Nekozjin Aeronautics Flight Files (aka eddiew's c'logs) - Season 5: Keeping it Simple

[eddiew]

Oh, the Manatee!

The science lab has arrived. And mission control knows exactly what to do with it!

What with the high fuel costs (OC: in a 3.2x system) of getting back from Ceti to a low Gael orbit, control decided that the more logical place to do data processing was in fact on-site around Ceti. Launching the first generation of mobile science lab, they set out to establish the first long term habitation around another body. Before even bothering with a long term habitation around Gael itself.

On it's own, this wasn't very useful, but some bright spark suggested that leaving fuel in orbit is quite efficient, and a new paradigm was born!

Having tapped up two biomes, Jay Kerman returns with several hundred data points, which are sure to multiply to some significant discoveries once the lab has processed them. In two or three... years. Control makes a note; send the next science team on a training mission before committing them to the long haul.

After several downs and ups from the surface, Manatee Station's science feed begins to slow, and mission control decides to bring the team home.

A chance encounter with Iota - twice - provides opportunity for some of the team to see the little moon for the first time. They don't seem to resent the opportunity.

With all ships grounded, many debriefings are held by the Council of Chefs, who relentlessly grill the team about their flavoursome experiences on Ceti and the potential ingredients that can be found thereon.

After several months of nagging by private investors, they finally agree to state one last mission to Ceti - this time to "bring a vessel back" from the surface. It proves a good opportunity to test out the nuclear engine that will soon be used to fling a new generation of probe between the planets!

[eddiew]

Anticipatory mining tests

Noticing that Gael is quite hard to get off of, mission control put their heads together and finally concluded - it would be easier if we didn't have to lift all the fuel for our trips at the same time as the payloads... oh, hey, Iota is small and convenient!

And so it was decided to commission a series of simulations for possible mining vessels that would be able to descend from Iotian orbit and return with a cargo of ore. Mission specs required that the fuel resulting from processing that ore must be at least twice as much as the vessel itself would use. After many rounds of private companies submitting designs, a winner was finally selected...

Each descent of the Badgermole III should generate around 3500 surplus fuel (or LFO mix) when docked to an orbital refinery - or about one large grey tank's worth. While mission control recognises that this isn't exactly "all that" it is, right now, a significant victory. 

 

One does not simply walk into Mo'Dur...

There is, mission control noticed, a distinct shortage of science data. Getting to planets is darn hard, and when the probes do arrive, they hardly transmit anything worth mentioning. Fortunately, someone noticed that our antennae have the ability to transmit experimental data to any other vessel, not just ground station - and that gave mission control an idea...

 

Tellumo What...

Finally mission control gets cameras close to the most fascinating binary jewel in the night sky! Looks chilly...

Edited February 2, 2017 by eddiew

[septemberWaves]

Have you encountered the mods Color Coded Cannisters and Fuel Tanks Plus by Necrobones? I think they would fit in quite well with your set of mods, and they allow for much better-looking rocket designs because you can be more creative with tank textures. The decouplers included in FTP also help to keep part count down because they have built-in separation motors (with corresponding extra mass of course).

[insert_name]

hmm so you have vald orbiting tellumo. what happened to that moonlet in the ring system

[eddiew]

12 hours ago, eloquentJane said:

Have you encountered the mods Color Coded Cannisters and Fuel Tanks Plus by Necrobones? I think they would fit in quite well with your set of mods, and they allow for much better-looking rocket designs because you can be more creative with tank textures. The decouplers included in FTP also help to keep part count down because they have built-in separation motors (with corresponding extra mass of course).

I hadn't really looked into them but I will do so - thanks for the tip  

[Norcalplanner]

8 hours ago, eddiew said:

I hadn't really looked into them but I will do so - thanks for the tip  

Be careful - I've had conflicts between color coded canisters and R&D in the past. It adds different color options to the stock tanks as well as loadout switching, which (in the past) meant that R&D is no longer able to upgrade the tanks.  FTP is great, but none of those tanks can be upgraded.

[JadeOfMaar]

On 2/4/2017 at 1:20 AM, insert_name said:

hmm so you have vald orbiting tellumo. what happened to that moonlet in the ring system

The moonlet Lili is/would still be there. Adding Rald does not conflict with the existing worlds.

Edited February 5, 2017 by JadeOfMaar

[eddiew]

On 04/02/2017 at 5:20 AM, insert_name said:

hmm so you have vald orbiting tellumo. what happened to that moonlet in the ring system

Sorry, somehow missed this. As @JadeOfMaar says, there's no reason for Rald to affect Lili, and it hasn't

[eddiew]

Interplanetary Mice

It is the 8th year of the search for new taste sensations among the stars, and at last - at last! - we are ready to make a landing on a planet outside of Gael's reach!

Mo'Dur station is now packed with ~150 datums, which will multiply to a significant 750 science points. Mission control is still debating about the best line of research.

Also, one of the probes sent back just one image before the hot desert sands consumed it... something that is sure to stir the hearts of conspiracy theorists everywhere.

 

 

Buggy Robot

After much deliberation, the science team, mission control, and Council of Chefs were all in agreement; the correct avenue of research was... wheels. What better way to widen the search around a probe's landing zone, such that it might find the best flavour data? With this in mind, a new mission is launched and targeted to Rald, Tellumo's moon. Much smaller than its parent, Rald is a far softer target, offering low orbital speeds while still maintaining a nice plush oxygen atmosphere that gives rise to some deliciously green looking surface features.

(Combined @KerikBalm's Rald with @Galileo's planet pack. Feels like a good fit, imho, nice dinky oxygen world with a clear view of the look-but-don't-touch big momma of the system.)

Tripover rover's exploration of Rald begins well, interrupted only by the intermittent signal as the Porcupine relay passes overhead, and the deep darkness of an eclipse forcing his solar panels offline.

After many days of gentle trundling o'er hill and under dale, Tripover reaches his final challenge; the vast mountain to the east of his landing site. And it's terrifying! Towering 20km above the plains, the sky darkens during the ascent until a few bright planets begin to shine overhead even though it's midday. Numerous points of interest are identified with Rover Science, and a satisfying amount of data is sent back to Mo'dur station for analysis.

(Finding clouds in the crater was a welcome surprise - apparently the terrain in 3.2x is taller than my inexpertly edited/copied atmosphere, and it looks epic   Also, Bon Voyage + Rover Science = very good return on investments for wheeled vehicles. Set the autopilot, switch vessel and timewarp while the rover trundles its way to its destination - stop at any point to look for interesting rocks.)

 

Hot Bot

Hot on the heels of Tripover rover, authorisation is given to construct a new ambassador; a tough-shelled little critter that can weather the violently radioactive surface of Thalia.

Despite careful moderate planning, the mission is a close call. Turtle's radiators work flat out to keep the heat out of the vital electronics, and are just barely able to keep the thermals within operating limits. Any future missions will be constructed with an eye to large heatsinks; steel beams, or redundant fuel tanks.

Initial hopes for an ore-rich world were dashed, as the ore scanner returned precisely... zero. On the other hand, uraninite - Thalia has uraninite enough to power kerbalkind for... ever, basically. Which might explain why the surface is so powerfully irradiated. There's a question as to how Thalia has managed not to be a critical mass and fission itself out of existence, but we'll gloss over that and focus instead on the very respectable science return.

After four biomes of good data, the aggressive Thalian surface managed to take its toll, exploding one of the wheels. Since the goo charges were exhausted, this seemed like a good time to end the mission. Many datums have been returned for processing, although it seems likely that any new chemical combinations will be immediately placed on the List of Forbidden Flavours lest any hapless kerbal attempt to replicate Thalian conditions in their own burrow.

For now, mission control decides to end interaction with Thalia and focus instead upon safer targets that won't result in any crews developing an unhealthy green glow upon landing. 

[KAL 9000]

Awesome reports, dude! 

You keep referring to the probes as "he"... Do they have sentient AI cores?

[eddiew]

On 10/02/2017 at 1:21 PM, KAL 9000 said:

Awesome reports, dude! 

You keep referring to the probes as "he"... Do they have sentient AI cores?

No, I just find they work better with an identity

[eddiew]

Christmas on Tellumo

Turns out that 1.8g, frozen soil, and tinfoil wheels aren't a good combination, and after only a couple of kilometres the mission is brought to a premature, and somewhat disappointing climax. Mission control blames the engineering team. The engineering team blames the route planning team. The route planning team blames the cartographers for not choosing a better landing zone. The cartographers point out that there are no better landing zones since the planet has equal gravity in all directions.

Eventually it is concluded that Tripover did the best it could under difficult circumstances, and since a lot of good data has been returned, the mission is still declared a success. The chemical analyses should provide some interesting tips for Tellumo-pine flavoured ice creams!

 

Desertfox

It's been 18 years since the first launch from KSC, but today... today we make history. Today we send our first crew outside of Gael's SoI.

The debriefing reveals that the crew are in good health, but kind of sweaty. The engineering team is sent a memo to consider the aerodynamics of the return capsule in future. Lyssa intercepts the memo, on the basis that flying the pod like a frisbee is way too much fun to not happen again. To avoid suspicion, she alters it to simply read "include barf bags".

As the scientists pore excitedly over the mission results, the Mo'dur station crew also get to work on their copy. Between them, much fine research is produced, and some exciting spicy flavours extracted from the sandy surface samples. The Council of Chefs is sure these will sell well on the open market.

[eddiew]

Gold Moons

Far from Gael, the Eaglehawk I probe arrives at Otho, most accessible of the gas giants in the Ciro system.

And it's gorgeous out here...

Desert Willy

With the Council of Chefs insisting on MOAR FLAVOURS, it becomes clear that multi-biome missions are required. To this end, the engineering team is tasked with creating a rover tough enough to survive the worst conditions that Niven can throw at it.

Thus far, testing is pretty good. Worst case, we hit a rock and lose some solar panels and headlights. There's still an onboard RTG, and no amount of charging into walls has managed to break that yet.

 

[eddiew]

Sandy Pants

Ok, let me level with you all. I changed my 3.2x config because it was making me unhappy. Stock parts with extra-large planets demands a utility-driven approach to spacecraft design. You have to make ships the way you have to make them, and you basically aren't going to do spaceplanes ever. On the other hand, 1x didn't seem like much of a challenge, so instead I now have this weird setup where planets are at 1x size, but the sun and most orbits are at 3.2x. I did say it was weird. The effect is that transfers are equally or more expensive vs standard 3.2x, while launch and descent costs are completely standard for GPP.

This means that it is a really good idea to do things in the way that real missions tend to get planned, i.e. you leave your transfer stage in orbit. I've historically tended to do that anyway, but now it's basically mandatory because the return delta-v even from the nearest planet is chasing 4km/s. That is a lot of fuel to carry down to the surface of at atmospheric world where nervas don't work efficiently. In short terms, do it like Apollo, or gtfo.

On the other hand, spaceplanes - which I haven't used yet this year because they don't work in 3.2x - are viable lifters from here on. And yes I do want to get back to using them where I can because I miss my unflappy birds. They will however have to lift satellites that pack enough delta-v to get through a 3.2x interplanetary transfer, which means I'll have to design for big cargo spaces, and will be a new challenge  

Meantime, I'm sending out a mission that is almost entirely unchanged from the last because, as said above, transfer costs are at least 3.2x equivalent. The lander this time is smaller than last, because it can be, and the launch stage (not shown) is about half the size. 

There's a rover in this one though, so there's that.

Since Desert Willy proved to be basically indestructible during the excursions to the Trench and the Midlands, the crew agree that it is safe to send scientist Ollie with pilot Jay on the final run. 

It's always a little sad when you have to leave a rover behind, but Desert Willy's RTG will keep him going for many, many years after the solar panels dust over. Also, he's really heavy and we can't spare the fuel.

The ascent is a little tight on fuel, but Jay's piloting is accurate and catches an intercept with the orbiting transfer stage just barely after their AP. Docking however... may not be his forte.

Despite having their head on backwards, the crew decides it probably isn't a major problem and prepares for the return to Gael. Not like anyone at mission control has their heads screwed on right after all...

[eddiew]

Terrible Spaceplane

Alekeg and Badgermole between them for some reason had three engineers, which never made sense, so mission control recalls two of them while sending only one replacement, the newly promoted 3-star River Kerman. We're pretty sure her experiences on Niven will have taught her how to optimise drills! Kind of.

And seeing as Ollie Kerman also returned with an extra star on his shoulder, mission control assigned him to Mo'dur, where he relieves Llew Kerman and joins Leo and Lyssa.

It's not until the heat of re-entry fades that pilot Ellie Kerman makes an unfortunate discovery; Firebug doesn't handle at low speeds. At all. Despite pumping fuel around to try to balance the ship, she is unable to get Firebug to perform any sort of manoeuvre at less than 250m/s.

Fortunately... it turns out crew cabins are quite tough, and KSC was built on the ocean. While the majority of Firebug slowly sinks through the briney waters, the crew remain intact, if a little soiled.

A strong reprimand is handed to the engineering team, and new safety measures are put in place. Measures like testing the landing profile before getting as far as orbit.

[eddiew]

The Spice Must Flow!

After the successful landings on Niven, the Council of Chefs issued an executive order to prioritise one of the most tempting targets in the night sky; Gratian. Known for it's cinnamon clouds and paprika deserts, the council feels sure that exciting new tastes are to be found amongst the spice storms.

Hydrogen tanks and the biggest nuclear engine from Kerbal Atomics were used to create a transfer stage with a there-and-back-again range of 10km/s. This delivered excellent TWR and ISP, but the tanks really can't handle the heat of atmospheric entry, so all burns have to be done in vacuum. It's arguable whether a conventional LV-N stage would have been better, since that could basically aerobrake without a problem and cut the delta-v requirements by about 40%.

In many ways, Gratian is a trap. 0.75g is almost as bad as Tylo, and the 0.5 atmospheric pressure is both a blessing and curse since you can indeed use parachutes... but you'll suffer a lot of drag losses on the way back, especially if you're an idiot and use a flat topped object like the Spiceweasel lander. And yes, yes, it's basically a rechristened version of the Desertfox that did Niven at 3.2x.

Didn't seem to be any point reinventing the weasel.

A rejiggered Desert Willy provides the surface mobility, stripped of some solar panels and kitted with an extra RTG, since Gratian is a lot further from the sun than Niven. Bon Voyage was happy to pilot it in two-wheel-drive, although I'm instituting a personal rule of no Bon Voyaging over 100km from the LZ. Because otherwise it's just cheating.

The Gratianian spicestorms turn out to be quite ferocious. At least a third of the time will be spent watching cinnamon-clouds swirl across the cold, dry desert. Also, they look like lakes from orbit, which caused a lot of confusion in trying to land by the water's edge!

The spicy surface samples are worth a massive 480 data points, but it looks like being quite a while until the transfer home, so for now the crew are left to figure out how best to prepare them. Apparently they go quite well with stewed apples.

 

Recall

Iota Mining Corporation reviewed their operation and concluded that it just wasn't cost efficient to keep anyone on the payroll, so mission control sent a recovery flight to bring them home. Something about the legalities of stranding a crew with no return mechanisms.

Short version, the Badgermole miner is over-complicated (and causes fps lag when docked) and the Alekeg refinery is just plain poorly designed. The radiators can't handle the convert-o-tron's heat output, and the whole structure reaches dangerous temperatures during "normal" operation. 

With the crew retrieved, Alekeg is guided under remote control into low Gael orbit. It still contains plenty of fuel and can be used by outbound flights, but it won't see use as a refinery again.

There may be a revised Iota mining operation in the future, with many lessons learned and applied, but it seems more likely that the mining and refining technology will find its way into field operations.

On the way home, Firebug III retrieves Leo Kerman from Mo'dur, with the intent of sending him on an upcoming mission to Rald. Rookie Griffin Kerman takes his place.

Edited June 23, 2017 by eddiew

[Streetwind]

What kind of skybox are you using? You link to Poodmund's in your modlist in the OP, but that's not what I'm seeing in your screenshots here...

[eddiew]

On 20/02/2017 at 9:04 PM, Streetwind said:

What kind of skybox are you using? You link to Poodmund's in your modlist in the OP, but that's not what I'm seeing in your screenshots here...

You're right! I have forgotten to amend that. I'm now using Foreign Eagle, by @JadeOfMaar, which I gave a little photoshop love to and took out the telescope refractions:

The blue one prior to this is also one of JoM's. It's nice, but it kind of made me want to hold my breath a lot xD 

Edited February 23, 2017 by eddiew

[vestradeus]

Holy crap these are some pretty craft!

[greenTurtle1134]

On 2/20/2017 at 5:06 AM, eddiew said:

Didn't seem to be any point reinventing the weasel.

... (slowly begins to clap)

[eddiew]

I'm not saying it was aliens...

We begin with a spaceplane that actually does something interesting...

Squeakbat is actually SSTO capable, but its margins on Gael are razor thin and the cost of two extra fuel tanks isn't important, so it arrives in LGO with nearly 1100m/s. Far in excess of requirements, but it won't hurt to have that around later. After a few hours, a rendezvous is made with a previously launched 'HyperRing' transfer stage, and preparations for an interplanetary ejection burn begin.

Quite a few months later...

Perhaps fortunately, all the crew makes contact with is green goo.

Time for some biome hopping! First, the coasts and oceans.

Although it turns out it would take hours to reach the actual ocean biome at a sailing speed of 8m/s, so we settle for a cup of saltwater to take home.

That... that doesn't look very safe.

Retreating southwards with alacrity, the crew find a nice green hillside on which to deploy their drills overnight. Nothing like the sound of clanking, grinding machinery to lull a kerbal to sleep.

The next morning... we discover yet another suspicious structure. Mission control is starting to think we weren't the only ones to consider that Rald might make a good launch base for access to Tellumo!

After the cramped darkness of the ancient city near Rald's equator, the crew decided to make a break for open space - literally. There isn't a lot of spare capacity on Squeakbat, but about 500 units of LF are transferred to the HyperRing, and it's never going to hurt to have a little more than the mission planners intended.

Having come to a screeching halt teetering perilously over the edge of a volcanic crater, Leo and Thystle insist that Lyssa fly somewhere a little more sedate. And what's more sedate than a lush, green valley?

Due to a peculiarity of rotation vs orbital speed, Tellumo rises as the sun sets. Seems like a nice place to spend the night...

The southward jaunt to Kargyre is likely to be the last science gathering trip, and the crew decide to spend a few days lounging around on the lush green plains and pretending that the radio isn't working. The transfer window home is some time away, and what mission control doesn't know won't hurt them, right?

Eventually however, they must depart for home.

Applying a trick she learned in a previous life (New Horizons in 1.0.5), Lyssa figures that an ejection burn from the sunward side of Rald, when it's on the sunward side of Tellumo will allow them to capitalise on the moon's orbital velocity - and indeed she scores an intercept with Gael for only 650m/s. Another 300 or so at the next DN ensures a nice equatorial orbit with a tight PE, and the entire transfer home to LGO is performed in less than 2600m/s. As a bonus, this leaves some in the HyperRing, and it will remain in LGO for possible use by later missions. Assuming the engineering team can work out an efficient way of refuelling it that doesn't cost as much as launching a new one.

Leo transfers to Mo'dur, such that it now has a pair of 4-star scientists aboard. Rookie scientician Griffin Kerman is recalled from the station and will return home aboard Squeakbat for deployment on the next outbound mission.

The Council of Chefs begin cataloguing the array of delicious new taste sensations being brought to light by Mo'dur's analysis. So far the front runners are Raldean Riverfish with Seaweed and Lowlands Rice and for main course, while for desert there's a choice of Rocky Volcano ice cream or Basin Crumble with Icecap sprinkles. Delighted by the marketing possibilities, a number of private companies shower the space centre with sponsorship deals.

[eddiew]

Hotwings Express

Because someone at mission control got drunk and didn't think about the problem when accepting the contract. 17km/s required to go from LGO to Icarus orbit 

With the nuclear reactor running low on fuel, the plan was to give the Swiftbird a sendoff by crashing it into Icarus... until someone noticed that it has a 1.4 TWR.  Would be a shame to waste it, so the orbit is raised a little to give the probe a run up (run down) and the descent begins.

[greenTurtle1134]

Rald... is really beautiful. Can't wait to send an expedition there in my save...

[eddiew]

14 hours ago, greenTurtle1134 said:

Rald... is really beautiful. Can't wait to send an expedition there in my save...

It is, I was torn between putting it as a moon of Gael for the visuals, or having it out at Tellumo for the accessible launchpad ^^

[greenTurtle1134]

7 hours ago, eddiew said:

It is, I was torn between putting it as a moon of Gael for the visuals, or having it out at Tellumo for the accessible launchpad ^^

I wanted it (in the stock system) to be at the L4 Kerbin because that seemed a bit more realistic and balanced but your pictures of Rald in the Kerbin SOI convinced me otherwise.

I did put it in the "far orbit", because that way I don't have to handwave away tidal effects and orbital distortions and whatnot. Hopefully I can still see it, I haven't really tried.