The Kerbodyne tanks

[Thingymajigy]

The 3.5m ones, they seem to be based off the SLS, but NASA changed the SLS colour from white black stripey to orange like the space shuttle tank. Maybe they could be updated?

[Psycho_zs]

More likely the tanks are based on Saturn.

But there is a mod for that: https://kerbalstuff.com/mod/1228/2015%20SLS%20CDR%20textures

[Sgt.Shutesie]

More likely the tanks are based on Saturn.

But there is a mod for that: https://kerbalstuff.com/mod/1228/2015%20SLS%20CDR%20textures

Nope, they are based off the SLS, that's why it matches with the Mammoth which is also based on the SLS. From my knowledge, NASA co-oped with Squad to make the ARM update. Which added the SLS based 3.75 tanks as well as the claw, etc.

[cantab]

I expect the KSP tanks will stay the same.

Personally I think there's a place for a few five metre orange parts, since now we have Mk3 for shuttles the current orange tank is way too tiny.

[NecroBones]

I expect them to stay the same too, since they fit in with the whole KSP art style nicely. My only complaint about them is that the stripes are rotated a few degrees, instead of being perfectly aligned, which makes strut placement a little wonky when you're trying to align them based on the stripes.

[SpacedCowboy]

I expect them to stay the same too, since they fit in with the whole KSP art style nicely. My only complaint about them is that the stripes are rotated a few degrees, instead of being perfectly aligned, which makes strut placement a little wonky when you're trying to align them based on the stripes.

Yes, I can't believe that shabby paint job has been left like that for so long. Seems like it would be an easy fix.

[problemecium]

I'm with NecroBones. There is no need to change the Kerbodyne parts to make sure they always look like the SLS, because KSP is KSP, not SLS Simulator. I'm sure SLS Simulator would be great, but that is not this.

There is, however, a need to fix the horrible alignment on the stripes.

[Alshain]

I'm with NecroBones. There is no need to change the Kerbodyne parts to make sure they always look like the SLS, because KSP is KSP, not SLS Simulator. I'm sure SLS Simulator would be great, but that is not this.

There is, however, a need to fix the horrible alignment on the stripes.

But I REALLY want the new SLS SRB Paint Job. The tanks don't need to change (what alignment problem are you guys talking about?)

Edited October 31, 2015 by Alshain

[Vallius]

I work on the SLS, but I gotta say I prefer the old paint job. I'm pretty sure they're making it orange to save hundreds of pounds of payload due to paint.

[Red Iron Crown]

(what alignment problem are you guys talking about?)

Put the smallest 3.75m tank on top of the largest and you'll see, the stripes don't line up.

[Alshain]

Put the smallest 3.75m tank on top of the largest and you'll see, the stripes don't line up.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61004449/KSP/1200tLift/SLSTextures.png

Ah, guess I never noticed because I usually checkerboard it.

[Jodo42]

From what I've read, internally, it's been orange since day 1. NASA just released images with the black/white scheme initially to harken back to the days of the Saturn rockets and drum up public interest and nostalgia.

To be fair, the black/white scheme does look better, in my book. Since we don't have to worry about the weight of paint in KSP, I think it's fine if we keep the old/fake scheme.

[Rhomphaia]

Put the smallest 3.75m tank on top of the largest and you'll see, the stripes don't line up.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61004449/KSP/1200tLift/SLSTextures.png

Turn the small tank upside down and it lines up.

[Thegamer211]

I hope they don't change the colors I like the current ones.

[Rune]

Put the smallest 3.75m tank on top of the largest and you'll see, the stripes don't line up.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61004449/KSP/1200tLift/SLSTextures.png

That has always irked me to no end. I mean, it's literally the first thing you do with these parts, stack a few tanks together... yet they don't fit.

Rune. Actually, the bigger ones wont even fit with themselves. Was it that difficult to make the texture symmetrical?

[regex]

That has always irked me to no end. I mean, it's literally the first thing you do with these parts, stack a few tanks together... yet they don't fit.

IIRC the misalignment was a conscious choice because hahahahahahahahaha it's so Kerbal!

[NecroBones]

Even if you tweak the rotation a little to make them match each other, they all start out a few degrees off from the cardinal directions. That the error is a little different from one tank to the next, in addition to that. It drives me batty, and was one of the things that convinced me to make Color Coded Canisters sooner rather than later. Nice straight stripes.

[Tw1]

As a not-fan of the trend towards making parts more white and homogenous in style, I wouldn't be opposed to making them orange. But then, we wouldn't just be able to say "an orange tank" anymore, we'd need to clarify which one.

[el_coyoto]

For a stage which is dropped in the atmosphere, I guess it would be ok, but black paint and space don't mix very well.

If I remember correctly, german engineers liked having some highly visible black/white patterns on their rockets to be able to visually check if the rocket was spinning. They had to use less and less black on the upper stages because it absorbed the heat from sunlight with no real mean to dissipate it in vacuum, which is double bad when you use cryogenic fuels.

Can't find the link that compared how the colour scheme evolved from prototype to prototype, but this nice thread also explains why the interstages were darker, again for thermal control and how it changed over time.

[Racescort666]

I work on the SLS, but I gotta say I prefer the old paint job. I'm pretty sure they're making it orange to save hundreds of pounds of payload due to paint.

Back in the 30s when Grand Prix racing had a maximum weight rather than a minimum weight, the German teams got their official color changed from white to silver so they could run bare aluminum bodies and save the weight of the paint. I always thought that was an interesting bit of history. It also explains why Mercedes, Porsche, and Audi commonly have silver cars.

More history if anyone cares: Mercedes and (at the time) Auto Union were the state backed GP teams for Germany in the 30s. Ferdinand Porsche was the Auto Union team as part of a deal for him to develop the "people's car" as well as developing engine technology for Germany. After the war Auto Union eventually became Audi while Porsche eventually started his own car company.

[Coyote27]

But then, we wouldn't just be able to say "an orange tank" anymore, we'd need to clarify which one.

A truly game-breaking bug right there, indeed.

[SemiaCloud]

I'm with NecroBones. There is no need to change the Kerbodyne parts to make sure they always look like the SLS, because KSP is KSP, not SLS Simulator. I'm sure SLS Simulator would be great, but that is not this.

There is, however, a need to fix the horrible alignment on the stripes.

I have always found the alignment problem weird...

But yeah, I think they look better white/black.

[panzer1b]

Never ever noticed this before

Guess never using that particular smallest 3.5m tank is the culprit to my problem

[TrainEngie]

...More history if anyone cares:...Ferdinand Porsche...as part of a deal for him to develop the "people's car"...for Germany

So he's the founder of Volkswagen! Interesting...

... and also, I haven't noticed that alignment problem...

[Sgt.Shutesie]

Another question, with the new "KS-25-X 'Vector'." Will they be changing the model on the Mammoth engine to have 4 of them? Or due to the fact that this is the 'X' version, the Mammoth will stay the same? Or perhaps just putting the engines in the 'corners' (There are no corners on circles, but you know what I mean), making it easier to place boosters that wont possibly collide with the engine, after separation.