TD Industries Orion bits [Alpha]

[TiktaalikDreaming]

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

The USAF (as opposed to NASA) targeted designs were different.

These are from http://www.up-ship.com/eAPR/ev1n5.htm and are Lowther's work based on what he calls rough sketches and descriptions. Note, in that image there are 3 craft, with first the full craft with lofting rockets, then compressed (the pusher plate was compressed during lofting, and the "springs" provided separation), a cut-away view and an extended pusher plate view.

Use of the space inside is speculative at best. The USAF designs have not been declassified/released.

- - - Updated - - -

Where do I put the reentry capsule?

On the side of the lower spine.

see,

[TiktaalikDreaming]

I've just updated the mod to include extra spine options. 3x replacement spine plus magazine frames. And a part to side mount payload.

[CptRichardson]

Would it be possible to include EPL workshop, converter system, communications center, and other wedges for part of the modular bunk system? (Thus giving actual modules to play with)

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Would it be possible to include EPL workshop, converter system, communications center, and other wedges for part of the modular bunk system? (Thus giving actual modules to play with)

I take it those are items for integration with other mods?

Realistically, the "Control" centre double size wedge should be more a comms centre and mission control, as it wasn't shielded, so it was never to be used when the ship was under "power".

Not sure about converters. The "lab" space is in the Orion specs as "Workshop and Labs", with the expectation of extensive facilities for parts fabrication and replacement etc. I suspect what I need to do is figure out what you're talking about and add modules to the existing command and lab wedges, and maybe make an extra module for "converter".

- - - Updated - - -

Updated to include some side mounts, fixed up the escape engine, stiffened up the lower spine parts, and added a couple of cargo options (neither of which are particularly useful, but I'm testing animation, not making useful parts). For cargo, I recommend the side attachable 3.75m mounts and if you want it shielded, the mk3 stock cargo modules at the moment.

[wasml]

Would it be possible to include EPL workshop, converter system, communications center, and other wedges for part of the modular bunk system? (Thus giving actual modules to play with)

I'm thinking with a ModuleManager cfg you could take the appropriate sized wedge and convert to just about anything you need - the only thing would be any IVA wouldn't change without some model work.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

I'm thinking with a ModuleManager cfg you could take the appropriate sized wedge and convert to just about anything you need - the only thing would be any IVA wouldn't change without some model work.

The IVAs are all still just default squad things so far.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Added the 20m pusher plate edition of Nyrath's Orion mod to my mod collection.

I made this to see if I could mess with the meshes etc and still have the module work. The answer was yes, which means it flys, but the stack nodes are not scaled, there's no texture etc etc. but a few people seemed a bit interested in it, so I uploaded it.

The reason I wanted to see if I could mess with the meshes was to take Nyrath's 10m Orion and rip the top off it. Then add a teensy bit of internal detail, and provide pulse unit floor structures to cap it off with. The Orion designs included around 900 pulse units internally, at the top of the engine unit, not part of the magazine stacks that currently have all the units. So, I've been thinking about different ways of attacking the problem of adding an internal storage (these layers also held necessary gases and so on, and a complicated loading mechanism, plus of course the gas cannon to fire the pulse units. So, what I'm working on is a shorter engine unit with exposed innards and "upper floors" of loading mechanisms that will eventually be of differing "pulse yield".

Oh, and a test case for an upper loader frame for fitting out your own choice of spine pieces. For all those like me who keep getting low on manoeuvring fuel.

Edited May 23, 2021 by Snark
Link to defunct website removed by moderator

[TiktaalikDreaming]

[Nothalogh]

>20m Orion

Now we're talking

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Uploaded another mod to hold my hacking up of Nyrath's 10m USAF Orion.

- - - Updated - - -

Nothalogh said:

>20m Orion

Now we're talking

Well, I did a 100m, but you can't see most of the craft. You can kind of build a few bits on top of the middle of the craft, but it's pretty darn hard to do much of anything else with a 100m engine in the kerbal hangers.

Also, using only those central areas to build the craft means no balanced stuff out to the edges, which means turning is a serious ...... In case turning something over a thousand tonnes wasn't going to be bad enough already.

And I'm using the hanger extender mod.

Edited May 23, 2021 by Snark
Link to defunct website removed by moderator

[Nothalogh]

It's fookin beautiful, now all that's needed is the fat bullet upper structure and a barge to launch it from

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Updated the 10m Orion disassembled mod.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

OK, 2 parts now have completed textures.

http://imgur.com/gallery/KMnIR/

The main engine part has about 6 separate meshes, with many different types of texture, bump maps etc etc. Most of the remaining textures should flow fairly quickly after all that.

Edited April 19, 2015 by TiktaalikDreaming
making link work

[Nothalogh]

Now this is looking good

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Just a quick update to let people know that I'm aware this is all broken in v1.0. Unfortunately I have a job thing that I have to go to during the day, which usually requires subsequent drinking ethanol enriched beverages when I get home, which does eat into my modding time as well. I'm only barely getting to grips with some of the changes from a player perspective, having spent a good 20 min in game since the release of 1.0, so it may be some time before I fix up the cfg files, and probably longer before parts get the new texture format (which doesn't seem to be required at all, but hey, it looks like a damned good idea).

AND

These parts only make sense sitting on top of a 10m Orion, which currently doesn't seem to work and I don't know if I can swing my brain around to looking at that. Hell, the audit office asked me to audit the security of the electoral office while the electoral office is asking me to migrate their security, and the hell if I know what's the hell is going on, and spending time working that .... out while the audit office is still fighting with premier's over ownership of their firewall, and the auditor leaving for greener pastures makes me wonder if I should just look for greener pastures as well, and I haven't really considered where I'd start looking at the code to make an orion work.

I think that's confusing enough that I side stepped any information disclosure limitations. I know it's confusing the hell out of me.

[Jiraiyah]

any news about 1.0 or 1.0.2 ? patiently waiting for an update here lol

[TiktaalikDreaming]

any news about 1.0 or 1.0.2 ? patiently waiting for an update here lol

I'm waiting for the module at the core of this (see http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/28428-Orion-aka-Ol-Boom-boom) to function in 1.x Once Nyrath has his mod working I can fix this one up as well.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

any news about 1.0 or 1.0.2 ? patiently waiting for an update here lol

I have a test set of parts. I won't be uploading anything until Nyrath's Orion mod is working. There's not a lot of point having extra heavy, sturdy parts for a spacecraft to go on top of an Orion engine that doesn't work.

I will say the new stack/attach nodes both required significant rewriting for the wedge cabin units, but that they also now make sense. Which is nice.

In the meantime I'm working on the Nexus rocket (would have been used to loft Orions out of the atmosphere etc), and some second stages that could double as second stages for the Nexus or the Orion.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

This is updated and shifted to half scale. Kerbals are short, and we'll ignore the physics bits that don't scale.

[percyPrune]

You wait months for an Orion and 2 come along at once!

Apologies - hadn't realised your bits were in additon to Roverdude's. Going to build something using both

Edited September 28, 2015 by percyPrune
Being an idiot and not RTFM

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Those who haven't noticed, should take a look also at Roverdude's Orion. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/135061-ALPHA-Project-Orion-Nuclear-Pulse-Engine

It approaches the issue differently but also satisfies the cries for "stockalike". Still alpha, but roverdude doesn't tend to mess around.

[Falcon Coupe]

Are the loader pieces meant to have pulse units built in to them? I can only get the engine to work if I stack magazines on top.

I can switch between the different pulse sizes I have in the magazines and have them work, but not in the loaders.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Are the loader pieces meant to have pulse units built in to them? I can only get the engine to work if I stack magazines on top.

I can switch between the different pulse sizes I have in the magazines and have them work, but not in the loaders.

Yep. Loader pieces should have 138 pulse units each. I'm not sure why they might be not turning up, unless the pieces aren't properly attached. What version are you using?

[Falcon Coupe]

Yep. Loader pieces should have 138 pulse units each. I'm not sure why they might be not turning up, unless the pieces aren't properly attached. What version are you using?

I just tested again with version 0.30.2 and it worked. I think the problem was that I mixed up the action groups previously.

Is there any way to make the options in the action group editor a bit easier to use? Maybe by arranging the options in order of power, clearly labeling duplicates (I have a few and am not sure which one I need each time), and if it's possible, only show options for available size pulse units.

The right click menu in game also doesnt seem to work for switching feeds, which would be handy.

I do love your mod though, just toasted a test vehicle accelerating too quickly off the pad! And I have to throttle back and drop pulse unit sizes for my 6,000t fuel depot lifter or I toast it too. I love it!

[TiktaalikDreaming]

I just tested again with version 0.30.2 and it worked. I think the problem was that I mixed up the action groups previously.

Is there any way to make the options in the action group editor a bit easier to use? Maybe by arranging the options in order of power, clearly labeling duplicates (I have a few and am not sure which one I need each time), and if it's possible, only show options for available size pulse units.

The right click menu in game also doesnt seem to work for switching feeds, which would be handy.

I do love your mod though, just toasted a test vehicle accelerating too quickly off the pad! And I have to throttle back and drop pulse unit sizes for my 6,000t fuel depot lifter or I toast it too. I love it!

The renaming of pulse units to create an order is a very good idea. I was just sitting here considering renaming for nominal Kerbal tons of TNT, rather than the KN, so it matches full scale human kt yield. That way I could keep the same names for Realism Overhaul, with 8x impulse. Renaming so they're in order would greatly simplify things, I agree.

The right click menu is something I've actually never seen work. It worked prior to 0.9, which is when I got KSP (yay for Steam sales). I keep meaning to have a look, but that sort of thing is exactly the sort of programming I don't yet have any idea about. I think (maybe excluding some balancing tweaks) I have a reasonable set of adjustments for atmospheres now, so I can look at it next.

The difference in an atmosphere is huge. It makes NTR ISP atmosphere curves look flat. The numbers I have (for a 4000 tonne Orion) are that they'd launch with 0.15kt yield devices. By the time they exited the atmosphere, to get the same thrust, they would have switched to 5kt. The difference also seems to get more dramatic as things get bigger (I didn't model that). So, I've used a 1 atmosphere = x13, and vacuum = x1 for impulse. Based on a cube-root of density (I suspect it's more linear, but this limits craziness in higher density atmospheres). But that's the numbers I got for a 4000 ton craft. The larger craft had multipliers more like x300.

Note: With the atmospheric effects updated to include a "are you flying through the nuclear fireball" check, you'll likely overheat and explode if you try using the orion to brake in an atmosphere. And, if using Realism Overhaul, you need to boost up to speed before engaging the drive (I think this is due to changes in how heat is handled, it's not intended).