Naito

I tried to rep you only to realize I already had =D

Updated with a split-rudder airbrake!

Very nice! Always cool to see another take on the shuttle =) FYI, the heat shield on the back isn't just heat shield, it's actually a movable body flap that helps maintain the pitch of the orbiter. Fun trivia, the body flap was damaged during STS-1's launch due to insufficient sound suppression, but it wasn't discovered until after Columbia had landed. John Young reportedly said that if they had know of the damage during launch, he'd have ejected because the orbiter should have been uncontrollable during reentry!

The real shuttle actually does kinda look chicken-ish coming in for landing the main gear is surprisingly tall, the medium gear for the mains and the small gear for the nose gives the shuttle about the right "sitting on the runway" angle that the real one does, maybe just a little exaggerated. It also helps a lot with letting you flare more during landings thanks to the extra height!

LOL I think we have different design philosophies. His shuttle is probably easier to fly, particularly for landings, and his RCS balancing helps a lot with on-orbit operations. I've mainly focused on the ascent, trying to make it so that my shuttle can re-create the various abort scenarios and the flight profile relatively accurately. I also have been working on re-entries, testing S-turns and such, but landing is not something I'm all that good at I've been playing on a Mac so I really haven't been able to use any plugins to help with the build since it just keeps crashing once I add any, but I definitely want to look into the RCS balancing now that I've tried his shuttle. It's not so much competition as it is taking the best bits from everyone's shuttles and making what each of us think is best =D Lots of shuttle forks if you will lol

The RCS build aid shows. It's a hellava lot easier to dock your shuttle to mine than it was the other way around =)

STS-5E. Love the flames and smoke trail from the SRBs. Surprised they didn't need the fancy differential thrust clustering I had when I tried SRBs and still stayed very balanced, great job! Maneuvers like a pig though Roll maneuver took AGES. Fairly easy to control pitch using SSME thrust, but controls are again pegged during booster separation. Still managed a very precise orbit though! Still not convinced KSP SRBs are "STS replica ready" yet. Newbies will have a hard time flying this I think.

Wow. Just flight tested your STS-5. This thing IS easy to fly. I try land at KSC in my shuttle and make it maybe once in 10 landings, first try in yours and I at least made it to within spitting distance of the runway! wth lol Almost makes me rethink my "no SAS modules" stance Your shuttle feels much lighter and more nimble than mine too. Stall speed was about 35m/s with 1.0 physics, very stable on re-entry, real nice. If I had to nitpick, there's still a bit of teetering at booster separation, and it's a little more difficult to pitch over for the gravity turn than I expected. I'll give the 5E a test drive in a bit

Ah a fellow shuttle nerd Yes, but RCS and OMS engines shared fuel on the Shuttle. I decided to prioritize that fact over the dual propellent/monopropellent distinction. It'd certainly be much easier to aim a single one of the regular engines, as well as gain the gimbal ability that the OMS engines should have.

It's just the TDRS sub I made earlier and a really tiny simple satellite to simulate the Spartan-Halley. I really need to start using Infernal Robotics and get an arm on that thing.

Lots of STS-107 tributes, here's to STS-51L. She never made it, but the Kerbals were finally able to complete her mission.

Minor revision (should probably be a 1.2.1 rather than 1.3 but oh well) * Added 4th parachute to the boosters to help with recovering them intact. It's a sporty re-entry for the boosters, but they land downrange and fairly close together in a decent approximation of how the real ones land. * Adjusted booster separation thrusters to work with 1.0/1.0.2/FAR physics * tested against FAR, seems to fly acceptably, make sure you re-enter shallow and nose up (about 5-10degrees, LD should be around 1) LOL nice For getting solids to work at all nicely, I'll allow it lol I think bigger solids HAVE to be in the pipeline. Hopefully even scalable solids, similar to how the fairings scale. Then if they add GIMBALABLE solids like the real STS it'll make it perfect

Thanks Inigma =) By all means please feel free to reference them! I still can't believe you got solids to fly decently on your STS-5E, amazing work!

Had to do a STS-107 tribute. Launches to a recreation accurate 270x280km orbit 39 degree inclination with no changes. Hail Columbia.

Added some sample payloads: Extended Duration Orbiter (EDO) pallet - http://kerbalx.com/crafts/2236 Space Station Core (No relation to ISS ) - http://kerbalx.com/crafts/2238 TDRS Satellite and booster (For RemoteTech) - http://kerbalx.com/crafts/2288

Updated revision 1.2 * Adjusted fuel loads to allow for RTLS aborts again (suggest doing it only when above 50km altitude) * Adjusted engine angles to allow for STS-51F center engine out aborts, starting from T-0! * Certified to carry up to 20 tons to orbit without any adjustments! Flies equally well with empty cargo bay or a full "oil drum" fuel tank, including aborts!

With the lovely atmosphere flip-flop, I thought I'd do a little more testing with the various combinations. Good news all around =) Shuttle still flies regardless of whether you're using 1.0 physics.cfg or 1.01/1.02 physics.cfg. With 1.01/1.02 it'll land like a butterfly, but lands much more realistically with 1.0 physics. The Big-S strakes don't blow up anymore either under 1.02 with 1.0 physics. Was able to lift Inigma's Fuel Pod in both 1.0 and 1.02 configs, it does require a little more careful piloting though, but it'll do it! Oh, and a STS-51F style abort with center engine failure is still doable =) Reentry in 1.02 with 1.0 physics: Touchdown speed about 50m/s:

Thanks guys =) I am super impressed with Inigma's shuttle and LOVE the whole mission payload system he has going, but it's fun to build my own anyway! Now if only I could actually target my re-entries properly and land on a runway so I can get some of his badges!!

On a ET disposal orbit with my new shuttle, 132x132km orbit. Can probably go higher with an orbit that leaves the ET in orbit. edit: Yep, much higher. 925km circular, burned every last drop in the ET, but should have plenty of monoprop to deorbit. =)

Bump for new revision =) * External Tank now uses NASA replica fuel load, with Oxidizer on top and Hydrogen fuel underneath! * Increased burn time of boosters for extra lift capacity * Added protective wing strakes to try prevent Big-S strakes from exploding on re-entry. I suspect this is a 1.0 bug and can be removed in the future. Shuttle lands fine even if all the wing strakes are gone anyway =p * Adjusted drogue chute automatic deployment settings * Adjusted brake torque so only main landing gear provides braking * Added "fuel dump" ports as I had on my previous shuttles * Added ONE SAS module to the orbiter to help with roll authority once in orbit. Verified to work with 1.0 and 1.0.2! Wing strakes don't blow up anymore either, so can probably remove the "protective" strakes in next revision.

Just noticed, while KSP crashed VERY frequently when running in full-screen, it hasn't crashed once in about 3 hours of windowed mode. Not sure if that helps, but I thought that interesting. Mac OS 10.10.3, Macbook Pro with discreet graphics, 16GB RAM.

Updated for KSP 1.4! Yes yes, shuttles are old news now, but I still love them so here's an update for all you Shuttle huggers out there. New for KSP 1.4 - Uses new 1.4 parts for proper size ratios between ET/Shuttle/boosters - Solved SAS launch oscillation (was due to change in stability algorithms or something, since the control nodes are always offset from the centre of mass it was messing up badly) - Fully certified for 40+T of cargo with zero modifications. Just load her up and go. Tested to 1500km with Mullet Dyne fuel pod https://kerbalx.com/Speeding_Mullet/Mullet-Dyne-40t-Fuel-Pod Space Shuttle "Resolution" The HMS Resolution was one of James Cook’s ships (One of which was Endeavour of course). As well, there was apparently once an enthusiast recreation of the shuttle cockpit that was named Resolution. So I thought it an appropriate for a KSP recreation by another shuttle enthusiast. Download: https://kerbalx.com/crafts/14202 New 1.2 SSME Fuel flow view! New for this version! Uses new KSP SSMEs Certified to launch 0 to 68T (4 full Ore tanks to 100km!) Vernier engines as well as RCS for maneuvering Redesigned OMS pods now use Fuel+Oxidizer rather than Monoprop. Shares fuel with fuel cells and vernier thrusters. SSME fuel is still isolated from rest of shuttle systems so you can safely burn to ET fuel exhaustion and still have OMS fuel remaining! hybrid boosters (SRB integrated in LRBs to provide a bit of extra thrust and more dramatic exhaust effects) Multiple control points for optimal control during Launch/Orbit/Docking/Re-entry (see details here) Reduced part count! 1.0.x Shuttle still available here: http://kerbalx.com/crafts/1923/ Sample payloads: ISS Replica modules Features: * Does NOT rely on Reaction Wheels to fly! * Ability to perform Single-Engine-Out aborts like STS-51F. Depending on when the engine goes out, you may or may not make orbit! (just like real shuttle!) * Realistic "twang" effect on SSME ignition * Realistic fuel load (Oxidizer above Fuel) * Realistic braking system (main landing gear brakes only, front landing gear steering only) * Braking drogue chute * Action groups allow for OMS assist during launch * Fuel cell powered, use EDO pallet if you want extended duration missions! * Realistic OMS and RCS placement * Removable external airlock (reconfigure based on your cargo size) * Fuel dump ports to help adjust CoG for landing * CoG allows for stable nose-up re-entry up to about 40 degrees! * MechJeb compatible * Compatible with Inigma's Shuttle Mission Pods! i.e. http://kerbalx.com/inigma/STS%20Fuel%20Pod Flight instructions If you can launch a basic rocket in KSP, you can fly this. There are no tricks or "be careful whens" in this craft, it flies exactly as you'd expect and has good control authority throughout the flight profile to authentically replicate a complete real Space Shuttle flight. The simplest way to fly is with MechJeb, since launching the same way a dozen times to build a space station can get tiring! Without MechJeb, I suggest you use the SAS Radial mode during launch and roll maneuver, roll heads down to your desired heading and pull up until your prograde vector points about 10 degrees along your desired heading, then just switch to SAS Prograde mode the rest of the way. Otherwise, there are NO "be careful it will flip over at X thrust/altitude" or "you have to manage the throttle blah blah blah" instructions with this shuttle. Just fly. You have full control authority in all flight regimes, you can easily stress the wings off if you attempt to fly too sporty but you can experiment with all REAL shuttle maneuvers including RTLS and reentry side slips. Suggested MechJeb settings for authentic launch profile These settings will send you on a launch profile that closely replicates a real shuttle launch. You can see why the shuttle flies upside down on its way to orbit (it helps shield the wings from the airflow), and how it uses a gravity turn to reach orbit. You can also watch the boosters separate and coast to a maximum height before landing back in the ocean for a safe recovery, and how the external tank remains sub-orbital for disposal even after the main engines shut down. Use these numbers as a guideline, you'll have to adapt them depending on your payload and orbit target. For reference, this shuttle has been tested to successfully launch an 18T fuel tank to a 300km 90 degree polar orbit. Orbital Altitude: 100 to 500km Orbital Inclination: 0 to 90 degrees Limit Acceleration to: 40m/s (this is about 3Gs, just to replicate the real shuttle limits) Force Roll: (This replicates the shuttle's roll maneuver after launch) Climb: 180 Turn: 180 (Real shuttle rolled to heads up during the last third of their launch post-1995ish, just change this to 0 when you want to roll to heads up, or leave it at 180 to simulate the earlier launch profile) Corrective Steering: on Autostage: on Pre-Delay: 0 Post-Delay: 0 Stop at stage: 4 Edit Ascent Path: Automatic Altitude Turn: off Turn start altitude: 0.5km Turn start velocity: 100m/s Turn end altitude: 60km Final flight path angle: 8 degrees Turn shape: 66% Action Groups: 1 - Toggle OMS engines 2 - Shut down SSME 3 - Toggle CargoBayDoors/Lights/K-Band Antenna 9 - Toggle OMS fuel dump 10 - Deploy braking chute Here are some "concept" shuttle variations that NASA explored during the Shuttle's golden age. These are all derived from this same shuttle craft file. Shuttle-C version: http://kerbalx.com/crafts/2740 http://kerbalx.com/crafts/2743 Changelog: Enjoy! Comments welcome!

Testing out a new Shuttle for 1.0 =)

What do you mean stall? You can try this my newer version instead: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/105572-Stock-only-NASA-replica-fleet-FAR-and-MechJeb-compatible It's got more power, which makes it easier to fly.

No offence taken lol. You can actually probably add the shroud back on the bottom, but you'll have to clip the bottom tank a bit. You just need that bottom tank as ballast to keep the CG correct throughout SSME burn Feel free to do whatever you want with the stack, it's all yours =) I'm tempted to make a version with even MORE boosters, just at lower thrust, because the issue isn't the total amount of thrust that's the problem, it's the low ISP. Just barely enough to get out of the soupy crap stock lower atmosphere on booster power. Add a couple MORE boosters at low thrust so that they'll burn for around 2mins, then the ET would be lighter, bringing your TW ratio back up so you don't lose as much speed, and getting you further out of the soup to where you can actually fly properly. Only thing is that'll need a little more rebalancing again, probably have overheat issues, and that'll end up being a little TOO much clipping for my liking.