Hotel26

Collaboration is the best! This, from Atkara, is very, very cool. The basis for our conversation is a proposed 2019 upgrade to my Salamander "deathtrap", pictured: I deeply adore this machine, but it has now killed way too many Kerbals. I can no longer defend it... So, my learned colleague, @Atkara , has advised me to simplify (exact words: "cut and run"). Therefore, I proudly wish to announce the 2019 model of Salamander is now up on KerbalX with an all-new-and-improved "glass cockpit". huzzah. [Translation: I gave up on the silly Action Key scheme of 2018 and embraced KISS... "keep it simple, stupid"] I spent most of today, at work (in meetings; noncommittal, yet somehow quizzically thoughtful, look on face), thinking about the craft I would build tonight, moments after walking in the front door... So, here it is: Cruciform: It does takes some getting used to! (And, yes, I know: it's a bicycle design. Please; try to focus...) The original idea for Salamander (then known by its skunkworks code-name, XP Luxury Lunar Liner), was to provide an executive conference jet; capable, of course, of high-speed, sub-orbital A-to-B, but also, of leisurely-paced lunar scenic junkets with full banquet/bar facilities, all at the expense of the terrestrial tax-payer... But our design lab-rats at KSC were not quite able to figure out how to accomplish the primary objective: 45+ minutes level cruise at/below 2km AGL. NERV VERT thrust is the key!! (We hope.) Maybe they've done it now, but only QA can make a definitive determination. Cruciform uses a single NERV for VERT thrust; a DART for HORZ; and two Twitches for reverse thrust on final approach and the landing roll. [Pre-orders are now being taken.]

Thank you, @Jacke, for a most excellent clarification. The '**' subdirectory specification in the original documentation didn't mean a thing to me. I am already very happily using this mod, NavballTextureChanger, and will stick with it. I checked out the texture you're using. I find the pink Target markers on the navball are very hard to read when super-imposed on a brown background, which is why I'm switching. I selected this texture: Thanks again for the help!

DItto the above. So glad I persisted with NavballTextureChanger. I now have a navball I can read while docking (pink target marker now shows up clearly!). Thank you!

Unimaginable! What can we say? "I'm not a fig plucker, nor a fig plucker's son, but I'll pluck figs until the fig pluckers come" "I'm not a fig plucker, nor a fig plucker's son, but I'll pluck figs until the fig pluckers come" "I'm not a fig plucker, nor a fig plucker's son, but I'll pluck figs until the fig pluckers come"

Hello! I've installed TextureReplacer with the objective of setting this texture for the Navball: I placed the png file in the GameData/TextureReplacer/Default directory (2 copies) with names 'Navball' and 'Navball.png'. No cigar. I can tell TextureReplacer is installed and KSP.log shows no squawking (errors) from it. The only thing I can think is that this PNG image is somehow not compatible...? Can you suggest anything to help? Thanks! OK, I got my new navball texture working!

And here's top Instructor, Philrod Kerman, demonstrating how to 'parallel park' the new, AFF Scooter: The procedure is very simple. Just remember to slow right down as you prepare to park your vehicle and "let the wall do the parking for you!"

What a nice idea, AFF!! I thought this might make a very nice airport scooter for personnel to scramble to their aircraft... I tried MP and then (my favorite) ions. But this is what I came up with: It's self-propelled. (Oh, that reminds me: I forgot to put some panels on this yet.) So, of course, you mount the Scooter and switch on SAS and go Sfc Radial Out to stand to attention. The weight is forward, so the RW has to resist gravity. It accelerates gently. Then if you go SAS Hold and let it droop forward (momentarily depress 'F'), it accelerates more, just like a Segway. To turn a corner, you can, but you need to go Radial Out to straighten up afterward and then resume the forward lean. Braking...? Well, you lean it back to slow and even on the wheel guard to skitter to a stop. To park it: Just hold 'F', after motion is arrested, and let it keel to one side and then let SAS hold it there. And dismount... (Or, for those who prefer 'parallel parking', leave it parked up against a wall. Nyuk nyuk nyuk...) OK, I feel this is now a very 'green' solution. 'Greeny yellow'... I dunno. I'm gonna leave them all over KSC. Nobody's. When you need one, you grab the nearest one and vamos. Leave it wherever you've finished with it. CAUTION: for safety's sake, please always wear a helmet while riding this conveyance!

Please be advised that this is a beta pre-release available for trial download from Space Dock as Version 1.5.12. 1.5.12: https://github.com/Boris-Barboris/AtmosphereAutopilot/releases/tag/v1.5.12 Adds Tgt and Wpt buttons to the Cruise Flight controller waypoint display. Copies the current lon/lat of the Target or Waypoint, if one is selected, to the lon/lat display and begins navigation to the selection. Please report any difficulties encountered, via this thread. Also, any questions about operation of the new feature are welcome here. If all is well, CKAN will be updated in a week's time to automatically upgrade Atmosphere Autopilot version to 1.5.12.

Try it using the jump seat as control point. For historical context, I got interested in this kind of craft back when @Brikoleur did his Flea series. Personal transport on the lunar surface, particularly with pulse engines, is very fun!

I've started a trial road trip to the mountains 310km north of KSC, where I have a Juice Goose (thank you, Comrade @purpleivan!) waiting to refuel the Road Runner. So far, ship's log says I am averaging 29.87 m/s. Huh, that's pretty average. I'm using line-of-sight distance measuring (so hills, deviations, even the curvature of the earth isn't being counted exactly). Road Runner has enough panels that it uses no fuel during the daytime -- at least -- not on the flat. It's about as fun to drive as a mini-van because the only way I know to damage it is to drive it off a very tall cliff. I've always thought KSP should have a double-tap gesture on B to lock the brakes. Gee, if some bright spark wrote that mod, it could also lock W on double-tap for long-distance rover escapades... I have multiple projects running on the Mun. I just delivered a batch (6) of Ladybug super-size jet packs there but discovered there must be a box of 6x Okto2 sitting somewhere in a corner back at the VAB because none of these Ladybugs have a controller. The jet packs are pretty much unflyable without the controller, I've ruefully discovered. Dagnabit... And I took a Salamander for a spin. It's destined to provide scheduled, long-distance sub-orbital connections between 'hub' bases on the Mun. (Pilot needs to stay current to fly this one.)

Pandora Craftyard Manta Valkyrie Hobgoblin Description 1:Wheesleys 2:reverse 3:claw A stock hydrofoil called Pandora. Built with 39 of the finest parts, its root part is mk2Cockpit.Inline. Pandora was designed specifically to ferry my Road Runner endurance rally rover but it works with my Invader/Intruder rovers, too. Retract the rear gear to allow a rover to embark/disembark. In the water, engage SAS, throttle up and wait patiently for the machine to rise onto its hydroplanes. Once at speed, do NOT disengage SAS. I, Hotel26, am going to give you an electronic guarantee that you will have fun with this "Jet Ski"! (Or your money back.) Built in the SPH in KSP version 1.6.0.

I was about to call for HELP! on hydrofoils... I've never been able to make them GO. I was getting about 30 m/s at most from this transport ferry, which has been specifically designed for my Road Runner endurance rally rover but will also transport an Invader. One little tweak (I know what I did) and I got this: Pandora... ...in full flight. Only the tips of the hydrofoil planes are touching the water. At Mach 0.82, it was still accelerating. I took this shot just before disengaging SAS (tho I knew full well what would happen to Valentina and Bob if I did). Whether it can do this with a 4t Road Runner on the rear platform is something I will find out next. (Pandora is deeply inspired by the live blogs of @Triop and @purpleivan) TBC!

I know this is pretty similar to stuff I've shown before but I'm practicing kaizen here: incremental refinement. The Gryphon III docked to the silo provides "universal" docking for any size rover/aircraft (I hope) for direct transfer of fuel and passengers. Gryphon can perform a "push back" operation from the "terminal"[*] if an aircraft gets otherwise stuck. The silo gets launched atop a Zephyr booster and flies either orbitally or sub-orbitally to the target zone. After re-entering the lower atmosphere, it separates from the booster and then uses "Cruise" technology to fly pin-point. The flight shown below departed the KSC at 74W and touched down at the target at 66E. [Click a screenshot and use the arrows for a slideshow.] I'm setting up a few of them around Kerbin to act as "hub airports". The sub-orbital flights are great for target practice! With all that wing area [not shown], the Cruise silo (working title) is very, very twitchy on ascent to 20km. [*] note the passenger lounge accommodating 16 travelers while awaiting connecting flights. P.S. Forgot to mention this, inspired by @Triop's many roll-over incidents in his 80-day round-world trip. Maybe I'll take this one for a short excursion somewhere to see what kind of average speed I can get over, e.g. 500km.

I hope you got overtime.

I am most sincerely sorry for your loss. Hang in there.

@Triop, I put two extra, rear wheels on this and it does 43 m/s. Factoring in time NOT lost due to turn-overs and other accidents, this might have a pretty optimal average speed.

[snip] I do appreciate the advice; thank you! It was pretty much -- like just about everything I write -- written in jest. Just because I was on the subject of Likes I think I'd like to change the topic, in retrospect, to: How Do You Know When You've Been Playing Too Much KSP AND/OR Spending Too Much Time In The Forum? Again: just kidding. But I can't believe I spaced out like that. I need to go lie down. I had been pretty sure the word "Like" had been completely torn out of the forum...

Maybe I am just imagining this? I didn't think it was still "Like" on the button. Someone straighten me out?

We back to Likes in this forum? Pinch me; I'm dreaming. Yay! Can't believe no one else has mentioned it already (a perfunctory search "No Results"). Anyway. Great. To whom do I (we all) owe the gratitude? I'm betting it was the Moderators. They always have shown a great deal of Common Sense! [snip]

Road Runner Craftyard Pacemaker Description A stock rally endurance rover known as Road Runner. Built with 51 of the finest parts, its root part is probeCoreOcto2.v2. This one is dedicated to my valiant friend, @Triop, one of the last of a breed of intrepid explorers. Beep! Beep!! Built in the SPH in KSP version 1.6.0. I have to say, I know nothing about rovers or rovering. I built Road Runner so that -- even Triop -- couldn't roll it over. But I suspect it's top speed (37.3 m/s on the level) is limited by drag. The best way to build this might be some kind of duocoque design, like a Catamaran, with two hulls. The main requirement is simply to get a wide wheelbase. And a reasonably low CoM. And less drag. Lots of electricity. Not too many hefty batteries! And a place to keep lunch and a beer cold... Explorers don't care about rain and that sort of thing.

Perhaps a compromise? If Module Manager contained a trigger warning stating simply, "may contain memes terrifying to those who, ah, cannot, ahm, ah... ah, who are uhm challenged by memes?"... Would that be acceptable to everyone? You know... to make the world a better and more just place?

He heh, I feel your pain. After all the experimentation I have done with coupling to receive fuel... "Always approach from the downhill [when possible]." I really like your plane and your strategy to rocket fuel into an area!! Good luck with the endeavor!

Thanks. So I think the answer is 3. Or maybe a maximum of 5... As best I can tell, it's a Soviet-era space program riddle... (P.S. as I said before: I love this shot. A pilot who knows how to land on the Mun! A beautiful sight.)

Please retranslate as I've had to cycle the nuance somewhat. For interest sake, what does Google Translate say now?

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