TD Industries Orion bits [Alpha]

[TiktaalikDreaming]

I'm starting a thread to keep this stuff slightly separated from Nyrath's thread.

Releasing parts for the 10m Orion craft from the early 60's. Primarily the upper craft components designed by General Atomics for NASA use, that should work on the USAF Engines (nearly identical to the "for NASA" engine designs). I'm basing my parts on compatibility with Nyrath's Orion drive mod, http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/28428-Orion-aka-Ol-Boom-boom

They should (mostly) work as normal spacecraft parts as well, although some parts are probably a teeny bit heavier than is normal. It's that use of inch thick plate steel and almost foot thick plates of depleted uranium shielding and so on that really does it. But apart from an intention to later add internal bomb storage to Nyrath's engine, I'm not messing with the Orion engine itself. Just providing the parts that were originally designed to go along with the drive when General Atomics was trying to sell the idea to NASA/USAF.

Download links;

Engine parts: http://spacedock.info/mod/149/Orion%20TD%20Edition

Upper stages: http://spacedock.info/mod/148/TD%20Industry%27s%20Orion%20bits%2010m

 

For the engine side of things, this is now continued over at 

 

Edited April 30, 2017 by TiktaalikDreaming
Docking

[Sampa]

Any pics? There's a general rule here: no pics, no clicks

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Test Orbit with updated parts

[Sampa]

Looks great. Btw, what i said earlier, i don't necessarily care if there's a picture or not. If it's interesting enough, I'll download it. I just brought that rule up because others are not so flexible about it.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Looks great. Btw, what i said earlier, i don't necessarily care if there's a picture or not. If it's interesting enough, I'll download it. I just brought that rule up because others are not so flexible about it.

No worries. I was actually adding the pic on the first post while you were writing that. Read your comment just after I saved my post edit with a pic. I'm at work though, so I only have pics I've publicly shared via steam so far.

This forum topic pretty much exists because there's no-where on Kerbalstuff to ask questions or post pics.

[CptRichardson]

Nice. Depending on their eventual state, I might use them.

Not as Orion components, of course, but as the central core of a massive Extraplanetary-Launchpads built deep space mothership with Porkjet's nuclear mainsails for drive systems.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

[TiktaalikDreaming]

This is all current release except it has the semi-completed (unreleased) bunk room between the control station and the upper spine fuel tank.

Still getting quite a bit of flexing at the junction between the escape vehicle and main accommodations. Something isn't strong enough yet. :-( Maybe making that engineplate/shielding piece 40 tonnes wasn't the best idea ever.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Minor update 0.20

Added the bunk rooms for the escape vehicle and a Misc lower spine piece that has some lab functions.

Quick test flight.

[UnstableOrbit]

These are beautiful! I am going to be keeping an eye on this mod!

[TiktaalikDreaming]

An actual part for the RCS Thruster pack that isn't a Squad part with a slightly changed cfg file.

The attachment point is currently not right (forgot to change it), and I'm not 100% sold on the size yet, but it's basically working and no longer a case of me republishing Squad's parts.

[Sampa]

Looks cool, thus far! Keep up the good work!

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Just found out about RCSFX module, so the rcs block will probably convert to using that soon (Flames!!).

And I think I'll add a two way forward and reverse block with some more juice. That way you'll be able to make small changes with docking mode without having to resort to nuking whatever you're trying to get close to.

Which reminds me. Need a "we brake for no-one" bumper sticker flag.

[Sampa]

Which reminds me. Need a "we brake for no-one" bumper sticker flag.

No, you need a bumper sticker like what is on the back of the Lonestar's Winebago (Spaceballs reference) (not an exact thing as that would be a ban, but just a silly quip)

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Just found out about RCSFX module, so the rcs block will probably convert to using that soon (Flames!!).

"Soon" may have been optimistic. Seems no-one knows how to write config for it.

Soonish.

I have a much beefier forward and reverse only RCS in test that should be good for docking, provided plenty of fuel. (a test escape vehicle with 24 of them launches itself in the air from sea level using only RCS, then runs out of fuel at about 1km up)

And shrinking the existing RCS.

- - - Updated - - -

Testing RCS

- - - Updated - - -

RCS Detail

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Updated to include the RCS with a reduced thrust. So, the four-way RCS block is now half the strength of the stock Vernor thrusters, but in 4 directions. The 2 way dual is two nozzles each way with the same thrust as the vernor, so it's essentially double vernor thrust.

Also, got around to indenting the solid rocket positions in the upper engine plate.

And added an 8-man re-entry pod. Orion doco has very little info on the re-entry pod. It appears in some drawings with "8-man earth reentry vehicle" and it's drawn in at about a 4m diameter and about 1m height. Which doesn't make a lot of sense. This reentry vehicle is 4m diameter and about 1.6m tall. For anyone building Orions, it's drawn in attached flat face inwards up against the stacks of propellant magazines.

8-man pod subject to change without notice.

[wasml]

Very nice! downloading...

[TiktaalikDreaming]

I've been working on a few things. I haven't had much time recently, but I have the beginnings of a core+wedge system for the main compartments. The core piece is looking good, but only one test wedge so far, and I haven't tackled the multi-45-degree wedges yet. So not 100% sure how I'll do those yet. Also working on redesigning the lower engine plate for the escape vehicle. I'm thinking it has too many parts. At most, I'd like to see an engine plate,and engine and solid rocket boosters, then the decoupler. So I've been merging the lower engine plate section into the engine and rejigging some bits.

Anyway, I think this shows the wedge system nicely;

[Nothalogh]

core+wedge system for the main compartments.

Aww Yiss.

This is gonna be good.

Any plans for making it compatible with tweakscale? For building the 100,000 ton Orion Cruiser of course

[TiktaalikDreaming]

I think TweakScale compatibility is simply a case of a config or ini file or something for TweakScale to know about the parts, but I'm not sure.

The larger Orions were designed very differently though. I am intending to at least get to the USAF Orion Battleship design as well, which should scale upwards better. Although it'll be more made up.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Updated the mod on KerbalStuff to include the new modular cabins.

[Sampa]

Hey, just wanted to say that I am glad to see that this has not caused you do give up and let the mod die! I eagerly await the end result! (I am watching!)

[TiktaalikDreaming]

I doubt I'll be giving up anytime too soon. My activity level may vary. Especially while I hurridly backup my HDD after getting scary notifications about SMART detection thingies.

But, modular wedge things will help greatly for expanding into the 10m 20-Kerbal accommodations. Which I'm kinda looking forward to.

[Nothalogh]

The larger Orions were designed very differently though

All the drawings I have ever seen had roughly the same planform, except for the early "fat bullet" design.

Not that that "fat bullet" layout lends itself very well to KSP's style of modular construction.

If there were other designs that I somehow missed, please post the drawings.

I would love to see them, and I suspect others would as well.

Edit:

Found this, http://nextbigfuture.com/2009/02/updated-project-orion-nuclear-pulse.html

But they seem to be iterations of the fat bullet

Edited March 23, 2015 by Nothalogh

[hieywiey]

Where do I put the reentry capsule?