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

[Zorg]

2 hours ago, pTrevTrevs said:

I’ve noticed that the animations for the MESA pallet (as well as a couple other science instruments like the Agena materials bay and the Gemini spectrometer) don’t work when I have Kerbalism installed. I guess I can’t call this an “issue” since BDB doesn’t officially support Kerbalism anyway, but I was wondering if anyone has run into the same problem and developed a workaround.

Its not that we dont support Kerbalism, its that the understanding we have is that the Kerbalism devs will support BDB from their side.

1 hour ago, Neil Kerman said:

 

must be update I haven't installed

Its all unreleased stuff being tested in the github development branch.

 

[Invaderchaos]

Don't think I shared these here yet, but RAE is nearing completion:

Edited October 17, 2021 by Invaderchaos

[AmateurAstronaut1969]

Here's a few bits I've done over the last couple of days...

Saturn 1D

Launch

Spoiler

Skirt Recovery

 

Spoiler

 

Saturn-Atlas-Centaur

We do a little trolling 

Spoiler

 

[SpaceFace545]

Hey @CobaltWolf what's with the weird ring on the Saturn I mount

[MrStayPuft]

I been playing with 2.5 scale  Outer Planet Mods and the Apollo command module heat shields ablator barley any notable effect during reentry

 

[Adam-Kerman]

Attempted a Apollo 8 type-ish mission to Minmus in JNSQ

[CobaltWolf]

On 10/15/2021 at 7:43 PM, derega16 said:

Something I want a clarify. Where does the instruments unit go on Saturn variant with no S-IVB? Is it a normal sized IU mount on top of S-II, S-ID or it is a plan for S-II sized one? I never seen a mention of bigger sized IU in any documents I read.

On 10/15/2021 at 8:12 PM, Pappystein said:

The plan was to take the various components of the S-IVB IU and break them apart and put them on a bigger ring.    There is one planned for the Mod I believe but if you have tweakscale, you can make a simple patch if it isn't already covered by one to scale it up.

On 10/15/2021 at 8:47 PM, derega16 said:

Tweak scale can scale it up to S-II size, mass and height are off, but should work as a temporary solution 

Yeah, all the electronics and stuff are just boxes, they'd simply be rearranged inside a bigger ring.

 

18 hours ago, zakkpaz said:

Would you be willing to change the  S-1D parachutes to work better with the  StageRecovery mod? they aren't big enough, I have to add about a dozen to fast for a successful recovery. even without the mod they seem really underpowered for the amount they are supposed to carry.

with 4 chutes, I'm landing at around 20 m/s witch is enough to water land it if i follow it all the way down, but the mods  max landing speed is 12m/s and it wants 6 for full recovery.

The balance isn't really done so uh... thanks for the feedback haha

 

10 hours ago, Alpha512 said:

Orange SOFI tank texture for the S-IVB/S-IVC is already in the works I suppose? Would look very pretty on longer-duration stage versions, such as landers (always wanted to recreate an S-IVB lander, should now work without lots of kitbashing) or even propellant depots. Maybe even add an MLI tank texture as it's already made for the Skylab/Venus flyby module?

Also some drawings of LRBs for Saturn MLV (namely on Astronautix.com) depict boosters having one F-1 mounted in the center, and the second engine outboard on shoulder mount (unlike what the modern Pyrios concept shows) Any chance for such configuration? Or just make a separate radial Saturn shoulder mount for ultimate lego-ability?

The third suggestion is quite a wierd one, but how about an S-II base mount with pentagonal engine arrangement in place of cross-like? IIRC, I've seen it in some early Saturn concepts, though I can't find it right now. EDIT: still can't find the original 5-engine version but a 5+1 engine S-II configuration was proposed for the First Lunar Outpost launch vehicle, apparently dubbed Comet

SOFI tank textures are probably coming eventually.

I haven't seen anything that looks like that?

I am going to do some S-II variants but they'll be dependent on what I can bash together out of the existing model w/ minimal new stuff. I'm not sure if a 6x mount is doable in that regard - I think the way the engine mounts align with the geometry wouldn't be the same. A 7x mount is definitely doable.

 

3 hours ago, pTrevTrevs said:

I’ve noticed that the animations for the MESA pallet (as well as a couple other science instruments like the Agena materials bay and the Gemini spectrometer) don’t work when I have Kerbalism installed. I guess I can’t call this an “issue” since BDB doesn’t officially support Kerbalism anyway, but I was wondering if anyone has run into the same problem and developed a workaround.

It's probably because most of our science runs off a derivative of the DMagic plugin, but I don't know past that.

 

19 minutes ago, SpaceFace545 said:

Hey @CobaltWolf what's with the weird ring on the Saturn I mount

Something to do with Modular Launch Pads. I think @AlphaMensae is removing it.

 

12 minutes ago, MrStayPuft said:

I been playing with 2.5 scale  Outer Planet Mods and the Apollo command module heat shields ablator barley any notable effect during reentry

Should we just reduce the ablator amount...? That stuff is heavy.

[zakkpaz]

1 hour ago, SpaceFace545 said:

Hey @CobaltWolf what's with the weird ring on the Saturn I mount

53 minutes ago, CobaltWolf said:

Something to do with Modular Launch Pads. I think @AlphaMensae is removing it.

 

they already fixed it, there's an update is on spacedock

[CobaltWolf]

[Alpha512]

2 hours ago, CobaltWolf said:

I haven't seen anything that looks like that?

I'll try to find some reference if available, but in fact I'm just asking for a standalone Saturn F-1 shoulder mount

UPD: just looked up the original report. Apparently the configuration I imagined was just a mistake. However, a stadalone mount part would still be useful

UPD2: one of the possible uses is to make a vehicle discussed in NASA report N93-19410 which is certainly not someone's fever dream

Edited October 18, 2021 by Alpha512

[Invaderchaos]

Neptune camera compatability has been added to the three imaging experiments associated with Pioneer 10/11 (Imaging Photopolarimeter, the Orbiter Scanner, and the Multispectral Line Scan System). It would be epic if anyone who is more familar than me with neptune camera would be able to test it out and let me know if it's functional.

[Pappystein]

On 10/13/2021 at 2:45 PM, Entr8899 said:

Is there a possibility of adding an LH2/O switch for the Thor vernier so it can be used with cryogenic stages? Or, because Atlas will get revamped soon, for the LR105 verniers?

Sorry I didn't catch this earlier.   Both Thor and Atlas used the same Vernier... in both cases they are LR101s.  The LR105 is the S-4 sustainer on the Atlas

 

[Invaderchaos]

Testing out the mission profile for RAE B:

 

Spoiler

Flies like a charm on Delta 1913. Will fix the remaining bugs and do science/name stuff over next few days before I put it on Github.

[Pappystein]

Just submitted a Pull request to remove most of my Pafftek files in the Extras folder.   They were all obsolete (Titan, Saturn etc)    Some parts (The J-2T-400K and H-2) will remain.  But things like HG-3 will be gone once the PR is activated and accepted by the Dev team.

 

Just wanted to give everyone fair warning before the next update

 

[SpaceFace545]

21 minutes ago, Invaderchaos said:

Testing out the mission profile for RAE B:

 

  Hide contents

Flies like a charm on Delta 1913. Will fix the remaining bugs and do science/name stuff over next few days before I put it on Github.

Not referencing your work (you've done a beautiful job) but hot dang is that one ugly looking satellite.

[Invaderchaos]

44 minutes ago, SpaceFace545 said:

Not referencing your work (you've done a beautiful job) but hot dang is that one ugly looking satellite.

wdym?? Explorer 49 looks awesome as hell. The weirder the satellite, the cooler it is in my book.

[SpaceFace545]

5 minutes ago, Invaderchaos said:

wdym?? Explorer 49 looks awesome as hell. The weirder the satellite, the cooler it is in my book.

Hey whatever floats your boat

[pTrevTrevs]

Centaur-Derived MOL and the Final Flight of Gemini

[Disclaimer: Fictional Story]

With eight manned Gemini missions planned in total, flight planners looked hard for a feat to end the program on a high note. Every flight so far had surpassed the one before it, and Gemini had proven new feats such as EVA, rendezvous and docking, and orbital satellite repair. Taking inspiration from the Air Force's abandoned Manned Orbiting Laboratory, NASA soon drew up plans to convert a Centaur-D rocket stage into an orbital dry workshop which could be used by the crew of a Gemini flight to test the limits of all the program's new techniques over the period of one month in space, over twice the length of the previous endurance record. In addition to perfecting the procedures which would be required for upcoming Apollo flights, Gemini 10 MOL would provide valuable physiological data on the effects of long-term spaceflight and, for the military, offer an opportunity to demonstrate the feasibility of man-controlled orbital reconnaissance with a plausible cover story. The mass of the new orbital outpost once again required the hardy but aging Saturn I to launch it to orbit; the improved Saturn-IB was still nearly a year away from operational status and the Air Force was unable to allocate a Titan-IIIC away from the many military payloads to be launched in 1966 and 1967. Saturn-Centaur serial number SA-8 was chosen as the launch vehicle, and its S-V third stage was flown to MSFC for conversion to MOL. The two RL-10 engines were removed, the oxygen tank refitted as a pressurized equipment section, and the LH2 tank built into a two-story living compartment and workshop. Although primitive compared to the later Skylab workshop, MOL offered its crew much more comfort than their cramped spacecraft. Work on the station was completed by March 1966, and it was soon flown to the Cape and readied for a late summer launch.

Quote

MOL was launched aboard Saturn I SA-8 in August of 1966 from Launch Complex 34. This would be the penultimate flight of the Saturn I, with only one more Saturn-Centaur scheduled to launch a heavy lunar lander early next year.

Upon S-IV shutdown and payload separation, two of the station's four solar panels were damaged by scraping against the inside of the interstage, and did not open properly. As a result the launch of Gemini 10 which was scheduled for the next day was pushed back by a week. The Titan II on Pad 19 was lowered to the horizontal position and the spacecraft unmated so that ground crews could load a repair toolkit into the spacecraft's trunk. During the expedition the crew would attempt to free the panels to restore full power to the station.

[Author's Note: I swear I didn't plan for this to be so similar to Skylab, it just happened that way.]

After a week of panic and stress, Gemini 10 launched from Launch Complex 19 at CCAFS and set off for a rendezvous with MOL. Following the procedure demonstrated on Gemini 9, an M=1 rendezvous profile was used, with the spacecraft arriving at the station a little over one orbit and 60 minutes after launch.

Once in view of the station, the crew reported that the two broken solar panels had mysteriously sprung free since the launch, however telemetry showed that they were still not producing power. The station was receiving enough electricity to support the ECLSS and avionics systems, but no serious activity could be done unless the two panels were repaired.

One day after docking, the crew inflated MOL's airlock and began the transfer to the orbital habitat. Gemini's docking system had not been designed with such an ambitious mission in mind, and the only way the crew could access the station was through an EVA. While the basic techniques of EVA had been mastered on previous flights, no mission to date had attempted a two-man spacewalk, and no Gemini spacecraft had been left untended for so long. The mission planners' main concerns were that in the event the crew needed to quickly evacuate the station they would not have time to make the climb back over to the Gemini, and also that the Gemini would be damaged by such a long exposure to space that it could not reliably return to Earth. The solutions agreed upon were the inflatable airlock, which could be depressurized much faster than venting the entire station for EVA, and significant modifications to the Gemini spacecraft, involving redesigned hatches which the crew would close behind them to protect the ship's interior as well as pneumatic and electrical connections in the docking connector which allowed the station to monitor the spacecraft's internal temperature and pressure and adjust it as needed. The crew also wore primitive self-sufficient life support systems, rather than the restrictive umbilical tethers used by previous flights, thus simplifying the transfer process.

The station featured a set of cameras, scanners, and radio instruments on its former engine mount, which would provide the expedition's main scientific focus. Unknown to the public, however, the observation array would also be occasionally used to spy on Soviet installations. Although not as capable as the Keyhole and Gambit satellites being flown out of Vandenberg AFB, the MOL cameras could be directly operated by the crew to photograph targets of opportunity which an automated spacecraft could easily miss. Later, certain figures in the Air Force would cite this mission as a reason to revive the military MOL program, to no avail. Spaceflight funding was at an all-time high, yet military space missions were left underfunded and understaffed in the wake of Apollo's rapid progress.

On the third day after entering the station, right-seater Melcas Kerman again exited the workshop and made his way to the trunk of the Gemini spacecraft to retrieve the repair kit located there. With his tools in hand Melcas descended down the side of the laboratory to the equipment section. Finding small pieces of debris in the solar panel servos, he was able to refold the broken panels and connect them back to the station's power system before allowing them to unfold once again. Melcas then circled the station and inspected the exterior for more damage. Satisfied with his search, he retrieved a packet of micrometeoroid samples and retreated inside.

The crew spent most of the next month performing laboratory work on material samples, photographing the Earth, testing radio receiver equipment, and monitoring their physical and mental health. Although by the last week aboard the once-roomy station had begun to feel oppressive and cramped, Gemini 10 saw its mission through to the full duration and then some, as stormy weather in the primary recovery zone forced them to spend an extra two days aboard. At long last, however, Jebdos and Melcas inflated their airlock, which they had begun to refer to as 'the tent', and began the trek back to their spacecraft. They were relieved to find it in much the same condition as when they left it, and completed the reactivation procedures without trouble.

After a rest period to recovery from their transfer EVA, the crew undocked from their orbital outpost and lowered their perigee to gain some distance from the station. Gemini 10 was the only planned mission to make use of the station, although it will continue to be monitored. Before the spacecraft recovery was even complete a few backroom engineers in Apollo Applications submitted proposals to retrofit the station for use as an emergency shelter, an expansion to Skylab, and even as a military observation spacecraft similar to the original MOL design.

With the end of Project Gemini NASA felt confident in its ability to reach for the Moon in the coming years. The first Saturn V flight is planned for early next year, with manned Apollo flights beginning soon after that.

Oh yeah, in other news I also flew AS-203 or something, but that's boring:

[Invaderchaos]

41 minutes ago, pTrevTrevs said:

Centaur-Derived MOL and the Final Flight of Gemini

[Disclaimer: Fictional Story]

With eight manned Gemini missions planned in total, flight planners looked hard for a feat to end the program on a high note. Every flight so far had surpassed the one before it, and Gemini had proven new feats such as EVA, rendezvous and docking, and orbital satellite repair. Taking inspiration from the Air Force's abandoned Manned Orbiting Laboratory, NASA soon drew up plans to convert a Centaur-D rocket stage into an orbital dry workshop which could be used by the crew of a Gemini flight to test the limits of all the program's new techniques over the period of one month in space, over twice the length of the previous endurance record. In addition to perfecting the procedures which would be required for upcoming Apollo flights, Gemini 10 MOL would provide valuable physiological data on the effects of long-term spaceflight and, for the military, offer an opportunity to demonstrate the feasibility of man-controlled orbital reconnaissance with a plausible cover story. The mass of the new orbital outpost once again required the hardy but aging Saturn I to launch it to orbit; the improved Saturn-IB was still nearly a year away from operational status and the Air Force was unable to allocate a Titan-IIIC away from the many military payloads to be launched in 1966 and 1967. Saturn-Centaur serial number SA-8 was chosen as the launch vehicle, and its S-V third stage was flown to MSFC for conversion to MOL. The two RL-10 engines were removed, the oxygen tank refitted as a pressurized equipment section, and the LH2 tank built into a two-story living compartment and workshop. Although primitive compared to the later Skylab workshop, MOL offered its crew much more comfort than their cramped spacecraft. Work on the station was completed by March 1966, and it was soon flown to the Cape and readied for a late summer launch.

Oh yeah, in other news I also flew AS-203 or something, but that's boring:

Love this idea

[MrStayPuft]

On 7/31/2021 at 12:42 PM, CobaltWolf said:

Not quite as exciting, but was sketching some more parts last night.

Anything new with the LM Apollo Base

[derega16]

Anyone have an information for RL-X?  Just discover this RD-170 family reunion rocket. Atlas V core with 2 Energia's Zenith. Judging from the size should it be some sort of (relatively) low cost version of J-2X (Constellation)? It's property just random name throwing around like HG-3 but what's it should perform like?

http://www.astronautix.com/a/andrewsetos.html

 

Also an idea for SM config, cargo configuration

 

It should doable with current revamped SM engine plate + US2 tank. Might need a kit bash for retro

 

 

 

Edited October 18, 2021 by derega16

[DaveyJ576]

9 hours ago, pTrevTrevs said:

Centaur-Derived MOL and the Final Flight of Gemini

[Disclaimer: Fictional Story]

With eight manned Gemini missions planned in total, flight planners looked hard for a feat to end the program on a high note. Every flight so far had surpassed the one before it, and Gemini had proven new feats such as EVA, rendezvous and docking, and orbital satellite repair. Taking inspiration from the Air Force's abandoned Manned Orbiting Laboratory, NASA soon drew up plans to convert a Centaur-D rocket stage into an orbital dry workshop which could be used by the crew of a Gemini flight to test the limits of all the program's new techniques over the period of one month in space, over twice the length of the previous endurance record. In addition to perfecting the procedures which would be required for upcoming Apollo flights, Gemini 10 MOL would provide valuable physiological data on the effects of long-term spaceflight and, for the military, offer an opportunity to demonstrate the feasibility of man-controlled orbital reconnaissance with a plausible cover story. The mass of the new orbital outpost once again required the hardy but aging Saturn I to launch it to orbit; the improved Saturn-IB was still nearly a year away from operational status and the Air Force was unable to allocate a Titan-IIIC away from the many military payloads to be launched in 1966 and 1967. Saturn-Centaur serial number SA-8 was chosen as the launch vehicle, and its S-V third stage was flown to MSFC for conversion to MOL. The two RL-10 engines were removed, the oxygen tank refitted as a pressurized equipment section, and the LH2 tank built into a two-story living compartment and workshop. Although primitive compared to the later Skylab workshop, MOL offered its crew much more comfort than their cramped spacecraft. Work on the station was completed by March 1966, and it was soon flown to the Cape and readied for a late summer launch.

Oh yeah, in other news I also flew AS-203 or something, but that's boring:

Very well done and believable alt-history. The U.S. had all the hardware and talent in place to do some pretty imaginative stuff in the 60’s and 70’s. We were lacking only in the will to do so. Sigh… 

[CobaltWolf]

14 hours ago, Alpha512 said:

I'll try to find some reference if available, but in fact I'm just asking for a standalone Saturn F-1 shoulder mount

UPD: just looked up the original report. Apparently the configuration I imagined was just a mistake. However, a stadalone mount part would still be useful

UPD2: one of the possible uses is to make a vehicle discussed in NASA report N93-19410 which is certainly not someone's fever dream

I'm not super interested in having a standalone mount, since it kinda clashes with the way I've been doing stuff... but you're also not the only person to ask. I'll think about it.

 

10 hours ago, pTrevTrevs said:

Centaur-Derived MOL and the Final Flight of Gemini

I look forward to your AARs, they're extremely well done!

 

7 hours ago, MrStayPuft said:

Anything new with the LM Apollo Base

Nothing since that pic. I'm planning on holding on to that for the next dev cycle once the 'basic' (idk if that is the right word at this point...) Saturn stuff is released.

[JoeSheridan]

7 minutes ago, CobaltWolf said:

Nothing since that pic. I'm planning on holding on to that for the next dev cycle once the 'basic' (idk if that is the right word at this point...) Saturn stuff is released.

I am a fan of the LM Apollo but yes, you are right: The largest bunch of really new parts can wait a little longer for the sake of polishing the revamps you have now towards a release-state. And yes: you guys have gone  a looong way away from "basic" Thank you  

and i am thinking that the next dev-cicle will not be as long as the last ones have been.... and that probably checks out with your mentioned conversion plans for KSP 2  

Yeah i am hyped for KSP 2, it´s new engine and performance etc. And yeah: I like the idea to have so many future tech, but: First: i was and i still am a larger fan of the old Apollo-era Tech and it´s derivatives (IRL-Proposals AND Alt-history), so i hope they still represent it in a nice way in that game and  second: I am really gratefull that you guys would like to try a conversion of this mod to KSP 2. This will be a HUGE Upgrade. Thank you, all of the contributers.

[Zorg]

4.25m to 3.75, 3.125 and 1.875

Yes this is an official build now  Extra node on the LR87AJ3 and standalone Titan 1 mount too.