inigma

Very very awesome Naito. As always, you've raised the bar of what is possible with this one, and I am inspired! Fuel cells and an EDO are a nice touch. I love your subs! Mind if I cross reference them in the STS thread and in the KerbX STS hangar? Your shuttle flies absolutely amazing.

when they make mk.3 wing connectors, and make the mk.3 strakes fit mk.3 wings, yes. Right now mk.3 parts look ugly.

STS-5 with low part count liquid boosters and STS-5E with higher part count solid boosters released: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/108219-STS-5-Space-Shuttle-%28Stock-NASA-Replica%29-NEW-RELEASE%21-Now-With-Solid-Rocket-Boosters%21-5-10-15 Both systems have the same relative performance. Solids might actually perform slightly better. Both are acceptable for use in this challenge now. Have fun!

Released the STS-5 and STS-5E for download: all stock parts:

STS-5 Space Shuttle Indepdence and STS-5E Space Shuttle Constitution are now released. Enjoy!

Great. All done with the final versions. Now time to take screenshots, make an album for both... and then I will be ready to upload. The final versions are AWESOME (and not yet released) . Stay tuned.

Thanks for your feedback! STS-5 at 242 parts now instead of 267 parts. I cleaned up the wings as you suggested, and it still can land 15 tons in the bay. Orbiter is only 144 parts now instead of 166. Significant improvement in handling as well as a result. This also makes the STS-5E now only 407 parts instead of 432 parts. Would you call that an improvement?

Thank you for your feedback! I will look at reducing part counts in future STS Extended versions. STS-5 will keep the liquid boosters to keep part count to a more manageable and computer friendly 268 parts, with an eye on reducing its part count too in future versions. I thought of binding the airbrakes to brakes, but have you ever landed with wheels with brakes locked? not pretty. Gear down seemed best, either that or use up a valuable action group number.

STS-5 Space Shuttle Independence and STS-5E Space Shuttle Constitution development is now complete. Yeah! It's too late for me to publish them... but if I could get a few volunteers with a hefty cpu to at least test fly the STS-5E before I release both crafts tomorrow (Sunday), that would be awesome! The STS-5E is an Extended version of the STS-5, comes with solid boosters, STS Elevator, and STS Fuel Pod already loaded in the bay. This version is meant for realism, and as such is a whopping 432 part count craft file. But she flies great, and can even do a first level timewarp. I was able to deploy the payload to 425 km and come back home without using its fuel. STS-5E pre-release: Download Let me know how she flies for you. I'm looking for at least one good report.

Well I tried flying the shuttle with the latest MechJeb. ...and with it I just flew the STS-4 1.0.2 Space Shuttle Independence with STS Fuel Pod to a record breaking 421km orbit and return to KSC Island! Some notes on MechJeb flying the STS-4 1.0.2 soon to be aka STS-5: For Ascent Guidance for empty bay or heavy cargo: set target altitude to 200km disable limit to terminal velocity disable throttle limiting disable forced roll autostage only until stage 4 As with all STS launches you must manually roll the craft just after launch and before 6km, in order to have the tail facing the ocean so the orbiter climbs on its back and maximize the thrust vectors and weight balance, just like the real shuttle. Then nearing 50km, roll belly down and let MJ burn you to 200km, and have it autostage the External Tank. Turn on RCS and jet away from the tank to avoid colliding with it, and manually enage the next stage when clear. MJ will circularize your orbit. Easy peasy. I hope. bear in mind that the shuttle has a tendency to roll while burning the Space Shuttle Main Engines and using MJ since MJ by default does not use SAS. This is because of the right side fuel line on the External Tank being placed there. It offsets the fuel dump causing the roll, which you should manually correct as you fly it up. The fuel line is intended to be there to be accurate to the actual NASA shuttle external tank look. Without MJ, you use SAS and there is no roll. Just note that the shuttle flies just fine as-is, but if you put any cargo in the bay, you're going to need to fill up the external tank a bit, starting with the center tank, and then the botttom tank. only the STS Fuel Pod cargo (42 tons) requires all tanks to be full, even on the boosters. Let me know if you still can't make orbit with the above instructions.

I just flew the STS-4 1.0.2 Space Shuttle Independence with STS Fuel Pod to a record breaking 421km orbit and return to KSC Island: STS-4 1.0.2 will be renamed to STS-5 shortly. Aphobius has been unseated...for now. - - - Updated - - - Excellent flights! You have placed 5th in the challenge, and have been added to the Astronaut Corps. These are yours, Commander: Congratulations! Feel free to fly more and reward yourself with more badges! - - - Updated - - - Awesome Naito! I'm glad to see you are still in the shuttle business! The STS would not have existed without your pioneering efforts. BTW, this is definitely yours: - - - Updated - - - I saw! Awesome! I like the story!

Default fuel, and no cargo?

Mulbin has his MunBug. He's no longer here but he made it to 11 iterations. I wonder what STS-11 will look like...

Looking forward to it! - - - Updated - - - Nice shuttle! I've not had time to do anything but test solids at the moment. I'm not a fan of tweakscaled stock parts, but I applaud the design of your wings! Very innovative. I actually took your idea and tried to come up with some mk 3 wing configuration. I came up with an AWESOME one but not realistic (hey it had unrealistic gaps with wings floating out in space, but who cares, right? it looked awesome!) I too four mk3 strakes along the side of the fuselodge and then spaced out the rear strakes and a mk3 wing to fit the standard NASA shuttle wing profile. Looked great. I didn't test fly it, but if anything it showed me that once Squad comes up with better fitting mk3 wing parts, they will look very awesome! Right now, mk3 wings are each like they were designed by a different subcontractor with no information sharing on final design. heh. I hope to test your craft when I get a moment to install Tweakscale. - - - Updated - - - Air brakes? Hmm.. I might double up the tail rudders and set a hotkey to make them act as brakes on landing just like the real shuttle... - - - Updated - - - All: my solids are working great... except i'm running into design flaws. The amount of struts to keep the clipped boosters from wobbling is exponentially increasing the part count. That, and with 8 solids per booster, I can design a single booster with 16 struts, but when attached to the main shuttle stack, the struts go all wacky and are impossible to fix without some weird bug that create 9 struts for 8 boosters, with the 9th magically appearing unconnected on the other solid booster. Very frustrating. I ran into this problem pre 1.0 so I figure it's a long running bug. I may have to report it if its not already. I also tried to cover my booster stack with a single inline fairing, but to no avail either. For now the emptied liquid tanks act as a skin, but again it adds to the part count. Currently I'm at 306-336 parts for the STS-5 with solids depending on solutions. Also the SRBs are too heavy for the three chutes to adequately recover them. Argh. SRBs are just a part count explosion scenario at this time, no matter how much the cookie is cut. I thought I could reduce my wing part counts with the new aero, and I have... by about 20 parts bewteen STS-4 1.0.2 and the STS-5E Prototype (SRBs). frustrating. but hopefully a solution will be found!

I am glad that you like it! Let me know if you have any questions. - - - Updated - - - Is this your updated one on KerbalX? Looks fantastic! Worthy of an OP mention! - - - Updated - - - those are beautiful! I have a new desktop background now. Thank you! Wow, nice station too! - - - Updated - - - Thank you! I do post to YouTube. I only use twitch for the video takes. When I release STS-5 Independence and STS-5E (Solids) I will post a vid on YouTube.

Ok. i guess its not THAT well known. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/108219-STS-4-Space-Shuttle-1-0-2-%28Stock-NASA-Replica%29-UPDATED-STS-for-KSP-1-0-2%21-5-2-15

Add my STS.

its the only place to find crafts easy and with a focus on detail and easy to manage if you have your own crafts. its the kerbalstuff of craft files.

The second test flight of the STS-5 Prototype. I missed the flight profile for a 200km orbit as I was just gawking at the beauty of the flight, and barely made orbit with the STS Fuel Pod in the bay, but I did it! http://www.twitch.tv/inigmatus/v/4676549 As you can tell it's just a concept flight. I haven't added rear booster sepatrons yet, and the struts are not finished on the solids, so the collision with the wing was somewhat expected, and some solid parts baring their wobbliness is also expected. That the shuttle still made orbit in 1.0.2 aero is a testament to its engineering.

Muhahahaha.... Success!! Solid boosters (Inigma Industries Proprietary) lifted the STS-5 Prototype shuttle and 42 ton STS Fuel Pod to 200km orbit with 700 units of monoprop left, meaning I probably could have gone to 300km... STS-5 prototype: im dancing 'cause I finally met the performance of STS-4 ... with SOLID boosters. This was a proof of concept. Successful on the first, second, and every try. Wow. Now down to the perfectionist details, and waiting to see what Squad's going to do about stock aero. - - - Updated - - - Only downside? 321 parts empty bay. vs 267 for the current liquid model. I might just include this as a sub, but the linkages are so finicky they aren't predictably going to work as a sub. Maybe a separate download.

Thank you! Glad you like it! I'll be releasing it as STS-5 once they fix aero again.

cool! i will check out RCS Build Aid then. as for the mk3 wings, they are unfortunately not easily matching to real NASA size and profile. they need further tweaking. for mod players that's not an issue. i like your shuttle! - - - Updated - - - easy. use RCS Build Aid to adjust your thrust vectors vs remaining torque. Add SAS modules to compensate the greatest amount of torque your craft will ever normally face. tip: design the shuttle heavy, and test your torque values with the heaviest configuration at all stages of flight. - - - Updated - - - Columbia, by all means, if you have solids you'd like to add to an STS varient, go for it! I'd love to see what you come up with. My only frustration with solids pre 1.0 was their lack of performance to participate in the lifting of the STS Fuel Pod subassembly to orbit.

Thanks. I'm considering solids for STS-5. I have some proprietary solid boosters I've been saving since STS-1... I just need RCS Build Aid to perfect their inclusion if I can.

Updated and balanced shuttle for KSP 1.0.2 to lift 42 tons to 200km orbit and return (hey if it flies ok in KSP 1.0.2 is should fly even better when Squad fixes aero again, eh?). Link in my sig.

STS-4 Space Shuttle for KSP 1.0.2 published. Not called STS-5 until Squad fixes aero, and RCS Build Aid updates so I can perfect torque values. Shuttle rated to carry 42 tons (orange and yellow loaded fuel tanks) to 200km orbit and back to KSC. A slight downgrade, which may require archiving current winners and starting with a new leaderboard. For now, enjoy testing her out. Once Squad fixes 1.0.2 aero, this thing should perform a lot better. Maybe even better than .90 STS-4.