[1.2 - 1.4][WIP] Joolian Discovery v0.8 (2015-08-14)

[cantab]

Minor suggestions: The pod should include the full assistance functions, at the moment it has just the basic SAS.

[NecroBones]

Minor suggestions: The pod should include the full assistance functions, at the moment it has just the basic SAS.

Yep, good point. I'll add that.

[Guerra]

Watch out for that ae35 unit...

[SpaceLaunchSystem]

I want to see a battle between this and the IXS Warship

I don't think that would work out. The IXS warship is designed for the far future (maybe the three-thousands) but this ship is a concept that could be realistically accomplished before this century is out...

Plus the IXS could outrun this ship easily .

[Danny88]

Using parts from Tantares' mod, I've created this little guy. http://imgur.com/a/VknR2

[NecroBones]

Using parts from Tantares' mod, I've created this little guy. http://imgur.com/a/VknR2

Very cool!

[NecroBones]

Hey all, I've updated for KSP 1.0. Not much else has changed yet. I do still plan on coming back and adding some things eventually.

On my wishlist:

* Working pod bay,

* (maybe) some pods for the bay,

* Folding animation for the antenna array.

I can't promise when though, since my other mods tend to take precedence, and I haven't had much time for modding lately.

In the meantime, here's the update:

0.5 (2015-04-30) - Beta Release
 - Added more advanced SAS functions to the command pod
 - KSP 1.0 compatibility updates
 - Re-assigned tech-tree locations.
 - Now uses LiquidFuel instead of NuclearPropellant.

[NecroBones]

Updated for 1.0.1 & 1.0.2:

0.6 (2015-05-01) - KSP 1.0.1 corrections
 - Adjusted engine heat & thrust for KSP 1.0.1 compatability.
 - Converted textures to DDS format.

[czokletmuss]

I'm glad to see this mod very much alive. Good work sir!

[cipherpunks]

What is the propellant that [book] Discovery used? Ammonia?

[tater]

This is really fun, love it.

Seems like the reaction wheels should be in the comm unit so that you can get them closer to the CM. If you did that, the current unit could be more of a service module, perhaps.

Imagine if this was even full scale for kerbals, lol. Course it's hard enough to deal with now, I'm not sure I'd actually want that

[NecroBones]

What is the propellant that [book] Discovery used? Ammonia?

According to Wikipedia:

Engine Type (from the novel): Nuclear-powered magnotoplasmadynamic thrusters. Propellant - hydrogen.

This is really fun, love it.

Seems like the reaction wheels should be in the comm unit so that you can get them closer to the CM. If you did that, the current unit could be more of a service module, perhaps.

Imagine if this was even full scale for kerbals, lol. Course it's hard enough to deal with now, I'm not sure I'd actually want that

That could be a possibility. It could be partially fuel and partially a service module. The front seemed like a natural place though, since there's a lot of bulky space to put things, and the command module would presumably have that huge centrifuge in it anyway.

[aviin]

Just ran across this when I decided that I needed a proper Monolith on the Mun. Nice! There is a bug, though, in v0.6 with the Monolith. Though you've converted the texture to .dds, the .mu is still looking for the .tga and so the Monolith comes out pure white. Easily fixed on my end, but when you get around to updating again, definitely something to do.

I also like Nicholander's idea of the Monolith being a command module to keep it from being labeled as debris.

Personally, I modded it for my own use to match as close as I could to the "official" size and mass of TMA-1 from the book. So a rescale factor of 1.85 (without importing it into Blender to get an exact number; I just tweaked it until the VAB size values matched what I wanted) and a very low mass. 2010 (Chapter 25) mentions that the mass of TMA-2 (the giant monolith in orbit of Jupiter) puts its density at about that of air; the mass of air in a volume the size of TMA-1 would be 0.0022 tons, assuming a density that is the same as TMA-2. I added top and bottom attachment nodes, made it a command module, gave it a little SAS so it could orient itself, and set the vessel type of the part to SpaceObject, well, just because. I know, I know, all this is wildly unnecessary in a game like KSP, but it's what I wanted .

Anyway, thanks for the nice part pack. I look forward to any updates that may come.

[NecroBones]

Huh, I'll check on the texture. I don't recall it behaving that way on my side (and typically the filename extension is ignored when the .mu is loaded). But I'll take a look.

I like the other changes! I may work some of that in.

[NecroBones]

Alright, I updated it:

0.7 (2015-08-11) - Monolith tweaks.
  - Monolith scaled up 85% to give it dimensions close to the TMA-1 monolith from 2001.
  - Monolith given a probe core, small reaction wheel, battery, internal generator.
  - Monolith classified as a "Space Object" instead of debris.
  - Monolith mass drasitcally reduced, to give it air-density, as mentioned in the 2010 book.
  - Monolith texture problem fixed. Should be black again.
  - Monolith now has top and bottom stack nodes, in addition to its surface attachment node.

The hilarious thing, is that with such a low mass/density, it will balance itself on a corner. It still does it pretty well, even with SAS turned off.

[aviin]

Very nice. I will have to download it shortly. In the meantime, I made a second monolith for personal use. TMA-2, correctly sized. At 2km long, it's huge (rescale setting is a whopping 1111.1). The novel of 2010 says it should be 950,000 ton, so I did that, too. Way too big to use except with HyperEdit (it crushes the launchpad immediately). Since this is alien technology, I decided to just get rid of the battery entirely and make the whole thing not use power at all. To make TMA-2 able to reorient at a reasonable rate, I had to keep moving the reaction wheel torque up... and up... and UP. At a setting of 30000000000 (yes, thirty billion), it can be comfortably controlled. Wish I knew enough to make a .dll that could place one of these in orbit of Jool when a new game is started...

[Guerra]

I know you may have gotten this question before (I'm too lazy to read through everyone's posts to see if you have, sorry) but do you ever plan to add the Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, as seen in 2010? I understand that the Discovery itself is in quite early beta, and such future projects are, well, reserved for the future, but it would be interesting to see the two ships together someday. Oh, and by the way, nice work so far!

[NecroBones]

The Leonov is a "maybe", I'd say. People have asked for it a few times, but I haven't thought that far ahead.

[Gaultesian]

I love this mod, and especially the modular format of the mod (so you can use the cockpit, or the propulsion bits, etc., separately, or in a completely new creation).

Does the current version have an alternative beside the KAL/HAL 9000 interface (like maybe rasterprop IVA)? The IVA layout is fantastic, but having an interactive IVA console would be really great.

Again, this is such a cool mod - love it, and it actually fits in with the KSP 'atmosphere' if you get my drift (late tech).

Cheers.

[NecroBones]

Glad you like it! My plan has always been to add interactive props in the IVA, but it doesn't currently have them.

Also on my wishlist is to create an interior for the pod bay, with animated doors, and then probably pods to stick in there. That's a bit of a large project though, so it's just waiting on my desire to set time aside for it.

[SmashBrown]

I'm interested on where this goes in the ctt? Looks very cool.

[cantab]

Some pod parts would be nice. The stock KSP parts really aren't suited for recreating the look of them.

[SmashBrown]

An additional probe unit that would go into the ai node in the ctt would be cool, it would be called... Kal? It would also be completely controllable, even when disconnected from a network using RT.

Edited August 14, 2015 by SmashBrown

[NecroBones]

Yeah, right now it doesn't use the CTT. It just places the parts in the upper-tier tech nodes, and the Nuclear Propulsion node. But yeah, CTT support could be added.

[NecroBones]

OK, I worked some of these things in very quickly, and have posted an update. I added some CTT support that moves a bunch of the parts into more advanced tech-tree nodes, including putting the pod in the AI node.

Also, I copied out the "KAL" eye panel from the IVA, and made a radial probe core part with it. Functionally it's pretty much the same as the more advanced radial core in MRS. But it's truly a "stick anywhere" probe core that gives you the eye.

0.8 (2015-08-14) - Tweaks.
 - Added Community Tech Tree support, moving parts to more advanced tech nodes.
 - Added a radially-attachable KAL-9999 probe core, using existing art assets.