Fox62

Genuine question - is there anything that would stop someone from being able to use BDB v1.12.0 in KSP 1.12.3? Or is there some difference that means you should use the latest version of KSP?

Well, my reason for sort of wanting it is more the first stage - because if you're doing stuff like single launch station flights to, say, Jool, I could see it being useful. Or if you're trying to assemble something for going to Grannus at JNSQ scale, and want to make sure you don't leave anything behind in the process - while having 6 Regors is good, 8 (or potentially more, with a more efficient layout) would be better for SHLLV applications, if nothing else because it would also enable a greater core diameter (and thus, more room for mounting SRBs/LRBs if required). That said, one option would be for someone to devise a mockup "C-8/Nova" configuration, possibly using Near Future LV parts to supply tanks of sufficient diameter.

Honestly, if you're going to add cargo aircraft, something to make a proper An-225 would be great - especially considering that it was designed from the ground up for the Soviet space program (to fly rocket stages and Buran orbiters to Baikonur), and was considered for use as an air-launch platform as part of the MAKS program.

Question - opinion on the Right Side Up Space Transportation System I posted? I understand if it's not of sufficient quality to be included in the wiki (even as a Kerbal Koncept), just want to follow up on it (and what improvements might need to be made). Link to the post in question is here.

Haven't yet tried it with SOCKS or Kerbolrise - the install I used to build it was intentionally created to be just BDB, it's dependencies, and the quality of life mods mentioned (and also CorrectCoL, because I'm not amazing with aircraft). Although, honestly, I'm more likely to use the Mk 2 Stockalike Expansion parts to try building an RSU!Orbiter - while I theoretically could build a reusable second stage ala the RSU timeline's "Orbiter II", if I'm going to do that I'd want to recreate Lifter II at the same time - and I just don't really have the "what that looks like" information I'd want for a proper recreation. As for how it flies without that... eh. Let's just say that "Mach 1+ noesdive into the ocean" isn't conducive to reuse and leave it at that (and I'm almost certain it's due to a mix of "not enough pitch authority due to lacking oxidizer for vernor thrusters" and "reentered too steeply").

Decided to just bite the bullet on exploiting the offset tools. I probably could have gotten this looking nicer with mods, but I was able to get this to work with just BDB and its dependencies (although I personally would recommend Atmospheric Autopilot if you want to fly the RS-IC like a plane, and you'll need either StageRecovery or Flight Manager for Reusable Stages to take advantage of the intended reusability). Google Drive Link The SPH folder just contains an RS-IC with some of the hardware for it to be stacked attached (mostly for convenience once I got around to moving it to the VAB) and the S-IC main tank, as well as additional reentry burn/boostback propellant, emptied (for boost back/reentry burn, would advise only using either the center Regor, or the center Regor and the two lower Regors, due to the much lower Center of Mass of the RS-IC). This version can be used for flight testing, and is stable enough to be sort of controllable with Stock SAS + Keyboard, although I would still highly recommend the use of Atmospheric Autopilot. The VAB folder contains two versions of the RSU!STS, stacked and ready for launch with a dummy payload/mass simulator - one emulating the configuration of STS used prior to STS-206 (the launch of the Magellan probe to Venus, which failed due to the J-2 derived engine on the second stage suffering a hard start and failing), which uses a single engine stage known as the S-IVC (although, unlike the S-IVC of ETS, I don't think it's appreciably stretched - it's supposed to be a reduced cost/simplified production variant), and a version for STS-207 and onwards, using a mockup of the DEUS stage, which is basically ETS' S-IVC except with higher specific impulse engines. I did take some screenshots showing the STS in action, although I will admit that I might need to do a V2 of the design to resolve controllability issues on the first stage during reentry (or just get better at figuring out how to do reentry burns, or reserve some oxidizer to run the thrusters on the RS-IC, or get better at flying reentries, or all three). Apologies in advance if these screenshots are too big.

This is really an open question for any of the experienced builders in the thread, but is there any advice for building a rocket that hides a nosecone under an interstage of some sort? The one method I've been able to figure out involves significant cheesing of the offset tool and attaching the nose cone to a modular strut that's radially attached to the fuel tank.

@Friznit If I'm working on a RSU STS ship file to send your way (sorry this took so long, I missed your post at first and only noticed it recently), how would you suggest setting up an install for the purpose? ie., would you suggest just setting up an install with only BDB and the other mods I think I need to make something that works? For that matter, I'm assuming that I should try and minimize the number of mods other than BDB that are needed?

I have no idea about that first bit, but I strongly doubt that last bit - if nothing else, the entire point of the RSU!STS is that it could reuse tech and tooling from the Apollo Program, at least to some extent - logically, at worst they might feel the need to mock-up some adapter piece that radially attaches to the S-IC main tank to provide an easier attachment point for wings, but beyond that they could likely use stock wings, stock jet engines, and either stock intakes or do as they do for a number of the other unofficial guide launchers and say "this needs [insert other mods here] in addition to BDB". As it stands, my request was more directed towards friznit/whoever's maintaining the Unofficial BDB Wiki (under the "manual" link in the OP), as a request for yet another potential LV to evaluate - possibly also a flight profile guide, although I also wouldn't be upset if they just left that up to the player to figure out.

So, something that would be neat, if suggestions are being taken for additions to the Unofficial Manual (and for parts to make, if more parts are needed to actually make this work), would be the Space Transportation System from "Right Side Up: A History of the Space Transportation System". It's basically Saturn MLV's INT-20 configuration, with five of the F-1 engines on the S-IC - which has also gained a pair of snazzy wings, a detachable flight deck/escape pod, and a bunch of jet engines for use as a reusable fly-back first stage. The second stage, meanwhile, is essentially a reduced cost version of the S-IVB, later replaced by the "DEUS", essentially an S-IVC from Eyes Turned Skywards (thus, something that, in both cases, parts already exist for). The Orbiter, meanwhile, is roughly similar to the HL-20, albeit enlarged to fit a small payload bay with a robotic arm, docking hardware, and capacity for 8 tons of cargo in addition to itself - that said, the Orbiter is honestly the least relevant portion of the RSU!STS, and thus could be left up to players to design. One advantage to this is that most of the guide would be "build a Saturn INT-20 as per the Saturn MLV page, then make these changes", rather than having to start entirely from scratch (at least in theory). It would also be helpful in that it would provide a reusable launch vehicle option for BDB users that doesn't involve unrealistic modifications to the existing rockets (or improvising an ETS!Saturn II using other engines and such), while also providing yet another alternative path to post-Apollo spaceflight.

Not sure if this has been answered by people earlier in the thread already, but is there a patch for this that adds the ability to store LH2, LH2/Ox, and LH2/Ox/MP the way you can store liquid fuel in the Mk IV fuselages? Because I'd love to use this with the Near Future Aeronautics nuclear engines, but those need LH2 (at least with my mod set-up, and I don't want to change it because LH2 just makes sense).

I'd like to request that the "Kerbin to Laythe" Mission Architect Tutorial be updated for the latest version of the Trajectory Optimization Tool - starting from the default configuration of the tool, the tutorial immediately deviates from what is seen by the person following the tutorial in that the porkchop plotter produces a different optimal transfer window and departure burn. This ultimately results in the person following the tutorial being unable to reach Jool, never mind getting as far as intercepting Laythe.

Do guns that happen to be behind Breaking Ground propellers cause problems when firing through them?

Fair enough. I'll be very interested to see what happens then.

Only request is that if you decide to post more videos, could you make them 720p? 480p is so low res that it's rather unpleasant to look at, and makes your station look worse than it actually is.

Folder can't be accessed without permission. This is less than ideal.

So, I want to add a new type of oxidizer to allow me to make an accurate patch to recreate the North American Rockwell Mars Excursion Module proposal, which would have used an oxidizer called FLOX, which is a mix of 82.5% fluorine and 17.5% liquid oxygen. Theoretically, I could just model it as some sort of tripropellant engine, but that feels very unrealistic and wrong, so I don't want to. So, how do I make a new oxidizer that would be recognized as a valid fuel type for the tanks edited by this mod and Realism Overhaul?

So, I've developed what should be RO configurations that allow you to use the HG-3 and HG-3-SL engines in your game. However, as my computer is an over-glorified potato crate, I cannot test these configurations. As such, I am sharing a link here to download the configurations. Installation is simple, just overwrite the RO_SXT_Engines.cfg file with the file included in the download, and add the HG-3_Config.cfg file to the Engine_Configs folder. The whole download is structured so that you can alternatively just drop the first folder you see into the GameData folder of your install and just tell it to overwrite everything, and it should work just fine.

As far as I can tell, the small bay seems to be able to hold 4 of the AIM-9ski type missiles.

Done.

Many thanks, that seems to have fixed it, although I am unable to test the functionality in the game to make sure due to having a glorified brick of a computer. Is there anyone I could send this to for testing?

So, I'm working on a MM patch that would make the SXT engine that RO uses to model the J-2 also serve as a model for the HG-3 and HG-3-SL, but I'm getting some errors in the patch. Specifically, the output log is saying that you can't use the % symbol in the atmospheric curve section, which I find confusing. How do you add new configurations to a part?

I'm actually having a similar problem. Included are both a screenshot of my GameData folder and my error and output_log files. GameData Crash Report logs I would really like some help figuring this out, because I basically just let my computer sit at the "Loading Asset Bundle Definitions" screen until it wound up using enough memory to crash on its own. Also, I am running it from an external hard drive to save space on my computer hard drive and to avoid any problems by trying to run it from Program Files.

One thing I would absolutely love to see is some sort of patch/config for RSS and Realism Overhaul, or at least Real Fuels. That way those of us who like the RSS mod can do more nomadic style ISRU for Grand Tours.

This utility isn't working, for some reason it doesn't want to play nice with a 32 bit version of Windows 7.