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

[Zorg]

[Pappystein]

5 hours ago, CDSlice said:

Also, grab better time warp so you can speed up timewarp to ludicrous speed and not have to wait forever for transfer windows or to get from one body to another.

All these years and I didn't even know that one existed!    No wonder I get board. 

2 hours ago, Zorg said:

"What did you do?

WHAT DID YOU DO?"   Ok while I have been sick these last few days I have been watching WAYY too many movies!

 

That looks nice!

I will finish with a TV show quote (and you all better get this one!)

"Shiny!"

Edited February 4, 2020 by Pappystein

[MashAndBangers]

Screenshot tax:  Playing spaceball while watching Spaceballs.

Additional:  Did a Ranger lander and Explorer 1.

Edited February 5, 2020 by MashAndBangers

[Spacemarine658]

Does anyone know how to dock the RDM docking ports? I've tried both retracted, both extended, and one for each but it refuses to do anything? Is there something I'm missing?

[golkaidakhaana]

2 hours ago, Spacemarine658 said:

Does anyone know how to dock the RDM docking ports? I've tried both retracted, both extended, and one for each but it refuses to do anything? Is there something I'm missing?

Did you try retracting the docking port after making contact?

[DriftedCougar]

5 hours ago, Spacemarine658 said:

Does anyone know how to dock the RDM docking ports? I've tried both retracted, both extended, and one for each but it refuses to do anything? Is there something I'm missing?

If you're trying to dock active docking ports to active docking ports, thats impossible.
Active ports always dock retracted to passive ones.
I hope this helps.

[CobaltWolf]

9 hours ago, Spacemarine658 said:

Does anyone know how to dock the RDM docking ports? I've tried both retracted, both extended, and one for each but it refuses to do anything? Is there something I'm missing?

7 hours ago, sslaptnhablhat said:

Did you try retracting the docking port after making contact?

4 hours ago, DriftedCougar said:

If you're trying to dock active docking ports to active docking ports, thats impossible.
Active ports always dock retracted to passive ones.
I hope this helps.

I just looked, I think we spaced on the descriptions because I don't see anything explaining that the ring has to dock with a fork port and vice versa. That'll have to be fixed.

 

More or less textured version of the new small klaw.

[Pappystein]

So while being sick, and needing to stress test my new computer... I have spent a lot of time in the past few days trying to put as many rockets and space planes as I can in orbit.  

Here is my tax payment.   Hopefully it is an overpayment.

Single Launch to entire KH-10 derrived Station core:

Spoiler

And the Large solar panels on the KH-10 module are angled up like that to reduce shadows in the camera path.   Likely had such a panel been deployed to the KH-10 it would have been on the opposite side completely (vertical) from the Ventral Camera port.

I may launch some modules to the docking ports latter today.

 

And a Mk2 derrived spaceplane using a bunch of BDB parts.   LR-105s FTW with spaceplanes!

Spoiler

Yes I did a 400% Tweak-scale on the Advanced Canard.  only part I tweak-scaled.   I had to set the control movement to +/-1 degree or it would break the plane in half.   Updated versions got rid of the seperation between the LR105s and the Jet engines and changed the wing platform from this cranked Arrow to a standard Delta factor to balance the bird out better.   I have not tested the new version yet.   This one is under-whelming in acceleration but with the LR105s the ISP is high enough that it came into land with almost 50% it's Oxidizer left...

Yeah, I overshot the runway by something like 15km.   (I was closer to KSC than the Island strip.   Since I didn't know how it would land I thought it prudent to turn back and land.      The Wing generated too much lift and I could glide with almost a 50% fuel (and 40% oxidizer) load.   Final touchdown was actually by me disabling the front canard and flying the bird down to the ground...  Ie I landed nose-gear first.   But successful landing none the less! (No damage)   And yes those 4 Redstone fins (vertically above each other on the wing tips) actually did most of the YAW work during re-entry.   My latest version adds a single castor Fin in-front of the landing gear to further improve YAW on the re-entry glide-slope.   The Stock Aero blankets the Fins (the same is true with FAR the last time I flew it)   I find space planes need more verticals BELOW the wing than above!.

 

And lastly... I promised a Vega Centaur Launch....   on an SLV-3X...   Sorry CELV

 

Spoiler

At launch you can see all the pertinant D/V Etc info.  And yes I am running the H-2As from the extras folder!

 

Payload deployed, still burning low in the Kerbin SOI (boiloff would have killed Centaur already if I wasn't LOW in the SOI)

And Just finishing my Circularization Burn in Eve's orbit (about 40 Degrees behind Eve)   Will give me Constant Linkages back to KSP when I attempt several Eve missions today (I hope.)

 

So there is my screen tax.   The only visual mods I have on my system are Scatterer currently as well as using JadeofMaar's texture replacer sky-boxes.

 

40 minutes ago, CobaltWolf said:

 

More or less textured version of the new small klaw.

Does this mean Agena is up for Asteroid Intercepts now?!

 

Edited February 5, 2020 by Pappystein

[CobaltWolf]

9 minutes ago, Pappystein said:

Does this mean Agena is up for Asteroid Intercepts now?!

Well it's a 0.625m ring, I was thinking something that uses the ions... I still need to make some probe-style (I know the various MOL panels are "sufficient") big solar arrays for it.

[Zorg]

Edited February 5, 2020 by Zorg

[CobaltWolf]

Didn't have any of my current WIP files handy yesterday... Anyone here ready to test the new Atlas-Able?

[biohazard15]

18 minutes ago, CobaltWolf said:

Didn't have any of my current WIP files handy yesterday... Anyone here ready to test the new Atlas-Able?

Awww, my beloved early-game sat engine! I hope it will stay as it is now, with engine and probe core as separate parts?

[CobaltWolf]

1 minute ago, biohazard15 said:

Awww, my beloved early-game sat engine! I hope it will stay as it is now, with engine and probe core as separate parts?

Yep - the arrangement is going to be different than the parts currently in the mod, but hopefully it makes the Able-4 Engine more flexible. Think of it as an earlier counterpart to the Ranger Midcourse engine. I think I might tear out some parts of the model to refine them - I found some better pictures of the engine unit and the sat itself.

Will people be mad if I omit the thermal control vanes? I experimented with them a bit yesterday and couldn't figure out a way to make them look good.

[CobaltWolf]

If nobody has any complaints this might be what the probe looks like in game? I tried it with a Pioneer 5 style paint scheme and I didn't care for it.
I wouldn't really care about this payload at all but since they're pre-existing parts in the mod I felt it was necessary to revamp them.

[biohazard15]

23 minutes ago, CobaltWolf said:

If nobody has any complaints this might be what the probe looks like in game? I tried it with a Pioneer 5 style paint scheme and I didn't care for it.

It looks just fine, don't worry about that. Although an optional black color would be nice. Full black, no stripes.

[CobaltWolf]

14 minutes ago, biohazard15 said:

It looks just fine, don't worry about that. Although an optional black color would be nice. Full black, no stripes.

Not sure if that'll be possible, unfortunately. All those parts are on a 512px sheet and there would be a lot of waste if I made a duplicate for the color variant.

 

Idk how long it'll take, but another part that's been on my mind - probe-style solar panels big enough to power the ion drives.

Making me painfully aware how innacurate the current ion engine in the mod is...

[DeadJohn]

3 hours ago, CobaltWolf said:

Will people be mad if I omit the thermal control vanes? I experimented with them a bit yesterday and couldn't figure out a way to make them look good.

No one should be mad. You're providing a great mod, and less time spent on something that isn't making progress = more time for you to spend on other parts.

 

 

[biohazard15]

20 minutes ago, CobaltWolf said:

Not sure if that'll be possible, unfortunately. All those parts are on a 512px sheet and there would be a lot of waste if I made a duplicate for the color variant.

Ah, no problem then

21 minutes ago, CobaltWolf said:

Idk how long it'll take, but another part that's been on my mind - probe-style solar panels big enough to power the ion drives.

Making me painfully aware how innacurate the current ion engine in the mod is...

So THAT'S where this funny-looking pipe engine comes from!

WRT solar panels - maybe SNAP-10A along with them? I often use Near Future stuff during mid-to-late game, and one thing I've learned is: for anything bigger than tiny probes, go nuclear, or go home. High-performance solar panels are a) heavy, b) still require a buffer of batteries and optionally capacitors (read: extra weight), and c) require sunlight (duh). In almost all cases, you'll get better dV and usability if you use MX-0 or MX-1.

The hypothetical BDB SNAP-10A could use stock fuel cell mechanic and enriched uranium from CRP, with MM patch to use NFE reactor mechanic.

[CobaltWolf]

Just now, biohazard15 said:

So THAT'S where this funny-looking pipe engine comes from!

WRT solar panels - maybe SNAP-10A along with them? I often use Near Future stuff during mid-to-late game, and one thing I've learned is: for anything bigger than tiny probes, go nuclear, or go home. High-performance solar panels are a) heavy, b) still require a buffer of batteries and optionally capacitors (read: extra weight), and c) require sunlight (duh). In almost all cases, you'll get better dV and usability if you use MX-0 or MX-1.

The hypothetical BDB SNAP-10A could use stock fuel cell mechanic and enriched uranium from CRP, with MM patch to use NFE reactor mechanic.

I was actually going to make a SNAP-10 but I believe @Nertea wanted to make one when he circles back to... whatever mod that would be. NFE? I could of course still make my own, but since I don't intend to have any additional functionality like the kind NFE adds, so I feel like it would be kind of hollow.

Fun story about the ion stuff in BDB - if I remember, they were developed in the 60s and literally put in a warehouse until they started looking at comet missions in the late 70s to fly some time in the 80s. That also means this would technically be a shuttle payload but... shhhh it's not like I'm making the whole thing anyways. 

[Zorg]

Some early game stuff

Juno II and Thor Able side by side ready to lauch

Thor Agena A launching a KH1

KH1

Explorer 11

Mercury Redstone

[CobaltWolf]

Proof of concept was successful! As before idk why it's doing this, hit the full screen button. This rig was a complete pain to work on...

 

[Pappystein]

30 minutes ago, CobaltWolf said:

Proof of concept was successful! As before idk why it's doing this, hit the full screen button. This rig was a complete pain to work on...

Two things,  

But before I get into them, This is going to be an AWESOME panel.  It will get lots of use on my launches when you get it perfected!  

1) Is there are pre-deployment unfold before the extension (the original diagram looks like two....) that is not included or modled in this prototype?   By the Drawing I see the following movements: The two half arms attached to the probe rotate 180 degrees from each other (the probe attachment side being an open U shape to allow the second half of the arm to fit in it) and then the Panel support arms unfold before extending.

 

Secondly.  Never used Gfycat in channel.  Is there a way to resize the image by dbl clicking on it like standard images?   Just a thought.

It looks like the Gif was in an ultra wide format and that might also be causing the issues (with KSP's 1080x1080 max embeded resolution?

 

[CobaltWolf]

Just now, Pappystein said:

Two things,  

But before I get into them, This is going to be an AWESOME panel.  It will get lots of use on my launches when you get it perfected!  

1) Is there are pre-deployment unfold before the extension (the original diagram looks like two....) that is not included or modled in this prototype?   By the Drawing I see the following movements: The two half arms attached to the probe rotate 180 degrees from each other (the probe attachment side being an open U shape to allow the second half of the arm to fit in it) and then the Panel support arms unfold before extending.

Secondly.  Never used Gfycat in channel.  Is there a way to resize the image by dbl clicking on it like standard images?   Just a thought.

It looks like the Gif was in an ultra wide format and that might also be causing the issues (with KSP's 1080x1080 max embeded resolution?

You'll notice the arrays in the other images I linked were quite different than the one showing the overall probe, which is from a different source (which I should have clarified). I went with the other mechanism, since I had more reference for it and frankly it seemed easier + more in line with how most KSP parts attach

As far as I can tell I have no control over how gfycat embeds. Which is annoying, since I'm certain it didn't have this sort of issue before...

[Pappystein]

3 minutes ago, CobaltWolf said:

You'll notice the arrays in the other images I linked were quite different than the one showing the overall probe, which is from a different source (which I should have clarified). I went with the other mechanism, since I had more reference for it and frankly it seemed easier + more in line with how most KSP parts attach

As far as I can tell I have no control over how gfycat embeds. Which is annoying, since I'm certain it didn't have this sort of issue before...

Ahh, I see you are modeling the OTHER panel!   Still I am going to use the heck out of it.   Are you going to actually model on the Deployment engine for the panels? 

I only ask about the motor because I don't think I have seen a SINGLE Truss type Solar panel model it's deployment engine and you have such a nice image of it!

 

Edited February 6, 2020 by Pappystein

[biohazard15]

5 hours ago, CobaltWolf said:

I was actually going to make a SNAP-10 but I believe @Nertea wanted to make one when he circles back to... whatever mod that would be. NFE? I could of course still make my own, but since I don't intend to have any additional functionality like the kind NFE adds, so I feel like it would be kind of hollow.

Fun story about the ion stuff in BDB - if I remember, they were developed in the 60s and literally put in a warehouse until they started looking at comet missions in the late 70s to fly some time in the 80s. That also means this would technically be a shuttle payload but... shhhh it's not like I'm making the whole thing anyways.

Good to hear. Tiny reactor (around 20-25 EC\s at 100% power) would be really useful for small ion-powered probes.

Well, one of SNAP-10A mission objectives was testing ion engine in space. Although things went south pretty quick (the engine was plagued with problems so they had to shut it down). Speaking of BDB ion engine - that's my radar\biome SCANSat design in current career:

Also features various NF parts and Coatl camera\biome scanner. This is actually Block 2 - Block 1 was one of my rare forays into RCS-only attitude control. It wasn't quite successful (MJ didn't like it much), so for Block 2 I've added Coatl reaction wheels block (visible near the biome camera). The red glow indicates broken tracking mechanism on solar panel, courtesy of OhScrap.