CrashTestDanny

The game is slowly training me to hit F5 frequently... Unfortunately I did have to repeat my landings a few times... So legs - no, I didn't have them out when I unloaded the CRADLE - not for the fuel dump, at least. Would have preferred to do it that way, but the solar panel was being ripped off every time that way. It looks like the panel is clipped into the floor of the cargo bay when loaded, and so the cargo bay pulls it to the extended position while deploying and if there is any horizontal movement of the cargo bay before the panel is clear then it breaks it. So the trick for me - and I don't think it will work on the Mun - was to use RCS to fly the CRADLE as straight up as possible until it is clear of the panel and then get it the heck out of the way before it crashes onto something I don't want destroyed. I've gotten pretty good at flying the empty CRADLES on minimus and managed to get all three stacked up together with only minor explosions. I also found that they are good for tobogganing on the frozen lakes! Oh yeah - figured out a couple of times that firing those decouplers was a bad idea at least before assembly - lol! Anyhow - wanted to say again I appreciate all of your hard work on this thing! - - - Updated - - - oh - and about those legs... toggling them while the dump was on the ground sent it 50m up from the surface. That's how it ended up on its back. It got upended when I was trying to push it around with the rover. Turns out upended was an alright place for it. Minimus has minimal gravity... wow...

Interestingly enough, I just landed B1 on the Mun, planning to build a base for a contract, and said contract was completed just by landing B1... Good, cause finding flat spots on the Mun is not Fun...

Finally! It is completed! Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you Rune Base Alpha!! For me, the turning point for completing my assembly was realizing that I had to undock the port on the center tube in that bundle of three and have the rover in position so that the tube would be captured and not fall to the ground. Rune mentions in an earlier post that if that tube falls to the ground, it's probably useless. After that the last two big problems were the fuel dump ended up on its back and has no source of torque, so it was stuck there, and the battery that I mentioned earlier that had fallen to the ground. I actually managed to overcome both of these issues in much the same way. I pushed the tank around with the rover a bit and it ended up on its end, which was not a lot better, but the rover has so much torque I was able to push right up against the tank and turn the rover on its end and then use its rcs to lift it so it would dock. Then I used its torque to right it and the tank. Since I knew the rover had enough torque for that, I took the same approach with the battery only keeping the tank on top for a compatible dock. That rover is really something else! She flies very nicely, too!

Ok, so I'm still having a heck of a time getting this right... First problem was that every time I went to drop payload from the boxes, the solar panels would get ripped off. It seems to actually be about 90% of the time and I think the solution is to drop payload while putting in rcs input to take the box straight up (with the open bay facing down). Anyhow, I got everything unboxed. Second problem that I have not been able to overcome, but I think will not be a big issue: There's a big battery sandwiched between two docking ports in box 2. It seems to be docked to the end of the ISRU and to the end of the C.R.A.D.L.E. So I decoupled the C.R.A.D.L.E.'s docking port but it immediately re-docked and then the battery detached from the ISRU. So the battery ends up sticking with the C.R.A.D.L.E. - weird, but the ISRU seems to have plenty of power... Third problem (but I just figured it out!) is the three tubes. It was apparent that I needed to dock one of the modues to the center one and then separate it from the other two, but for the life of me I couldn't get it to dock! Then I realized that you stuck them together with the center tube docked to both other tubes and then rotated/offset them so they don't appear docked, so I put the rover and cupola module close to one of the ports on the center tube and then decoupled that tube and let the magnets take over. I'm guessing that's what you intended, but it took me a while to figure that out!

Alrighty then! Just finished updating the drive pods on my Duna-bound station. Thought you might appreciate some screenshots! Obviously I love my autopilot, but on this sortie I discovered that it can be fooled - particularly if you tell it to dock with a port that's in a tight spot or a port that is facing away from it. I placed the new pods around the outer ring using mainly autopilot, but when I tried to send it after the obsolete pods it just turned around and ran. So I manually flew it in close and once I got within a few meters selected the control port, switched off the safeties and let the autopilot correct the alignment and dock. Tight maneuvering with a big tug will really get your blood going!

Here are some screenshots of my landings. Once I get to unpacking I'll post some of the completed base! Danny

double-checked and it's -20... I suppose I should remove the MechJeb unit and try again just in case it's adding just enough drag to be a factor here... anyhow, I got some flight test data for you here (in the form of screen shots)... I was not able to SSTO the standard Trident yet. Keeping her level from take off also didn't work - she topped out at just over 255 m/s. Maybe I need some remedial flight training... After a few test flights like this, including some using the standard profile, I did manage to get it into space, but it was not exactly SSTO and you might consider this cheating... I decided to strap some RATO packs to her wingtips and see what I needed to get her up there... First I tried two Thumpers. No luck - got higher, but I broke Mach too low and the drag pulled me back down when the Thumpers were spent. So we came back and I tried four Thumpers. Pretty much the same deal. I probably would have been fine if I had climbed to 20k before lighting them. Anyhow, I came back and attached a couple kickbacks to her. THAT did the trick!

What a piece of junk! Don't use this ship. Bill is working on an update that will address the problems we've seen so far... some of them anyhow...

Ok, so all three boxes are landed next to each other. Gonna wait for daylight to try [again] to build a base out of them, but my first attempt was not entirely successful. It was not entirely clear to me what order to release things in, so I tried dropping the docking ports on either end and then flipping the CRADLE upright and ready to fly. Only problem with that approach was that I got solar arrays being sliced clean off the parts inside the boxes... I'll try again in the daylight... Speaking of daylight! Some lights on the outside of the cradle would really help the screenshots come out better! Danny

Alright - I figured out what my problem was with landing B1. Although it has a TWR of >1 (>25 even!) and the engines were pointed toward the surface and burning full, it was accelerating toward the surface. I was controlling from the top docking port, so the frame of reference was not the issue. I was allowing MJ to deploy the LG, which were then clipping through the bay and into the engines, killing their thrust. Moral of the story - don't lower gear when landing boxes! Danny

Not released yet? But I want!!! j/k - take your time... So I tried to land (or rather have MechJeb land) B1 on Minimus in the dark this morning... it didn't work out so well... not sure what I did wrong, but four times MJ plowed it into the ground at 175 m/s... It waited for under 1km before it started burning too... will try it again later on and see if I can get some useful feedback, but it was probably something dumb on my part. In the meantime I just stacked them all in a 35km orbit at about 30 minute intervals.

Rune, what is that thing with the green stuff at the top of the center stack? Also, is that SSTO at the bottom something you have available for download? Thanks for all the work you've done on this, BTW! I love it! Did you see my post in the other thread with the two rings joined together? Danny

I read somewhere that one should try to pull rather than push asteroids in order to minimize the torque they apply to your spacecraft when moving them. Sounds great! But how, I mused, does one pull an asteroid? None of the ships I had built so far really had any such capability. So Bill and I set to work on the problem and here is our solution; The 'Roid Puller! The launch vehicle shown in some of the shots is not stock. The 'Roid Puller itself is stock. 'The Roid puller is designed for a solo pilot and may also be flown remotely. Her four nuclear rocket engines are fed by 32000 units of liquid fuel stored along her wings. She is 22.9m across either direction and 10.2m in height. She was designed with class E asteroids in mind and should be able to handle smaller objects with ease. 189 parts and 210 tons of pure 'roid pullin' love! https://www.dropbox.com/s/i0i26ykmhmt149a/Roid%20Puller.craft?dl=0 - - - Updated - - - I forgot to mention, she also has a docking port at the top of the Cupola so that she can be parked at the space station when not in use. Danny

what control point do you use? The cockpit has about a -12º incidence built in, which I think is throwing me off...

ok, I flew B3 again with the payload full of fuel and you're right - I had just enough in the lower stages to make 80k LKO and then by using the payload fuel I have enough to land on minimus with some left over - guess I shoulda thought of that first... Would still like to see the turn to move to the final stage eliminated... Danny

BTW - Here's another really cool thing I tried out with your two rings - ultimately decided against it though...

The tug and the 4-pack are all stock. I was playing with SpaceY when I launched it, but here's the crafts for the basic tug and the 4-pack: https://www.dropbox.com/s/dat1w27jn2ouma5/Tug%201_1.craft?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/7xocdn3l8m9k6bg/Quad%20Tug%201_1c.craft?dl=0 note the "c" variant has the claw installed on the nose. The 4-pack also has five adapters connected: Two "universal" to standard port nosecone adapters (can carry extra fuel if desired), two standard to standard port extenders, and one 6-way adapter. Enjoy! Rune, I hope I'm not stepping on your toes posting this here. I have no intention of starting a spacecraft company right now, but would love to share crafts from time to time... If you would like to adopt these as your own, modify them as you see fit, include them as part of the R-SUV stable, or whatever, please feel free to do so. As for the single-dock pushing, I have already seen bending issues and had to reload quicksaves without even doing any maneuvering, so I am a little concerned. Have been considering re-allocating these four to some other duties and putting up a new pack set up for pulling and with KAS struts and grab rails already installed - what do you think?

I just went looking for screenshots and I can't believe I didn't take a single shot of any of those three launches... how unlike me... I did, however, take a shot of me failing to SSTO in the Trident... Pick the gear up, Danny! I have not managed to SSTO this yet, but I think I'm getting closer. My procedure has been climb quick as I can to 10km+, then level out and speed up, looking for 1500 m/s. I either explode or top out around 1200 and run out of fuel. First couple tries I had full fuel in the cargo bay, which obviously did not help... Also, noticed that when I hit G, I get both the wheels and the landing struts. I didn't notice an AG to toggle either element by itself - might be a nice addition for horizontal landings.

ooo - I'll have to grab that and take a look... but how do I get the improvements on-orbit, considering I already have one of these preparing for Duna launch... Anyhow, here's something I just added for the trip to Duna... This is my standard tug design in a convenient 4-pack along with a couple adapters that I thought might come in handy and that definitely helped stabilize the grouping for launch. The design of this tug came about when some idiot engineer on my staff built a ship with a docking port surrounded by stuff that blocked access. The nose cone adds more fuel to my original service module design as well as providing access into most tight places. The forward port is interchangeable with the Klaw (shown below). The tugs feature a powerful poodle motor and alone can handle quite large ships. Combined in this configuration, they retain their agility and multiply their power! Also, the tug's forward lighting array was reported to cause substantial glare, making docking visually nearly impossible. This situation has been rectified with pretty colors and the more diffuse lighting provided by the illuminator mk-2! I attached this four-pack to the base of the Von Braun ring that is headed for Duna and am considering whether to use their engines for the IP burn. Danny

well, with the cargo fully fueled in B3, I couldn't make LKO, but I also didn't try going to S2 before I was in LKO. With the tank empty I will arrive at minimus with about the same delta-V remaining as the other boxes. Sorry about the lack of screen shots... I promise I'll post something up soon...

Hey Rune - finally have Base in several boxes on it's merry way to minimus and thought I'd give you some feedback. 1 - The B3 file was delivered with the fuel tank inside the cargo bay full. This put the delta-V numbers are 1100, 1100, 1200, 700 (ish). I was like WTH?!?! How does he expect me to make LKO on less than 3500 delta-V and then Minimus transfer, capture, and landing on what's left of that 700?... When I dug around and emptied the fuel from the cargo bay, I had much better numbers (1200, 1200, 1600, 1200 ish). Looks like I'll make minimus orbit with about 600 delta-V left in all three boxes. 2 - The other two boxes went up perfectly with one little glitch; while flying box 2, mid transfer of course, we run out of fuel in S4 and have to drop it and activate S2. S3 (payload fairing) should have already been deployed at this point. Trouble is, S2 has a different frame of reference than S4, so we have to turn around and ideally transfer control to a location in the correct orientation, like one of the multiple docking ports facing that way. It's very easy to forget, and if you have the throttle up because you're staging mid-burn like I was, it's very easy to just hit the space bar and suddenly reverse all the delta-V you just put in at least until you notice... So I would recommend that you separate the decoupling and the engine activations in S2 to two different stages, just to give people like me time to reconsider their lives... Even better yet, if you could turn the C.R.A.D.L.E.S around so they are travelling the same direction as the launch vehicle, it would really dumb it down for me! Overall, I found the packages to be extremely well balanced. The rockets flew straight and true. They launched directly into an 80km LKO with minimal input from me - which is probably for the best! I'm looking forward to figuring out how to assemble them when they arrive on Minimus! Thanks again!

Not sure if you're expecting a reply, but just in case - yes the file you posted still has the old drive pods... not to worry, I just sent a 4-pack of my own tug design up with hopes to run the maneuver using those instead. They are poodle-powered!

Wait a sec? Klaw has no crossfeed? I transfer fuel between Klaw-attached vessels all the time! I even transfer crew via the Klaw - even before I had KAS. Are we playing two different games?

I see! Thanks again! Answers more questions!

Does that whole stack land vertical using the drive pods?