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

[Jcking]

1 hour ago, RocketBoy1641 said:

Anyone else run across stuff that isn't locked behind privileged access or pay access, please share.

The JSTOR papers you can make a free account and get to read 100 or so per month. However you are given the pages as images so go to your page info or inspect element to grab them and save them. IEEE, AIAA, SAE stuff you can usually find on NTRS for the modern stuff (1990-) if they were actual NASA papers and not by contractors. Beyond that search up the name of the paper in quotations and you might come across another website that hosts it for you to download for free (though I cannot vouch for the trustworthiness of said site(s)).

As for sites with freely accessible papers: NASA Technical Reports server, Internet Archive, Hathitrust, OSTI, UNT government documents department. 
Listings has around 12,000 pages of NTRS numbers and titles which some plugged into the webarchive using the old CASI link format (like the ones in my previous post) will bring back captures of documents which are either difficult or impossible to find any other way.

Edited September 10, 2022 by Jcking

[RocketBoy1641]

31 minutes ago, Jcking said:

The JSTOR papers you can make a free account and get to read 100 or so per month. However you are given the pages as images so go to your page info or inspect element to grab them and save them. IEEE, AIAA, SAE stuff you can usually find on NTRS for the modern stuff (1990-) if they were actual NASA papers and not by contractors. Beyond that search up the name of the paper in quotations and you might come across another website that hosts it for you to download for free (though I cannot vouch for the trustworthiness of said site(s)),

Aware of NTRS; but sadly the timeframe that I really like to get ahold of tends to be lacking.  Also, there is so much stuff that NTRS doesn't cover since it was contractor ideas.... but when it is paid for by tax dollars and as old as I am looking for (Gemini to early shuttle period) I don't see why that stuff is not covered other than the "if we pull it from public domain we can sell it!" ideas.

[Jcking]

9 minutes ago, RocketBoy1641 said:

Aware of NTRS; but sadly the timeframe that I really like to get ahold of tends to be lacking.  Also, there is so much stuff that NTRS doesn't cover since it was contractor ideas.... but when it is paid for by tax dollars and as old as I am looking for (Gemini to early shuttle period) I don't see why that stuff is not covered other than the "if we pull it from public domain we can sell it!" ideas.

Internal contractor ideas that never even made it to the restricted/limited distribution/classified section of NTRS were either lost, destroyed, or still in boxes in company, museum, or college archives; or even someone’s attic.

Edited September 10, 2022 by Jcking

[Blufor878]

7 hours ago, Beccab said:

While browsing old IPP docs I found something very interesting with a ton of Skylab-like stations configurations:



(from here, a document wrote in 1970)
Other than a nice EOSS representation and a few designs that I can trace back to a Boeing study ("Saturn V Single Launch Space Station and Observatory Facility", the study itself seems to have died in 2012 but it's been pasted in its entirety in the post in the link with images included); however, between some more famous designs like MORL, LORL and the standard orbiting workship I count at least 7 different configurations that I have never seen before:
- 3 man IOWS (interim orbital workshop)
- 6 man clustered IOWS
- 6 main IOWS (presumably a later configuration of the first)
- B-2 W.S. (B-2 workshop)
- BSM (???)
- ISS (interim space station?)
- EALM - AES - MMM (????)

There's also the 5 year manned SS, but I presume that one is simply an initial Skylab version back when they thought the CSM fuel cells would have been perfectly good to power it

Does anyone know anything about these configurations ( @Pappystein maybe)?  Google/NTRS unsurprisingly doesn't find anything interesting about these names, with the exception of the IOWS which still doesn't explain much about them however. The clustered IOWS looks fantastic, I'd love to know more about it

Also also, here's in the same document a fantastic drawing of a very rare Skylab sized modular space station (top right)


 

Used the BDB Skylab components to build my interpretation of MORL (first entry on first picture).

Almost certainly not accurate to the original proposals, but I loved the overall shape.

[Zorg]

10 hours ago, Blufor878 said:

Used the BDB Skylab components to build my interpretation of MORL (first entry on first picture).

 

Almost certainly not accurate to the original proposals, but I loved the overall shape.

Proper MORL is planned probably after Voyager Mars. Things kinda slow for me right now as Im on some extended travel. 

[Blufor878]

4 minutes ago, Zorg said:

Proper MORL is planned probably after Voyager Mars. Things kinda slow for me right now as Im on some extended travel. 

Wait, you mean you guys are planning to make MORL parts for BDB!?

Also take your time. Hope you have fun on your trip.

[Zorg]

44 minutes ago, Blufor878 said:

Wait, you mean you guys are planning to make MORL parts for BDB!?

Also take your time. Hope you have fun on your trip.

Yup. I think that will the last set of BDB space station parts (for KSP1 at least).

[RocketBoy1641]

4 hours ago, Zorg said:

Proper MORL is planned probably after Voyager Mars. Things kinda slow for me right now as Im on some extended travel. 

Well, that isn't always the case.  Travel can make for lots of planning time.  I hope it doesn't turn into THAT sort of trip though.  And just a mention of planned MORL and Voyager Mars warms the heart.  In ways I think KSP lends mire to the addition of 'paper project's better than any other sim game.

[Blufor878]

Random thought I had. I was looking through pictures of the Apollo CSM. I had seen these pictures before, but never really paid them too much mind.

I know it's just part of the assembly phase, but I kinda thought the metallic/protective film blue had a neat aesthetic. And you guys already have multiple skins for the capsule and other parts in BDB, including some speculative ones...

Also, not to produce controversy, but despite what happened, I also felt the Apollo 1 capsule had a neat aesthetic as well.

Just an idea I wanted to share. You guys already have your work cut out for you with the existing stuff. The last thing I'd want to do is make things more complicated.

[Blufor878]

On 9/9/2022 at 4:02 PM, Beccab said:

 

Trying to make a station based on the one on the left.

Also my first screenshot gives you the sneak peek at the Jenga tower of parts mods I have installed that somehow work together because of sheer optimism, duct tape, and presumably Jesus.

Edited September 11, 2022 by Blufor878

[AdrianDogmeat]

Need to deliver a high-profile payload? Simply use a Saturn INT-17 

(plus some cool probe screenies because who doesn't love them)

Spoiler

 

[Blufor878]

10 minutes ago, AdrianDogmeat said:

Need to deliver a high-profile payload? Simply use a Saturn INT-17 

(plus some cool probe screenies because who doesn't love them)

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Love this interpretation of INT-17. Are those the plug nozzle engines on the first stage?

[AdrianDogmeat]

12 minutes ago, Blufor878 said:

Love this interpretation of INT-17. Are those the plug nozzle engines on the first stage?

Yeah it's the J-2T Aerospike

[Blufor878]

1 minute ago, AdrianDogmeat said:

Yeah it's the J-2T Aerospike

mmm...aerospikes, and with a side of SOFI textures!

[Rutabaga22]

WOuld you consider adding the MOOSE?

 

[biohazard15]

Atlas? What's Atlas?

(Also: E-1!)

It seems that Titan I struggles to put Mercury in orbit in KSRSS 2.7x, so I've added a shortened 45K.

[pTrevTrevs]

1981: The Long Haul:

 

January 1981: TRS-1, delivered to Skylab last October, is undocked to make room for the newly-launched AARDV 6, delivering supplies to the Skylab 10 expedition, currently a month into their half-year long stay aboard the station. It will remain in a parking orbit at a virtually identical altitude to Skylab while its docking port is occupied, and will return to the station when the space is available.

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Shortly after arrival of AARDV 6, the crew of Skylab 10 perform an EVA to retrieve external payloads from the cargo freighter and to take care of the regular station maintenance procedures.

 

May, 1981: America's new Space Shuttle, the Challenger, launches on its maiden voyage. STS-6, the designation for this mission, carries a new Tracking and Data Relay Satellite aboard the first Inertial Upper Stage, designed to deliver constant communication with manned spacecraft from geostationary orbit. IUS itself is a new system, featuring many advancements from the typical spin-stabilized solid-fueled upper stages such as Star-37 or the PAM-D, such as three-axis stabilization, a second stage enabling it to perform a geostationary insertion  burn, and the ability to launch large satellites and space probes from the Shuttle payload bay.

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Also seeing a debut on STS-6 is the new EMU spacesuit, designed to replace the venerable A7LB for extravehicular operations. You can read more about this flight on the Shuttle Adventures thread in Mission Reports.

 

Late May, 1981: Skylab 11 launches from LC-34, marking the beginning of a new era for NASA's Apollo division. Skylab 10 is still aboard the station at this time, nearly finished with the six-month expedition for which they were trained. Skylab 11 is itself scheduled to stay aboard the station for six months, meaning that if all goes well both crews will achieve the first year-long habitation of Skylab. This feat would provide amazing data for scientists researching the effects of spaceflight on both hardware and crew. Interestingly, Skylab 10 was originally launched for a seven-month mission, intending to set a new single-flight endurance record as well as contributing to the yearlong objective, but around four months into the crew's stay, two of the astronauts began exhibiting symptoms of mental stress. Belligerent behavior, forgetfulness, restlessness, all were signs that the crew was at their wit's end in space. The reasons were unknown to mission control; previous flights has achieved a six-month duration aboard Skylab, and this crew contained seasoned veterans, yet they nevertheless began to break down. Ultimately, it was decided to move Skylab 11 forward by a month and bring Skylab 10 home a month early. This schedule would still allow NASA to achieve the coveted year in space, but no new personal endurance record would be set by either of these flights. Regardless, Skylab 11 provided enough novelty to make up for its predecessor's shortcomings...

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The idea of a five-man Apollo dated back to the origins of Skylab itself. In 1973, the prospect of a crew becoming stranded aboard the station led to NASA preparing a specially-modified Block II CSM to rescue Skylab crews. Had the spacecraft ever flown, it would have launched with two astronauts and returned with five. Luckily, Apollo proved to be an exceptionally resilient system, and the Skylab Rescue mission was never needed, By the advent of the Space Shuttle, CSM-119 and its accompanying Saturn 1B had been fully decommissioned and donated to the KSC visitor's complex. The five-man modification of the CM interior, however, would be shelved, prepared for future use.

Two things brought about the rise of Apollo Block III+, as the five-man spacecraft would come to be named. First, the European Space Agency's contribution to NASA's manned programs during the early 1980s. In exchange for flights aboard NASA spacecraft, the ESA constructed a pair of reusable laboratory modules for the Space Shuttle, known as Spacelab, and an additional laboratory module for use on Skylab, named Skylab II or the ERM. Apollo and STS both required two pilot-astronauts to fly, and NASA was not willing to allow European astronauts to fill these positions. With this regulation leaving one Apollo seat left available for ESA astronauts, engineers began to brainstorm for solutions which would allow Apollo to compete with the Shuttle in crew capacity. The solution was surprisingly simple; combine the Skylab Rescue CM configuration with a small pressurized module carried in the Saturn 1C's SLA. This configuration provided enough volume to support five astronauts for several days of free flight, as well as several amenities hitherto not present on Apollo such as a proper toilet, an emergency airlock, and an automatic docking system. The latter would allow uncontrolled dockings with Skylab's nadir port, something previously only possible with Aardvark freighters.

Besides the introduction of the Apollo Mission Module, Skylab 11 introduced another first to the world of spaceflight; tourism. While the long-duration crew would be made up of the usual trio of trained NASA/ESA astronauts, the remaining two seats were filled by a pair of affluent civilians who paid exorbitant amounts of money to NASA for the chance to fly in space.

Aside from the Mission Module, Block III features no external upgrades. Internally, however, the spacecraft has received a total revamp. Solid-state electronics, new Ku-band communications, automatic docking software, and more lend even more versatility to the legendary Apollo design. 

Following the successful launch of Skylab 11, AARDV 6 is undocked from the station and deorbited over the Pacific Ocean, clearing the new port for the arriving crew.

Once in  visual range of the station, the crew of Skylab 10 take photographs of the new spacecraft, looking for damage on the MM or other anomalous happenings.

Testing the Block III+ docking program, Skylab 11 performs an automatic docking to the Skylab DGM, paving the way for even more advanced spacecraft in the future...

Skylab 10 and 11 share the station for around ten days after the latter's arrival. With eight astronauts (six plus two tourists) aboard, the joint expedition forms the largest crew in space at once.

After this time, the Skylab 10 crew boards the newly-arrived spacecraft along with the two space tourists and undocks from the station. Confusingly, the Skylab 11 crew will use the Skylab 10 spacecraft to return to Earth in six months' time, while Skylab 10 and the space tourists reenter aboard their original capsule. This allows a more lenient test of the Block III+ enhancements, along with a harsh test of the reliable base Block III spacecraft.

After one day of free-flight, the crew of Skylab 10 (aboard Skylab 11) performs the deorbit burn and prepares for an Atlantic splashdown.

 

July, 1981: AARDV-7 launches to resupply the Skylab 11 crew for their own six-month stint in space. Not much to say here, other than that the mission went normally:

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August, 1981: STS-7 launches from LC-39 on the most ambitious Shuttle mission yet. Attempting to demonstrate the Shuttle's ability to retrieve satellites from orbit, Challenger captures the derelict Apollo 9 lunar module Spider and returns it to Earth. Read more in Shuttle Adventures:

 

September, 1981: Intelsat 5-1 launches on an Atlas-Centaur. 5-1 is the first of the Intelsat series to be equipped with three-axis stabilization. There will be others.

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I suspect the texture on the interstage is broken because I installed the Bellabong TU configs between building the vehicle in KCT and launching it.

An in-flight anomaly ripped away one of the solar panels, however the spacecraft can perform as designed with only one.

 

Mid-September, 1981: An ordinary Delta 3914 launches GOES F to geostationary orbit. GOESF is a weather satellite designed to observe cloud patterns above a single region of the globe for long periods of time, and is built from a typical Hughes spin-stabilized bus:

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Late September, 1981: Voyager 2 arrives at Saturn. Bound for Uranus and Neptune in the years to come, Voyager 2 must follow a very particular and dangerous route through Saturn's rings which precludes the possibility of an encounter with any of Saturn's moons. As this spacecraft is not strictly BDB, I have little to say about it:

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October, 1981: Anik-C2 launches aboard another Delta 3914. Originally slated to launch on STS-7, the Spider rescue mission forced Telesat Canda to reschedule it for a late date aboard Delta 3000. A typical HS-376, this launch is honestly only barely notable:

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Late October 1981: After five months aboard the station, the crew of Skylab 11 performs an EVA to inspect the spacecraft which will return them home. No Apollo spacecraft has spent a year in space before, and NASA is concerned about Skylab 10's Apollo suffering the effects of long-duration spaceflight:

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Luckily, no damage is discovered, and Skylab 11 is cleared for return (aboard Skylab 10).

 

Early November, 1981: The new Titan 34D performs its maiden flight, carrying the final DSCS-2 satellite and the first DSCS-3 satellite. Propelling these two spacecraft to GEO is the second Inertial Upper Stage, flying once again in a plan to collect additional data before its next flight aboard STS:

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Wh

While DSCS-2 spacecraft are spin-stabilized, DSCS-3 features full three-axis stabilization, joining the increasingly popular trend of satellites that can actually maneuver themselves...

 

Late November, 1981: After six months in space, Skylab 11 returns home, flying the final baseline Apollo Block III to a safe splashdown in the Pacific.

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[Making use of the new TUFX updates,] A sequence camera is mounted in the starboard rendezvous window to record Skylab 11's reentry.

With the chutes unfurled above the Skylab 10 spacecraft, Apollo sees the end of yet another era. With the increasing capability of the Space Shuttle, Apollo will soon find itself constantly on the defensive, fighting for its very existence against the threat of reusable spacecraft. Despite the writing on the wall, the Apollo-Saturn platform continues to stick it out, serving as the sole method of reaching Skylab for the time being. Only history, however, will tell whether or not the platform deserved to live as long as it did...

 

58 minutes ago, biohazard15 said:

Atlas? What's Atlas?

(Also: E-1!)

It seems that Titan I struggles to put Mercury in orbit in KSRSS 2.7x, so I've added a shortened 45K.

 

Oh yeah, based Titan I enthusiast

[zakkpaz]

And... I'm now subbed to CobaltWolf's patreon.

 

I would have give you more but the thought you making $69 dollars a month was funny

Edited September 12, 2022 by zakkpaz

[Blufor878]

26 minutes ago, zakkpaz said:

And... I'm now subbed to CobaltWolf's patreon.

 

I would have give you more but the thought you making $69 dollars a month was funny

As you can see here, we at the ksp/spaceflight community are a mature, responsible-SON OF A-

I thought this was a fine example of being wholesome and immature at the same time…do more!

 

[GoldForest]

51 minutes ago, zakkpaz said:

And... I'm now subbed to CobaltWolf's patreon.

 

I would have give you more but the thought you making $69 dollars a month was funny

I'm required by law to say nice. 

[GoldForest]

Teaser image: Test launch of the Saturn C-8B

[Kass__XAP]

Saying goodbye!

[Blufor878]

Wait, DAD!?

Sorry @benjee10...

[CobaltWolf]

9 hours ago, zakkpaz said:

And... I'm now subbed to CobaltWolf's patreon.

I would have give you more but the thought you making $69 dollars a month was funny

If it stays around that level we can cover all our subscriptions + some money leftover for replacing peripherals as needed. I might need to try and get the funding to go up a little for KSP2, since we'll probably need a substance license to make parts that are visually in line with the stock ones.

[Kass__XAP]

Thor Ablestar & Transit 5BN + 5E

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