[1.12.5] Bluedog Design Bureau - Stockalike Saturn, Apollo, and more! (v1.14.0 "металл" 30/Sep/2024)

[cameronisher3]

24 minutes ago, OrbitalManeuvers said:

WAG: you recently installed KSP Community Fixes?

It was indeed installed when the issue cropped up, although I'm not sure how close to when the issue appeared I had installed it

[ILLOMIURGE]

On 1/4/2022 at 1:58 PM, Cheesecake said:

I understand which experiment isn`t working. But please specify your problem. What happens if you start the experiment? Are you in the right height? Which KSP version? Which BDB-version (Release or Dev-branch)? Screenshots? Logs? Please read the linked post "How to get support".

Nothing happens. Push the button and nothing happens. Low orbit, high orbit - nothing. 1.12.3, latest dev build.

[taniel0401]

3 hours ago, pTrevTrevs said:

There should already be white variants of all the command module parts in the dev branch, along with Skylab and boilerplate variants.

You're a lifesaver! Many thanks... the parts being revamped made it a bit difficult... but managed to make it work in the end. 

 

Spoiler

Tyche capsule on a test flight, sporting the new white nose assembly. Thanks to this great mod!

 

[Cdodders]

Messing around with different Saturn based LVs, which may or may not have been historical designs.

 

[rockettime03]

Kitbased Saturn C-3 (first and second stage tanks are from NFLV)

[Cheesecake]

2 hours ago, ILLOMIURGE said:

Nothing happens. Push the button and nothing happens. Low orbit, high orbit - nothing. 1.12.3, latest dev build.

And did you read my posts completly? How to get support?

Again:

 

[Jcking]

2 hours ago, ILLOMIURGE said:

Nothing happens. Push the button and nothing happens. Low orbit, high orbit - nothing. 1.12.3, latest dev build.

Do you have DMagicScienceAnimate installed?

[rougeaux]

While playing around with the MagPie Mods set of TexturesUnlimited configs by @Skonks, I noticed that with the latest version of BDB, a lot of the parts appeared to be missing the SHINEY (or, more accurately, some parts didn't use a shader and therefore looked weirdly matte.)  I poked around through the config and found that it was missing a ton of parts that had presumably been added since the config was made, along with a number of parts that had their names changed.

So, in the interest of SHINEY, I rebuilt the config to include the new and/or changed parts.  Basically, I created a list of all the models in the BDB folder ("dir /b /S *.mu > models.txt"), copied the list into the MagPie config, then sorted the models based on whether they were metallic (Atlas balloon tanks, engines, some Apollo stuff), less-metallic (almost everything that could have been painted), or non-metallic (parachutes and heat shields).

How does it look?  SHINEY.

Spoiler

Before:

After:

The JPL SOF fairing and interstage use the "LessMetal" shader while the rest uses "FullMetal".

Here it is, in all its glory.  Save it as "BDB.cfg" and use it to replace the file in  your GameData/MagpieMods/TU_Cfgs folder.

[pTrevTrevs]

Apollo 15 Part 2: Exploration at its Greatest:

One of the primary objectives of Apollo 15's operations at Hadley-Apennine is the discovery of anorthosite, a type of igneous rock which, although not rare by any stretch of the imagination, would serve to validate one of the leading theories about the Moon's geological history. As the hypothesis goes, the lunar maria were formed by vast lava flows which erupted during the Moon's geologically active period. As volcanic activity engulfed the lowlands pieces of the original crust, composed mainly of anorthosite, is thought to have broken loose and floated to the surface before coming to rest on the new mare's surface. The highland regions of the moon are already known to be anorthositic in composition, but if a piece of anorthosite could be uncovered in a mare-covered region like Hadley the origin of the dark lunar seas could be firmly cemented.

EVA 2 will explore the surrounding highlands, namely Hadley-Delta, as well as begin the search for anorthosite on the valley floor. EVA 3 will take the astronauts westward into the Imbrium basin, where it is hoped anorthosite may be more abundant if none is found in the vicinity of Hadley. Either way, the next two days will be extremely busy for all three astronauts, as the CMP continues his schedule of lunar observation from orbit.

 

Quote

EVA 2:

Descending Falcon's ladder for a second time, the two astronauts climb aboard their rover and begin the drive to the southern edge of the valley. This time they're going a little further east than yesterday, hoping to investigate the nearby mountain.

Pretty soon the ground starts to rise up, and the rover begins to struggle up the challenging terrain.

No Apollo moonwalker has ever been so high above the surface, and unless the terrain at Descartes or Tsiolkovsky turns out to be higher than it appears, none will ever be so again. A nearly thirty degree slope, however, is making it continually more difficult to scale the slopes, and the moonwalkers elect to turn back before they make a mistake which could strand them on the mountainside. Regrettable, because the LRV's TV camera picked up a promising looking rock just a little further up the moutain.

The rover descends by a more easterly route which passes by a prominent crater. Seeing nothing of particular interest at the site and behind schedule from the unexpected difficulty of climbing Hadley-Delta, the crew press on and come to a scheduled stop on the plain a little ways past the crater. Here they disembark and begin sampling.

On the way to a second stop, however, they notice something like a small pedestal just off to the right...

"I think we found what we came for"

Indeed, this rock is a chunk of anorthosite, placed before them almost as if they were meant to find it. Chipping off a sizable chunk, the LMP delicately places it in a sample container labelled No. 15415. Back on earth it will become affectionately known as the Genesis Rock. Originally thought to be a part of the Moon's primordial crust, later analysis would determine this to be untrue. Even so, the rock is still one of the earliest lunar samples yet recovered, formed approximately four billion years ago during the lunar pre-Nectarian period, that is before the impact which formed Mare Nectaris. An incredible find, to be sure.

Upon arriving back at the LM, the crew erects the American flag. Apollo 15 is the only lunar mission in which the flag was not raised on the first EVA.

Following that, they make a short visit at the ALSEP site to check up on the station.

The commander also uses a drill to take a deep core sample. The machinery proves more difficult to operate than expected, and the core tube can only be inserted partway into the surface.

With these chores done, the crew return to the LM for the night, clocking in EVA 2 at just over two hours.

Aaand, Command Module break!

Endeavour makes one of her periodic plane-change burns to keep her orbital track over the landing site, in case an emergency liftoff becomes necessary.

 

Quote

EVA 3:

The following day, the crew emerges onto the surface for a record-breaking third time. Today they will drive the rover about five kilometers to the west, into Imbrium proper, where they hope to collect lowland material to compare to that from previous missions.

Now, I had to drive way further west than Apollo 15 did historically because my objective was to collect science from the Mare Imbrium biome, which doesn't extend into Hadley. There's no way a lunar rover could have made this drive for real, but in KSRSS anything is possible.

Having arrived at their furthest station a little under five kilometers from Falcon, the crew disembark and go through the routine that is by now second nature to them. Photograph, document, comment, sample, store, repeat.

On the return journey, the astronauts sample another piece of anorthosite.

One last stop at the ALSEP allows the astronauts to perform a final checkup on the instruments and recover the core sample from yesterday's activities.

Before closing out the final EVA, the mission commander performs a little science experiment of his own. Using the sample drill and a small feather, he demonstrates Galileo's theory of gravitational attraction by dropping both objects and watching them fall to the ground at the same speed. The rover's camera captures the entire thing, and it soon becomes one of the more endearing memories of the Apollo 15 mission.

Once that's done, however, he drives the rover to its final parking spot about one hundred meters southeast of Falcon, where it will record video of the lunar liftoff later today.

Once back at the LM, his LMP ascends the ladder to help load samples and other equipment for the return journey, as well as dispose of any garbage or other dead weight such as the now unnecessary PLSS backpacks.

After a short break, the ascent countdown kicks off, and in no time at all Falcon is orbitbound.

A controller in Houston operates the LRV's television camera to make the first recording of a lunar liftoff.

Meanwhile Endeavour awaits the lander's return in orbit, and before docking the astronauts aboard the LM photograph her with her SIM bay displayed in full detail.

The reunited crew jettison Falcon, and then spend the next two days in lunar orbit, completing the aerial reconnaissance program laid out for the mission. Also during this time the PFS-1 subsatellite is deployed from the service module.

Endeavour now sets to work photographing two sites which had been in darkness when Falcon landed on the Moon. Copernicus, the prominent crater in the center of Oceanus Procellarum, is currently the favored target for the last landing of the program. To have Apollo 19 or 20 set down near the crater's central peak would be a fitting grand finale for an extraordinarily successful program.

The other site encompasses two points of interest; the unusually bright crater Aristarchus and the neighboring Schroter's Valley. Schroter is a sinuous rille much like Hadley, only much larger. Especially intriguing to geologists is the broad tadpole-like head at the valley's end. This winding canyon, combined with the shining gem of Aristarchus itself, is the prime landing site for Apollo 18.

After two days of observation, Endeavour lights her SPS and heads for home.

Unlike previous flights, however, the crew's work isn't done quite yet. the day following TEI, the command module pilot exits the CM's hatch to perform an EVA the likes of which has never before been attempted.

Although much less glamorous than his crewmates' work on the plains of Hadley, the CMP's task is still crucial. In order for the SIM cameras' film reels to be returned to Earth they must be physically recovered by hand. This task will take about half an hour, under ideal circumstances, although Houston is willing to grant some leniency to allow the spacewalker to enjoy himself.

Author's Note: Honestly, this kind of spacewalk must have been one of the most amazing things an Apollo astronaut could have hoped to do. It must have been enough to make the CMP's seat almost envied by some...

Surrounded  by the blackness of space, the spacewalker can still see the waxing Moon receding behind him.

As he works his way back up the service module, the LMP stands in the hatch to assist and photograph him. His work completed, he crawls back inside for the two-day journey home.

On today's issue of "Yeah nah mate, can't be bothered replicating that", the Apollo 15 parachute failure. Historically, the command module's hydrazine valves sprung a leak during descent, burning a hole through one of the parachutes and seriously threatening another.

Luckily the Apollo spacecraft was capable of landing on two chutes and the crew is promptly recovered, safe and ready to sign some unapproved stamp covers...

 

Up next, Apollo 16 and the seriously most underrated moon mission in history. Fight me Apollo 15 fans, John Young cometh; and quickly at that....

Edited January 7, 2022 by pTrevTrevs

[TaintedLion]

2 hours ago, pTrevTrevs said:

Apollo 15 Part 2: Exploration at its Greatest:

One of the primary objectives of Apollo 15's operations at Hadley-Apennine is the discovery of anorthosite, a type of igneous rock which, although not rare by any stretch of the imagination, would serve to validate one of the leading theories about the Moon's geological history. As the hypothesis goes, the lunar maria were formed by vast lava flows which erupted during the Moon's geologically active period. As volcanic activity engulfed the lowlands pieces of the original crust, composed mainly of anorthosite, is thought to have broken loose and floated to the surface before coming to rest on the new mare's surface. The highland regions of the moon are already known to be anorthositic in composition, but if a piece of anorthosite could be uncovered in a mare-covered region like Hadley the origin of the dark lunar seas could be firmly cemented.

EVA 2 will explore the surrounding highlands, namely Hadley-Delta, as well as begin the search for anorthosite on the valley floor. EVA 3 will take the astronauts westward into the Imbrium basin, where it is hoped anorthosite may be more abundant if none is found in the vicinity of Hadley. Either way, the next two days will be extremely busy for all three astronauts, as the CMP continues his schedule of lunar observation from orbit.

 

 

 

Up next, Apollo 16 and the seriously most underrated moon mission in history. Fight me Apollo 15 fans, John Young cometh; and quickly at that....

If you wanted to make your CMP spacewalk truly authentic you should have given him the commander helmet, since they wore the commander's EVA visor.

[ILLOMIURGE]

7 hours ago, Jcking said:

Do you have DMagicScienceAnimate installed?

Of course I do. As I said, everything works fine except OAO experiments.

[Zorg]

4 hours ago, rougeaux said:

While playing around with the MagPie Mods set of TexturesUnlimited configs by @Skonks, I noticed that with the latest version of BDB, a lot of the parts appeared to be missing the SHINEY (or, more accurately, some parts didn't use a shader and therefore looked weirdly matte.)  I poked around through the config and found that it was missing a ton of parts that had presumably been added since the config was made, along with a number of parts that had their names changed.

So, in the interest of SHINEY, I rebuilt the config to include the new and/or changed parts.  Basically, I created a list of all the models in the BDB folder ("dir /b /S *.mu > models.txt"), copied the list into the MagPie config, then sorted the models based on whether they were metallic (Atlas balloon tanks, engines, some Apollo stuff), less-metallic (almost everything that could have been painted), or non-metallic (parachutes and heat shields).

How does it look?  SHINEY.

  Reveal hidden contents

Before:

After:

The JPL SOF fairing and interstage use the "LessMetal" shader while the rest uses "FullMetal".

Here it is, in all its glory.  Save it as "BDB.cfg" and use it to replace the file in  your GameData/MagpieMods/TU_Cfgs folder.

While of course people are free to do with their game as they like, personally I think Magpie's indiscriminate treatment of metallic shaders is quite frankly horrible.

The upcoming update of BDB will feature TU configs for the apollo capsule and skylab with custom PBR textures (as opposed to just broadly applying the shaders in config).

Beyond that if users would like more TU configs for parts I would recommend removing Magpie and using Bellabongs TU configs for stockalike parts. Bellabong has implemented these configs properly, applying metallic shaders only to metal, masking off paint where its necessary, using important PBR maps such as a smoothness map etc.

https://github.com/Bellabong/Bella_TU

see how the painted parts are not shiny. Pics are from @Bellabong themselves.

Use of roughness/smoothness map to give micro detail to the surface reflectivity

Paint and metal are masked and not every metal is overly shiny though they will still have the expected metallic specularity (also compared with IRL)

Edited January 7, 2022 by Zorg

[Reimu Hakurei]

I don't know  what happened,  but this new development SM Engine don't looks normal

[Zorg]

9 minutes ago, Reimu Hakurei said:

I don't know  what happened,  but this new development SM Engine don't looks normal

You need to have waterfall or realplume installed for proper plumes. (waterfall is default and is a soft dependency).

Stock type plumes will probably be fixed at some point but its not our recommended setup.

[pTrevTrevs]

9 hours ago, TaintedLion said:

If you wanted to make your CMP spacewalk truly authentic you should have given him the commander helmet, since they wore the commander's EVA visor.

I thought about it, but figured it might be too confusing. Maybe next time though.

[CAPFlyer]

Quick question as I just did the first of the "quartet" launches for the Poppy-based probes in the History of Spaceflight contract pack.  You've added the additional Poppy probes, but there's not the 4-spot plate that they mounted them on.  Any chance we can get that added?

 

Here's an illustration showing it - https://www.thespacereview.com/article/4174/1

[Entr8899]

9 hours ago, ILLOMIURGE said:

Of course I do. As I said, everything works fine except OAO experiments.

You're not answering the question. Nobody can help you if you give us such little info. Read through how to get support and post your logs, then and only then will someone be able to diagnose your issue and help you accordingly.

[OrbitalManeuvers]

re: LEM-DPS engine and engine ignitions

I understand the role of the SPS switch is primarily for the VFB scenario, and so 3 ignitions makes perfect sense. I was hoping to plead a case for a more generalized usage of that engine in the SPS role. The Kane SPS has 50 ignitions. I'm guessing that ignitions can't be adjusted based on the B9 switch, so I don't have a great suggestion other than just increasing the number a little? Like for an orbital rendezvous and docking scenario I wouldn't want less than 5. Anyway, this is an easy custom patch I can do locally, but since we're in development time I thought I'd throw in a suggestion.

[Zorg]

21 minutes ago, OrbitalManeuvers said:

re: LEM-DPS engine and engine ignitions

I understand the role of the SPS switch is primarily for the VFB scenario, and so 3 ignitions makes perfect sense. I was hoping to plead a case for a more generalized usage of that engine in the SPS role. The Kane SPS has 50 ignitions. I'm guessing that ignitions can't be adjusted based on the B9 switch, so I don't have a great suggestion other than just increasing the number a little? Like for an orbital rendezvous and docking scenario I wouldn't want less than 5. Anyway, this is an easy custom patch I can do locally, but since we're in development time I thought I'd throw in a suggestion.

This is based on real world data. Generally by checking the RO master configs and following up on original sources they have linked in the comments. I think if you want to do more you can do it as a custom patch. You can create a variant that has more ignitions using B9ps module switching. Er you should be able to see the syntax for this with the Agena engine I think.

Edit: Er rethinking this perhaps worth adding them into the SPS mesh switch as suggested. I'll have a think about how many more to add.

Edited January 7, 2022 by Zorg

[biohazard15]

1 hour ago, CAPFlyer said:

Quick question as I just did the first of the "quartet" launches for the Poppy-based probes in the History of Spaceflight contract pack.  You've added the additional Poppy probes, but there's not the 4-spot plate that they mounted them on.  Any chance we can get that added?

I second that.

In the meantime, you can use Rana mounts from Tantares:

(Superquick build, needs some extra Move magic to fit better, but you get the idea)

[CAPFlyer]

Yeah, I've done similar.  I used the Vanguard short decouplers (with the decoupler shutoff) and a station module endplate (can't remember which one) to make it "look" right.  Worked out because with the SURCAL 2 "block" (a resized INJUN 1) I used the tall Vanguard decoupler on the connection node.

[ILLOMIURGE]

So, Space Dust is the thing that breaks OAO telescopes. Seems like problem with compatibility.

Sorry, but log is too big for pastebin, so here is Google Drive link: Player.log

[dave1904]

What does the fairing extension length part switch do? I cannot see a visual difference.

[biohazard15]

12 minutes ago, dave1904 said:

What does the fairing extension length part switch do? I cannot see a visual difference.

You can't see the difference because you haven't added any extra segments 

[dave1904]

Just now, biohazard15 said:

You can't see the difference because you haven't added any extra segments 

I do not allow myself to us more segments than the real life rockets have. Its more fun that way.