[WIP] Convair NEXUS - super heavy Earth Launch Vehicle

[KAO]

Looks amazing! seriously, I never thought a project of this scale would come this far.

This may be nitpicking though, but the position of those control thrusters seems a bit off in the sense that it phases right through the spherical tanks. I dunno how it's supposed to be, but that's what reference pictures are for I guess.

[SmashBrown]

Finally, something to go in colossal rocketry node in the CTT. Look forward to this .

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Looks amazing! seriously, I never thought a project of this scale would come this far.

This may be nitpicking though, but the position of those control thrusters seems a bit off in the sense that it phases right through the spherical tanks. I dunno how it's supposed to be, but that's what reference pictures are for I guess.

There's quite some issues with those control rockets. In Convair's diagrams they are mostly positioned at a join between spheroids, and in one diagram there's a hint that there's structure to take the thrust forces that links through to the central tank. But they're always drawn in way too small. Each cluster should be capable of 2 million pounds of thrust, but they're drawn in like glorified RCS nozzles. So, the diagrams don't help an aweful lot.

Once upon a time I did a more shaped base that would fit nestled into the lumpy toroid, but in the end it just made for more polygons for no good reason. And mostly looked crap, so I scrapped it. I'm still not sold on the existing base, but I can't think of better alternatives that fit with Convair's diagrams.

[MaverickSawyer]

I'm still not sold on the existing base, but I can't think of better alternatives that fit with Convair's diagrams.

Then Kerbalize it!

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Then Kerbalize it!

This sort of exposed frame might look better. Thoughts?

[LaydeeDem]

This may just be the prettiest thing I have seen. Looks about 500x better than my attempt at making this beast rocket haha

[MaverickSawyer]

http://i.imgur.com/78tjiwQ.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/YvXcpcc.jpg

This sort of exposed frame might look better. Thoughts?

WANT.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

WANT.

This may just be the prettiest thing I have seen. Looks about 500x better than my attempt at making this beast rocket haha

I think that counts as two for and none against. Might need a bit more than streaky blackish texture map. But I'm liking the more minimal thing as well.

Texture

Edited July 31, 2015 by TiktaalikDreaming
Adding screenshot

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Updated to v1.0

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I'm unhappy with the 60foot (would be 120f in RL) LH tank, so will probably change that, or at least fix the collider at future date. Also the 60f fairing isn't updated like the 35f one.

Community tech tree config only about 60% done. But the rest is pretty much release worthy.

Nexus, for all your enormous payload lifting!

[Shad0wCatcher]

Oh no I was just going to try to locate the old old definitions when KSP-I still defined them and compare to CRPs since I know at least back when it was maintained by its original author he tried to maintain correct unit masses. The oldest install I have backed up on this laptop for KSP-I is 10-14-14 (I think Boris's continuation) which shows the following resources:

RESOURCE_DEFINITION
{
  name = UF4
  density = 0.005
  flowMode = ALL_VESSEL
  transfer = NONE
  isTweakable = true
  unitCost = 0.26
}
RESOURCE_DEFINITION
{
  name = ThF4
  density = 0.0042
  flowMode = ALL_VESSEL
  transfer = NONE
  isTweakable = true
  unitCost = 0.063
}
RESOURCE_DEFINITION
{
  name = UraniumNitride
  density = 0.0143
  flowMode = ALL_VESSEL
  transfer = PUMP
  isTweakable = true
  unitCost = 0.7436
}
RESOURCE_DEFINITION
{
  name = Actinides
  density = 0.005
  flowMode = ALL_VESSEL
  transfer = NONE
  isTweakable = false
}
RESOURCE_DEFINITION
{
  name = DepletedFuel
  density = 0.005
  flowMode = ALL_VESSEL
  transfer = PUMP
  isTweakable = false
}

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Working on a replacement model for the 60foot segmented tank. Noticed that the one I uploaded hadn't been converted to LH2, so I'm guessing no-one's using it. :-) It should really go on top of an uprated Nexus. So either lots more control rockets or boosters.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

v1.0.1 uploaded. And I apologize for it.

I decided a short while ago to mess with units. As all this is based on 1960s designs, even NASA was mostly imperial back then. (they're kinda half maybe metric now). But, all the sizes are in feet. And it's too damned big for KSP. But Kerbals are only about 1m tall, so I'm using the vaguely accepted half scale used by other modders that are converting real-world rockets to KSP. So, it's not 150 feet across, it's 22.86m.

But this has led to me confusing the hell out of myself, as I have a tendency to name the parts after the original sizes. EG: the 120 foot adapter. But then other times I use KSP adjusted sizes like the 35 foot tanks. So I decided that Kerbals need some old Kimperial units. 1 Kerbal Foot = 0.1524m, 17.6 Kerbal pounds to a kg, etc. That way, I can have a 70 foot tank with a 4 million pound thrust GCR, refer to it that way, and use half sizes. Thankfully the Nexus was all old-school imperial units.

But anyway, this renaming means several parts have different names from pre 1.0.1. Which means craft using those parts won't load after this update. Sorry.

V1.0.1 also has the updated 120 foot tank. A completed set of CTT configs, although they're not working for me, so I may have done something wrong.

And some various bug fixes. Like non-convex colliders for all the adapters now. Less explody fun when decoupling.

[KeithS]

Thank you for all of your efforts in creating this amazing piece of work. I was wondering if, in a future update, you might include a sub-assembly or a craft file of a completed Nexus with things? Thank you again!

[MaverickSawyer]

Okay, just built a Nexus with a Grand Cruiser as the payload...

HOLY. .....

I knew this thing was huge, but you can't GET any bigger and still fit on the pad! And I've got enough fuel in the first stage alone to carry me out of Kerbin's SoI! I've never had to say this before for some, but... I think I'm gonna need a bigger payload!

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Thank you for all of your efforts in creating this amazing piece of work. I was wondering if, in a future update, you might include a sub-assembly or a craft file of a completed Nexus with things? Thank you again!

Yes!

There was one in an earlier edition, but it kept getting stuffed up when I changed things. I'll re-add. I still need to get CTT working (it seems to stop processing the MM cfg file about 4 or 5 parts in), so I'll add a basic Nexus with and without second stage when I upload that.

- - - Updated - - -

Okay, just built a Nexus with a Grand Cruiser as the payload...

HOLY. .....

I knew this thing was huge, but you can't GET any bigger and still fit on the pad! And I've got enough fuel in the first stage alone to carry me out of Kerbin's SoI! I've never had to say this before for some, but... I think I'm gonna need a bigger payload!

They were for Lunar/Martian Colony building. I've used them to get big chunks of USI Kolony Systems stuff to Mun, and ended up with ~90% of the second stage's fuel left. That's part of why I'm building the smaller tanks. You just don't need such huge tanks in KSP most of the time. The full sized 10m Orion looks small on top of the half scale Nexus. That tells you something. :-)

[MaverickSawyer]

Yeah, it does say something.

Speaking of saying something, the first stage is eerily silent. Needs to find its voice, if you catch my drift.

- - - Updated - - -

Okay, got a repeatable structural issue here, even with Kerbal Joint Reinforcement... the 120-130 foot decoupler keeps breaking loose on one end or the other. I'm going to see if some struts can fix it... but if not, we've got a serious weak point there. It blows up half the time before you can even start the engines.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Yeah, it does say something.

Speaking of saying something, the first stage is eerily silent. Needs to find its voice, if you catch my drift.

- - - Updated - - -

Okay, got a repeatable structural issue here, even with Kerbal Joint Reinforcement... the 120-130 foot decoupler keeps breaking loose on one end or the other. I'm going to see if some struts can fix it... but if not, we've got a serious weak point there. It blows up half the time before you can even start the engines.

I'll take a look at the sounds. I may be calling a sound that doesn't exist without my pile of mods. It shouldn't be too loud, they calculated it'd be safe to launch within 20miles of people. :-)

And I'll have a look at the decoupler. That's the retro equiped one?

[MaverickSawyer]

Yup. A strut bridge fixed it for now... now I need to keep the 70-120 decoupler from tumbling after firing and taking out my upper stage engine. The gang was NOT happy when Mission Control told them that.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Yup. A strut bridge fixed it for now... now I need to keep the 70-120 decoupler from tumbling after firing and taking out my upper stage engine. The gang was NOT happy when Mission Control told them that.

Having the adapter take out the second stage rockets is usually from non perfect separation. Make sure there's no spin or acceleration. It's much more delicate than most adapters.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Yup. A strut bridge fixed it for now... now I need to keep the 70-120 decoupler from tumbling after firing and taking out my upper stage engine. The gang was NOT happy when Mission Control told them that.

I'll include this in an update shortly, but the cfg file Tiktaalik\Nexus\Fairing1\150footFairing.cfg needs the following two lines added in the main section (say just above // ----- DO NOT EDIT BELOW THIS POINT ------)

breakingForce = 200
breakingTorque = 200

The part was just plainly missing anything resembling a strength. :-/

Sounds. Sound *should* be working. The sounds called are stock KSP sounds. BUT, there's a cfg file to have MM edit in RealPlume visuals etc that might be stuffing that up. So, if you don't use RealPlume (doubly true if you use SmokeScreen but not RealPlume) remove Tiktaalik\Nexus\RealPlumeConfig.cfg, see if that gets sound back.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Thank you for all of your efforts in creating this amazing piece of work. I was wondering if, in a future update, you might include a sub-assembly or a craft file of a completed Nexus with things? Thank you again!

OK, just the first stage;

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kkzpk0o8zjkmgqq/NexusBoosterStage.craft?dl=0

And first and second stages

https://www.dropbox.com/s/25triwl1n3pwpga/NexusNoPayload.craft?dl=0

The staging for the various adapters between the Nexus heatshield and whatever comes next is a bit confused according to standard KSP.

Let me know if the dropbox links don't work, I think they should be public.

[MaverickSawyer]

I'll include this in an update shortly, but the cfg file Tiktaalik\Nexus\Fairing1\150footFairing.cfg needs the following two lines added in the main section (say just above // ----- DO NOT EDIT BELOW THIS POINT ------)

breakingForce = 200
breakingTorque = 200

The part was just plainly missing anything resembling a strength. :-/

Sounds. Sound *should* be working. The sounds called are stock KSP sounds. BUT, there's a cfg file to have MM edit in RealPlume visuals etc that might be stuffing that up. So, if you don't use RealPlume (doubly true if you use SmokeScreen but not RealPlume) remove Tiktaalik\Nexus\RealPlumeConfig.cfg, see if that gets sound back.

Both fixes are good. I have sound and structural integrity, and I hadn't noticed the lack of exhaust plumes, also caused by the RealPlume config issue.

That said, might want to change the Control rockets to some other smoke plume than the SRB plume, especially if they're supposed to be LH2/LOX.

[KeithS]

OK, just the first stage;

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kkzpk0o8zjkmgqq/NexusBoosterStage.craft?dl=0

And first and second stages

https://www.dropbox.com/s/25triwl1n3pwpga/NexusNoPayload.craft?dl=0

The staging for the various adapters between the Nexus heatshield and whatever comes next is a bit confused according to standard KSP.

Let me know if the dropbox links don't work, I think they should be public.

Both links worked fine and thank you so very much for sharing this!

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Both fixes are good. I have sound and structural integrity, and I hadn't noticed the lack of exhaust plumes, also caused by the RealPlume config issue.

That said, might want to change the Control rockets to some other smoke plume than the SRB plume, especially if they're supposed to be LH2/LOX.

Good to hear.

I'll check the smoke on the control rockets. At one stage I remove smoke altogether from the rockets. LH2/LOX generates very little. But I've been running with RealPlume until release testing, and it has no smoke for it's LH2/LOX plumes, so I actually added the smoke back in to see if RP would generate a bit of smoke then.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Updated to remove smoke altogether (again) from the LH2/LOX engines. Also tweaked the effects if using RealPlume.

And added extra stack nodes to the top of the procedural fairing pieces. It helps to make sure you're small towns don't fall apart when taking off.