[1.2 - 1.4] Real Scale Boosters, 0.16 (2018-03-12)

[Jodo42]

I'd hate to add yet ANOTHER rocket to the wishlist, but I haven't seen any mods out there for the Black Arrow, Britain's indigenously developed orbital launch vehicle. They're the only country to have ever developed orbital launch capabilities and then abandoned them- in favor of US rockets.

[NecroBones]

3 minutes ago, Jodo42 said:

I'd hate to add yet ANOTHER rocket to the wishlist, but I haven't seen any mods out there for the Black Arrow, Britain's indigenously developed orbital launch vehicle. They're the only country to have ever developed orbital launch capabilities and then abandoned them- in favor of US rockets.

 

Yeah, I thought about the Black Arrow. I may take a closer look at it. Doing a smaller one would be kinda cool anyway.

[KerbonautInTraining]

I find it funny how you'd go from working on the biggest rocket ever proposed, to one of the smallest ones to launch successfully. 

[NecroBones]

3 minutes ago, KerbonautInTraining said:

I find it funny how you'd go from working on the biggest rocket ever proposed, to one of the smallest ones to launch successfully. 

 

There's something poetic about that, I think.

[Kerbal01]

Stock configs soon?

[VenomousRequiem]

3 hours ago, Jodo42 said:

I'd hate to add yet ANOTHER rocket to the wishlist, but I haven't seen any mods out there for the Black Arrow, Britain's indigenously developed orbital launch vehicle. They're the only country to have ever developed orbital launch capabilities and then abandoned them- in favor of US rockets.

Tantares has a Black Arrow at stock size, and I recall seeing a Black Arrow mod for RO somewhere on the forums... 

I still think you should do one though, Necro. It'd be neat.

[NecroBones]

 

We have TVC engines now! Of course, just like many of the other realistic rockets, the upper stage has pitifully weak steering authority. I've fudged it a bit in the configs to make it slightly more controllable. As in, now it steers like a battleship, instead of feeling like it doesn't steer at all. (EDIT: Of course, there's nothing stopping you from installing 6 or 8 of them, instead of 4). The first stage on the other hand steers quite well.

 

 

2 hours ago, DarthVader said:

Stock configs soon?

 

Gosh, yeah I guess I should work on that. A few decisions will have to be made here. Was it Felbourn that worked on some configs a bunch of pages back? He was squishing the tanks to be proportionately half as long.

 

Does anyone have preference about how to handle that? I could scale things down to right around specific stock sizes. Or just make everything about a third smaller than it is now. I could squish things in length, or leave the proportions alone. The problem with squishing is that it looks obviously squished.

 

Whichever way it goes, it would be an optional ModuleManager config, distributed separately. The fuel tanks would get capacities based on relative volume to stock tanks, probably, rather than relative to what they actually have.

 

 

 

[Kerbal01]

1 minute ago, NecroBones said:

 

We have TVC engines now! Of course, just like many of the other realistic rockets, the upper stage has pitifully weak steering authority. I've fudged it a bit in the configs to make it slightly more controllable. As in, now it steers like a battleship, instead of feeling like it doesn't steer at all. The first stage on the other hand steers quite well.

 

 

 

Gosh, yeah I guess I should work on that. A few decisions will have to be made here. Was it Felbourn that worked on some configs a bunch of pages back? He was squishing the tanks to be proportionately half as long.

 

Does anyone have preference about how to handle that? I could scale things down to right around specific stock sizes. Or just make everything about a third smaller than it is now. I could squish things in length, or leave the proportions alone. The problem with squishing is that it looks obviously squished.

 

Whichever way it goes, it would be an optional ModuleManager config, distributed separately. The fuel tanks would get capacities based on relative volume to stock tanks, probably, rather than relative to what they actually have.

 

I would scale proportionally, no need to make them fit stock sizes. On the other hand, having them fit stock sizes would take Rocket Lego to the extreme. 

[CSE]

On 22/03/2016 at 10:10 PM, NecroBones said:

 

See the flat top on the nose? That's a 5m diameter attachment point. You could put a whole SpaceY third stage on that.

 

Did you ever wonder how the kerbals dispose of the old VAB when you upgrade it to the next level? Now you know: fill it with rocket fuel and set it on fire. Sea Dragon = viking funeral for old space buildings.

[NecroBones]

 

lol, I suppose that could work. The Sea Dragon definitely illustrates how you can make just about anything fly, with enough rocket behind it.

 

I'll be packaging it up for an initial release probably today. In the meantime, here's the release album:

 

 

[Phineas Freak]

22 hours ago, Jodo42 said:

I'd hate to add yet ANOTHER rocket to the wishlist

but i can expand the size of the wishlist even further by adding Athena and Minotaur-C .

[NecroBones]

 

OK, the Sea Dragon is available to download. I won't be surprised if something needs fixing pretty quickly, being a first release etc. It has its own thread now:

 

 

[Jodo42]

There was some talk earlier about stock configs; personally, I'd much prefer working RealFuels configs. I feel it's safe to say that most of us who play with rescales where these boosters come in handy also use RealFuels, and none of the liquid fuel tanks function properly with it. I don't know whether that's something you can do or not though.

Edited March 25, 2016 by Jodo42

[NecroBones]

26 minutes ago, Jodo42 said:

There was some talk earlier about stock configs; personally, I'd much prefer working RealFuels configs. I feel it's safe to say that most of us who play with rescales where these boosters come in handy also use RealFuels, and none of the liquid fuel tanks function properly with it. I don't know whether that's something you can do or not though.

 

The configs are in RealismOverhaul, so I guess they just haven't been ported over to RealFuels. All of that is usually handled from their side, I believe.

[Cottoncandyman]

I absolutely love this mod. It's hard to find part mods of this quality. I'd just really love if you could get out some more rockets, especially SLS and the Falcon series. I know you said other mods have it, but they just aren't as good as your rockets. Though I suppose it'd be best for you to take your time on these things. Anyways, good luck.

[NecroBones]

6 hours ago, Cottoncandyman said:

I absolutely love this mod. It's hard to find part mods of this quality. I'd just really love if you could get out some more rockets, especially SLS and the Falcon series. I know you said other mods have it, but they just aren't as good as your rockets. Though I suppose it'd be best for you to take your time on these things. Anyways, good luck.

 

Thanks! Glad you like it! Yeah, I still have those rockets in mind too.

 

[Jay Mission]

Necro, While reading through this thread, I noticed all of the great suggestions made by others for your "to-do" list. Instead of suggesting a complete launch vehicle, I thought I would mention a few "parts" that might complement the work you have already done.

1) You have already made a 5 segment solid for Ares 1 and the core for Ariane 5. A different interstage and appropriate node on the bottom of the Ariane 5 would allow someone to build ATK Liberty as well.

2) Since I have solid first stages on my mind, have you considered making accurate(ish) half and full-length 260 inch solids? That would allow:

a) combine with S-IVb to get INT-05/05a

b) use as strap-ons to create one of the MLV configs. (probably would need a 10 meter I.U. too)

c) combine full-length 260" solid with S-II to get that cool Boeing "hammerhead" concept.

 

The only other config I can think of that is missing from the list of in-line "stick" launchers is the very, very pre-ESAS idea to use a 4-seg shuttle SRB with S-IVB/CSM in place of the 260.

Anyway, just thought I'd throw this out there and see what you thought.

 

[billkerbinsky]

Just spotted this gfycat clip showing interesting Atlas V solid booster separation dynamics:

https://gfycat.com/FarflungHarmlessBrahmanbull

This is taken on the 2-booster side of a 551 config atlas (5 meter fairing, 5 boosters, 1 centaur on stage 2); you can see one of the boosters from the 3-booster side towards the end of the video.

On separation, the booster starts rotating nose-out until the tail hits the plume of the main engine (you can see it flame up at that point) which stops the rotation and starts it turning the other way.

This was excerpted from a youtube video: 

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

[komodo]

That Srb/SII concept is like an Aries I from hell... I like it.

on rescales, I would say keep the proportions "right", with fuels fudged to somewhere between "stock" and "fun". Balancing against stock is folly as it doesn't seem balanced against itself half the time  (some would probably say it's more "kerbal" that way, but I don't wish to start that holy war...)

if they don't come out to stock diameters, it should be a fair compromise to figure out the right scale for an adapter. (I suspect the model scale nodes could deform any existing one so a new model isn't needed, but that's just a supposition on my part... Hm.)

looks good on the whole though! I keep not quite making it far up the tree enough to really dive into them, but they provide a good motivation!

[NecroBones]

 

Great ideas guys! I'll have to circle back on this later, since I'm knee-deep in KSP 1.1 landing leg madness for my other packs.

 

[NecroBones]

 

I'm not sure what I'll work on next. I'll probably try to get some of the Sea Dragon wrapped up before coming back to this. I just don't want any of you to think I'm ignoring you.

 

[Bev7787]

I read another alternate timeline called Kolyma's Shadow and that has some pretty good rockets. 

[MainSailor]

On 4/2/2016 at 5:00 PM, Bev7787 said:

I read another alternate timeline called Kolyma's Shadow and that has some pretty good rockets. 

I want to say that nixonshead (that did CGI models for ETS) was involved in that project as well. I think I have a link to his Flickr album here somewhere...

[Bev7787]

That's the whole point. The images are beautiful

[NecroBones]

On 3/25/2016 at 9:17 AM, Phineas Freak said:

but i can expand the size of the wishlist even further by adding Athena and Minotaur-C .

 

I'm thinking about these again. I like the fact that it would expand on the existing Castor 120. Hmmm.