Hotel26

I have re-posted this as a "New Game". Unpack it into your ./saves directory next to your other worlds. Xen Pylon Course (same link as given in the initial post above) It contains a save file that you can reload at anytime with Alt-F9 or RShift-F9 called "Albatross Pylon Course", so that you can reset after MISADVENTURE. This world contains all THREE challenges set-up and ready to go. Therefore, I, Hotel26, now ANNOUNCE the Second Challenge! fly the Albatross from the surface into roughly square/equatorial lunar orbit. rendez-vous and dock the Hawk X tug/lander with the Albatross and refuel it. (Approach the dock, a small girder at the stern(*), with maximum care so as not to break off the sails! [Suggest F5 beforehand].) de-orbit the Albatross and land at any of the three Xen Pylo fuel trucks. (Remember that "fly-by-nite" operations are STRICTLY PROHIBITED!!) You may use the Hawk for the de-obit insertion, but then you must re-orbit it before resuming the Albatross landing. And note that it is easily possible to land Albatross completely under its own power... You must land and park close enough to the truck that KSP gives no distance reading. (about 150m?) * an ECO (Engineering Change Order) has been filed to improve the docking clearance in a near-future revision of the Albatross, to be posted to https://kerbalx.com/Hotel26/...

"Albatross is to the Mun what airplanes are to Kerbin". Elon Kerman [mis-?]quoted making another one of his typical bold claims... Or was it Richard B. Kerman? [So much fake news on Kerbin now!] "Albatross will put an end to 'fly-by-nite' airline companies!!", claims another top aviation exec... It climbs to orbit. It refuels in orbit. It descends from orbit and flies into the destination field. All without nasty mid-flight turbulence?? What can't it do? (*) * hint: the all-economy-(no overhead baggage space!)-class seats are packed so closely together there is no room for a trolley for in-flight service! --- MIssion Kontrol is in the midst of a sub-orbital flight spanning 137 deg (all in brilliant daylight!). Apoapsis was 246 km. "Ladies and Kermans, if you look out the left side, you will see the Mun. For those on the right side, if you give us 2 seconds to violently roll the craft to starboard -- UHH!!..., there -- you will see ... the Mun."

Yay, Pelican 2. KerbalX when you're satisfied it is completely complete? I would certainly like to test-drive it!

My first ever xenon refueling operation (after my first ever run around my new lunar pylon course). What great fun!

This week, I am shamelessly [self-]promoting ION DRIVE so today I constructed and announced the first of three ION DRIVE challenges taking place on the Mun. Check it out here: [Self-disclosure: last week I inherited a packet of shares in Dawn Electric Co, Inc.]

I, Hotel26, have created a pylon course on the Mun. It's a short, triangular course over some of the most rugged scenery the Mun's equator has to offer. Download this Lunar Pylon Course which is a save world to be unpacked in ./saves, next to your other worlds. It comes equipped with 1x Gossamer Albatross parked at the course start next to one of the 3x xenon/MP refueling trucks that mark the course [the "pylons"]. The Albatross is also available (for a limited time, so hurry) from https://kerbalx.com/Hotel26/Gossamer-Albatross How fast do you think you can fly the course? Note the MET (Mission Elapsed Time), take off, fly around the course (on the outside of the pylons!) and land back next to the truck at the origin. Note your MET again and compute your flight duration. Instructions for flying the Albatross are located here: This is the FIRST of THREE challenges I have planned in order to SHAMELESSLY SELF-PROMOTE the awesome power of IONS! [..depending upon audience response...continuing availability of xenon...bla bla bla] Go for it. Have fun! Don't let me hear those crickets now...

This is the end of the chapter, I think. Some screenshots, left-to-right, top-to-bottom: Aquila 7 showing the spacing now in the payload deck 2x Aquila ganged as a "road train" for interplanetary travel 2x Aquila docked as a fuel station upon arrival at the destination Aquila Gizmo in a 6-way configuration showing its family resemblance

My second weekend 2-day Sprint has started. I made a lo-grav reconnaissance machine, Ladybug, that can be packed into payload very compactly under a lander. It looks like it's got pretty good range. It needs a solar panel squeezed in on the front side. The back is clear for Klaw refueling operations. And I constructed my first xenon tanker. 78,750 units of xenon which is enough to refuel 15 Gossamer Albatross flights. [Damn. I forgot the MP. OK, well that can come out of the ground with a Gimlet...] I found you have to land this with a little horizontal motion in the direction of the wheels. My plan had simply been to put a one-legged post on the upside and then be quick with SAS/RW to lower it onto its wheels gently. There's a bigger plan afoot!

"What, me worry?" Umm, OK, I see. @Brikoleur: it's a chain letter, apparently. @rocketinmypocket

It was very easy! I did a rebuild and I made the change I've been wanting to make (but hadn't trusted myself to a rebuild): which is that I pulled open the top payload deck to allow spacing for 2.5m cargo that contain radial protusions such as engines and legs. I took some screenshots and post them but the family relationship between Gizmo and Aquila becomes very apparent. With 2x Aquila launches, I can put all of Operation Beach Head into LKO. On 7 payload platform docks, there will be sufficient room to consolidate the whole payload. Then gang the second, now-empty Aquila with the first to start forming up the interplanetary "road train". Then a tanker comes up to refuel it. I've used up to 4 Aquila for the longer missions. Screen shots this evening...

Note also dihedral angle. Causes wings to tend to level themselves. The wing that is down has a more orthogonal angle of attack and generates slightly more lift, canceling the wing down state.

A master class!! Gracias. I'll put some time into study of your work. I'll carefully dissect it and make a part map. Then rebuild it several times to become familiar with the techniques. In addition, I'll use the rebuild to gizmo-late the outer tank ring out a bit to provide more clearance for payload above. Note that 2x Aquila (2 are required for all the payload in Operation Beach Head) can be docked tail-to-tail to make a space station. Going interplanetary, I gang 2 , 3 or 4 Aquila together with the for'ard Aquila carrying the payload. Under these circumstances, the nukes may have a whole orange tank full of LF to burn, although rarely in one go. I think this is where the radiators are required. I really liked where you put the large nosecones and the 2x3-way symmetry insight. I'll post a couple of screen shots of your work for others to see. You very much stayed within the spirit and personality of the original which indicates a great deal of artistry. I want to express a good deal of gratitude also to @foxster for staying with this and to note that his comments about "broken symmetry" seemed to have been on-track. I was interpreting them just as independent remarks, I think. It's a real thrill to have this machine back in fighting form. It will be Lucky Aquila VII, because I had just incremented to 7 specifically for finding a cure to the staging problem.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Your generosity, sir, is amazing!! It flies! Aquila flies again! Yahoo!!!!

Better to plan your dV and maneuvers etc with diligent care and then Just Get There. But when things go wrong and you are going to be otherwise short on fuel or just going to be plain stranded, an inept pilot may become very, very grateful to have brought an Omega pack along. My Omega module has a core made of 3x large-size Xenon tanks and about 12x of the 4K batteries. On 6 outriggers it has quad Dawns on each, making a total of 24 all up. Omega can be ganged as well. To supply the charge, I use 2x solar masts attached in a stowed position for vertical lift-off, aero-braking and heavy acceleration. Out in space, the masts detach and use RCS to deploy and re-attach in the arms-extended position. There are 16x Gigantor panels on each mast, so it's quite a sight when all deployed. These will be the longest "burns" you've ever done but even for a heavy space train, I can see as much as 0.5-1.0 m/sec. The total dV is enough to go to infinity and beyond if only you can keep getting plenty of sunshine. (But in case anybody wants to know where the Kraken come from, I can tell you that it is the Gigantor solar panel that opens up the wormholes through which Kraken enter the Kerbal universe via X-ray transmission. You have to furl the sails before switching focus away or else your sails, at least, will be toast when you come back and nothing will save them.)

I'm seriously thinking about trucking in loads of xenon and making a network of fuel dumps on the Mun just to make the Albatross a sustainable means of transport there just like airplanes are on Kerbin!

For those that have downloaded my ion-drive lo-grav "flitter", Gossamer Albatross, I spent some time tonight enhancing its control system. I think it is much more pleasant now, so please download and try the new version via this discussion page: https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/170589-gossamer-albatross/ I also orbited it from the surface of the Mun!! Next steps will be to make a video(?) and to attempt a landing originating from orbit. If you try it, good luck!

I've published a new version of Gossamer Albatross [KerbalX] with enhanced balance & controls. UPDATE: Albatross has been retired. Please try Gossamer Anisoptera... You'll love it. I'm opening a topic on it because it's not so trivial to fly. The Albatross is a great tourist vehicle (24 pax) -- a "lo-grav flitter" -- to see the Mun et al. "up close and personal". Pre-flight check-list: AG7 extend sails RCS on stage the ion drive (you may need to create a dummy stage before it to make Space bar work) toggle AG0 and ensure that the Puff engines are shutdown AG8 hover mode SAS on, SFC mode, Radial Out Lift-off: engage full thrust (Z) climb to a safe altitude select SAS Hold (press and release F momentarily) AG9 flight mode Cruise: use F to defeat SAS Hold momentarily while adjusting the craft attitude use attitude to vector ion drive thrust AG0 to engage horizontal propulsion via the MP Puff drive Landing: by the time you get to this, you will have figured it out hint: you can use the throttle to carefully adjust your sink rate hint: you can use the RCS translate thrust for enhanced deceleration hint: if you get desperate, you can turn tail and use the Puff drive (AG0) to decelerate. hint: its got wheels. if you can't land like a chopper pilot, then align the wheels with your direction and land it like a plane. WARNING: THIS MACHINE TURNS INTO A PUMPKIN AN HOUR BEFORE DUSK. HAVE IT ON THE GROUND OR IN ORBIT BY THAT TIME AT ALL COSTS. The manufacturer claims to have orbited this machine from the surface of the Mun. With sufficient skill and iron nerves, it ought therefore be possible to land it, too. [Your speed may vary... [Although your altitude will always come back to zero!]] Refueling: via a Klaw to be attached to the small girder at the rear of the spacecraft. Deployment: Attach it to a lander via the top dock and sky crane it in OR use HyperEdit if you just want to joy-ride the machine. You won't be disappointed. OR *NEW* you can download a fully-equipped world save file: https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/170734-lunar-ion-drive-pylon-course/ (UPDATE: the Albatross Pylon Challenge will be updated shortly to use the new Anisoptera...) Pireps made here would be appreciated...

It does attain orbit from the surface of the Mun! [But I've always considered that getting it down to the surface in one piece is the harder feat.] It's actually fiendishly difficult to fly! Which does make it all the more satisfying... Still, looking at it now, it can be greatly improved. I've started rebuilding it. And I'm going to upload a training video with it. UPDATE: ... and ... it comes down ... from a square Munar orbit ... under its own power ... at a pre-chosen destination ...

I've been doing dress rehearsals for Operation Beach Head simultaneously using the old 2x Aquila system and the new Gizmo device. I realized today, that in addition to: Gizmo is a: heavy lifter [LKO] it's a super tanker it's an orbital fuel dump/habitat it's an interplanetary transit vehicle and it's an expeditionary force It can also be: a lunar hotel (occupancy 30) a Telemagic control tower I tried Twin Boars and reverted to Mammoth. Especially with a load on the payload deck, it is going to need them. I also went to the same 6-way symmetric configuration Aquila uses, as it gives more combinations for balancing payload symmetrically. And I added 7x HitchHiker cabins on the ground floor to serve the lunar hotel role. The nukes are ugly[*]. They give the "hotel" the ability to relocate, I guess. Otherwise they can be jettisoned and scrapped (via the Tracking Station). * yeah, I know. "everything I do is ugly..." but functional!

Well, I wrote that in LKO, too, before the following transpired. Coming down was a b!!!!. I got overeager to handle the controls again passing 30km, impatient I suppose. It tumbled and then converted to an ever-quickening, flat spin which took me the thick air of below 5km (over a dark sea, flying at night again!) to pull out of. Not fun!! The controls are quite soggy, except for roll. Yaw is the worst. Under power, the RAPIER vectoring helps, which is basically how I got it pulled out. But there's no doubt that the machine is quite treacherous. And I broke the outer wing and an engine off, weaving over the runway, but that was my own bad approach, actually, that fouled all that up. I'm glad I did the build though. Building other people's planes is a good way to learn! Here's a basic space plane to practice with (shameless plug): Aquila Peregrine. [I have to acknowledge @swjr-swis for a LOT of help with this one!]

I just did a fast build and I did not make it either on first try. But I forgot to engage my NERV and only did so when the OX ran out. I think the OP may be having trouble with technique rather than the aircraft. I'm gonna take another run at it, because it feels like it can do it... UPDATE: great fun! Use all the runway at KSC to build speed. (Why not?) Climb at about 50 deg (once you've got the speed to do it and keep accelerating) to get above 8km fast. Speed built to around 260 m/s Lower the nose to about 30 deg then and watch for that magic number, 343 m/s, and the giant boot in your tail. Get to about 18-20km quickly but still allowing the speed to build. Start to level out to only a mild climb and let the speed continue building. Stay under 22km, say. You want to spend as much time in this zone as you can until the speed reaches around 1500 m/s and the red heat bars come out to play. Then set a 20-30 deg attitude for space, switch to LF/OX ("closed cycle") and ignite the NERV as well when the climb is nicely established. Aim for an apoapsis of 80-85 km to give yourself time to circularize. You'll use the last of your OX on this orbit insertion burn and then you'll need to wait until the NERV finishes the job. I came out of all that with 0 OX and 1583/3700 LF. My orbit is 98x75. Plane is fine and not at all boring. (I just don't know what you can do with it at Minmus except have the pax EVA and hope there's an orbital gas station there with a Tesla claw for a recharge...) Good luck!

Webster's Dictionary defines: rocket n. "something not meant to be airborne with rocket engines strapped to it" airplane n. "something not meant to be airborne with wings strapped to it and then engines strapped to those" So I had to have a crack at this! My first "Dart" didn't work so well without wings (although it *was* on the green), so second attempt (at night, of course!). I built it backwards, specialized for rear entry. (Can't see it, but it has a chute in the nose.) Don't pay any attention to the others: I thought your instructions were fine, or actually a bit over-complicated. "Just fly it by the seat of your pants and it will all work out in the end", would have been good enough. For a Kerbal...

And no go after taking the superfluous fuel lines out. Any chance of you posting your modified craft file?

OK. Maybe I didn't repeat your changes faithfully. When I did what I thought you said, I saw engines A & B drawing fuel from both tanks A & B. But I may have had the priorities the wrong way around. I'll retry it. I want A & B to run on fuel from A only. Then stage AA away and run B & C on tank B only. Then stage BB away and run C on tank C remaining. Asparagus staging. Did you actually achieve that? So, after running the test bed, my understanding is that I should set the pri of the lowest three tanks (A) to 20, say. The next three tanks up (B) to 10. And the top three tanks (C) to 0. And remove the fuel lines. Yes?

I made this fuel feed test bed and experimented with it. From this, I gained some understanding of how to use the fuel priority system From left-to-right, the fuel priorities are 0, -1, -2. The test bed works. I applied that to Aquila... Specifically, I set all three lowest-level tanks to the highest priority. Note that there are 3 independent fuel flows being asparagized in Aquiila. The fuel priorities now decrease as you ascend the stages. And... Launch of overhauled Aquila failed. Asymmetric draw. Very glum.