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Everything posted by Frank_G
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Tylo... We all know it's there, But few have conquered it
Frank_G replied to CalMacDa's topic in KSP1 Discussion
Getting back from Tylo isnt really hard, as long as you have 3.1k of delta V and a decent engine. Landing however is nerveripping and requires exact timing, if you want to land without wasting precious resources or suffer from rapidly incoming planetary surface features. Efficient Tylo landers with return capability can actually be constructed very compact and lightweight. I have never landed on Tylo during a Grand Tour mission though, but i am currently designing a lander that can travel with a larger craft without costing too much delta V during transport. -
What do you do with satellites etc after contract completion?
Frank_G replied to THX1138's topic in KSP1 Discussion
Nice idea, sewerbird! I usually let them in their orbit and use them from time to time, to get science from space around xyz. -
Yeah, sausages grilled in fumes of burning rocket fuel and a sip of icecold oxidizer... I usually abort a launch, when the staging is wrong or Jeb somehow climbed into the capsule. Or when noticing, that engeneering forgot to add necessary hardware like ladders, RCS blocks or parachutes. Sometimes i abort accidently, when i put the abort sequence commands into the staging action group AGAIN...
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Very nice. I look with awe at people building all those cool controller thingies. I am not new to building electronics from scratch, but i havent done that for 25 years... Maybe its a good and easy project to get back into stuff like this... Thank you for sharing.
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Poll: monopropellant in the pod
Frank_G replied to numerobis's topic in KSP1 Suggestions & Development Discussion
When building monoprop fueled landers, the small amount in the capsule is really useful. I like it that way, but using it as propellant for EVA packs would also be cool in my opinion. That feature should at least make it into hard mode. -
Thank you! Actually the goal of the creation process was to just make it small enough while delivering enough punch and a good control profile. Bringing control surfaces and lift to the front is quite difficult at that scale, so every design looked somewhat like the ranger with its small airfoils and the lifting body area at the front. However, i like the ranger design very much, so there sure was some influence but not the goal to make it actually look like the ranger. Such a great movie that is... The RCS thrusters evolved from the lack of space to place them on the sides. The first designs had the RCS Block and the one pointing upwards mounted next to each other, but the new construction gizmos soon made me think about pulling the single one into the block. I think, i will use this design more often now.
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Getting clear of the boosters with separatrons is easier, when you are willing to sacrifice the last drops of thrust in them... staging the decouplers and separatrons when the boosters are still running on the last bit of fuel will give you a clear separation all the time, as they follow your ship while drifting away, instead of falling the whole ship distance downwards and probably hitting the engine. If you do so, it even does not matter, if the boosters are aligned correctly with the horizon. Throttling down a bit, when using LFO Boosters and throttling back up after separation perfects this process. However you will loose some delta V, but its a fair trade off.
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I have just finished my latest X-series SSTO spaceplane, the Arrowhead X3-DS Nano-SSTO. By far the best miniaturized spaceplane i have built so far. The craftfile and detailed description is available in my Spacecraft Exchange thread. Enjoy!
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Just finished and uploaded the latest version of my X-series SSTO spaceplanes, the X3-DS Explorer Nano-SSTO. The craftfile and detailed description is available in my Spacecraft Exchange thread.
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I love the spacey feeling of this picture. The new Arrowhead X3d-S spaceplane prototype just docked to LKO-S II Goliath Orbital Laboratory in 110 km Kerbin orbit.
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While Eve is a beautiful planet and an absolute challenge, especially when it comes to getting back from its surface, Duna is great for grand scale exploration with orbital and ground bases, spaceplanes, frequent supply missions between orbit and surface and has some nice hidden eastereggs. Eve has given me many hair losing hours of planning and building in the VAB, but she still kills instantly if you dont play her game. Duna is a place where you can try out new ideas, survive a mistake with some daring maneuvers and send rescue missions on the fly if you have a well equipped base in orbit. So, i like Duna for all the opportunities and Eve for the challenge, but in the end, i had more fun and enthusiastic moments whith missions on Duna. Duna wins. Well said. On the point
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I have just successfully docked my new spaceplane prototype to the LKO-S II "Goliath" Laboratory in 100 km orbit. [edit] And Goliath Laboratory in a bit more lit situation:
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I have just finished the prototype of my spaceplane for my Grand Tour to Jool. It is by far the best small SSTO spaceplane i have built so far. Fast, stable, efficient. It made it to 150 km Kerbin orbit, using only half its fuel. More "revealing" pictures will follow, when i release the craft file soon. Just some minor modifications now. Launch weight: 4.697 kg Delta V: 2.507 m/s TWR on Kerbin: 1.96 TWR on Laythe: 2.45 Part count: 54 Crew: 1 Probe core: no Take off speed: 50 m/s Size: 6.5 m x 2.9 m x 2.2 m (fits inside Mk. 3 cargo bay)
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I have just finished the prototype of my spaceplane for my Grand Tour mission. Just some minor tweaks and optimizations now... With a fully fueled launch weight of only 4.7 tons it is the ideal spaceplane to be carried by a larger vessel without eating up too much delta V and it is small enough to fit inside a Mk. III cargo bay. It can take off at 50 m/s, giving it a very short take off distance, ideal for Laythe´s hilly landscape. During its maiden flight, it reached a 150 km Kerbin orbit, using only a half load of its fuel. The flight profile is stable and easy to manage, stability and weight distribution is rock solid throughout the flight. The six science experiments on board will give plenty of SCIENCE from Laythe´s surface and atmosphere. Probably the best small SSTO Spaceplane i have built so far. One kerbonaut fits inside the capsule of the craft. Tests will follow, how it acts without stability augmentation system, so maybe even a scientist can pilot it for maximum benefits. More "revealing" pictures will follow, when i release the craft file.
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You can add some vertical built in Vernor thrusters, slow down to almost zero horizontal velocity, then land it vertically with controlled boosts from those engines. You can switch RCS thrusters on and off using action groups, so during the landing only the Vernors will fire and during maneuvering only the RCS blocks will. They are also massless parts, so they don´t add to the profile of your spaceplanes mass. If you like to do the math, go for approximately .9 of TWR on Duna, so you can fire them constantly during landing without taking you back up. Works like a charm.
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Some very nice and maneuverable craft. Well done Sir, i will give it a try.
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The motor principle is simply awesome. Nice craft! It opens a lot of new thoughts on how to construct certain things. Thank you for sharing.
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Why you should always read the missions before you accept them
Frank_G replied to RocketBlam's topic in KSP1 Discussion
Like the alien scientist in the 1955 science fiction film "This Island Earth"... or "Metaluna IV antwortet nicht" as it was called in german... Aweome movie... -
Today i landed and launched from Eve in .90. The lander needs some final tweaking, then i will upload the craftfile. It is far more effective than its predecessor, beating it by 1.8k of delta V and a TWR on Eves surface of ø 1.25. The new construction gizmos really help a lot, when designing such complex craft, that need some careful balancing. I cant thank Squad enough for these new tools... The craftfile is now available for download. Link in my signature.
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The test has been successful! Landing The transfer stage lowered the landers periapsis to 85.000 m before decoupling and de-orbiting. The lander decelerated by atmospheric friction, staging the chutes right after cooling down from re-entry heat. Chutes fully deployed at 500 m above terrain, slowing the craft down to roughly 6.5 m/s. The retro-thrusters fired approximately 20 m above the ground, decelerating the craft even further. After touchdown, the next stage gets rid of the one shot landing equipment. Launching Throttle to maximum and stability augmentation systems on before staging the launch stage. The landing gear is ejected and the craft begins the first part of its vertical ascend. You need to ascend with only a light angle to the side, to get enough height fast enough, somewhere between the third and the fourth radial booster stage is a good point to get a more shallow angle, i guess. On the last stage instantly throttle down. It has plenty of punch. Maybe the descend is easier, when getting rid of 4 of the 8 monopropellant engines. I launched a bit ineffective here, ending in a far too high ascend curve. The craft made it anyway (launching from 1.600 m terrain elevation) with some fuel left for orbital maneuvering. Just some final tweaks now. I bet, i can release the craftfile tomorrow.