototype... just yet. Mk 0 did 90m/s on the flats behind KSC) and also to take timelapse shots during the night before finishing the leg to the coast the next day. Longer video coming at some point in the future, who can say for sure, but here's a sneak peek at the "Tell Your Ma I Saved Your Life" system, which can also be used for short hops to avoid hazardous terrain on low gravity worlds:

 

Also some screenshots:

x6LLfBb.jpg

jokbaFO.jpg

N1BYnQc.jpg

pUKIAvN.jpg

3Y76Ihi.jpg

uJcRLRm.jpg

 

I may also design it to be dropped from orbit and do parachute-assisted powered landings. Depends what the various part pressure tolerances are like on eve, and if I can get jet engines that'll work there. If all else fails there is always Karbonite, now that would make this rover really OP :D

Edited by Loskene
.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The 1.6.1 Career game continues! Up this time, it's a pair of transfer windows for Urluum and Neidon which arrive in 23 & 26 days respectively.

Since they're so far out, these needed to be probes, but I wanted to further refine my monopropellant-fueled unmanned spacecraft design. My previous Long Range Science class (for exploration of Sarnus) was a bit over-built to satisfy a broader mission. So I wanted something with higher dV capabilities, but overall more streamlined. I think this design satisfies the mission parameters much more efficiently.

Deep Space Explorer (Mk1) - DSE-006 Urluum (16 years to arrival) & DSE-007 Neidon (23 years to arrival)

Yxkp6dj.jpg

Having just unlocked the HG-55 Antenna, the probe *should* have enough power to communicate back to KSC all the (re-runnable, 100% return) science experiments within the standard X.2 Science Package (front). If not, hopefully sometime in the next 16-23 years... the KSC should be able to unlock and send into orbit much larger relays to support these probes.

S9i8Bou.jpg

Since I've only unlocked smaller solar panels at this stage, there is a serious question of power reliability once arrived at their destinations. The probe packs about 2000 e/c in order to transmit science, but recharging the batteries may take a long time.

Edited by scottadges
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Today I sent out a Scout probe to Minmus to search for potential landing spots for Taikia Waititi base, the launch was conducted on a Tasman-C:wub::

qjWz8g0.png

How ever, as you can see the landing was rough and the solar panels smashed(why did I forget to retract them?) any way the lander still gave me the data I needed

B.T.W is 12% ore a good amount on Minmus ?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I started assembling a station destined for Minmus in Kerbin orbit. I use Konstruction ports to link sections once in orbit. Just to show that it wasn't Hyperedit to orbit. 3rd launch, all managed to use the same basic booster.

SLWGUz8.jpg

Fairing deployed: Anyone recognize this? I was looking for something different and found an old mod that seemed to work fine, but is missing an IVA. 

IISxfFb.png

Docking the second hab section. The core was first, then two launches for the hab sections. Several more launches left for science labs and a transfer engine. The extreme foreground ship is a docked tanker I already had in orbit that I sent out to siphon off any residual fuel from the various stages that make it to the rendezvous point.

Fwd8JZ9.png

Finally the habitat deployment.

 

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...