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

[CobaltWolf]

15 hours ago, KerbolRacer21 said:

pls do for ksp 1. I'm waiting till ksp 2 is finished to buy it. Also could you please expand to curseforge?

My point was mostly in reference to, if we ever did do said probes, it would be years in the future and the conversation would likely be very different.

More broadly, I (and I can only speak for myself, not the other team members, though they seem to mostly agree) decided a long time ago to try and limit the scope of BDB to Apollo-era craft and things directly derived from them, ie, not shuttle or modern era. Yes, I am aware there are plenty of exceptions to that rule in the mod already. That's partially to try and keep our to-do lists manageable (it gets depressing when you have a ton of things you want to do, but making things always takes way longer than you think), and also to leave room for other modders that want to carve out their own niche. My personal feelings haven't changed on that matter. 

As for CurseForge, I honestly don't even know what that is. It was added after my time.

[GoldForest]

6 hours ago, CobaltWolf said:

limit the scope of BDB to Apollo-era craft and things directly derived from them

*Whistles innocently*

[CobaltWolf]

29 minutes ago, GoldForest said:

*Whistles innocently*

If we're playing that card, I can't imagine requiring that sort of lift capacity in KSP1. KSP2, on the other hand...

 

Also, on that note:

Spoiler

This was just sort of an experiment/test now that there are some good unofficial tools and tutorials, please don't take it to mean that BDB1 has ended or BDB2 has started.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 8 by CobaltWolf

[Zorg]

Some more Atlas updates

the chronological order is reversed here, from left to right: Atlas D, C, B and two version of Atlas A. Of course all the other core tank variants such as the derivatives of Atlas D, E/F, II, III all to be done so loads more work lol.

 

 

 

 

[GoldForest]

20 hours ago, CobaltWolf said:

If we're playing that card, I can't imagine requiring that sort of lift capacity in KSP1. KSP2, on the other hand...

 

Also, on that note:

  Reveal hidden contents

This was just sort of an experiment/test now that there are some good unofficial tools and tutorials, please don't take it to mean that BDB1 has ended or BDB2 has started.

 

 

 

 

 

Ahem.... other star system mods... 

That is all. 

...

But in seriousness, the Big Nova would be great for interstellar missions. Or heck, even doing single launch to planet missions such as Jool. I admit, the use cases are niche, but if you make it, they will be used. I guarantee it. Also, the modding community will love you more for it, because big rocket = moar rocket = best rocket.

Also, I was wondering if someone would try to jerry rig BDB into KSP 2. Really wish Intercept would drop those modding tools and bring back gamedata or at least an easy to access modding folder.

1 hour ago, Zorg said:

Some more Atlas updates

the chronological order is reversed here, from left to right: Atlas D, C, B and two version of Atlas A. Of course all the other core tank variants such as the derivatives of Atlas D, E/F, II, III all to be done so loads more work lol.

 

Is that a Saturn themed Atlas? Or an actual official paint scheme used on a select one or few launches I don't know about? 

Also, been meaning to ask, is the original 2 engine engine mount going to be made? 

[Zorg]

1 hour ago, GoldForest said:

Is that a Saturn themed Atlas? Or an actual official paint scheme used on a select one or few launches I don't know about? 

 

It was an actual scheme on some Atlas A launches. (I need to recolour the top of the avionics pod, it was a bit faded in the reference picture I was looking at earlier)

 

Atlas 10A on pad--Tower Away box by SDASM Archives, on Flickr

1 hour ago, GoldForest said:

Also, been meaning to ask, is the original 2 engine engine mount going to be made? 

I believe the 4th picture I posted answers that question already

[GoldForest]

2 minutes ago, Zorg said:

I believe the 4th picture I posted answers that question already

Ah, so it does. I'm blind. My apologizes. 

Hmmm. What about a fictional Atlas Copper scheme for the early Atlas? 

Edited March 9 by GoldForest

[septemberWaves]

What is the function of the pipe that sticks out below the Atlas skirt, and why was its shape changed after Atlas A?

[GoldForest]

32 minutes ago, septemberWaves said:

What is the function of the pipe that sticks out below the Atlas skirt, and why was its shape changed after Atlas A?

The big pipe is a discharge pipe for the tanks. Something about efflux. 
The small pipe is the turbopump overboard pipe. 
Why they were changed, idk.
Probably to fit the center better slash work with new ground equipment/launch pad. 

Edited March 9 by GoldForest

[Zorg]

36 minutes ago, septemberWaves said:

What is the function of the pipe that sticks out below the Atlas skirt, and why was its shape changed after Atlas A?

Gas generator exhaust pipe for the booster engines. As for why the shape changed? Who knows... theres a million small differences among different Atlas variants. This was one that I happened to notice and was feasible to model due to the way the meshes and textures were split

The pipe is positioned where it is since the turbo pumps for the booster engines were located centrally in the skirt.

The early MA-1 power pack had a shared turbo pump and gas generator for the boosters, from that point on they each had a separate pump (but still co-located in the center of the skirt) but shared gas generators.

The exception is the Atlas E/F engines, the MA-3 pack, where the USAF wanted the engines to be easily removable for maintenance independently. So those engines are completely separate with all their machinery located near the engine bell like a typical engine. This is also why the Atlas E/F booster skirt is significantly different in shape to accomodate the bulkier engine package.

Here's an Atlas F with independent boosters

You can see the Atlas E/F skirt shape on the far right here (this was before I modelled the pipe on the other skirts)

Edited March 9 by Zorg

[dave1904]

Im just after realising how tiny atlas is compared to other manned orbital rockets. 

[BorfoandShnogs]

The Atlas series has to be my most favorite rocket family, and I am so happy to see all the new models that are currently being worked on. Keep up the good work!

[AlphaMensae]

6 hours ago, dave1904 said:

Im just after realising how tiny atlas is compared to other manned orbital rockets. 

That's what balloon tanks will do.  I believe it was designed to be compact for transport aboard an aircraft and for storage.

[Saturn1234]

On 2/13/2022 at 7:50 PM, Beccab said:

The Integrated Program Plan (1969)
Manned martian landing, part two


This second part of the mission shows on the real focus of the Integrated Program Plan manned mars mission, which is arrival, landing and return. Most of the text here is paraphrased from the original presentation of the IPP to Nixon's space task group which can be found here:
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/19690804_manned_mars_landing_presentation_to_the_space_task_group_by_dr._wernher_von_braun.pdf

The mission starts right from where the last post ended, with the acceleration of the twin spacecrafts  by the two side nuclear shuttles to trans-Mars injection velocity. These are then shut down, separated from the planetary vehicle and then retro-fired to place them on a highly elliptic path returning to the original assembly orbit altitude. After a coast of several days, the nuclear shuttles arrive at the original assembly orbit altitude and are retro-fired again to place them into a circular orbit where they rendevouz with their refuelling depot for reuse in geosynchronous or lunar missions.

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The ability of man to withstand a zero gravity environment for periods of time exceeding a few weeks was still an unknown at the time. Because of this, the option to provide artificial gravity for the crew during the planetary trip was kept open, and in case early missions indicated the need for artificial gravity the two spaceships could be docked end-to-end and rotated in the plane of the longitudinal axis during extended coast periods.

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During the outbound coast to Mars of approximately nine months, the crew conducts experimental activities such as solar and planetary observations: solar wind measurements, and biological monitoring of the crew, test plants, and animals. At the end of this period, final space vehicle checkout for the Mars orbit insertion maneuver is followed by the retro-fire of the nuclear engine to place the planetary vehicle into an elliptical Mars orbit. The orbit at Mars is elliptical both to reduce fuel requirements for the mission and allow a wider range of planet coverage by optical observations at the cost of requiring a beefier ascent stage on the lander

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MMU inspired from this:

The various Viking landers of IPP provided important clues concerning the existence of life on Mars, but did not fully answer the questions as to the possible pathogenic nature of such life. Hence, on the first manned mission, it was be desirable to obtain surface samples prior to the actual human landing and subsequent contamination of the planet, using 12 sterile sample return probes carried on the transfer spacecrafts.

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Sample gathering and launch:

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Once the analysis has revealed no significant biological hazards, the Mars Excursion Module can then proceed to the surface and the samples could be returned to Earth for more detailed analysis, along with the more selective (but perhaps Earth-contaminated) samples obtained by the crew. It's time for three brave people then board the MEM, undock from the main spacecraft and prepare for reentry

Houston, Acidalia base here. The MEM has landed!

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The Mars surface activity on the first mission is similar in many ways to the one of Apollo 11. Notable, however, is the much longer stay time (30-60 days per MEM), thus allowing more extensive observations, experimentation and execution of mission scientific objectives. Surface operations include experiments to be performed in the MEM laboratory as well as the external operations on Mars' surface.

A small, life-support augumentation rover also allows trips to interesting surface features beyond the immediate landing area.

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After 30 days have passed, the crew returns with 90 pounds of samples inside the ascent stage of the MEM and prepares for liftoff. In case the ascent engine doesn't relight and the crew is stranded the second MEM is launched with only one person on a rescue mission; but luckily, that isn't the case here either

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Docking:

At the completion of the 80-day period at Mars, the ascent stage and remaining MEM are discarded and transfer spaceships will begin the return leg of the journey. The nuclear stage is ignited for this propulsive maneuver, boosting each spaceship out of Mars orbit. With the extensive Mars exploration activities behind them, the crew at this point can begin a more thorough analysis of the data and samples gathered at Mars, and prepare for the next major milestone of the trip - a close encounter with the planet Venus.

As the twin spacecrafts gain speed and near the closest approach of the Venus flyby, four entry probes are deployed to study the atmosphere of the planet in what is effectively the last phase of the mission before returning to Earth while the crews conduct radar mapping of the surface

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Two years have passed since the people on board last saw the Earth, and the time has come for the mission to end: the nuclear stages activate for one last time, bringing the crew into LEO to dock to the space base that is waiting for their arrival.


The year is now 1983: there are orbiters around mars and venus, massive space stations in lunar orbit and GEO, rovers on Mars and more than 50 people have landed on the Moon. And now, the first people in history have returned after setting foot on Mars, with many more to follow.

This is what the Integrated Program Plan was

 

Oh, and I almost forgot -  here you go
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1uH4D8O1CBUDfKZugCmUAIEy0pl9ta3xS?usp=sharing
There's a lot of required mods - Tantares, BDB, OPT, ConformalDecals, Cormorant, Restock, the SSME variants plugin and X-33/Venturestar are the first that come to my mind, but there may be more

I'll try to get it on kerbalx too if necessary

Where did he get that MEM heat shield? Where is the balloon from?

[Cheesecake]

1 hour ago, Saturn1234 said:

Where did he get that MEM heat shield? Where is the balloon from?

 

[GoldForest]

So, I did a quick and dirty copper color conversion on the Atlas D, just to see what a copper Atlas D would look like. Hope you don't mind @Zorg 

I don't really have any photoshopping skills, so this was really quick and dirty. A simple "Recolor" in Paint.net.

And of course, I did an oxidized version as well, because why not.  I know a copper rocket would never reach oxidation of this level, but hey, I think it looks good. 

Oh, and for the memes/lawls I did Delta Blue. Metallic Delta Blue... cursed, blessed or blursed? 

Also, I just realized I made RGB Atlases... Gaming Atlas confirmed!

(Copper Red, Copper Green, Delta Blue) 

[Pudgemountain]

On 3/8/2024 at 3:00 PM, CobaltWolf said:

If we're playing that card, I can't imagine requiring that sort of lift capacity in KSP1. KSP2, on the other hand..

It can be used to launch a Orion drive rocket into high orbit....without violating international treaties.

[DaveyJ576]

22 hours ago, Zorg said:

Gas generator exhaust pipe for the booster engines. As for why the shape changed? Who knows... theres a million small differences among different Atlas variants. This was one that I happened to notice and was feasible to model due to the way the meshes and textures were split

The pipe is positioned where it is since the turbo pumps for the booster engines were located centrally in the skirt.

The early MA-1 power pack had a shared turbo pump and gas generator for the boosters, from that point on they each had a separate pump (but still co-located in the center of the skirt) but shared gas generators.

The exception is the Atlas E/F engines, the MA-3 pack, where the USAF wanted the engines to be easily removable for maintenance independently. So those engines are completely separate with all their machinery located near the engine bell like a typical engine. This is also why the Atlas E/F booster skirt is significantly different in shape to accomodate the bulkier engine package.

Here's an Atlas F with independent boosters

You can see the Atlas E/F skirt shape on the far right here (this was before I modelled the pipe on the other skirts)

@Zorg, outstanding work as always. The attention to detail is amazing. Thank you for all of this work.

By the way, the earliest version of the MA-1 powerplant that flew on the first three Atlas A test flights (Atlas 4A June 1957, Atlas 6A in September 1957, and Atlas 12A in December, 1957) actually had cone-shaped nozzles for the two booster engines. The first two flights ended in failure, but 12A succeeded in flying a 600nm flight. As part of the crash engineering troubleshooting process following the first two failures,  Rocketdyne shifted to bell-shaped nozzles, but they were not ready for the 12A flight. Atlas 10A flew successfully on January 10, 1958, the first with bell-shaped nozzles, establishing the standard for all further Atlas flights. This was almost a SpaceX style iterative approach to rocket design. Build it, fly it, blow it up, fix it, fly it again. In this case they were doing it because they had no choice due to limited (as compared to today) ground testing capabilities and not because it was part of the Rocketdyne/Convair corporate mantra.

Just a historical FYI for everyone, don't spend the time redoing the nozzles.

[biohazard15]

7 minutes ago, DaveyJ576 said:

flying a 600nm flight.

600 nanometer? That's... not far.

[DaveyJ576]

26 minutes ago, biohazard15 said:

600 nanometer? That's... not far.

Nautical mile dude! 

[dave1904]

Visiting one of the surveyors. 

[biohazard15]

3 hours ago, DaveyJ576 said:

Nautical mile dude!

Isn't that abbreviated as "nmi"? 

[Pappystein]

6 minutes ago, biohazard15 said:

Isn't that abbreviated as "nmi"? 

Honestly it depends on the Source.      I know in every source I have and have written it is nm or nM not nmi   But I also know "public friendly" sources that do nMile or N-Mile, IE places where they talk about Statute miles as miles instead of Statute Miles

and please never abbreviate Statute miles as smile

 

Edited March 11 by Pappystein

[CobaltWolf]

Think of it as a teaser, if you will...

Spoiler

If you know, you know

 

Edited March 11 by CobaltWolf

[Adventures]

2 hours ago, CobaltWolf said:

Think of it as a teaser, if you will...

  Hide contents

If you know, you know

 

We got the X-15 in the house?