[1.2.1] Mini Sample Return Capsule - Bring your experiments home safe! (v1.2 9/Nov/2016)

[draqsko]

On ‎6‎/‎9‎/‎2018 at 3:19 PM, Tyko said:

There's been something odd about the part that I haven't been able to track down. I've seen the following issue many times:

I build a sampler to send around the Mun/Iota. I pop it into orbit using F12 and deorbit to test its descent and it works fine. I then launch the real mission and send the sampler out to the moon. It returns to Kerbin/Gael and when I start deorbiting it rapidly slows to below 100m/s when it's still around 50km up and it slowly 'sinks' down to ground level.  

I spent hours trying to figure out what was wrong, but I'm not really a part modeler, so after lots of trial and error I just gave up. The only way to test it was to fly entire missions.

The configs are really bad, the parachute unit has this:

Quote

 MODULE
 {
  name = ModuleDragModifier
  dragCubeName = DEPLOYED
  dragModifier = 24
 }

while the stock Mk1 parachute has this:

Quote

 MODULE
 {
  name = ModuleDragModifier
  dragCubeName = DEPLOYED
  dragModifier = 12
 }

The stock Mk25  parachute is 25 by way of comparison. So the parachute has the drag to slow down something as heavy as the Mk1-2 capsule to safe landing speed. Anyways there were other issues I found in the configs so here's the changes:

Parachute.cfg

Quote

maximum_drag = 0.2
minimum_drag = 0.1
angularDrag = 1.5

 MODULE
 {
  name = ModuleDragModifier
  dragCubeName = SEMIDEPLOYED
  dragModifier = 0.66
 }

MODULE
 {
  name = ModuleDragModifier
  dragCubeName = DEPLOYED
  dragModifier = 6
 }

     MODULE
 {
  name = ModuleDataTransmitter
  antennaType = INTERNAL
  packetInterval = 1.0
  packetSize = 2
  packetResourceCost = 12.0
  requiredResource = ElectricCharge
  antennaPower = 5000
  optimumRange = 2500
  packetFloor = .1
  packetCeiling = 5
 }

These are just edits except data transmitter module, to bring it more in line with stock parts. You may need to tweak the dragModifier = 6, depending on how your descent goes. Higher will slow you down faster and result in a lower landing speed. 12 is the setting I used for 2.5x which has a much higher gravity well than stock but I used this for Corona which required an aerial recovery and therefore a really slow descent speed once the parachute opened. Either way, changing this will change how fast you slow down with full chute deployment. The other module like this named SEMIDEPLOYED is for when the parachute is in drogue deployment, if it doesn't slow down fast enough to fully deploy the chute before hitting the ground, tweak this setting up a little bit (I use 1 for 2.5x). ModuleDataTransmitter is needed for an internal antenna otherwise you won't be able to control the capsule, since the model has an antenna built into it, I felt it appropriate for that antenna to actually exist.

 

CargoBay.cfg

Quote

 CoPOffset = 0.0, 0.2, 0.0
 CoLOffset = 0.0, -0.05, 0.0
 

maximum_drag = 0.2
 minimum_drag = 0.1
 angularDrag = 1.5
 

 thermalMassModifier = 1.0
 

 MODULE
 {
  name = ModuleCargoBay
  DeployModuleIndex = 0
  closedPosition = 0
  lookupRadius = 0.4
  lookupCenter = 0.0,0.1306,0.0
  //nodeOuterForeID = top2
  //nodeOuterAftID = bottom2
 }

The CoP, CoL offset changes can be added into the part config after the node stack definitions. I had issues with ablator burning off and raising the CoM high enough that it would turn turtle, CoP and CoL offsetting prevents that. Thermal mass modifier is set for normal parts rather than cargo bay like thermal mass since this has built-in ablator, which cools the part as it burns off. Normal cargo bays need a higher thermal mass to protect the parts in them but this cargo bay should never get that hot to need it unless you actually run out of ablator. And if you run out of ablator, you should burn up rather than rely on the thermal mass modifier to keep from overheating. The change to ModuleCargoBay is needed however otherwise parts inside the cargo bay won't actually be protected, the ray casting starts at 0, 0, 0 and is hitting the floor of the cargo bay at 0, 0.0424, 0 before it sees any parts except parts attached to the floor that happen to clip some part of their model through it.

 

PS. I'm still not entirely happy with the settings just yet, there's probably more tweaking involved but this should at least get you a functional return capsule.

PPS. After making these changes make sure you delete the ModuleManager.configcache and ModuleManager.configSHA files so that MM loads the changes. If it loads from cache any change you make will not be recognized.

Edited August 10, 2018 by draqsko

[golkaidakhaana]

It seems as if this mod is absolutely riddled with problems, should I bother downloading it or should I find a different mod?

[Tyko]

3 hours ago, sslaptnhablhat said:

It seems as if this mod is absolutely riddled with problems, should I bother downloading it or should I find a different mod?

It's a really cool mod and I've spent hours playing with the configs, but could never get it to work right. My conclusion is there must be something whacky about the parts models themselves. I finally gave up. This is really odd because @CobaltWolf is a parts rock star and produces a ton of great parts in his other mods...maybe each part was just trying to do too many things.

My answer was to rescale a mk1 pod. I dropped it down to .625m (X & Y to 0.5) and further reduced the height to squash it down (Z to 0.25). This created something that looks a lot like RL sample return modules. I have the config on my home machine. If you want to borrow it just PM me so we aren't taking this discussion too far off course.

Edited August 17, 2018 by Tyko

[DStaal]

MOLE also has a very similar pod, that worked pretty well last I checked.

[golkaidakhaana]

1 hour ago, Tyko said:

It's a really cool mod and I've spent hours playing with the configs, but could never get it to work right. My conclusion is there must be something whacky about the parts models themselves. I finally gave up. This is really odd because @CobaltWolf is a parts rock star and produces a ton of great parts in his other mods...maybe each part was just trying to do too many things.

My answer was to rescale a mk1 pod. I dropped it down to .625m (X & Y to 0.5) and further reduced the height to squash it down (Z to 0.25). This created something that looks a lot like RL sample return modules. I have the config on my home machine. If you want to borrow it just PM me so we aren't taking this discussion too far off course.

Sounds good, sure.

3 minutes ago, DStaal said:

MOLE also has a very similar pod, that worked pretty well last I checked.

I used MOLE for a while, and I remember the part working pretty well, but MOLE is a fairly big mod, and I use BDB and Making History, so it'd be a little awkward having three Geminis, three Titans and two Skylabs.

[traisjames]

I can't control my MSRC so I can't use RCS, steer, or trigger chutes.  I also use seperatrons to reduce orbit speed, but can't trigger those either

[DStaal]

4 hours ago, traisjames said:

I can't control my MSRC so I can't use RCS, steer, or trigger chutes.  I also use seperatrons to reduce orbit speed, but can't trigger those either

The last release was before CommNet, so there's no built-in antenna.  You can try patching one in with MM, or adding an external antenna and seeing if that helps.  Take a look at draqsko's edits at the top of this page, and you'll see an attempt at getting it working again under 1.5 I believe.

[Drew Kerman]

@CobaltWolf is this still a standalone mod or has it been integrated into the main BDB pack?

[Friznit]

4 hours ago, Drew Kerman said:

@CobaltWolf is this still a standalone mod or has it been integrated into the main BDB pack?

Not as such but BDB (Dev branch) has the Sample Return Vehicles from the Keyhole satellites which does much the same thing.

[zer0Kerbal]

I have politely asked to adopt this mod so can bring it into 1.12.x @CobaltWolf, @AlbertKermin

License:

This work is presented under a Simplified BSD license (2-clause license ("Simplified BSD License" or "FreeBSD License")). 

 

 

Edited July 31, 2021 by zer0Kerbal

[zer0Kerbal]

On 7/31/2021 at 6:52 AM, zer0Kerbal said:

I have politely asked to adopt this mod so can bring it into 1.12.x @CobaltWolf, @AlbertKermin

License:

This work is presented under a Simplified BSD license (2-clause license ("Simplified BSD License" or "FreeBSD License")). 

 

 

permission granted by @CobaltWolf!

• [ x ] Added as author to spacedock
• [ x ] Github repo
• [ x ] Curseforge
• [ x ] new thread
• [ x ] update pushed
• [ x ] fun!

Spoiler

@OrdinaryKerman, @Mecripp, @Burning Kan,  @Spaceman.Spiff, @Drew Kerman

 

Edited August 4, 2021 by zer0Kerbal

[CobaltWolf]

9 minutes ago, zer0Kerbal said:

permission granted by @CobaltWolf!

(Confirmed )

[zer0Kerbal]

 

On 8/9/2018 at 7:01 PM, draqsko said:

Edited August 9, 2018 by draqsko

@draqsko, used some of your suggestions in the new release.

Edited August 4, 2021 by zer0Kerbal

[zer0Kerbal]

 

Again:@CobaltWolfand @AlbertKermin, thank you.

Edited August 4, 2021 by zer0Kerbal

[draqsko]

Thanks for the nod @zer0Kerbal even though it really wasn't much that I did. I loved that little thing until KSP updates left it behind and @CobaltWolf made an actual Corona reentry capsule. I should note that unless you changed the buoyancy, it may have issues with floating on water. I know in 2.5x rescale it would sink like a piece of lead. That's something I choose not to fix though because it was more realistic with how Corona was actually built (it had a salt plug that would dissolve in the ocean if airborne recovery failed so the Russians wouldn't be able to get it and see how good our spy birds were).

[zer0Kerbal]

6 hours ago, draqsko said:

may have issues with floating on water. I know in 2.5x rescale it would sink like a piece of lead.

it did. sank like it was made of spent plutonium. Had to increase its boyancy to 6 - and then pretty much all that is out of the water on Kerbin is, well, the antenna. Reminds me of R2D2 on Dagobha. 

Do you have any RSS / 2.5x rescale patches I could add?

6 hours ago, draqsko said:

airborne recovery failed so the Russians wouldn't be able to get it and see how good our spy birds were)

interesting. might not have known that - but makes sense.

[draqsko]

On 8/6/2021 at 12:47 AM, zer0Kerbal said:

Do you have any RSS / 2.5x rescale patches I could add?

Unfortunately I don't except on a couple old SSDs that I'd have to hook up first to get the info from and I can't remember if I cut and pasted or just copy and pasted stuff. Blew away everything not needed on this box after I had updated to 1.11. Had to build a new computer because my GPU died on my FX build and just started building my Ryzen build since I couldn't find a replacement for the older CPU. No point in using an RX 590 on an FX-8350, the 280X was already bottlenecking at the CPU in some cases.

 

Edit: Oh and the R2D2 thing must've been funny. It does kind of look like it huh? *ponders building a black R2 unit for a Mun colony with robotic parts*

Edited August 9, 2021 by draqsko
added thoughts.