[WIP] North American Rockwell Mars Excursion Module

[CobaltWolf]

Lovely work! I know this is somewhat out of the realm of KSP, but I figured your might know based on your research:

In Stephen Baxter's voyage, they talk about how they are seated on their backs during reentry, but then they stand up and strap into a vertical arrangement for the landing (for visibility). Considering the Columbia MEM in the book is basically a rebranded NAR MEM, do you know if that was part of the real proposal?

[Angelo Kerman]

48 minutes ago, CobaltWolf said:

Lovely work! I know this is somewhat out of the realm of KSP, but I figured your might know based on your research:

In Stephen Baxter's voyage, they talk about how they are seated on their backs during reentry, but then they stand up and strap into a vertical arrangement for the landing (for visibility). Considering the Columbia MEM in the book is basically a rebranded NAR MEM, do you know if that was part of the real proposal?

I can say that it was part of the proposal. Will try to find the source for that.

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=35520.0

sone blueprints from a 1968 study apparently show the crew standing up.

https://falsesteps.wordpress.com/2016/09/17/the-mars-excursion-module-one-more-small-step-integrated-program-plan-part-iv/

Edited August 27, 2017 by Angel-125

[TiktaalikDreaming]

The NAR MEM design featured rotating seats of some description.  So, during landing and presumably docking, they'd be lying flat.  Then after landing (I guess) they'd rotate them so they were sitting upright.  The Capsule was also doubling as their base for up to 30 days, in conjunction with the lab space.  So presumably they would want them to be able to fold out of the way as well, but I've seen no references to that.

I'll see if I can find the refs to the rotating seats.  I just went with visuals to suggest they might rotate.  The idea of being able to rotate kerbal seating within an IVA in KSP scared the nillies out of me.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Well, the original NAR MEM report suggests they maybe fold out of the way but don't rotate.  Based on one sentence;

"Although the crew compartment contains four couches, two of the crew will assume standing positions to land the vehicle".  Assuming that means after the initial re-entry fun, and when they are utilizing their spare fuel capacity to find suitable landing spots.  Although, it being Mars, there's a lot less G on the craft, so maybe standing isn't that daft.  I'd still expect the movement when deploying the drogue and then ballute to not be conducive to standing near hard things or buttons.

Here's the report.  I can't remember where I would have downloaded it from.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/56mxzqcfc7al3l3/MEMDesign.pdf?dl=0

Just flippin through the NASA 1964 report now.
The 64 report predates the NAR MEM study.  It has notes about earlier rough designs by the other main contractors, but no detailed design.

 

Edited August 27, 2017 by TiktaalikDreaming

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Still progressing through parts.  Here's the updated descent aeroshield while it's still in Unity.  No update to the part yet, as I forgot to update the collider mesh, and I want to attach this to the base instead of the ascent module, so I want to update the base before writing the part out.

Not the most exciting of shapes.

 

[TiktaalikDreaming]

This piece may take a tad longer to do.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

OK, ending today's modding time window (most of which was spent snoozing).

The MEM base is pretty much done except to apply specular maps in Unity (a bit of a nuisance until everything else is right when using GiMP).  And the other mesh.  Because the base part is actually two meshes, one is basically the heat shield, and the other is the floor and RCS.  I was going to try going with a SpaceShuttle inspired white ablative surface.  But it just never looked right.  So back in black.
There's a panel just under the RCS holes that, because it's unwrapped at a different angle, looks a bit out of whack with the other pieces.  And to my horror, this is massively more noticeable in Unity, presumably due to handling the normals a bit differently than blender.  So, that rectangle (with a rounded scollop out of it) will get re-UV unwrapped.  And I may just place it where the others are so it overlaps.  Also, as I mentioned, this is basically only half way for the part.

And the other piece!

Note: There's a faint hexagon pattern in the normals for the side walls.  The heat shield was to have been a titanium honeycomb structure with an ablative coating of different thicknesses depending on the mission profile.  I wanted to show a hint of the honeycomb as well.  I also used the same pattern to slightly fade out the scratch layer so scratches are slightly more pronounced on the borders between hexagons.

Once this is in game, I'll tune the significance of those hexagon so you see them a bit, but they're not in your face.  But KSP isn't purely Unity, and Unity sure as h*ll isn't blender, and ....  Once in game, I'll know if I've gone overboard.

 

 

And in Unity

Edited September 2, 2017 by TiktaalikDreaming

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Parts are exported to KSP.  There's some adjustments to make before they're useful parts.  There's now a slight bulge in the lower section of the aero shield, as the Ascent stage's RCS was poking through the walls.

 

 

[Angelo Kerman]

3 hours ago, TiktaalikDreaming said:

Parts are exported to KSP.  There's some adjustments to make before they're useful parts.  There's now a slight bulge in the lower section of the aero shield, as the Ascent stage's RCS was poking through the walls.

This is looking really good! Can't wait to try out the latest updates. Thanks for your continued development of the mod.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

5 hours ago, Angel-125 said:

This is looking really good! Can't wait to try out the latest updates. Thanks for your continued development of the mod.

No worries.  It did bug me that most of the parts had no texture.  

[TiktaalikDreaming]

OK, I think the legs are done now too.  So a fair bit of the core stack is revised, but with the rotation correction on the ascent module, I really need to target the lab before the main craft can use all the new parts.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

OK, still early days (hours) for the lab revision, but an early version is outputted through Unity, and so it can be attached without super weirdness to the revised ascent module cabin.

This means the MEM can actually be built using some of the revised parts.  So I've tagged the current edition on github as a pre-release.  It's not what I'd consider actual release ready, but it's the first time since starting this revision you can actually build a full MEM using any of the parts.  So, that makes me happy.

If you do use it, I recommend just using it to take a look.  Don't base any campaigns on this.  Also, you'll notice why the ascent module was rotated before.  The base RCS clips through the lab, and you'll then need to rotate the base instead of the ascent module.  Just beware, it's best to apply the half conical aero shell pieces first.  I'll need to fix those stack points so they don't do that weirdness, but for now, attach those before rotating.  One click of rotation on the "hexagon" setting to clockwise is about right.

And because I always have trouble finding the dammed release files on github (just took me ten minutes to find out for my own stuff) here's a link to the release https://github.com/TiktaalikDreaming/NAR_MEM/releases

 

Edited September 8, 2017 by TiktaalikDreaming
Link

[TiktaalikDreaming]

So far, just blocking colours in and applying normals, but starting to look like a planned part for the ascent engine;

 

As, per other early images, I'm using blender's PBR metal surfaces to show up the normals more than they normally do for correcting things.  The part will not be that shiny in game.  But it also won't have the firefly noise from the cycles rendering engine.

I've also corrected and tested the aero shell stack nodes in the latest git version, but no pre-release packaging yet.  If you want to patch a pre-release, you'll just need the mu files for the base and shell.  The nodes are transforms, so contained in those mu files, with just references in the cfg.

 

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Working on a revised Descent aerospike.  I think I'm going to break it apart again and make it wider.  But the general aesthetic is there.  I definitely want it to look different from the ascent engine.  

[tater]

This is cool as heck.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

So much messing about, revisiting, deleting, starting over, adjusting, but I'm slowly heading towards a descent engine.  Not sure if I should make the turbopump assembly larger, or have more than 4 of them.  But they fill in the gap between the actual aerospike and the outside of the area allotted for the aerospike.  They're small because I had to move them outside the "gimbal impact zone".  

I also messed with ModuleEnginesFX settings to try to add a second effect for the gas cycle exhaust, but it seems you get one exhaust flame and that's it.  I could add extra flames as per the aerospike, just positioned where the exhaust should be, but I was hoping to use a different flame model.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

I think I like bigger turbopumps;

[h0yer]

2 hours ago, TiktaalikDreaming said:

I think I like bigger turbopumps;

I guess we all like 'em big ;P

Really nice work

[TiktaalikDreaming]

3 minutes ago, h0yer said:

I guess we all like 'em big ;P

Really nice work

So long as they don't interfere with gimballing.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Updated on Spacedock.  BUT:  WARNING!!!  It will break saved craft, as the old ascent module has been removed.

I also updated the saved craft file and am testing that at the moment.  So I know I've forgotten something...

Thankfully it's Duna not Mars.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Just messing around trying to find how to embed imgur links in the current combination of shifting forum code and shifting imgur embed stuff.  Please ignore this post

https://imgur.com/gallery/FGQa0

<blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" lang="en" data-id="a/FGQa0"><a href="//imgur.com/FGQa0">Duna Excursion Module mission cycle</a></blockquote><script async src="//s.imgur.com/min/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

Edited September 16, 2017 by TiktaalikDreaming

[nebuchadnezzar]

Amazing job on the revamp, @TiktaalikDreaming! You really knocked it out of the park with this one  

[h0yer]

On 16.9.2017 at 0:42 AM, TiktaalikDreaming said:

...So I know I've forgotten something...

 

Hmm, I have the funny feeling that the decent stage lacks its fuel tanks

 

Just a few questions:

The old version had that additional vehicle platform (as an option to the actual ascent stage) and the fancy large strutting and fairings, will the re-release have them too?

[TiktaalikDreaming]

19 minutes ago, h0yer said:

Hmm, I have the funny feeling that the decent stage lacks its fuel tanks

 

Just a few questions:

The old version had that additional vehicle platform (as an option to the actual ascent stage) and the fancy large strutting and fairings, will the re-release have them too?

Those parts will get the revamp treatment too. Not too worry. When I get there. Bogged down a bit with the lab IVA at the moment.

[h0yer]

1 minute ago, TiktaalikDreaming said:

Those parts will get the revamp treatment too. Not too worry. When I get there. Bogged down a bit with the lab IVA at the moment.

Wonderful!

Take as much time as you need, good things evolve slowly