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[1.2] USI Survivability Pack (Formerly DERP) [v0.6.0]


RoverDude

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Probably better to do that via MM ;) that way it's not stomped when there is an update.

Yea I just realized that and was like ::head smack:: Duradur dur that's what those awesome MM patches are for!! :D

Yeah so nooooobody do what I did listen to RD

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Just updated, but now the DERP isn't showing under pods in my career mode game. It shows up in sandbox and in the tech tree under survivability but isn't available in the VAB. Is there a workaround for this kind of thing or do I need to start a new game? I can load old vessels with it on them and it works fine, just can't find it in the parts list anymore.

edit- reloading all assets seems to kind of fix it.

I'm having the same issue. What do you mean by reloading all assets?

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So the parachute on the DERP won't deploy. The chute entry in the stage is replaced with a decoupler icon. I don't have any of the mods suggested for conflict with the last people who reported issues (realchutes, DRE, or tweakable everything), any suggestions for possible candidates to pull out and try again?

Though it turns out it's totally landable without the chute burn the rest of the monoprop close to ground, engine explodes but airbag survives. No good for a minimus return though.

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as people have mentioned above, the DERP no longer has a parachute.

I have to agree though, it's way harder to land without the 'chute. I already lost a test pilot in a landing attempt. It just doesn't have enough control to land safely while gliding.

Logically, most escape systems are designed to be idiot proof. They're designed to get the pilot safely down even if he's wounded or unconscious, you can't do that if you have to glide into a dead stick landing. You don't see ejection seats with wings and flight controls. It needs a 'chute at least as a backup.

For example, while NASA's X-38 CRV concept for ISS had a lifting body for gliding, it was designed to make it's actual landing under canopy.

Edited by Capt. Hunt
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Forum thread search apparently has issues :/

It also seems silly that a 410/610kg system (I assume you need that ablator with DRE, thing barely gets warm in stock) has no chute when the 90kg real world theoretical counterpart does (MOOSE if you wanna look it up) does.

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Excuse the bluntness as I haven't searched through the thread yet, but how can I make a pod survive a water landing, is it as simple as lowering the speed more?

I had assumed that slapping some airbags under my materials bay would cushion the landing enough for it to survive but I've been proved wrong, I also lost my floaties during the 9m/s splashdown :'(

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Maybe the DERP should include a built in drogue? Althogh I have no problems gliding it, it is better to at least have something extra to slow you down if you're terrible at flying anything?

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Excuse the bluntness as I haven't searched through the thread yet, but how can I make a pod survive a water landing, is it as simple as lowering the speed more?

I had assumed that slapping some airbags under my materials bay would cushion the landing enough for it to survive but I've been proved wrong, I also lost my floaties during the 9m/s splashdown :'(

It's just a stock mk1 with a stock mk16 chute and a materials bay underneath, I suppose I misjudged how effectively the airbags and floats would handle the destructive capabilities of water.

Not surprising really, I think I just need better placement of the airbags, my ground tests show they can certainly take a pounding.

Edit:Ok it seems airbags and floats are totally useless for water landing, the water seems to just travel right through them until it hits the first part that can't handle the speed, then that part explodes....

Edited by MarcAFK
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I thought so, thx for the patience.

EDIT:

I found a workaround of sorts, I first tested a cube made of structural panels with a small girder then a mk 1 pod in the center, which I ploughed into the water at 60m/s, as expected during splashdown it dropped a short distance into the water, destroyed the pod inside, then the rest of the structure having a crash resistance of 80 m/s bounced several times.

Next I did the same but with a materials bay on top, it survived impact until after bouncing the cube flipped and landed on the mat bay.

It seems that the shock of landing isn't transmitted to the entire craft, only the parts that actually contact the water receive the impact, the water travels through the craft until it reaches a certain distance past the lowest part, then buoyancy takes effect.

This distance is slightly less than the length of a XL girder, at least at 50 m/s it is, so my 3rd test was the same mk1 pod with a materials bay below it and mk16 parachute that had failed at earlier 10m/s landings, but with an XL girder under it and some floaties attached radially just below the materials bay.

I turned off SAS during descent to save battery power then just before splash down I switched it back on to ensure a completely upright position, it impacted at 10.5 meters per second similar to earlier, but directly onto the girder, it descended into the water about 2/3's the length of the girder, then bounced up slightly, not enough to escape the water, then descended back onto the girder and settled onto the floaties. The materials bay was fine despite the water impact being at more than 10 meters per second.

Essentially just ensure nothing but high strength components hit the water, and keep the craft upright until it settles down at a lower speed, I might test a 50 m/s impact now.

Edit:

It seems that a craft will descend 1 second into the water before bouncing. So at 50m/s you would need a 50 meter protrusion, not particularly useful at all :P

Edit: Just finished reading through the thread and damn you get a lot of flak from bugs, incompatibility issues or people wondering why theres no food in the pod. Just wanted to thank you for the hard work and awesome mods :)

Edited by MarcAFK
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Attempting to add escape pods to a lander. Craft file is here: http://1drv.ms/1JwpQEl It's stock plus universal storage plus TAC LS.

I have two action groups set: the Brakes group is set to Evacuate the pods and start the RTG slug, and the Abort group is supposed to decouple the engines. However, no matter what I try, the radially attached engines won't decouple from the ship. Can anyone figure what I've done wrong?

I also get a CLS error in the debug log. Doesn't seem to affect anything.

So far, I've not been able to land successfully. I put this down to pilot error, but I will probably end up adding chutes, as I do agree that an escape pod should be fire and forget. Roverdude, if you are considering at all fixing the chute, put me down in the "yes, please" column! :)

Lastly, on a test reentry from 100 km orbit, my Ablative Shielding (DRE installed) wasn't even touched. Is that due to the shallow entry profile or something else?

Thanks in advance!

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No answer on the first questions - but regarding ablation and DRE, that's more a question for the DRE thread.

Thanks for the quick reply RoverDude... I'm not so worried about the reentry (I was including it in case there's something that jogged your or someone else's troubleshooting senses), but I'd really like your input as to why the DERPs don't detach. I didn't include logs because there's nothing relevant in them that seems amiss, but I will certainly upload them if it helps. I'll also try building a different ship and again radially attaching the DERPs to see if I can replicate the problem.

Again, I appreciate all you've done for KSP, both the stock game and the modding community. I know my problem is, well, *my* problem, but I am stymied and I would really appreciate some suggestions from you or others.

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