[1.2] Shuttle Payload Technologies v0.2 - Spacelab Released!

[MrMeeb]

Shuttle Payload Technologies v0.2

This is the development thread for Shuttle Payload Technologies, a mod that I'm currently working on. The main goal is to flesh out the amount of parts available for shuttle payloads. Currently in the plans are:

• KU Band Antenna
• Spacehab
• Weird Shuttle-Salyut module thing
• Build-your-own LDEF + contracts for it
• Spacelab Pallet experiments + contracts
• Probably some satellite mounts
• Maybe Hubble and it's servicing equipment from the following missions?
• Anything else people ask for that I agree with!

License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Changelog:

Spoiler

v0.2

• Updated CRG-150 texture to use the new CA texture
• Added DMagicScienceAnimate
• Added WildBlueTools
• Added CRG-100R
• Added Shuttle Cockpit
• Added CT-A3 Tunnel Adapter
• Added CT-S4 Structural Tunnel
• Added RS-3 Experiment Airlock
• Added CT-I7 Inline Airlock
• Added ISF-14 "Igloo" Integrated Science Facility
• Added ISF-7 "Iglet" Integrated Science Facility
• Added CT-Z5 Structural Tunnel
• Renamed "Aero" folder to "WingSurfaces"
• Renamed "Utility" folder to "CargoBays"
• Removed "Extras" folder - The LFO versions of the ET will enable automatically if Community Resource Pack is not installed, but DIRECT is. The LHO version will enable if both DIRECT and CRP are installed.
• Removed Ships folder, and craft. They'll be back later.

v0.12

• Fixed SRB
• Added LFO Versions of ET Parts (available in 'Extras' folder)
• Added STS.craft (uses Hydrogen variants)

v0.11

• Added MiniAVC
• Added .version file
• Renamed stsBay to STS_Bay - CRAFT BREAKING
• New Parts!
  • Rockomax ET5 LHO Fuel Tank
  • Rockomax ET7 Fueled Nose Cone
  • Rockomax ET10 LHO Fuel Tank
  • Rockomax ET25 LHO Fuel Tank
  • Rockomax ET50 LHO Fuel Tank
  • SRB BR-926 4-Segment Solid Rocket Booster
  • Booster Assisted Separation Nose Cone
• Added RealPlume compatibility
• Added Canadarm compatibility

v0.1 - Initial Release!

• CRG-150 Added
• Tiled Delta Wing Added
• Tiled Wing Strake Added
• Shuttle Inner Elevon Added
• Shuttle Outer Elevon Added

Download

Spacedock

Github

Required Mods:

Comorant Aeronology

DIRECT

 

Edited October 19, 2016 by MrMeeb

[VenomousRequiem]

Ayyy, it all looks good, mate. Keep up the good work.

[Sgt.Shutesie]

Lookin Noice

[Z3R0_0NL1N3]

Hey, as part of the config that rescales the DIRECT parts, can you convert them to the stock liquid fuel + oxidizer? It's always bothered me how DIRECT uses its own fuel. Plus, does this re-scale the one-part ET in DIRECT as well, or just the component parts? Fiinally, could you also rescale/edit the model for the lifting body part, since it doesn't reach all the way?

Also, bug report: the SRBS attach funny. They face into the body to attach to instead of parallel with it, and when rotated with WASD, still clip into the body.

Edited July 30, 2016 by Z3R0_0NL1N3

[MrMeeb]

1 hour ago, Z3R0_0NL1N3 said:

Hey, as part of the config that rescales the DIRECT parts, can you convert them to the stock liquid fuel + oxidizer? It's always bothered me how DIRECT uses its own fuel. Plus, does this re-scale the one-part ET in DIRECT as well, or just the component parts? Fiinally, could you also rescale/edit the model for the lifting body part, since it doesn't reach all the way?

Also, bug report: the SRBS attach funny. They face into the body to attach to instead of parallel with it, and when rotated with WASD, still clip into the body.

I can look into adding a LFO option, sure. I decided not to rescale the ET, because it will cause a poor balance in the later stages of ascent - you want to drain the tank from the top, which is possible with the individual parts but not the ET. Comorant's lifting body part does have a CRG-150 option if you right click and change the variant. 

Thanks for the bug report. I'll look into it and see what I can do! Probably attach rules messed up 

[Z3R0_0NL1N3]

8 minutes ago, MrMeeb said:

I can look into adding a LFO option, sure. I decided not to rescale the ET, because it will cause a poor balance in the later stages of ascent - you want to drain the tank from the top, which is possible with the individual parts but not the ET. Comorant's lifting body part does have a CRG-150 option if you right click and change the variant. 

Thanks for the bug report. I'll look into it and see what I can do! Probably attach rules messed up 

I think it'd be nice to have for completeness sake, and to reduce part count, but, that probably explains why my shuttles were so unbalanced!

[MrMeeb]

Just now, Z3R0_0NL1N3 said:

I think it'd be nice to have for completeness sake, and to reduce part count, but, that probably explains why my shuttles were so unbalanced!

What's the point in having low part count shuttle if they don't fly right?  

[White Owl]

This all looks great so far! When it comes to shuttles, I'd much rather build 'em up from component parts, rather than use the perfect replica all-in-one mod. So this is very cool.

I love the deployable radiators in the payload bay doors. Would you consider doing the same for other size payload bays, to match the stock part sizes? For people (like me) who enjoy building variants of the real thing with different proportions?

As far as I know, there isn't any good shuttle-style landing gear available anywhere, since the Adjustable Landing Gear mod is dead in the water for the foreseeable future. Maybe that sounds like an interesting project?

Cool looking mod. 

[CobaltWolf]

3 hours ago, White Owl said:

 

As far as I know, there isn't any good shuttle-style landing gear available anywhere, since the Adjustable Landing Gear mod is dead in the water for the foreseeable future. Maybe that sounds like an interesting project?

Cool looking mod. 

>>asking someone to create wheels post-1.1. Are you trying to kill him?

[MrMeeb]

4 hours ago, White Owl said:

Would you consider doing the same for other size payload bays, to match the stock part sizes?

Yeah, I'll add these to the list. Shouldn't be too difficult

4 hours ago, White Owl said:

As far as I know, there isn't any good shuttle-style landing gear available anywhere

While I totally agree and would love to...what Cobalt said; I have only put one part through Unity so far and that was terrifying enough. I have no hope in hell of getting any wheels into the game any time soon  

[Spartan-S63]

Any chance this is being added (or has already been added) to CKAN?

[StevieC]

@MrMeeb AVC is saying that there's a version 0.12 to download but I can't seem to find it

[MrMeeb]

43 minutes ago, StevieC said:

@MrMeeb AVC is saying that there's a version 0.12 to download but I can't seem to find it

Yeah, I derped and did the AVC thing then went to dinner before pushing the update. Sorry!

v0.12 released! Just a bug fix, LFO parts and a .craft file

Spoiler

Fixed SRB
Added LFO Versions of ET Parts (available in 'Extras' folder)
Added STS.craft (uses Hydrogen variants)

https://github.com/MrMeeb/Shuttle-Payload-Technologies/releases/tag/v0.12

[StevieC]

I still cannot find anything to make the Cormorant Aeronology lifting-body fit the CRG-150 payload-bay. All it has for me are 2 variants: Standard, and Blank

Edited July 30, 2016 by StevieC

[MrMeeb]

39 minutes ago, StevieC said:

I still cannot find anything to make the Cormorant Aeronology lifting-body fit the CRG-150 payload-bay. All it has for me are 2 variants: Standard, and Blank

Make sure you have the most up to date version of Cormorant Aeronology

[Z3R0_0NL1N3]

Just got around to playtesting this, and it's great! (Had to build my own shuttle, since I deleted the non-LFO bits out of DIRECT to save space.) The ET decoupler from Cormorant doesn't fit, exactly, should it be upscaled by 1.2 as well?

Also, though maybe I should post this to the main Cormorant page, how do I fly this? it always ends up looking like this, even when I'm pulling up fully.

Spoiler

And if I could make a request, could you put the flag module on the side of the cargo bay as well?

Edited July 31, 2016 by Z3R0_0NL1N3

[CobaltWolf]

3 hours ago, Z3R0_0NL1N3 said:

Also, though maybe I should post this to the main Cormorant page, how do I fly this? it always ends up looking like this, even when I'm pulling up fully.

...i-is that how you are trying to fly it? Shuttle starts with the ET side facing the VAB (for a normal equatorial takeoff, at least) and slowly arcs backwards to be 'on its back' / 'belly up'. If you're trying to fly like that 'belly down' then you're fighting the built in arc created by the Shuttle's atypical thrust placement.

[legoclone09]

This looks really cool! Got any pictures of the parts included already?

[Z3R0_0NL1N3]

4 hours ago, CobaltWolf said:

...i-is that how you are trying to fly it? Shuttle starts with the ET side facing the VAB (for a normal equatorial takeoff, at least) and slowly arcs backwards to be 'on its back' / 'belly up'. If you're trying to fly like that 'belly down' then you're fighting the built in arc created by the Shuttle's atypical thrust placement.

Not really. I tried to have it bank 90 degrees on takeoff like the real shuttle does, IIRC, but I tried launching it rotated on the pad too. I'm definitely trying to fly belly up, the shuttle wants to nose down on its own, and fights me more than I can fight to pull it back, enough so that it ends  up like in the picture. Plus once the SRBs detach, there's no way to keep it stable.

Edited July 31, 2016 by Z3R0_0NL1N3

[MrMeeb]

4 hours ago, legoclone09 said:

This looks really cool! Got any pictures of the parts included already?

I'll make one!  

17 minutes ago, Z3R0_0NL1N3 said:

Not really. I tried to have it bank 90 degrees on takeoff like the real shuttle does, IIRC, but I tried launching it rotated on the pad too. I'm definitely trying to fly belly up, the shuttle wants to nose down on its own, and fights me more than I can fight to pull it back, enough so that it ends  up like in the picture. Plus once the SRBs detach, there's no way to keep it stable.

The one thing I've yet to recreate is the roll program, so I don't bother. I always end up far too off axis to call it a success. I'd recommend taking a look at the example craft included in the mod to see how to set up a correctly balanced ET and how to set your SSMEs. That will keep everything stable with SRBs attached. Unfortunately the instability when they're gone is just caused by SAS struggling to deal with high gimbal range engines, resulting in an endless spiral of over-correction. The two options are either to spam reaction wheels (I put them in the nose of the ET) or lock prograde and just ride it up. 

For the ET mount, it kinda fits but I know what you mean. That wasn't a simple case of rescaling, so I'd have to look at changing the angles in the model. Should be possible 

[Spartan-S63]

6 hours ago, MrMeeb said:

I'll make one!  

The one thing I've yet to recreate is the roll program, so I don't bother. I always end up far too off axis to call it a success. I'd recommend taking a look at the example craft included in the mod to see how to set up a correctly balanced ET and how to set your SSMEs. That will keep everything stable with SRBs attached. Unfortunately the instability when they're gone is just caused by SAS struggling to deal with high gimbal range engines, resulting in an endless spiral of over-correction. The two options are either to spam reaction wheels (I put them in the nose of the ET) or lock prograde and just ride it up. 

For the ET mount, it kinda fits but I know what you mean. That wasn't a simple case of rescaling, so I'd have to look at changing the angles in the model. Should be possible 

One of the things to try to replicate the roll program is to make sure you're using SRBs with gimbals and only use the SRB gimbals to execute the roll. Using any of the SSMEs modifies the torque on the vehicle and causes you to deviate from other axes. This also requires that your SRBs produce much more thrust their your SSMEs.

[MrMeeb]

UNFINISHED TEXTURE HYPE

[TimothyC]

One thing that might be fun, was something that came out of Shuttle-C work in the mid-late 1980s: A Double Payload Bay Shuttle Derived Vehicle:

Source PDF (pages 26 and 28)

[theonegalen]

Aw, I love your designs but don't want to install DIRECT. I suppose I'll just have to knuckle under? What assets does this use from DIRECT?

[JoseEduardo]

the tanks and the SRB

also, without DIRECT the .craft file won't work

I wouldn't say it is required, but rather highly recommended...