Forgotten Space Program

[RocketSquid]

I've been meaning to ask... How did you get the telescope working?

CactEye scopes never work for me. No Idea why.

Edited January 25, 2016 by RocketSquid

[Cydonian Monk]

6 minutes ago, RocketSquid said:

I've been meaning to ask... How did you get the telescope working?

CactEye scopes never work for me. No Idea why.

I'm not sure. When I first launched it it didn't work. The menu option and GUI worked, just not the image output from the camera. (After replacing the scope module that fell off during ascent, of course.) When I next restarted the game it just worked. I didn't have the logs from the previous startup, but I'm wondering if there isn't a load order bug or some similar thing at work. No other changes between the two sessions. 

I'll have more data to go on after I launch the next Magnesium satellite, so for now I'll just say I'm not sure. Or blame voodoo. 

[RocketSquid]

The GUI doesn't even open for me, regardless of processor.

[Cydonian Monk]

Ferry Ride

The launch of the Nitrogen TA-9 was pushed back to the next morning, so the VAB technicians let Elkin out of the capsule for the night. The launch the next day was again perfectly routine, and timed well enough that the station was only going to be 5.1km away from the N-TA-9 once the software had run its course. A few adjustments and the rendezvous was set. 

With Baile Speir out of normal sized docking ports, the adapter portion of the Nitrogen TA-9 was docked to the end of the expansion module. This meant the water purifier and carbon scrubber were between Elkin and the station's restless natives, necessitating a bit of an EVA if he wanted to visit. 

And visit he did, as Baile Speir had a large number of antique science implements installed in various places. One, the Negative Gravioli Detector, drew quite a bit of interest. He was constantly going EVA to extract reading from it, keeping the results for return to the ground. Milking the old station for all the science it was worth!

The original plan was for Elkin and Rondous to stay on the station for a few days, but the other kerbal was in a bit of a hurry to return. (And Sieta was completely wrapped up in her work.) So, only half a day after the Nitrogen TA-9 docked, Elkin and Rondous undocked it from the adapter module and made their way back to the surface.

The descent was decent, and more than two-thirds of the ablator was left once they had burned through the clouds. 

They landed safely in the shadows of K2, some 20kms west of the space center. In the end Elkin brought home 109 science points, and he and Rondous both got a nice framed photo to remember their second flight. (Somebody forgot to tell them to smile.)

--

Meanwhile, Sieta had unlocked a treasure trove of communications satellites, whether she knew it or not. The network was abuzz! And nearly saturated, to be honest. There was some concern that such a large network would tax the efficiency of the Universe and slow down all life to a crawl, but so far none of the kerbals had noticed. 

The newly acquired network was still connected to several old facilities. In particular a space station orbiting the Mün, and yet another found orbiting Kerbin. Three communications backbone satellites were identified orbiting the Mün, and the documentation indicated there were another three around Minmus (though none were forthcoming). The ground controllers made note of all this new hardware, and added them to the list of Things. No doubt future missions would fully explore or exploit all of them.

--

Back at Baile Speir it was time to move some pieces around. Or rather, one piece. The original original plan was for the Nitrogen TA-9 to dock where the Oxygen supply craft was currently resting, allowing for the crew to use the access tunnel to reach the inhabited parts of the station. That would've required the Oxygen to move both itself and the docking adapter it was docked to onto the docking port at the end of the expansion module. 

The delay caused by the F9 event meant the Oxygen had not moved, and so the Nitrogen TA-9 took its place instead. So, during a bit of downtime between tracking their new satellite grid, the ground controllers moved the Oxygen remotely. (They would've had Sieta do it, but communications delays were negligible in low orbit and none of them trusted her to not somehow fire the craft into the Sun.)

Oddly the station's computer freaked out when the Oxygen undocked, claiming the station was running out of Oxygen. Despite having more than 74 days worth. (Or was it worried Oxygen was running out on it?)

With that done, the agency was ready to finally move on to its next project. Exactly what the next project would be was a matter of some debate. The Aluminium Project was quickly gaining traction, while the scientists wanted yet another space telescope or three (and had some ideas for them too). Lots of folks were submitting lots of bids for things they wanted the Agency to do, leaving The Boss with more than a full plate. 

What would they end up doing?

Time alone will tell.

 

---

Edit (auto merged into this post by the forum.... bah):

On 1/25/2016 at 3:48 PM, RocketSquid said:

The GUI doesn't even open for me, regardless of processor.

It might be a screen resolution thing. I've noticed the GUI for the CatcEye is now some ridiculously large default size, something like 1400x800 or there abouts. It might not display if your screen res is less than that. Otherwise, not sure. Might not hurt to ask over on their thread.

 

 

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Edited December 4, 2016 by Cydonian Monk

[galaxyguy]

i likes this

when is osmuim-1

[Cydonian Monk]

10 hours ago, galaxyguy said:

i likes this

when is osmuim-1

Thanks. We'll see Osmium-1 sometime after Rhenium and sometime before Iridium. Considering it's taken me ~54 days to get through the first 12 elements, expect Osmium somewhere around December. 

[galaxyguy]

goood it must be heavy!! (Osmium is quite dense)

 

[Cydonian Monk]

The Aluminium Gang

The world was different when Thomlock left it. Kerbals were free to pursue any career they liked, even three of them at a time. Birds still took wing and flew. Kerbals were unconcerned with the cost of things. Now? Now the entrenched education industry was producing credentialed undereducated robot-like kerbals that were only good for one particular job. Birds were too obese to fly and only squawked loudly and walked everywhere. And kerbals had come to be obsessed with the currencies of Funds and Science. 

He chose to ignore this new world and press on with the life he had left behind. He wasn't quite sure what that life was exactly, just that it was better than the status quo. And so, some time after returning from the Spice Moon, Thomlock set up the Aluminium Program. He petitioned The Boss to hire three "pilots" with the intent of training them to be flight engineers, in much the same way he was trained.

By strapping them into a capsule and hoping for the best.

Impressed with his plans, The Boss agreed and gave him more than he asked for: three pilots (Gletrix, Tetris, and Edsel) and two engineers (Rondous, and Mardi). And he was placed in charge of Project Aluminium. The two engineers were never intended to be part of Project Aluminium, but recruiting had hired them around the same time so they just got lumped in. Both Mardi and Rondous had logged flight time long before the first Aluminium can was built. 

The engineers and scientists at Kelgee Station had spent some time researching the strange, bird-like craft docked there. None had yet come up with a name for it but Thomlock knew what it was: An aircraft. The R&D interns then spent considerable time trying to reproduce its air-breathing jet in the lab. When they finally succeeded, and had a small working jet engine, Thomlock knew the time was right.

His three padawans had completed their simulator training and were ready to move on to actual flight. (This "simulator" involved strings and tin cans to act as control surfaces of a detached cockpit, and scrolling curtains attached to a motor to act as the background.) Who would go first came down to drawing straws.

And Gletrix drew the shortest one.

--

Aluminium X-0 1

The first of the Aluminium Cans, the X-0 was a nice and compact little jet aircraft. When Thomlock had protested that the R&D interns had placed the wings on backwards, they just shrugged and said something about "rule of cool." Thomlock was certain he'd never seen a cold bird with its wings pointed forwards, but it had been some time since he'd seen one fly, too.

The plane featured a single tiny jet engine, fed by plentiful fuel tanks and two small intakes along the side of the craft. There was no ejection system, and no emergency parachute, so Gletrix would need to get this right from the start. 

The test pattern for the first flight was simple: Take off; circle around to fly inland; gain a small bit of altitude to test the jet; land. Nothing too fancy. Gletrix was happy to oblige. And then some.

The Head's-Up Display in the cockpit was also quite helpful in pointing out nearby objects of interest, such as the copious numbers of flags near the space center. Including the two alignment flags for the runway which some helpful kerbal had placed there long before there was ever a runway.

The landing was textbook perfect, and the crews ran out to recover Gletrix and her jet. And of course take the requisite after-flight photo.

The flight managed to reach a top speed of 175m/s and an altitude of a staggering 1097 meters, and took off under 40m/s. Some small balance issues were revealed during the test, and changes were needed before they could build the X-0A aircraft. And as it had already gone over 30 parts, they needed to upgrade the SpacePlane Hanger first.

--

Aluminium X-0A 2

Tetris had the next shortest straw, which she had been using for her juice boxes while awaiting the next plane. Only the slightest changes were made to the X-0A, the removal of two of the useless antennas, the addition of navigation lights, and a small tweak to the position of the landing gear. It was ready for takeoff as soon as the hanger construction was done.

This flight was a little more taxing on both the craft and the pilot. Known to be underpowered, there was some question as to the exact operating envelope of the X-0A. And so Tetris was asked to fly as high and fast as possible. There was some concern as Tetris flew upwards into a cloud bank, but she reemerged some time later and landed safely.

During its otherwise boring flight, the X-0A reached a max altitude of 6269 meters and a top speed of 275m/s. Not kerbin-shattering, but still the fastest any fixed wing craft had ever flown.

--

Aluminium X-1 3

They may be flying, but they weren't getting anywhere very fast. And they certainly weren't going orbital like that craft at Kelgee. So the designers made some tweaks to the X-0 design and rolled out the X-1. Now with twice the jets! And a docking port on the rear so it can be refueled on the ground or in the air... should any kerbal be insane enough to try such a stunt. The tail was also slicked back a bit, so as to increase the cool look of the craft, or so the designers claimed.

Edsel was up next, having the only remaining straw, so Thomlock shepherded him into the X-1 and locked the cockpit. 

Once again Thomlock's chosen test pilot flew upwards into the clouds and disappeared. Only this time Edsel and the X-1 were flying safely above them. The craft handled quite well, with Edsel performing a few stunts and acrobatics with the small plane. Nothing too daring, just a few Immelmanns and Entenmanns. 

He finished the flight off with a steep dive direct to the runway from an altitude of over 10kms. This dive caused some considerable displeasure for both the aircraft and the observers on the ground, and the frame started to warp as it reached 330m/s. Everyone was convinced Edsel had bought some farm in some far off land when a loud boom shattered every window in the town near the space center, and were pleasantly surprised when the X-1 glided to its soft landing. 

The flight had reached a maximum altitude of well over 10,100 meters, and achieved a top speed of just barely 335m/s. And so Edsel, the least likely of kerbals, became the first to break the sound barrier in a fixed wing aircraft, earning the nickname "Supersonic Edsel".

Thomlock was pleased. And ready for more.

 

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Edited December 4, 2016 by Cydonian Monk

[Matuchkin]

12 minutes ago, Cydonian Monk said:

Everyone was convinced Edsel had bought some farm in some far off land

Is that a reference to something?

[Torgo]

5 minutes ago, Matuchkin said:

Is that a reference to something?

Bought the Farm - Urban Dictionary

Quote

refers to someone deceased in a military accident or operation. Phrase predates World War II, but came into common use at that time due to the large numbers of training casualties due inexperienced pilots/crewmembers trained in aircraft that are much less reliable than today. Common accidents in rural areas would result in aircraft crashing into barns, fields, or rural property, resulting in damages. The US Government would compensate the affected property owners with checks to pay for damages, or in some cases condemn land contaminated with undetonated/unlocated munitions/weapons, in effect "buying the farm".

 

[RocketSquid]

Hmm. Are you going to put the Taerobee Bell X-1 parts to use for these planes? Also, it seems that they have mistaken (what seems to be) a space shuttle type craft for a SSTO plane.

[Cydonian Monk]

2 minutes ago, RocketSquid said:

Hmm. Are you going to put the Taerobee Bell X-1 parts to use for these planes? Also, it seems that they have mistaken (what seems to be) a space shuttle type craft for a SSTO plane.

I _might_ use the Taerobee X-1 parts, especially as I move into hypersonic research. I had considered using the cockpit for the first of these aluminium cans, but ultimately preferred the design of the stock parts. The Aluminiums to date aren't really nice supersonic designs though. 

As for Shuttle vs SSTO, the craft at Kelgee Station was definitely an SSTO two years ago when I launched it. That's an "R-3 Sprite," one of my most used SSTO designs. Doesn't mean these kerbals aren't a bit confused, as it'd never make orbit in KSP 1.0.  Here are similar craft (from before the parts magically changed):

And of course I've never posted a clear, unobstructed shot of what it looks like today, but this was the closest (from Carbon):

I don't actually know which R-3 is docked at Kelgee or where it came from, as the only such craft I have recorded as visiting there (R-3-022) is also listed in my notes as having landed safely.

As for shuttles, only one shuttle-like craft ever docked at Kelgee, (at least before it was abandoned):

But that's all ancient history, long forgotten to these kerbals....

[SpaceplaneAddict]

Wowie! I'd be happy to whip up a nice SSTO for ya...

[Cydonian Monk]

1 minute ago, SpaceplaneAddict said:

Wowie! I'd be happy to whip up a nice SSTO for ya...

I would've never guessed from your username that you'd be addicted to spaceplanes....

Thanks, but believe it or not I have an SSTO design for 1.0.5 I'm working my way up to. It'll take a bit to reach it though, as unlocking two of the tech nodes it needs requires upgrading the research complex... and I'm about a million funds short of that right now. Not something I'll need for awhile either.... 

[Geschosskopf]

Nice little plane.  I enjoy making small, simple planes and flying around the KSC area and into around the buildings.

[Cydonian Monk]

3 hours ago, Geschosskopf said:

Nice little plane.  I enjoy making small, simple planes and flying around the KSC area and into around the buildings.

Thanks. Those little planes are how I typically get around Kerbin. This is the first one I've built using the new, smaller jets, and I'm really happy with their performance.

[Cydonian Monk]

Strange Request

The success of the Aluminium X-1 resulted in a rather odd request from The Boss: Launch it into orbit and see how well it performs during reentry. This required something of a custom construction from Wernher for the launch vehicle, which used half of the boosters from an LV-04 Cantata and the core stage from an LV-04, capped with a nosecone. The X-1 was then strapped to the side of it with its own set of booster engines (fed from the core stage) and an "orbital trunk" or operations above the atmosphere.

Thomlock was insisting that he pilot the craft, which The Boss steadfastly refused to allow. Instead Thomlock would pilot the craft during the reentry phase remotely - everything else would be done using an onboard computer. It was the majority opinion that the craft would not be able to survive the aerodynamic forces of the reentry itself, and would instead burn up or enter into an uncontrollable tumble.

The Aluminium 4 was launched into orbit a short time later. The ascent and insertion went exactly according to plan, with the trunk placing the craft into a barely viable 77km by 70km orbit. A few tests were run on the orbital trunk, including RCS and redocking exercises. All very peculiar tests for what was intended as a temporary unit.

After less than one orbit, the Al-4 performed its reentry burn over the crater, targeting a ballistic landing well short of KSC. It was expected that the lift provided by the craft's wings in the upper atmosphere would carry the X-1 into the ocean just beyond the space center.

Thomlock took over just as soon as the trunk detached. (Luckily the saturation of communications satellites in Low Kerbin Orbit is sufficient enough that any craft in a low equatorial orbit is never out of range.) The X-1 started to encounter the atmosphere at 52km, with slight wisps of plasma licking the edges of the aircraft.

The instrumentation officer was increasingly nervous as he watched the skin temperature of the thinly-shielded aircraft reach lethal levels. Thomlock too was on the edge of his seat, with the plane increasingly fighting his attempts at encouraging a sane reentry profile. 

Despite the trouble, the craft was still in one piece when it approached the space center. The crews not required for the mission had already planned a viewing party on the VAB roof to watch the X-1's reentry. Unfortunately for them it was still above 30km, well overshooting the target and little more than a slow-moving streak across the sky to the observers on the ground.

Or at least it was until it exploded.

The problems started with the science instruments, the barometer succumbing first to the pressure. Followed shortly by the nosecone and most of the rest of the front end of the aircraft. By the time Thomlock even noticed the loss of control the Aluminium 4 was nothing more than a cloud of burning debris.

Clearly there were some lessons to be learned about atmospheric reentry.

 

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Edited December 4, 2016 by Cydonian Monk

[Geschosskopf]

Nifty way of tossing a plane into orbit.  I'll have to try that some day.

[SpaceplaneAddict]

I have a feeling you didn't have a high-enough AoA. What was your pitch during reentry, above prograde?

[Cydonian Monk]

1 hour ago, Geschosskopf said:

Nifty way of tossing a plane into orbit.  I'll have to try that some day.

Thanks. That approach has its downsides, namely cost, but solves so many of the typical "shuttle" engineering issues.

 

10 minutes ago, SpaceplaneAddict said:

I have a feeling you didn't have a high-enough AoA. What was your pitch during reentry, above prograde?

AoA was almost flat on the prograde vector, as with the forward swept wings any deviation from it in the hypersonic region was fatal. There's a reason orbiters and supersonic aircraft don't have wings like that. If I'd had the temp gauges turned on I might've been able to wiggle the heat off of the radially-mounted instruments as they warmed up. Not much I could've done for the nosecone without reentering backwards. (And once the nosecone blew the rest basically died to aerodynamic stress.)

[Madrias]

Had a feeling the cool looking wings were gonna cause a problem eventually.  Still, though, was an interesting test.

[cfds]

10 hours ago, Cydonian Monk said:

the barometer succumbing first to the pressure

I see what you did there...

[Geschosskopf]

10 hours ago, Cydonian Monk said:

AoA was almost flat on the prograde vector, as with the forward swept wings any deviation from it in the hypersonic region was fatal. There's a reason orbiters and supersonic aircraft don't have wings like that....

Or even subsonic....  The swept-forward design is desirable in the real world because it allows the main spars to pass through the fuselage well aft, allowing a larger, uninterrupted cargo/passenger/bomb bay in the main part of the fuselage.  This is why the Germans built an experimental jet bomber this way in WW2.  However, the forward sweep results in severe and self-reinforcing twisting of the wings which conventional materials like aluminum are unable to cope with safely.  This is why you hardly ever see swept-forward wings on any type of plane.  I remember back in the 80s the Grumman X-29 was a big deal as about the 1st successful forward-swept design, which it achieved using then-novel composite construction.  It worked, but apparently is more trouble/expense than it's worth, so we continue not to have many forward-swept planes.

[Cydonian Monk]

Quite true. Thankfully KSP doesn't model structural and material issues, at least beyond failures at part joints and thermodynamics. If it had elasticity, durability, and strength then we'd be lucky to get one frame per minute. 

I do wonder if the X-29 was any more aerodynamically unstable than the F-16 or the F-35... both of which also use fly by wire. The wiki article on it also claims it had "effective high angle of attack control", though admittedly it wasn't pushing Mach 6 like I was.

Edited October 15, 2016 by Cydonian Monk
Mobile font size.

[Geschosskopf]

3 hours ago, Cydonian Monk said:

I do wonder if the X-29 was any more aerodynamically unstable than the F-16 or the F-35... both of which also use fly by wire. The wiki article on it also claims it had "effective high angle of attack control", though admittedly it wasn't pushing Mach 6 like I was.

There was some thought that the forward sweep would allow tighter turns and thus be useful on the next generation of fighters.  But that's about when stealth became a much more important design factor and apparently the forward sweep isn't very stealthy.