What did you do in KSP1 today?

[adsii1970]

It wasn't today, but a couple of days ago - but I'm just now able to share...

A Kerbalized replica of a McDonald Douglas DC-10, but in a cargo configuration:

• She has an operational range of 2,488.5 kilometers
• Can go up to 239.5 m/s but ideal (optimal) speed is 158.9 meters per second.

Now on to creating the passenger version.

[ProtoJeb21]

I have a quick question: 

My enormous Hermes II spacecraft is heading towards a Moho encounter from an eccentric solar orbit. While it does have a huge storage of liquid fuel and 8 nuclear engines, I want to be as efficient as possible to make sure Hermes II can deliver its gathered science back into Kerbin orbit. What should my initial Moho capture orbit be in order to use the least amount of fuel possible?

[eddiew]

Found evidence of curvature.

[Atkara]

Drogue chutes didn't have any effect on the wing/side-boosters separation of my spaceplane for Eve. I guess I'll have to live with it. While at it, I did some further tweaking on it's RCS ports arrangement. A major change on the upper stage got rid of the drag (and torque), caused by the passenger module.

Spoiler

 

If we happen to be carrying tourists, we'll pretend the fairing their lounge is in, comes with windows -or they take turns to admire the view from the cockpit

Speaking of that, I had the opportunity to monitor it's temps during atmospheric interface, in today's tests: 1925-1935K. This cockpit comes one step from blowing up, before things start to cool down. But it survives -every single time.

The last surface to orbit test began from Eve's Lowlands. It reached orbit with fuel to spare. I think I'm ready to put this craft into service.

[eddiew]

44 minutes ago, ProtoJeb21 said:

I have a quick question: 

My enormous Hermes II spacecraft is heading towards a Moho encounter from an eccentric solar orbit. While it does have a huge storage of liquid fuel and 8 nuclear engines, I want to be as efficient as possible to make sure Hermes II can deliver its gathered science back into Kerbin orbit. What should my initial Moho capture orbit be in order to use the least amount of fuel possible?

From a long distance out, set your PE to something like 15km. Add a node at that PE that will just barely get you into the most eccentric orbit ever - and obviously begin the burn when you are half-burn-time away from the node.

Loop round that a few times and make smaller burns at PE until circular.

[ProtoJeb21]

The past few days have been really bad. Not because of how I'm sick, but because of how little success I've had since my last big post here.

I began constructing new equipment and vehicles for Minmus Base, and while they looked good on paper, almost all of them smashed into problems at orbit velocity...almost quite literally for a few. First I tried to launch Mivie Kerman's new transport vessel, the AMDRV (Advances Minmus Delivery/Return Vehicle) Montu II, but the huge mass of the craft posed quite the challenge for getting it into orbit. The first launch went well enough, but the lifter couldn't get the craft into a stable orbit. I then designed a far more powerful lifter, but it proved too unstable, causing the Montu II to be ripped apart at about 25 km up. I removed one of the giant fuel tanks in the lifter and launched again. Everything seemed to be going well...until just after a successful orbital insertion. Somehow, even with the craft's engines off, its apoapsis was increased and its periapsis decreasing. All control was lost, and when Mivie EVA'd, focus was kept on the craft. Eventually, it was put on a collision course with Kerbin, so I had no choice but to blow it up before reverting flight.

After all this I gave in and launched a typical MDRV. Until I can figure out how the hell to get Montu II into orbit without breaking physics, this will have to do.

Next I designed a skycrane/hovercraft to help transport modules and equipment for Minmus Base. It was designed similar to the skycrane used by Kerbal Space Command, because it looked like it could work quite well for my outpost. After some tests came the launch. Guess how well it turned out? Badly. I tried launching it thrice, and during all three times the spacecraft could not keep itself stable. I didn't get any screenshots of the failures, though.

Following SIX failures, I decided to work on a Minmus Base rover and more advanced base connectors made of structural fuel tanks. The rover came out fine (it will need some adjustments), but the base connectors proved extremely difficult to pull off. I created a mock scenario where the rover would have to dock a base connector with a Minmus Base module with its landing gear undeployed. The rover was able to easily move around the connectors, but for some odd reason, whenever the module and connector would dock, part of the connector - including the docking port - would explode. I then tried a new connector module made of empty SRBs, but that ended up being WAY too heavy to move. Finally, I made a connector out of four inline crew cabins, and it worked. Yay! Unfortunately, I only got screenshots of the first design.

Next time I'm able to play KSP, I will need to make sure EVERYTHING that I presented here is able to work properly, then send them all to Minmus with some extra cargo. I'm hoping to bring as many as 8 base connectors on that third MDRV, but it may be too much for it to handle. 2-4 should work. I will also need to perform a correction burn for Hermes II to make sure its Moho periapsis is at about 15 km, following @eddiew's advice.

[LordFerret]

3 hours ago, Martian Emigrant said:

Hi.

 

I am not sure that the Roadster is actually drivable. I would not bet that it is. I would definitively bet that it is not.

The car is a joke of course but it's also a PR thing.

If I were an engineer assigned to bolting it to a rocket I would remove anything that "Might" throw a wrench into the works.

Anything at all that will make the launch fail as got to get out.

I do not know that the actual power cell from a Tesla have been tested in space. Out it goes.

Does it have vents? Does it use some airflow cooling? Liquids, grease that will leak, boil or freeze? Refreeze elsewhere? GONE

Airbags? Pyrotechnic never tested in space. GONE.

Windshield washer? Might boils, spill, pee on the windshield and ruin the photo op, leak and corrode something. Anything. GONE

Air in the tires? Might be OK. Maybe not. GONE

Replace the air with nitrogen. Why? GONE (I think the tires are solid or more likely they are glued in place and have no valve stems).

Could the "Starman's" harness unlatch pulling Gs at that angle? Maybe. Bolt it in.

Brake fluids? Gone for all the above reasons.

Can the front axle take the max forecasted G force? Weld, reinforce, replace.

Could the doors, bagage compartment open? Make sure it doesn't.

 

Thrust me. That car isn't drivable-usable on any road.

 

ME

 

Tesla's financial report came out 2 days after the launch; Once again, he showed a large loss. This time the biggest loss in the history of the company. "Do not look at that man behind the curtain."

I wouldn't call this a PR stunt, I call it a joke and an act of desperation. How fitting, launch a piece of junk car into space. He'd have done the world better had he hurled it into the sun.

[roboslacker]

Today, I did more work on the roller coaster.

I tinkered with the loop and drop, but it just wasn't happening. So, I ditched the loop, and added in a hill instead.

The turn after the hill was hard to get right. But after widening the wheelbase and raising the side friction wheels (in addition to fiddling with the actual turn), It worked.

The next step is to add in some more hills.

[GDJ]

17 hours ago, LordFerret said:

Bad enough the world condones and let this idiot launch a car into heliocentric orbit... yea, I've got issues with it... having it crash anywhere would be an even greater disgrace. Who knows what the future will hold for it. We just recently plunged an exhausted probe into a gas giant over fears of the possibility of contaminating the environment of one of its moons, or did we forget all that already. As we all know, those lithium-ion batteries are completely non-toxic and environmentally safe... among many other things.

Not trying to pick a fight here, but in the grand scheme of things this is nothing. It's in a solar orbit for....nearly forever. The chances of a environmental accident is probably  one hundred trillion trillion to one.

Besides, with the reference to "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" on the dash and the towel, it was a expensive "Ha ha!" from Elon. It's his money. It's his car. It's his company and his rocket. He could send up a potted petunia and a towel for all I care. 

It was a test flight. It needed something heavy in the nose to simulate a satellite. Might as well make it memorable.

Maybe that's what the world needs right now. A little bit of "WOW" and more "HAA! I GOT THE JOKE!! THAT WAS FUNNY!"
The whole frickin planet is on edge and so damn afraid to be insulted, offended, proved wrong, talked to, looked at, looked at funny, told a joke, have fun, laugh out loud, or for that matter, do absolutely anything that could potentially infuriate some "Snowflake" that might be remotely put off.

Everybody just take a deep breath, and chill. It was an awesome launch. Remember it as that, and if you seen the movie, have a chuckle or two. It's okay. You're allowed.

[LordFerret]

6 hours ago, RealKerbal3x said:

For tomorrow, what are your strategies for landing back at the KSC runway?

Well, I have two shuttles that I use, one built of MK3 parts, the other of MK2 parts. Both have minimal powered flight ability during re-entry... like for an emergency. I pretty much have the procedure down (for me anyway) where I can just glide in. I don't know if this will work for you, but you can try it.

I start with a circular orbit around 75-80km.  I have a course set where, when I'm over the desert, where the Ancient Ruins are, I initiate the retro burn; The course plot ends in the ocean just off the shores of KSC... pretty much in line with the Old Airfield Island. I keep the nose 10 degrees up during the descent, with airbrakes deployed. Once the atmosphere thickens (no more plasma fire), and the airspeed drops to around 500m/s, I disengage the airbrakes and RCS and fly (glide) the ship into position - line up with the runway. I'm usually able to bleed speed off enough for a reasonable touch-down, but if not the airbrakes are used. At gear drop, I set the brakes. At touch-down, airbrakes and drogue chutes a enabled. Home.

Good luck!

[Kronus_Aerospace]

Thinking of building a full scale Saturn V, usually you would just use Rhinos for the F-1 Engines, but I decided to make my own! This has the same diameter (3.7 meters), and approximately the same thrust (about 6800kN SL and about 7500kN vac vs the real F-1's 6770kN SL and 7770kN vac). The asthetics are a WIP, but I already like how it's turning out!

Edited February 9, 2018 by Kronus_Aerospace
Grammer

[LordFerret]

3 minutes ago, GDJ said:

snippity snip snip

No, no fights, no arguments. Not worth it. Definitely agree with the world view. For sure. Snowflakes need to melt already.

As for payload, water or sand would have worked just as well... or ice.

[Kronus_Aerospace]

3 minutes ago, LordFerret said:

No, no fights, no arguments. Not worth it. Definitely agree with the world view. For sure. Snowflakes need to melt already.

As for payload, water or sand would have worked just as well... or ice.

We should launch all of the snow into the sun, I don't care if it's not practical or cost effective, LAUNCH IT INTO THE SUN.

[GDJ]

5 minutes ago, LordFerret said:

As for payload, water or sand would have worked just as well... or ice.

No sand. We have enough micrometeorites up there now.

[CatastrophicFailure]

13 minutes ago, GDJ said:

No sand. We have enough micrometeorites up there now.

When the man said it gets everywhere, he meant it gets everywhere.  

[LordFerret]

I had one of my guys ready to go, but he'd rather wait until we do a mission to planet Treats.

[Kronus_Aerospace]

This rocket is a perfect demonstration of how much easier it is to get payloads into orbit of Kerbin vs Earth, this rocket has a payload capacity of 118 tons, the same as the Saturn V. However, this rocket is only 1/5 the mass, as such it only requires the use of a single F-1 Engine.

[Starman4308]

Not all that much, except for writing a 158-line kOS script to perform an automated lunar descent, and testing it (oh so many times!) in a sandbox game. At 1.2 light-seconds' delay, I could probably do it manually with some practice, but it would be invaluable for, say, Pluto.

Not that I've gotten anything anywhere near Pluto.

And when I do, I'll probably be careful to ensure my probes have > 5 kB of script storage space. It's not even fully finished yet, and I've started removing comments and old methods to keep it within 5 kB.

I've had some amusing discoveries along the way though. After writing Rube Goldberg methods involving getting the topvector to get horizontal and vertical velocities, I then discover there's SHIP:GROUNDSPEED and SHIP:VERTICALSPEED. In a similar vein, I struggled with ALT:RADAR's limitations and wrote a script to granny the altitude estimates until that became meaningful... and then discovered a code snippet that gets the terrain height.

In general, my approach is:

Burn surface-retrograde until vertical velocity exceeds a threshold. This is Powered Descent Initiation.

Then, pitch up to an attitude that should give 0 vertical acceleration. Use Baby's First PID Loop to help keep vertical velocity at that threshold with an error offset to pitch. This is the High Gate logic.

If altitude drops below a threshold, re-run the high-gate method with a target vertical velocity of 0.

The high-gate method completes once horizontal velocity drops below 10 m/sec. This is "Low Gate" (terminology 100% stolen from the Apollo missions).

The low-gate method locks steering to surface-retrograde. It then keeps track of the estimated altitude that would be reached by a suicide burn: if this goes above 15% of current altitude-above-ground, engines are set to min throttle (often 0% thanks to Realism Overhaul!), if it goes below 5%, engines are set to max throttle. This continues until altitude < 100 meters, at which point I throttle up when speed dips below 2 m/sec, and throttle down when it goes above 4 m/sec. That continues until altitude reaches 5 meters, at which point the throttle is cut.

The high-gate method is tested: if nothing throws a nut, I should proceed to first test of the low-gate method. Once that's reached, it'll either land or not land. Either way, it'll be exciting to watch.

Edited February 9, 2018 by Starman4308

[Porky]

Made a Mun rover and acted the Mars Orion mission 

[MaxwellsDemon]

Not much time for it last evening, though I did squeak in a couple of Duna probe mid-course corrections, complete a quick rescue contract (need to restock the treasury after building lots of space station modules for my Mir type station), and run a quick test of how practical it is for an engineer to stick a docking port on a ship in the field (with KAS), preparatory to a craft-and-Kerbal retrieval mission.

[Tw1]

Did something I'm sure a few others did. 

Had a few technical troubles.

And the boosters didn't exactly land...

But soon:

Thanks to the magic of Time Warp:

 

But I wasn't content with just a flyby, no.

It's no Tesla, (I don't have that kind of money.)

But my boxy old car is now on Duna.

And off to explore!

 

Edited February 10, 2018 by Tw1

[Geonovast]

2 minutes ago, Tw1 said:

Had a few technical troubles.

 

I remembering doing that a lot in my early days.  Check yo' stagin!

What would be really funny is if the thing still made it to orbit.

[Tw1]

2 minutes ago, Geonovast said:

 

I remembering doing that a lot in my early days.  Check yo' stagin!

What would be really funny is if the thing still made it to orbit.

It almost did, actually. It was overpowered for an out of season Duna transfer,  and the Not-Tesla payload is pretty light. Had I flown a better trajectory, it might have. 

[XB-70A]

I just had 30 minutes of freedom to play a bit, so...

I looked at the contracts list, and a good choice of one star were available, including two tourist looking for a trip around the Mun, some samples from Minmus, and a three stars contract for saving another dumb good kerbonaut lying on the surface of the mint-like satellite. 

 

 

Enjoying a nice TWR, the good Kolibri Mk. IV was the best choice to me to ensure a nice cost/profit ratio.

 

 

While it was re-entering independently, we lost communications with the carrier stage. The most stressing moment of the flight, as the probability to recover it in one piece are most of the time under 33% !

 

 

NOOOOOOOOoooooo... another overshot... and it still was not possible to initiate a braking burn!!!

 

 

Anyway... the sea landing was risky, as the angle at the time of the contact with the surface tended to  be bad, but the result was not so disappointing, bringing back a nice amount of funds at the end.

 

 

Then it was the time to begin the transfer to the Mun... and to leave the game definitely for me today 

I just hope the craft will be able to realize all the contracts at once. Also, I want to try a docking with it on a new ridiculously shaped space station orbiting the Mun, we'll see.

[Hotel26]

My second weekend 2-day Sprint has started. 

I made a lo-grav reconnaissance machine, Ladybug, that can be packed into payload very compactly under a lander.  It looks like it's got pretty good range.  It needs a solar panel squeezed in on the front side.  The back is clear for Klaw refueling operations.

And I constructed my first xenon tanker.  78,750 units of xenon which is enough to refuel 15 Gossamer Albatross flights.  [Damn.  I forgot the MP.  OK, well that can come out of the ground with a Gimlet...]  I found you have to land this with a little horizontal motion in the direction of the wheels.  My plan had simply been to put a one-legged post on the upside and then be quick with SAS/RW to lower it onto its wheels gently.

There's a bigger plan afoot!

 

Edited February 10, 2018 by Hotel26