Kerbal Transportation System v4 'Atlantis' - v4 Released! NOW 99.9% REALISTIC!

[mythic_fci]

Kerbal Transportation System

VERSION 4 - 'Atlantis'

 

"If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."

After the demise of most older shuttles after the 1.0.5 update, I took it upon myself to build a mostly-realistic shuttle that could perform better than anything else made while still being extremely easy to fly and needing a reasonable amount of parts (<300 was my goal). The original fuselage actually started off as a Buran analogue that I abandoned due to the CoL being way too far ahead of the CoM. I removed the original Mk3-based wings, rebalanced the fuselage, and designed a new composite wing based on pictures of the shuttle and Inigma's STS's composite wing. After a few simulated landing tests, I mated it with an external tank and two LRBs (liquid rocket boosters) to the shuttle - originally, I planned to use SRBs, but they proved inadequate for lifting any significant payload to orbit. After yet more dozens of test flights including RTLSs, TALs and ATOs, I finally managed to balance the Vector SSMEs and the LRB thrust as well as getting the correct fuel flow from the Shuttle, allowing it to lift Inigma's 42t fuel pod to a 550km circular orbit with around 500m/s of delta-v to spare.

Thanks to Inigma, Westi, Naito, and Rune for their indirect yet huge contributions to this shuttle. It was their shuttles which I painstakingly dissassembled and put back together to understand how to get a shuttle analogue to work. Thanks to Squad for adding a new Vector engine and giving us 1.0.5, making the job of balancing this ship much easier (although I still went for perfection). Thanks to Speeding Mullet, who contributed greatly both directly and indirectly to the KTS-4 release of this shuttle - specifically, his Buran shuttle inspired the new wing and tail as well as the fuel cell system used. And finally, thanks to the brave men and women who flew the real Space Shuttle to orbit, deploying numerous satellites and aiding in the construction of both Mir and the ISS. Without you, we wouldn't know as much about space as we do today.

Craft File Avaliable Here! (KerbalX)

This orbiter is capable of ATO, TAL and ATO aborts with up to two engines out, speed and altitude at time of failure permitting. It is highly recommended to discard all payloads (or, if not possible, payload fuel) before landing.

The payload demonstration flight album has been removed, pending a reflight due to changed flight characteristics.

 

Flight Profile

NOTE: The Shuttle comes with an empty cargo bay and full tanks. For lighter payloads, you can empty some of the fuel in the bottommost ET tank.

LIGHT PAYLOADS

1. Activate SAS and ignite the SSMEs.

2. After the stack is stable after the "twang" (backwards sway) post-ignition, ignite the LRBs and away you go!

3. Roll the stack to a tail-down position at 85-90 degrees up

4. Pitch down to about 60 degrees up (30 degrees down from nose-up) by 20km (LRB seperation altitude).

5. At 40km, begin a gradual gravity turn to attain 0 degrees pitch by 50km.

6. At 50km, roll to a tail-up position and adjust your inclination/pitch as needed.

9. After achieving the desired apoapsis, shut down the SSMEs, seperate the ET and open the cargo bay doors.

10. Enjoy your flight!

HEAVY PAYLOADS

1. Activate SAS and ignite the SSMEs.

2. After the stack is stable after the "twang" (backwards sway) post-ignition, ignite the LRBs and away you go!

3. Roll the stack to a tail-down position at 90 degrees up.

4. At 10km, press 'W' once to reset the SAS.

5. At 35km, begin a gradual gravity turn to attain 0 degrees pitch by 50km.

6. At 50km, roll to a tail-up position and adjust your inclination/pitch as needed.

7. After achieving the desired apoapsis or ET fuel depletion, shut down the SSMEs, seperate the ET and open the cargo bay doors.

8. If necessary, use the OMS to boost your apoapsis to your desired apoapsis.

9. Enjoy your flight!

 

This shuttle is fully compatible with all subassemblies built for Inigma and Naito's shuttles, as well as all other payloads which fit in a CRG-100 Mk3 cargo bay. Feel free to use them if you wish.

Stock Subassemblies

EDO Pallet - Built by FCISuperGuy: Provides a LOT of extra d/v to lift those heavy payloads to high-inclination orbits! Attaches to the back of the cargo bay.

STS Fuel Pod - Built by inigma: The heaviest STS payload around and an industry-wide lifting standard for shuttle payload capacity, this weighs in at 42 tons and has one orange tank and one yellow tank of RCS. Attaches to the back of the cargo bay.

STS Operations Module - Built by inigma: Provides extra space on the middeck for 4 more Kerbals, as well as providing an ISS-style docking port and 2 MMUs for station construction work. Attaches to the front of the cargo bay.

STS ComSats - Built by inigma: Mimic the STS-5 mission with this twin comsat subassembly. Attaches to the back of the cargo bay.

STS Spacehab - Built by inigma: Flown on STS-107 for the first and last time. Now you can bring it home. Attaches to the rear of the cargo bay.

STS-1 DFI Package - Built by FCISuperGuy: Mainly a cosmetic addon, this is a simple subassembly that is meant to look like the Development Flight Instrumentation package used on STS-1. It has a probe core and several scientific instruments, along with a few batteries.

Inertial Upper Stage - Built by FCISuperGuy: This extra upper stage contains 3,881m/s (w/o payload) and can lift your communications probes to GSO or your Science! probe to other planets.

TDRS Satellite - Built by FCISuperGuy: This communications probe is designed to be lifted to GSO on an Inertial Upper Stage. It has solar panels, RCS and (obviously) a communications antenna.

Modded Subassemblies

STS Service Module - Built by Inigma - Similar to the STS Operations Module, but has KIS containers, a KAS winch, and a remote arm. Attaches to the front of the cargo bay.

 

Changelog
v1 'Columbia:
*First release!

v2 'Challenger':
*OMS pods redone
*Wings redone
*ET/SRB connection moved downwards for realism
*ET fuel flow completely redone; fuel now flows from bottom-up

v3 'Discovery'
*Wings and tail completely redesigned for added control and lift, as well as aesthetics/realism
*LRB engines completely redone to reduce part count and increase stability
*LRB Seperatrons tweaked for better seperation
*ET/OV connection moved for added structural stability
*RCS redesigned for added realism, aesthetics, and maneuverability
*OMS pods redesigned for maximum stability and increased thrust (helpful for heavy payloads)
*SSMEs rebalanced for optimum performance w/ payload

v4 'Atlantis'

*Removed all ET SAS modules
*New smoother ET tank
*Brand new wing and tail with tail airbrakes
*OMS engines rebalanced due to new CoM of Orbiter
*RTGs removed in favor of using fuel cells (6-7 days of fuel avaliable)
*RCS rebalanced for added stability when docking

This spacecraft is dedicated to the brave men and women who perished in the tragic Challenger (STS-51L) and Columbia (STS-107) accidents, as well as to John Young and Robert Crippen who flew the first shuttle flight (STS-1) to orbit, pioneering a new era of space exploration. Ad astra per aspera (A rough road leads to the stars).

Godspeed. Rest in peace.

 

Edited December 20, 2015 by FCISuperGuy
Added link

[Naito]

I REALLY like your boosters. Your wings could use some buffing tho

[inigma]

I stood on the shoulders of giants too. Put it all together, and it's really fun to do.

Really nice idea on the booster nozzles. But those wings... you are welcome to use my signature wings (and anything else too). I've been too busy with contract development to rebuild at the moment. Prob not until Thanksgiving.

[mythic_fci]

I REALLY like your boosters. Your wings could use some buffing tho

I stood on the shoulders of giants too. Put it all together, and it's really fun to do.

Really nice idea on the booster nozzles. But those wings... you are welcome to use my signature wings (and anything else too). I've been too busy with contract development to rebuild at the moment. Prob not until Thanksgiving.

Thanks! You guys really influenced my shuttle; if you look closely, mine has more than a passing resemblance to yours I'll do what I can to the wing to make it smoother-looking instead of looking like I cobbled it together on a Friday evening. Thanks for the offer, Inigma; however, TBH the reason I redesigned my wings was because I thought yours were too "blocky" compared to the real STS. I aimed for more "smoothness" with the double delta, which I almost achieved. I'll be releasing a KTS-1A which will feature new wings and possibly a bit more soon.

EDIT: For some reason Imgur's deleted most of my captions on the demo flight. UGH. Since I was planning to push the limits of this thing, I'm going to be reuploading pics of a new demo flight soon.

Edited November 13, 2015 by FCISuperGuy

[mythic_fci]

Version 2 has been released! Responding to your comments, I've redone the wings and completely rebuilt the OMS pods. I've also changed the ET/Orbiter connection point (moved it down), as well as completely redoing the fuel flow in the ET; now, it drains correctly from the bottom-up. Finally (unrelated to the update), I've redone the OP, making it clearer and adding extra info.

Edited November 13, 2015 by FCISuperGuy

[Bubbadevlin]

Wow, thats cool!, have some rep!

[mythic_fci]

Wow, thats cool!, have some rep!

Thanks a lot! Version 2A's on the way already, with numerous incremental improvements over the previous version, including a redone RCS system and better balancing regarding the boosters and the engines.

EDIT: Here's two preview pics of KTS-2A's prototype. If you can guess the main improvements, you get to name her

Edited November 19, 2015 by FCISuperGuy
Preview pics!

[mythic_fci]

Just found out the KTS-2 was featured on Spacecraft Friday! Thanks a lot for your support, everyone! Really keeps me going and gives me the motivation to do this stuff.

EDIT: Just got 2 bars of rep, thanks to this amazing craft! Once again, thanks to all of you. As a reward, you're getting KTS-3 'Discovery' on a fast track

Edited November 14, 2015 by FCISuperGuy

[mythic_fci]

KTS-3 'Discovery' has now been released! This huge update contains a new wing and tail design, redesigned, lighter LRBs with tweaked seperatrons and less parts, a redone ET/Orbiter connection point for added structural stability, completely redone RCS for realism, aesthetics, and maneverability, new OMS pods which have more thrust and are much more balanced, and tweaked SSME positions for added stability, especially with payloads. New flight instructions have been posted in the OP.

Get the new update [URL="http://kerbalx.com/fcisuperguy/KTS-3-Discovery"]HERE[/URL]!

Also, I've reflown the STS Fuel Pod mission - the KTS-3 is now rated to carry 42 tons up to an altitude of 700+km! More could still be achieved when flown in the right hands...

Here's the flight:

[imgur]Sq0fc[/imgur]

Have fun, and enjoy your flight!

-FCI

[Columbia]

Nice work -- Gotta love the shape of those wings! Well done. :)

[Majorjim!]

Hey man, she's a beauty!!

Why no SRBs though dude? A shuttle needs to have SRBs.

[I]edit

I just read that you didn't use them as they are not powerful enough. Dude, just use more than two, it is as much a compromise as using liquid fuel boosters, if not a little better!

You just add them in bundles and adjust the thrust and fuel to balance it. [/I] Edited November 19, 2015 by Majorjim
Did not state how awesome it is.

[Dman Revolution]

I need to test to see if mine can lift that much now, last time I checked I could lift >70t to 75k, but I forgot to fully fuel the oms so I could probably bring it higher

[COLOR=#333333] [imgur][/COLOR]opjE2[COLOR=#333333][/imgur]
[/COLOR]

I have a stock one too, that has ~ the same stats, but I like this better

[mythic_fci]

Quote

(By Dman Revolution) I need to test to see if mine can lift that much now, last time I checked I could lift >70t to 75k, but I forgot to fully fuel the oms so I could probably bring it higher

I have a stock one too, that has ~ the same stats, but I like this better

Interesting... Do you have a link to the 70 ton payload you used? I've got an itch to give it a go. The KTS-3 should be able to lift it to perhaps 100-200km.
 

Quote

(By Majorjim) Nice shuttle, by the way!

Hey man, she's a beauty!!

Why no SRBs though dude? A shuttle needs to have SRBs.

EDIT

I just read that you didn't use them as they are not powerful enough. Dude, just use more than two, it is as much a compromise as using liquid fuel boosters, if not a little better!

You just add them in bundles and adjust the thrust and fuel to balance it.

Even clustered together with 8 per SRB, they proved too hard to control and didn't have a lot of thrust. Now, however, because I've done some major balancing on the Orbiter and the ET, I'll seriously consider SRBs for either KTS-4 or KTS-5

Edited November 30, 2015 by FCISuperGuy
Reformatting

[Majorjim!]

[quote name='FCISuperGuy']Interesting... Do you have a link to the 70 ton payload you used? I've got an itch to give it a go. The KTS-3 should be able to lift it to perhaps 100-200km.

Nice shuttle, by the way!

[COLOR="silver"][SIZE=1]- - - Updated - - -[/SIZE][/COLOR]



Even clustered together with 8 per SRB, they proved too hard to control and didn't have a lot of thrust. Now, however, because I've done some major balancing on the Orbiter and the ET, I'll seriously consider SRBs for either KTS-4 or KTS-5[/QUOTE]

Ok, cool. You carry more then the real shuttle can, it has a max payload of 25t. Nice!

[mythic_fci]

Good news everyone - KTS-4 is almost ready for release! All the major changes are done, and all I need to do is test it to determine the optimal reentry profile - which brings me to the point of this post. I'm recruiting test pilots to test prototypes of the newest KTS releases! If you're interested, send me a PM and include reasons why you think you should get the job, as well as experience (stuff on the forums that you helped with). Edited November 26, 2015 by FCISuperGuy

[mythic_fci]

The OP has been reformatted for IPS4. Yay for the new forums!  Anyway, I'm still recruiting test pilots! There are 2 openings. If you want the job, send me this information:

• Time you will be free (in both your own time zone and GMT+8)
• Experience as a test pilot/engineer (on the forums - please send links if possible)
• Other reasons why you should get the job

The deadline is Sunday, the 13th of December. I may release KTS-4 within that time period. Once the deadline arrives, the candidates chosen will get a PM with more information and instructions, as well as (most likely) the latest prototype version of the KTS.

[mythic_fci]

KTS-4 has been released! This is by far the biggest update ever done to this vehicle, for four big reasons. First of all, the entire wing system has been replaced. Inspired by Speeding Mullet's Buran replica, new wings have been added which increase the shuttle's handling twofold and decrease its stall speed to ~40m/s, making it far easier to land. Secondly, every single SAS module in the ET has been removed. Yes. Removed. This reduces the cost by 60,000 funds, making this shuttle actually usable in career mode (for me, at least). The shuttle's launch handling has been retained, however, so you don't need to worry about decreased control. Thirdly, the ET has been redesigned. It now has a smoother, more aerodynamic shape as well as a better fuel transfer system that looks smoother and weighs less. Finally, the RTGs used in the first 3 versions have been replaced with actual fuel cell modules! These are designed to last for 6-7 days when in orbit, but can last longer if the cargo bay lights are turned off, maneuvering is minimized and if the shuttle is docked to a space station with solar panels. These changes reduce the Shuttle's weight to 508.9t and its part count to 241 parts, along with reducing its cost to 309,387 funds! Minor changes include retuning of the RCS and OMS for better balance, mainly because of the new wing and fuel cells, which change the CoM somewhat.

Download KTS-4 'Atlantis' Here!

 

In other news, I've made 3 extra subassemblies as Christmas presents to you all!

STS-1 DFI Package

The first payload launched by the Shuttle ever, the is mainly a cosmetic package but also has a probe core, batteries and a few scientific instruments.

Spoiler

 

Inertial Upper Stage

This subassembly has 3,881m/s of delta-v without a payload and can take probes to geostationary orbit or to other planets.

Spoiler

 

TDRS Satellite

This communications probe is designed to be lifted to GSO on an Inertial Upper Stage. It has solar panels, RCS and (obviously) a communications antenna.

Spoiler

 

Have fun!

Edited December 20, 2015 by FCISuperGuy

[Hevak]

Am I missing something or are these not made for download? I see no links to get the shuttles at all. Just the subassemblies seem to have links.

[mythic_fci]

5 hours ago, Hevak said:

Am I missing something or are these not made for download? I see no links to get the shuttles at all. Just the subassemblies seem to have links.

Whoops... I think the link got removed accidentally or something while I was changing the link from the old v3 one to the v4 one. I can't fix it right now, but once I get home in a few hours, I'll put it back in the OP.

 

EDIT: The link should be back now. Get it HERE!

Edited December 20, 2015 by FCISuperGuy

[Hevak]

On December 20, 2015 at 3:30 AM, FCISuperGuy said:

Whoops... I think the link got removed accidentally or something while I was changing the link from the old v3 one to the v4 one. I can't fix it right now, but once I get home in a few hours, I'll put it back in the OP.

 

EDIT: The link should be back now. Get it HERE!

Cool thanks I was able to download it.

thats a beautiful craft there, now I just need to learn to fly and land back at ksc in one piece lol. Thanks for all the work on this.

[mythic_fci]

On 12/22/2015 at 4:08 PM, Hevak said:

Cool thanks I was able to download it.

thats a beautiful craft there, now I just need to learn to fly and land back at ksc in one piece lol. Thanks for all the work on this.

Thanks! Regarding landings - I'm still experimenting, but I've found that from a 100km orbit, deorbiting directly above the KSC to achieve a periapsis of 35-40km gets me bang on target 90% of the time. Once I finish experimenting with different orbits and altitudes, I'll post a guide. In the meantime, I'm also working on a few more pre-Christmas subassemblies  (Hint: MPLM and a docking module)

[Pixel1191]

Hmm...I seem to be doing something wrong with this badboy.

Is there some thrust finangling required to keep it stable, does the RCS need to be active on the ascent?

I'm trying to fly her with a service module, EDO pod as well as an additional Operations Module. Cancelling a space station and trying to bring some stuff and 8 Kerbals home. But I can't seem to keep her stable.

The initial roll alone is extremely "wobbly" and tends to drag her off vector, which causes the SAS to go madhouse with the gimbaling. And at around 8-9k altitude, she flips on her back and out of control, even with full input to correct.

[mythic_fci]

15 minutes ago, Pixel1191 said:

Hmm...I seem to be doing something wrong with this badboy.

Is there some thrust finangling required to keep it stable, does the RCS need to be active on the ascent?

I'm trying to fly her with a service module, EDO pod as well as an additional Operations Module. Cancelling a space station and trying to bring some stuff and 8 Kerbals home. But I can't seem to keep her stable.

The initial roll alone is extremely "wobbly" and tends to drag her off vector, which causes the SAS to go madhouse with the gimbaling. And at around 8-9k altitude, she flips on her back and out of control, even with full input to correct.

Hmm... The RCS isn't required on descent, so IDK what's going on. The tendency to drag the ship off roll is intentional due to the high lift of the wings; it helps with turns. Dunno about the flip - could you PM me the appropriate craft files so I can test it myself?

[Pixel1191]

34 minutes ago, FCISuperGuy said:

Hmm... The RCS isn't required on descent, so IDK what's going on. The tendency to drag the ship off roll is intentional due to the high lift of the wings; it helps with turns. Dunno about the flip - could you PM me the appropriate craft files so I can test it myself?

Done.

I've been trying around with it a bit, but I just cannot get her to space....I'm a bad pilot. :/