MaverickSawyer
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Posts posted by MaverickSawyer
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*jaw hits floor*
Great, now I have to hurry to finish my current save... or at least get everyone back home!
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1 hour ago, The Aziz said:
This guy knew it.
HOLY...
I was only kidding about the KIS bit. But my GOD the new stuff looks glorious!
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I'm with DDE on Ol' Boom-Boom. That's the ticket to the whole solar system.
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13 hours ago, YNM said:
I know many of the parts are single-piece, custom-made, single-order, but is there any chance for such parts to have a destructive test sample taken from it ? In civil engineering at least destructive tests are still kinda the norm since there's a need for high reliability, and we can take samples since there're lots of material being used.
They frequently do, at least with more... reputable aerospace firms. I know for a fact that the programs my dad worked on at Aerojet had test coupons as a regular part of the process of manufacturing.
Doesn't help much if the QA team is the ones fudging the data at the behest of management, though.
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https://twitter.com/blueorigin/status/1123615030098837505
QuoteWe are targeting the next launch of #NewShepard tomorrow May 2nd at 8:30 am CDT / 13:30 UTC. The mission will take 38 microgravity research payloads to space. Watch the launch live at http://www.blueorigin.com #NS11
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26 minutes ago, insert_name said:
does every major liquid rocket engine include merlin, because I thought that was all manufactured in house?
Merlin doesn't use brazed-tube construction, so it's not applicable anyways. BE-4 also will not be using brazed tube.
However, for a long time, that has been the go-to method for any regeneratively cooled engine built in the US. H-1, F-1, J-2, RL-10, LR87/91, RS-25... All the big ones. Smaller stuff like the AJ-10 family, which includes the SPS engine from Apollo and the OMS engines off the shuttle, notably did not use brazed tube, or did so only for small sections, with the OMS using electroforming to close out machined channels in the chamber. Not sure if the Agena engine used brazed tube.
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After a somewhat extended break, I have returned in triumph!
I've don a lot of behind the scenes missions since my last post, such as crew swaps, experiment and science retrieval, and finally decommissioning my Minmus Outpost. But, so far, the crowning achievements are in my Duna exploration campaign.
After around 350 days in transit, Viking Lite arrived at Duna, making a quick bank shot off of Ike on its way in, and proceeded to insert into orbit over Duna...
It then settled in to wait for the relay and survey satellite Solaris 1 to arrive some 9 days later...
Solaris 1 successfully inserted into a polar orbit over Duna after 366 days of transit, and proceeded to relay the commands to the Viking Lite lander to proceed with EDL operations. These were a complete success, and the lander safely touched down in the Midland Seas and promptly returned a wealth of science data.
On a completely different technology level from the previously mentioned missions is the Solaris 3 orbiter, which is currently, as I type this, inserting into orbit over Moho. ~4 minutes of ion engine burn time left...
Finally, I set a personal best time from LKO to Minmus orbit... 3 hours flat.
The CTV - Torch crew say it's a heck of a ride, being pinned to their seats by more than 3Gs of acceleration, but the quick arrival more than makes up for the discomfort. However, several major deficiencies were noted with this design, mainly a lack of non-torch propulsion for orbital maneuvering in proximity to ships and stations. Back to the drawing board.
EDIT: And Solaris 3 has completed the capture burn! Welcome to Moho!
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7 hours ago, Cuky said:
If I am not mistaken LIDS is only present on the forward docking port, as the second one (or the first one by the order of the launch) was destroyed when Falcon 9 disintegrated on launch. There should be one more PMA with APAS port on it.
Then again, I may have missed something
I thought they launched the spare unit to replace the missing one?
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On 4/24/2019 at 9:24 AM, ThatGuyWithALongUsername said:
So... if politics allowed (I'm well aware they don't), could they technically dock with the ISS?
Not at present, no. IIRC, the APAS the Chinese use requires a significant amount of kinetic energy to properly engage, which is why their docking to Tiangong 1 and 2 usually looked kinda Kerbal. Closure rates were... high. The ISS has put the new LIDS ports over the APAS, so they'd have to remove the LIDS to dock a Shenzhou. LIDS to Chinese APAS would probably break the LIDS port.
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32 minutes ago, tater said:
People say it looks like an APAS-89/95 clone. No idea.
IIRC, they do use APAS. It was part of a tech sharing arrangement for Shenzhou.
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1 hour ago, TheSaint said:
Unless you buy an extra one in the first place, in which case you won't screw it up and you will have one left over that you have to drive back and return.
Yep. It's something I always advocate for with customers... better to have to come back to the store to get money back, than to have to come back and spend more money.
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6 hours ago, p1t1o said:
I heard that. Its usually an extension lead.
In my six years at Home Depot, that has been fulfilled by everything from a $0.10 washer to having to return and reorder several thousand dollars of flooring because it was "the wrong color".
On that note... Retail101: "Customers. Our jobs would be so much easier without them, but then we wouldn't get paid."
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22 hours ago, wumpus said:
While the DoD might be willing to invest in a "rapid reaction/replacement" rocket, I'm less sure about doing so with a limit of ~6 tons to LEO (maybe more if they can use hydrolox on at least one stage, but I really have to wonder if that thing is plumbed for 3 propellant types (perhaps hydrolox + solid boosters would be sufficiently efficient for a ".5 stage").
The capabilities of smaller satellites is actually getting pretty good. Not quite to Keyhole grade yet, but certainly enough to monitor a battlefield for patterns and large-scale movements.
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On 4/4/2019 at 12:50 PM, Kernel Kraken said:
Please more. These are all great, especially the ordinance techician one.
Not exactly a Maxim, but definitely in the ballpark...
Other assorted bits of wisdom:
There is no such thing as "idiot proof", merely a high degree of "idiot resistance". The moment you declare something idiot proof, nature will produce a better idiot.
"A person may be smart, but people are dumb, panicky animals and you know it." - gratuitously lifted from Men In Black.
Murphy's First Law of Home Improvement Projects: No project is ever completed without at least one more trip to the store.
Murphy's First Law of Retail: the likelihood of a customer leaving an item at the register is inversely proportional to the cost of the item, and directly proportional to the importance of the item.
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I suspect that Stratolaunch is going to aim for the "rapid reaction/replacement" market, especially for the DoD.
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Exactly ZERO chance of them making that timeframe.
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Rocket stayed at the sortie base, iirc. Why risk damage by flying it somewhere it's not needed?
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Stargazer has departed from Mojave Airport. Maybe they're finally ready to launch that Pegasus?
EDIT: pic courtesy of https://www.instagram.com/ohwiss/
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I will freely admit, this thing had a historically accurate track record during testing... 2 out of 3 launches ended in disaster. But, it works great now!
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4 minutes ago, tater said:
Wasn't the plan to dump the Shuttle SRBS in favor of better side boosters (to avoid redesign of the core)?
And because they still don't entirely trust ATK's boosters.
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Figured I should share some of my builds here...
Starting out with my Delta family of launchers. All listed below REQUIRE Bluedog Design Bureau. Additional packs may be required, such as SmartPart sand Tweakscale for the Delta II 79xx series and NearFuture Launch Vehicles for the upcoming Delta III.
DELTA II 7320
The simplest variant of the Delta II. Three groundstart SRBs, Delta II core, Delta K upper stage. 1.5m diameter fairing comes standard, but can be upgraded to larger if required.
Download: https://kerbalx.com/MaverickSawyer/Delta-II-7320
DELTA II 7420
Need a little more kick than the 7320 can provide? Say no more. Adds another GEM booster, also groundstart.
Download: https://kerbalx.com/MaverickSawyer/Delta-II-7420
DELTA II 7920
When you think of a Delta II, this is probably what springs to mind. Nine solid rocket boosters on the side, sequenced to light six on the pad and an extra three as the first six burn out part way into the ascent. Core and upper stage are still the same as the 7320 and 7420.
NOTE: REQUIRES SmartParts (found here) to properly manage staging of the boosters, and Tweakscale (found here) for making the staging controllers unobtrusive.
Download: https://kerbalx.com/MaverickSawyer/Delta-II-7920
DELTA II 7925-H
Most famous for its use in the launch of the Opportunity Mars Rover, the Delta II Heavy uses the expanded and more powerful GEM-46 motors in place of the GEM-40 motors used on most other Delta IIs to provide a little more kick. The 7925 also adds a STAR-48 third stage to provide some extra kick for missions requiring even more energy. Like the Delta II 7920, requires SmartParts and TweakScale to manage the booster staging sequence. Come stock with an enlarged fairing for bulky pr blunt payloads.
Download: https://kerbalx.com/MaverickSawyer/Delta-II-7925-H
DELTA III 3940
An evolution of the Delta II, the Delta III swaps the storable Delta-K stage for a Delta Cryogenic Second Stage (DCSS). The larger 2.5m upper stage required revisions to the first stage core tank and mandated the use of 9 GEM-46 motors to help it off the pad.
Note: the DCSS REQUIRES the use use of all the above extra parts packs AND Near Future Launch Vehicles, found here.
Download: https://kerbalx.com/MaverickSawyer/Delta-III
Other historical variants of the Delta, as well as the Delta IV, are currently under consideration or design.
All links, versions, and models current as of 9 April 2019.
Moving on to the heavy lifters... Atlas V.
ATLAS V 551
The largest RTF (Ready To Fly) booster in MAST's catalog at present, the Atlas V 551 is intended for medium-heavy lift missions of bulky and heavy payloads.
Download: https://kerbalx.com/MaverickSawyer/Atlas-V-551
Other variants are currently under development, from the 401 all the way through 552, as well as several unique MAST-specific variants, such as the Atlas V 53I and 53P, which use internally-designed upper stages to fill specific mission profiles such as launching Duna exploration habitats or Minmus base modules.
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You do remember that the RL-10 as it flies today is hands-down one of the most manual labor intensive engines made? I mean, it's brazed tube construction for the chamber and nozzle. Parts may be cheap, but the skilled labor to actually do the construction isn't. I'm not entirely sure you can do a furnace braze on that or not. I'll have to ask a contact of mine with some experience in such matters...
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Huh. Issues with the engine?
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2 hours ago, capi3101 said:
That's out to Dres, right?
Depends on if you're willing to spring for the Planetary Express shipping. After all, torchdrive fuel isn't cheap.
Kerbal Space Program Breaks Ground with a New DLC!
in 2019
Posted
Oh, boy. Hadn't even thought of just how much fun you're going to have with the robotics.
Space can wait again, can't it?