parts [1.12.x] Sounding Rockets! Start small. Dream big!

[guto8797]

The sticks do have a tiny issue, because they take a little while to drop they cause the rocket to curve, tiliting the fins can counter this, but then you come down sideways,

[Taki117]

use surface attach not node attach. the nodes are for extending and making longer sticks

That makes sense...I feel stupid now, thank you. Here, have some rep.

[Nitrous Oxide]

I know RemoteTech hasn't been updated for 0.90 yet, but it would be cool to see these working together... is there some way I can go about doing this myself?

[1of6Billion]

I was not too motivated to start over again, but this might just give me the final push it needs. Thanks Roverdude!

[Cleric2145]

It's surprising how useful these parts are for everything even after the initial sounding rocket phase. JATO auto-ditch boosters, Launch sticks that auto-magically release, self-contained science rocket-bombs. I wouldn't mind it if you expanded on these parts and took their unique traits (auto-jettison, tiny size) and applied them to new non-sounding rocket parts. It'd be nice to have larger SRBS that also auto-jettison, or small nose cones with integrated parachutes and probe bodies that were designed for exploring other planets (both of which I feel like I already exploit this mod plenty for. c: )

[Ryusho]

Wanted to let you know, that I found that if you have the Comunity Science Pack, for more science report variance, it does actually conflict with this, and make the various science modules un-usable.

[RoverDude]

I know RemoteTech hasn't been updated for 0.90 yet, but it would be cool to see these working together... is there some way I can go about doing this myself?

Should be able to - and if you let me know what you did, I'll roll it into the core product. I've had some thoughts along these lines myself.

I was not too motivated to start over again, but this might just give me the final push it needs. Thanks Roverdude!

Awesome! I gotta say I spent most of my KSP time in 0.90 playing with these

It's surprising how useful these parts are for everything even after the initial sounding rocket phase. JATO auto-ditch boosters, Launch sticks that auto-magically release, self-contained science rocket-bombs. I wouldn't mind it if you expanded on these parts and took their unique traits (auto-jettison, tiny size) and applied them to new non-sounding rocket parts. It'd be nice to have larger SRBS that also auto-jettison, or small nose cones with integrated parachutes and probe bodies that were designed for exploring other planets (both of which I feel like I already exploit this mod plenty for. c: )

Agree - I have a whole list of ideas for this mod.

Wanted to let you know, that I found that if you have the Comunity Science Pack, for more science report variance, it does actually conflict with this, and make the various science modules un-usable.

Unfamiliar with that mod, probably want to let them know tho, given I am using pretty much the simplest science def possible for this guy.

[caipi]

Just out of curiosity: Why did you create 4 modules with different science experiments and 6 base science each and not just one module with 24 base science? That would save us the time to do the same tedious experiment four times or put four modules on top of each other. And if you quadruple the mass (maybe the cost as well), then it is also balanced again. I thought the point of this mod is to make the start easier.

Don't get me wrong, it is not bothering me. I simply put the four modules on one rocket and go with it and I absolutely love the mod. I am puzzled though why you chose to do it like this.

Apologies if this questen has been asked and answered already.

[RoverDude]

So that you would have to launch multiple rockets. It's by design.

[Damaske]

Roverdude, I tried to make a base wheeled craft and then stuck two sounding rockets on the back in a launch position ready to fire. I experienced a ton of troubles with it.

1: I was unable to select the nose core right-off the bat with the [ or ] keys, and had to jump part to part after the rocket ran out.

2: Sometimes the rocket sections would not separate after it was burned out.

3: The chute would not deploy at all or the rocket would start to tumble out of control.

And I have experienced on a single rocket launch with stock game that the rockets will spin out of control no matter what key direction that I press to try and to a certain way. I know that these rockets have zero SAS but they are difficult is not impossible to launch. I've mostly made multiply stage rockets, or multiple sensor and stage rockets both with and without wing segments.

Would it be outside the early tech if there was some small part of SAS force or movable fins added in for the first little bit?

If not would there be a chance that you can make that happen higher up in the tech tree to show improved sounding rocket tech?

Other than the troubles that I've listed this has been a FUN mod, and I might have to experiment a bit more with it in a sandbox to get a rocket design down.

[thorfinn]

In an atmosphere, the rockets will fly very straight with use of proper winglets. Of course, since they are unguided, the trajectory is very sensitive to launch angle (10x more true if you are using FAR). I haven't used them much in vacuum, but spin-stabilization would work there.

[skbernard]

hey RoverDude, do other mods package USI Tools in their distributables? i was experiencing the launch sticks not detaching bug and decided to check your USI Tools for outdated files as you've mentioned in other posts, and i did in fact have an outdated copy of everything in that folder...

This is weird because i nuked my mod folder yesterday, verified cache from steam and started over for 0.90 and somehow ended up with the outdated version

i went through your packages and they were all updated so i'm confused on how the old copy got there...

[RoverDude]

Roverdude, I tried to make a base wheeled craft and then stuck two sounding rockets on the back in a launch position ready to fire. I experienced a ton of troubles with it.

1: I was unable to select the nose core right-off the bat with the [ or ] keys, and had to jump part to part after the rocket ran out.

2: Sometimes the rocket sections would not separate after it was burned out.

3: The chute would not deploy at all or the rocket would start to tumble out of control.

And I have experienced on a single rocket launch with stock game that the rockets will spin out of control no matter what key direction that I press to try and to a certain way. I know that these rockets have zero SAS but they are difficult is not impossible to launch. I've mostly made multiply stage rockets, or multiple sensor and stage rockets both with and without wing segments.

Would it be outside the early tech if there was some small part of SAS force or movable fins added in for the first little bit?

If not would there be a chance that you can make that happen higher up in the tech tree to show improved sounding rocket tech?

Other than the troubles that I've listed this has been a FUN mod, and I might have to experiment a bit more with it in a sandbox to get a rocket design down.

There will eventually be better parts in the 0.35 size. But as noted by the post below yours, you have to use proper fin placement, etc. (I have used these both with and without FAR). What I will say is that I personally learned more about proper aerodynamics playing with these than at any other time in KSP, so I expect they are serving their intended purpose

hey RoverDude, do other mods package USI Tools in their distributables? i was experiencing the launch sticks not detaching bug and decided to check your USI Tools for outdated files as you've mentioned in other posts, and i did in fact have an outdated copy of everything in that folder...

This is weird because i nuked my mod folder yesterday, verified cache from steam and started over for 0.90 and somehow ended up with the outdated version

i went through your packages and they were all updated so i'm confused on how the old copy got there...

Odd - updated all of them at the same time. Possibly Universal Storage?

[Nitrous Oxide]

Should be able to - and if you let me know what you did, I'll roll it into the core product. I've had some thoughts along these lines myself.

From the looks of it, you'll need to add a new entry in one of the RemoteTech configs... I just used the "RemoteTech_Squad_Probes.cfg" and threw the following at the end:

@PART[SR_NoseCone]:FOR[RemoteTech]{
    %MODULE[ModuleSPU] {
    }

    %MODULE[ModuleRTAntennaPassive]    {
        %TechRequired = start
        %OmniRange = 3000

        %TRANSMITTER {
            %PacketInterval = 0.3
            %PacketSize = 2
            %PacketResourceCost = 15.0
        }
    }
}

%TechRequired is normally "unmannedTech" for the built-in omni, but I kind of think by the time you get to that node in the tech tree... well then you should be launching actual rockets and probes...

Anyways, I *think* you might be able to throw that somewhere in the SoundingRockets folder, but I'm not too familiar with how KSP or RemoteTech handle any of that... so yeah...

Edit: might make sense to scrap the transmitter function entirely for these, since they don't actually have any electric charge...

Edited December 18, 2014 by Nitrous Oxide

[skbernard]

Odd - updated all of them at the same time. Possibly Universal Storage?

Yup that was it, i forgot he didnt really update the mod yet - it just continued to work in 0.90, i installed that after yours and nuked the new version of the tools folder - i've made a PSA over there letting people know

[Kia]

Wanted to let you know, that I found that if you have the Comunity Science Pack, for more science report variance, it does actually conflict with this, and make the various science modules un-usable.

Worse, with the CSP installed the booster and sticks won't seperate.

[Nitrous Oxide]

From the looks of it, you'll need to add a new entry in one of the RemoteTech configs... I just used the "RemoteTech_Squad_Probes.cfg"

*snip*

Anyways, I *think* you might be able to throw that somewhere in the SoundingRockets folder, but I'm not too familiar with how KSP or RemoteTech handle any of that... so yeah...

Scrap that, I just tried it with the code added on to the bottom of SR_NoseCone.cfg and it works. Don't need to touch anything in the RemoteTech folder.

Now it's just a matter of tweaking the values to whatever you feel they should be.

[Damaske]

There will eventually be better parts in the 0.35 size. But as noted by the post below yours, you have to use proper fin placement, etc. (I have used these both with and without FAR). What I will say is that I personally learned more about proper aerodynamics playing with these than at any other time in KSP, so I expect they are serving their intended purpose

I have the new RCS build aid and I have set the CoL at the ACoM (average center of mass) and the rocket will STILL flip around, I set the Col JUST below the empty Com, the Full CoM, And I have set the CoL waaaay below the CoM as with above and its still flips out. Experiments with a single rocket engine have shown promise but with how low they go with just one is not really good.

I've also tried a few spin stabilized rockets and they have by far gone higher than others. The lack of steering control of these rockets are really bugging the heck out of me, but I realize that there goal is like the Estates rockets I shot off as a child. However what I learned in those I've tried in KSP but failed somewhere.

[Taki117]

So that you would have to launch multiple rockets. It's by design.

Would it be possible to add some different flavor text to the experiments to differentiate them from each other? I don't mind having 4 different experiments, but it gets annoying when I swap them out and they are effectively the same.

[ManaaniWanderer]

Not sure why but for some reason the science packages don't work if I have any other mods installed, even when I got rid of any mod that had plugins or touched science in any way.

[skbernard]

Not sure why but for some reason the science packages don't work if I have any other mods installed, even when I got rid of any mod that had plugins or touched science in any way.

Do you have the Crowd-Sourced Science definitions module manager config file installed? If so that breaks the science modules, and science on other parts as well.

[ManaaniWanderer]

I do, but I'm 99.9999% sure I too that out when testing.

[Taki117]

Do you have the Crowd-Sourced Science definitions module manager config file installed? If so that breaks the science modules, and science on other parts as well.

I was just about to ask about that, is there any reason why?

[thorfinn]

I have the new RCS build aid and I have set the CoL at the ACoM (average center of mass) and the rocket will STILL flip around, I set the Col JUST below the empty Com, the Full CoM, And I have set the CoL waaaay below the CoM as with above and its still flips out. Experiments with a single rocket engine have shown promise but with how low they go with just one is not really good.

It's hard to tell what could be going wrong from this... I don't know, maybe take a look at this one: it got to orbit with FAR. Can you see any substantial difference with what you're doing, and where?

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[PDelta41]

Just how powerful are these meant to be? My 2 stage rocket went up to 117 km... Is there a lower powered version of this where they can't clear the atmosphere?