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[0.25]KSP Interstellar (Magnetic Nozzles, ISRU Revamp) Version 0.13


Fractal_UK

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@FractalUK

I came across a thread suggesting the addition of Air-Augmented rockets to stock KSP, and while I doubt that will happen, I couldn't help but feel it would be a perfect addition to the repertoire of KSP-Interstellar technologies (and much lower tech than any of the other technologies in the mod- the base tech has been around since the 1950's...)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air-augmented_rocket

Basically, it's a lot like a thermal turbojet- it uses atmosphere for additional reaction mass and thus thrust/effective ISP- except it relies on a standard chemical rocket for the source of thermal energy, and it of course operates in parallel with a chemical reaction; meaning that unlike with a TTJ, the expelled atmosphere is not the only source of propellent...

IN COMPARISON TO:

Thermal Turbojets- Similarly relies on IntakeAtm instead of IntakeAir, but combines IntakeAtm with LFO-mix. Relies on a chemical reaction for the thermal power. Higher thrust than early fission-powered TTJ's and works in thinner atmosphere (due to ability to operate in the absence of *any* IntakeAtm if necessary).

Standard Jets- The closest parallel, as it performs a chemical reaction and mixes it with atmosphere for additional thrust- but does still carries all its Oxidizer with it, so less efficient than turbofan engines. Unlike jet engines, incapable of flaming-out, as it has no actual reliance on external air, and simply exploits it for additional thrust.

LFO Chemical Rockets- Higher thrust and ISP (consumes the same amount of fuel, but produces more thrust) than an engine of similar size/mass, but requires the extra mass and drag of air-intakes to obtain this additional "free" thrust. Behaves identically, except for the extra mass of the intakes, in vacuum- and transitions to more and more similar thrust values as less IntakeAtm is available.

Solid Rocket Boosters- Perhaps the most interesting thing about this technology, it can also be applied to SRB's (in fact, this has been its main application in the real world). Basically, you would have a unique SRB part with built-in air-augmentation. Although such an SRB would be heavier in dry mass than a standard SRB, its base-thrust and atmosphere ISP curves would be adjusted such that it produces much more thrust for the same fuel-flow in the atmosphere, but equates out to having the same ISP/thrust (and a heavier dry mass to lug around) in vacuum conditions. Basically a higher-thrust, more expensive SRB that is only more useful in-atmosphere...

This technology has seen real-life application in solid-fuel ballistic missiles (in fact, this is the ONLY significant application it has yet seen- although NASA is trying to design the LFO-rocket propulsion systems of some up-and-coming spaceplanes around it...) It could see use in KSP as an improved, but more expensive (once Budgets comes out) set of SRB's that players could consider using as throw-away boosters, or as reusable boosters with parachutes (assuming recovering a spent SRB gave players back some money with Budgets), when payload mass REALLY mattered for a given launch for some reason...

Regards,

Northstar

P.S. FracalUK, feel free to PM me to let me know if you're seeing any of my suggestions here lately... I've really been doing my research on new features that I think might be useful in KSP Interstellar, but so far except for the inclusion of the Haber process (which you said you had already planned on including) I haven't really seen any indication if you've been liking/appreciating, or even reading, any of my ideas...

Edited by Northstar1989
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Hi,

Does anyone know if the Science Lab is able to generate science.

I know the telescope is broken, just wonder if the Science Lab is broken too.

I had hoped to be able to generate science on the long trip out to the planets.

But I don't seem to get anything from it.

The Lab is powered and says it should be generating 0.7 per day. But I fast forward a few days and it says "0 science added to the ..."

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Hey Fractal - any plans to make Interstellar compatible with ModuleEnginesFX? I created an entire set of new effects for the engines and planned to include them in HotRockets, but after one of the updates all of the engines with KSPI modules became non-functional.

Yes but only a constrained set at this stage - as part of the electrical engine rework I have been updating Interstellar plasma thrusters and such up to the ModuleEnginesFX class along with creating variable exhaust effects that can change according to the type of propellant used, the main value of this is to change the colour and shape of the exhaust when you switch propellant.

It won't happen to Thermal Rockets for the time being, that will come further down the line.

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Alright, probably will seem like a dumb remark, but I have Interstellar installed and I've tried getting any of the engines to work over the last 3 days, I cannot get one engine to even turn on. I add or switch out fuels and add air intakes when it tells me to and still nothing. Can anyone lend me some insight from the lowest part on up on how to get anything to operate properly?

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Welcome to KSP Forum, Tinytank. :)

One of the most prominent engines in KSP Interstellar is the thermal rockets. These need to be attached directly to a reactor in order to work. The thermal turbojet, which is the one needing intake air, also needs to be attached directly to a reactor. For both cases, any type of reactor (fission, fusion, antimatter) will work, assuming said reactors are online.

Hope it helps. :)

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Alright, probably will seem like a dumb remark, but I have Interstellar installed and I've tried getting any of the engines to work over the last 3 days, I cannot get one engine to even turn on. I add or switch out fuels and add air intakes when it tells me to and still nothing. Can anyone lend me some insight from the lowest part on up on how to get anything to operate properly?

From top->down

pod

fuel tank

fission reactor

thermal rocket nozle

or

pod

fuel tank

any reactor

electric generator

plasma thruster

both need radiators to keep waste heat low.

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Anyone know if the Haber Process requires KSPI Atmospheric Scoops (such as you'd use on Jool to collect Deut/He3)?

It doesn't, no. The atmospheric scoops generate actual resources that are put into tanks; there's no tank for Nitrogen, so they can't collect it anyway. The Haber Process just won't run unless the refinery is currently in a nitrogen-containing atmosphere.

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Hmmm to be true I`m not so happy with the here used resource scanners (the ones you make seeable the resource you must mine on the planet, whitch show temporary as small balls on the planet).

1.: You can not even with two of these sensors scan for both Materials with the same vessel.

2.: Their display is only like said temporal (makes a planned landing there terrible complicate).

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It doesn't, no. The atmospheric scoops generate actual resources that are put into tanks; there's no tank for Nitrogen, so they can't collect it anyway. The Haber Process just won't run unless the refinery is currently in a nitrogen-containing atmosphere.
Apparently, Duna's atmosphere doesn't have enough Nitrogen in it, even though it's 2% Nitrogen... :/
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The bugged 3.75m Reactor Tritium breeding is killing my interplanetary frigates. Does anybody else have an issue with this? Could I expect the next version to fix it or do I need to mod the part files to something useable? or is this a scientifically accurate situation I'm in?

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It doesn't, no. The atmospheric scoops generate actual resources that are put into tanks; there's no tank for Nitrogen, so they can't collect it anyway. The Haber Process just won't run unless the refinery is currently in a nitrogen-containing atmosphere.

There ought to be nitrogen tanks though...

@FractalUK

Ok, so maybe for whatever reason you don't want to even respond to a suggestion to add air-augmented chemical rockets- but could you at least consider adding nitrogen as a collectible resource with the Atmospheric Scoop? There's so much potential with this part, yet so few resources it can currently collect...

Carbon Dioxide would be a good resource to add as well...

Regards,

Northstar

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Actually, CO2 as a resource might be a bit too easy to come by... because any Life Support mod is going to have Kerbals generating it. Perhaps if there is going to be some kind of CO2 resource, it should require a seperator and compressor part for "useful" C02, probably in cryogenic liquid state. A built in refrigerator for any CO2 tank (really, any cryo-liquid resource) that consumes EC wouldn't be misplaced either...

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I've just started playing with this mod.

Because it's my "go to hard mission", is there anything in Interstellar that might make for a particularly interesting ground level Eve return trip?

Do thermal turbojets work on Eve? The wiki suggests they just "heat up air", which implies it doesn't necessarily need to be oxygen?

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I've just started playing with this mod.

Because it's my "go to hard mission", is there anything in Interstellar that might make for a particularly interesting ground level Eve return trip?

Do thermal turbojets work on Eve? The wiki suggests they just "heat up air", which implies it doesn't necessarily need to be oxygen?

I've allways had the same questions - so I coded planitron..

Answers all..

see my signature and sorry for the self advertizing - but it's what you need now..

However - yes - they work with all atmospheres - no oxigen needed..

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I've just started playing with this mod.

Because it's my "go to hard mission", is there anything in Interstellar that might make for a particularly interesting ground level Eve return trip?

Do thermal turbojets work on Eve? The wiki suggests they just "heat up air", which implies it doesn't necessarily need to be oxygen?

Interstellar is always an interesting balance. It often at first seems very overpowered but actually it's designed very well as it gives you some powerful technologies but makes you really work for them.

Thermal turbojets can make Eve very, very easy and yes, they work on 'atmosphere' and Eve has a lot of that to work with. With a good amount of intakes you'll be able to produce some serious and nearly infinite power. Where the 'work' comes in is you'll need a good source of power for this to happen which means either deploying a few large heavy reactors into Eve orbit (and then using thermal receivers) or getting a good on-board power plant. Fission isn't likely work, Fusion I'm not sure but I'd guess it'll be hard. Antimatter would make life easy but then you need to be able to collect it in decent quantities and get it transferred to your craft.

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Interstellar is always an interesting balance. It often at first seems very overpowered but actually it's designed very well as it gives you some powerful technologies but makes you really work for them.

Thanks for that. I'm not out for an easy option - I would have just used balloons if I was.

I haven't unlocked all those parts yet, but I'm looking forward to putting that plan together.

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I've allways had the same questions - so I coded planitron..

Answers all..

see my signature and sorry for the self advertizing - but it's what you need now..

However - yes - they work with all atmospheres - no oxigen needed..

Awesome.

I'll give it a try.

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So my follow up question has to be, is there a reason I can't "take data" from the Double-C Seismic Accelerator?

I've followed the process of gathering impact from a crash on Minmus. I can right click it and "review impact data". I've gathered data from the temperature probe right next to it, but I've spent about 15 minutes jumping up and down alongside it trying to grab this data and right click just gives me "no damage".

This rocket can bring my crew back to Kerbin but the accelerometer is attached to a stage I need to jettison.

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last time I used it was in last version - I've read about some bugs and some fixes on the past 20 pages..

However - I would try ship manifest wich allows you to transfer all science from anywhere to anywhere..

Didn't try that recently - but it should also gather those..

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Thanks for that. I'm not out for an easy option - I would have just used balloons if I was.

I haven't unlocked all those parts yet, but I'm looking forward to putting that plan together.

Basic fusion should be plenty for a self contained return from eve. useing a 2.5 reactor with a thermal turobjet you could use atmospheric mode to get up out of the soupy part and then LFO to finish the clmib to orbit. Basic fusion rocket has about a 1.5 TWR on pure liquid, might not be enough to maintain a >1 on eve when you include the required fuel but adding oxidiser gives almost 4 times the thrust so should be plenty as long as your not too deep. Might want to check out that planitron mod to confirm you have enough intakes to lift off in air breathing mode on eve. you can stack as many as needed on for the initial climb and jetison any you dont want to carry back into orbit when you switch over.

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