Constellation Mission Packs Discussion Thread!

[Raptor9]

8 minutes ago, Majorjim said:

So. Much. Time. To. Make... Losing.. Mind.. slowly..

 Ha ha, that's what I told a colleague of mine from work that wants to get into KSP.  I told him it was a great game, but use caution.

...once you go down the rabbit hole that is Kerbal Space Program...

[pTrevTrevs]

Took some time today after releasing the Cobra to work on Constellation. I tried launching an NTR on an Ares V, only to find out that it's too heavy fully fueled. I don't know of anything I can do to make either the NTR or the rocket lighter, I need the DeltaV on both. The one solution I came up with is to launch the NTR with half the fuel on board, then launch a fuel tanker to pump in the other half in orbit. This seemed like a good idea at first, but then I realized that the pack needs three NTR stages, which means three fuel tankers. Three extra launches.

This is going to be a pain to dock to the NTR too.

[Majorjim!]

2 hours ago, pTrevTrevs said:

it's too heavy fully fueled

I assume that is the propulsive stage? It should use nuke engines, three of them. You can then remove all the oxidizer. That plus the mid-ship removable tank will be more than enough for Duna and back.

[pTrevTrevs]

7 hours ago, Majorjim said:

I assume that is the propulsive stage? It should use nuke engines, three of them. You can then remove all the oxidizer. That plus the mid-ship removable tank will be more than enough for Duna and back.

Ah... I... Uh, forgot that they changed nukes to only use liquid fuel. Good, that ought to fix it.

Edited July 7, 2016 by pTrevTrevs
Oops, liquid fuel, not nuclear!

[Majorjim!]

Just now, pTrevTrevs said:

Ah... I... Uh, forgot that they changed nukes to only use nuclear fuel. Good, that ought to fix it.

I make that mistake all the time man. Hopefully yeah that will help! The Ares V was going to be capable of about 110t to orbit I think.

[NSEP]

I always change my plans, I made a new service module (Because the Benelux Space Program is dead) instead of the direct lander: 

Spoiler

A better look at the actual SM: (Top part)

Spoiler

And dont think i re-did my lazy work, no no no! I made a carrier module (That carries Modules from planet A to planet B ). 

(Wich has around 4/5Km of delta-V if not docked with Belle and 2,8Km of delta-V if it is docked

Spoiler

And i also actually docked it with Belle real quick. Just to check this out. I did make a direct lander prototype, but that was in another SaveGame, not in the actual NSEP one:

Spoiler

Edited July 9, 2016 by NSEP

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

51 minutes ago, NSEP said:

(sorry for eating all the page space, can someone tell me how 2 make those spoiler things?)

There's a little button that looks like an eye in the editor bar.  Click that, and...

Spoiler

Tada!

 

[Majorjim!]

On 07/04/2016 at 9:51 PM, Majorjim said:

Losing.. Mind.. slowly..

Ok.. I have finished the latest aero-shell. Phew.. I have three working aero-shells now all different and I don't want the work to be wasted so I will be releasing those as well as the one I will use for the main pack. I actually really wish I could use the procedural stock fairing but it just cannot be aero-braked for EDL without resorting to an unrealistic 'fix'..

I have a feeling it will take about a month to write the release thread of this pack!

 So at last I can get to work on the Ares V. and maybe possibly finish this damn thing!

[Raptor9]

1 hour ago, Majorjim said:

I have a feeling it will take about a month to write the release thread of this pack!

 So at last I can get to work on the Ares V. and maybe possibly finish this damn thing!

That is a downside to making a very complex mission architecture like the Constellation series.  A lot of documentation and explanation is probably needed for anybody that downloads it...or just kick them out of the nest and tell them to "go SPACE".  But I hope you finish it before you lose your mind.  Getting such a big project out the door is pretty gratifying after all the engineering, design and testing that goes into it.

[Majorjim!]

Just now, Raptor9 said:

That is a downside to making a very complex mission architecture like the Constellation series.  A lot of documentation and explanation is probably needed for anybody that downloads it...or just kick them out of the nest and tell them to "go SPACE".  But I hope you finish it before you lose your mind.  Getting such a big project out the door is pretty gratifying after all the engineering, design and testing that goes into it.

This is true, but after it's all done and the mission flown, pics taken videos made it will be a pleasure to write up about how it was made and how to fly each craft. I want to make a cinematic and maybe another video showing different parts of the craft in more detail.

 

[NSEP]

13 hours ago, Mad Rocket Scientist said:

There's a little button that looks like an eye in the editor bar.  Click that, and...

  Reveal hidden contents

Tada!

 

Thanks you alot! XD

Spoiler

It works!

 

[NSEP]

What do you peeps think is inside of here? Its special, handy, and small compared to her bigger sister:

Tip: There are 2 of her sisters orbiting Earth, one of wich is from China.

[Majorjim!]

48 minutes ago, NSEP said:

What do you peeps think is inside of here?

Something not related to the constellation missions? Just teasing!

 Umm.. is it an entire space station? Like a mini ISS?

[NSEP]

4 minutes ago, Majorjim said:

Something not related to the constellation missions? Just teasing!

 Umm.. is it an entire space station? Like a mini ISS?

Ur right! She is a Mini Space Station, called Marloes, and she is kind of constellation mission related. Marloes is a mini spacestation that people will send to other planets to research the planet in space. And it can also function as a habitation module for the long journey's! All in one launch! (You still need to dock it with the carrier though, and im scared the carrier does not have enough delta-v, so i will make a heavier one)

[Majorjim!]

Just now, NSEP said:

She is a Mini Space Station

I like it! That's exactly the kind of thing NASA will use for the first manned Mars missions. Nice work mate.

[Majorjim!]

I did a 'shake down' run of my Ares 1 last night to test the RCS system and boy are my docking skills rusty.. I've spent so much time just building.. I will need some more practice before I fly the full mission as it requires a metric tonne of docking manoeuvres. The Orion itself is great and if I just fix the camera behind it it is quite easy to dock.  

[NSEP]

5 hours ago, Majorjim said:

I like it! That's exactly the kind of thing NASA will use for the first manned Mars missions. Nice work mate.

Thanks! The return module is actually included in the launcher, wich is kind of weird.

2 hours ago, Majorjim said:

I did a 'shake down' run of my Ares 1 last night to test the RCS system and boy are my docking skills rusty.. I've spent so much time just building.. I will need some more practice before I fly the full mission as it requires a metric tonne of docking manoeuvres. The Orion itself is great and if I just fix the camera behind it it is quite easy to dock.  

My dockings skills where once really rusty too. I practiced by building a small space station for the lolz. I tried docking with a tiny service module thing in different ways, and boy i got that skill! Just try the same thing multiple times, in different ways, and then you will slowly realize its getting much much easier, but if the launch takes a long time somehow, you could always use a little bit of HyperEdit, just to skip the complicated and/or laggy parts.

BTW: if you want to take a look at my small station, here it is!

Spoiler

Built in just a few hours, not too long, not too short.

 

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

Does anyone know whether the DTV was to have been reused over multiple missions?

[Raptor9]

44 minutes ago, Mad Rocket Scientist said:

Does anyone know whether the DTV was to have been reused over multiple missions?

There was a multitude of possible missions and applications for the NTR Space Transportation System (I assume you meant that by Duna Transfer Vehicle?).  @Majorjim and I both have referenced this document to get further insight into how many applications the "Copernicus" and/or it's various configurations could be used.  Reusability was among possible mission configurations.

If you don't want to skim through the 34-page document; in a nutshell, it could have been used for Lunar missions, near-Earth asteroid missions, as well as Mars missions of course.  Different travel trajectories and tank combinations were also looked at, to include split missions.  In a split Mars mission, the propulsion and propellant tank components of the "Copernicus" were sent ahead of the crewed version.  This allowed the crewed version to expend more propellant for a one-way transit that would have been faster.  After arriving at Mars, it would rendezvous with the ERV "Copernicus" (Earth Return Vehicle), and decouple the forward hab section and redock with the ERV.

I'm still looking at ways to make my EV-4 'Longship' derivatives more modular, namely the crew module sections to accommodate different equipment for lunar or asteroid missions, like an MMSEV-alike vehicle.  Just not sure if it's worthwhile at the moment.

Edited July 12, 2016 by Raptor9

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

6 minutes ago, Raptor9 said:

There was a multitude of possible missions and applications for the NTR Space Transportation System (I assume you meant that by Duna Transfer Vehicle?).  @Majorjim and I both have referenced this document to get further insight into how many applications the "Copernicus" and/or it's various configurations could be used.  Reusability was among possible mission configurations.

If you don't want to skim through the 34-page document; in a nutshell, it could have been used for Lunar missions, near-Earth asteroid missions, as well as Mars missions of course.  Different travel trajectories and tank combinations were also looked at, to include split missions.  In a split Mars mission, the propulsion and propellant tank components of the "Copernicus" were sent ahead of the crewed version.  This allowed the crewed version to expend more propellant for a one-way transit that would have been faster.  After arriving at Mars, it would rendezvous with the ERV "Copernicus" (Earth Return Vehicle), and decouple the forward hab section and redock with the ERV.

I'm still looking at ways to make my EV-4 'Longship' derivatives more modular, namely the crew module sections to accommodate different equipment for lunar or asteroid missions, like an MMSEV-alike vehicle.  Just not sure if it's worthwhile at the moment.

Thanks!  I'll probably make mine reusable then.

[Raptor9]

Here's a quick configuration example (and part shameless plug ).  The Block 1 is a Duna expendable vehicle (lacking enough propellant to capture into LKO at the completion of it's mission), and the Block 2 is a Duna reusable vehicle.  A little more gas is all she needed. 

     

Edited July 20, 2016 by Raptor9
repaired img url

[Majorjim!]

4 minutes ago, Mad Rocket Scientist said:

Thanks!  I'll probably make mine reusable then.

I think you mean back to back missions? This I am not sure about. I have not read about possible in-orbit refuelling of the transfer vehicle but certainly it was proposed that that design could be used for many different mission types. 

[Raptor9]

Just now, Majorjim said:

I think you mean back to back missions? This I am not sure about. I have not read about possible in-orbit refuelling of the transfer vehicle but certainly it was proposed that that design could be used for many different mission types. 

That is a good point.  One of the assumptions about the NTR-STS reusability was that an in-orbit propellant storage infrastructure would have been established to support such operations.

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

Look what I found:

This is from a game called Moonbase Alpha.  It's free and is developed in part by NASA.  The game isn't that great itself (From what I can tell after about 5 minutes playing it) but it does have this Altair model in it.  

[pTrevTrevs]

10 minutes ago, Mad Rocket Scientist said:

The game isn't that great itself

Hey! That game has the best text-to-speech system I've ever seen in a gane!

Just kidding, MRS is right, the game sucks.