Werhner Von Kerman's mission log (1951-1962) - A RSS/RO/RP-0 adventure. (07-01-2017)

[NathanKell]

And quite an update it is!

[ZaPPPa]

The latest mission I designed for myself (read: got myself into) is a little tricky, so it's taking some time to execute and write up.. In the meantime, is there any topic people want me to do technical details on? Obviously I cannot do a technical deep dive on a 'base on Mars' yet, because the storyline is still years away from that, but other stuff that fits the timeline. Or a piece of the backstory/history you'd like to know more about?

[Dman979]

@ZaPPPa

Uh... why are all the people named Kerman?

How to work with RemoteTech?

How to calculate which booster to use for a specific payload, and the fuel load in them?

How to test rockets without using the "Simulation" mode?

How you design planes.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Dman979

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

21 hours ago, ZaPPPa said:

The latest mission I designed for myself (read: got myself into) is a little tricky, so it's taking some time to execute and write up.. In the meantime, is there any topic people want me to do technical details on? Obviously I cannot do a technical deep dive on a 'base on Mars' yet, because the storyline is still years away from that, but other stuff that fits the timeline. Or a piece of the backstory/history you'd like to know more about?

A thing on different kinds of tank, ie, pressurized, balloon, cyrogenic would be great!

[Geschosskopf]

On ‎1‎/‎19‎/‎2016 at 10:07 AM, ZaPPPa said:

Update on Burney is posted.

Best thing about this last chapter is that it was not planned at all, it actually happened exactly as I described it and then I just went with it. I developed such an attachment to these characters that I actually almost panicked when it happened.

Also, I cannot believe there's over 80 pages already.

This story gets more amazing as it goes on.  Not just the flights, and the calculations involved, and the modding to make it all possible, but the story itself and the world it's set in.  This is a grand creation all around.

[ZaPPPa]

Thanks @Geschosskopf, much appreciated. The whole mission log was meant as a simple log, but quickly kind of got out of control . Glad you like it.

Also some good idea's got posted that I will incorporate

Finally, 1957 part I is up. I finally accomplished the mission.. Lot harder than I though it would be. I added a number of pictures to the Imgur album that will show you what it looked like.

Edited January 23, 2016 by ZaPPPa

[ZaPPPa]

1957 part 2 is up.. More story!

[Dman979]

I like how you explained the naming system. Looking forward to the next (and the next, and the next...) installment!

[ZaPPPa]

GGGAAAAAAAHHHHHH..., That was a lot of work (almost 20 hours), but there you have it.. 20 pages on plane design and how to read FAR (Ferran Aerospace Research) 

I even did some targeted tests with FAR to make sure turbulence behind the plane was modeled. I created three identical weight and deltaV rockets with various nose and tail cones. I made sure to offset the added weight of the nose and tail cones by removing lead ballast that I placed in a small tank.

The results were quite clear:

	MaxQ	Max Altitude Reached	Max Velocity
No Aero	33.34	110165	1245
Nose Cone	33.64	120610	1306
Nose + Tail Cone	33.98	124430	1328

Disclaimer: I am not an Aerodynamicist, but have worked a long doing data analysis for a (very) popular auto racing series.. Still, some of my conclusions/assumptions/terminology may not be 100% correct... or even 10% for that matter.

I do, however, have my doubts about how the Center of Lift is being calculated by KSP. I'm not sure if the location is where it should be. I am aware that wing modeling is a little dodgy and that can have something to do with it. I do not think it matters much for the kind of planes that players will generally design, but using this game as a precision tool for optimal plane design is not going to work. Still, you can learn TONS from this game. I wish I had this around when I was young and wanted to become an aeronautics engineer... instead I settled for software engineer

The craft file of the Taurus IVc can be found here

Edited January 29, 2016 by ZaPPPa

[ZaPPPa]

Quick overview of all rockets to date (1951-1957) scaled to size.

 

Edited January 29, 2016 by ZaPPPa

[ZaPPPa]

Turns out 1957 was quite the year for our fledgling space program. A new update wraps up the year (1957 part 4).

Research on the first manned space capsule is reaching completion.. 1958 will be at least as exciting as 1957.

 

[Geschosskopf]

Impressive work  BTW, what is the program that makes the pretty diagrams of your ships?  I keep seeing people using it.

[ZaPPPa]

The mod used to get the initial images is called "Kronal Vessel Viewer" or KVV.

I did the rest with Gimp (on Linux). If I were on Windows I'd use Photoshop or the free Paint.NET. There are a number of pretty good tutorials on Youtube about how to make Kerbal blueprints (this or this)

 

 

[Geschosskopf]

Much obliged!

[ZaPPPa]

Good news: 1958 is up! Getting ready for manned space missions

Bad news: XCOM2 is released tonight... that's going to slow down the updates I'm afraid...

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

It's great!  Where did you get those nice graphs?

[ZaPPPa]

I used the CSV exporter from VOID and then created the graph with LibreOffice (for Linux), otherwise I'd use OpenOffice for Windows.

I searched for some other charting tools, but could not find any good ones.

 

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

14 minutes ago, ZaPPPa said:

I used the CSV exporter from VOID and then created the graph with LibreOffice (for Linux), otherwise I'd use OpenOffice for Windows.

I searched for some other charting tools, but could not find any good ones.

 

Thanks!  I think I'm going to download that so I can make my own graphs.

[ZaPPPa]

By the way, the last mission was number 99... I'm sure everybody can guess what mission 100 will be.

(and I did not plan it this way, I did the count this morning and was surprised how it worked out..)

 

[harlikwin]

I must have missed it, but how are you generating the various post flight analysis (i.e. maxG maxQ etc?) some sort of mod?

 

 

[ZaPPPa]

Max G is easy, just hit F3 after launch at it will list the max altitude, max velocity and max G.

MaxQ is only available in Mechjeb (as far as I know). You'll have to make a custom window and put the "dynamic pressure" in it. There is no way to just get the max number, so you'll have to watch the number as you launch. I then pause the game and write down the numbers. MaxQ happens at between 10K and 15K altitude for most rockets and the heavier the rocket, the slower the Q changes, so it is easy to spot the max number. This picture has my current custom mechjeb window in it: http://imgur.com/NmI40qA

What people may not realize is that I (have to) play every mission several times. Once for pictures, once for movies and at least once to collect data, then most times I play it one more final time to make sure I have collected all the science.

 

[harlikwin]

How are you getting the gravity losses and atmospheric delta V losses. I'm having some trouble with some of my rockets, and I think I just might be flying them wrong. I.e. plenty of on paper DeltaV but basically too low of TWR to use it all in time on the upper stages, i.e. I end up going past the apoapsis and eventually crash em.

 

[Dman979]

@harlikwin:

From a question I asked on the Realism Overhaul thread:

On 1/24/2016 at 4:35 PM, NathanKell said:

@Dman979 You need to do two things to circularize after apogee:

1. Lofting trajectory. Establish an initial apogee that is higher than your desired orbital altitude. Since you're circularizing on the way down, you want to hit your desired altitude when you reach orbital speed.

2. Pitch up after apogee such that you hit 0 m/s vertical velocity when you reach your desired orbital altitude (and when you reach orbital velocity, which should be the same time).

 

 

Edited February 8, 2016 by Dman979

[ZaPPPa]

Pretty much what @Dman979 said. Circularizing after apogee is not uncommon. I have read (on these forums and elsewhere) that NASA used to do this. It is actually inevitable if your upper stage has very low TWR. Just start pitching up once you pass your apogee. This will sound inefficient and it's true, you'll incur steering losses, but a low TWR is often the result of using a very light engine, so the reduced weight will make up for the 'inefficient launch trajectory'

You can find the losses values in the 'Recorder' section of Mechjeb's custom window builder.

 

 

[ZaPPPa]

1959 part 1 is added. Lots more graphs to feast your eyes on... or not