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Shuttle Challenge v5 - The STS thread [Stock and Mod Friendly] - MAJOR CHALLENGE ANNOUNCEMENT! - 30.3.2020

michal.don
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4x4cheesecake

4x4cheesecake

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  On 11/3/2018 at 12:48 PM, Barzon Kerman said:

Can I use this mod for a space shuttle?

https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/161096-12-13-14-15-release-mk25-spaceplane-parts-rebuilt-expanded/ 

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There are just very few restrictions regarding mods:

1) No atmospheric altering mod (except FAR)
2) No overpowered engines
3) No MechJeb while in the atmosphere

Since the mod doesn't add any engines, I don't see any reasons to disallow the parts ;) Well, you will probably get the 'modded' badge after finishing a mission (silver colored elements instead of gold) but the difference doesn't really matter (at least in my opinion, the challenges are still challenging, even with modded parts ;) )

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michal.don

michal.don

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  On 11/3/2018 at 10:27 AM, FCISuperGuy said:

Absolutely incredible to see this challenge still in action! Just wanted to pop in and say well done, guys - it's been awesome scrolling through the 47 pages and seeing everything everyone's done (and those nice fancy badges in everyone's signatures)... Maybe I should make something and get back in the game?

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Of course you should - I'm always happy to see the "Great ones" of this challenge show up and fly shuttles a bit :) We have quite a shuttle-adicted community around here, and I think you'll fit in just fine :D Welcome back!

  On 11/3/2018 at 12:48 PM, Barzon Kerman said:

Can I use this mod for a space shuttle?

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Sure thing! as @4x4cheesecake said, you can use almost any mods you like, this challenge is very mod friendly (I flew most of missions in modded shuttles, too :) )

Welcome to the challenge!

 

Michal.don

Edited by michal.don
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4x4cheesecake

4x4cheesecake

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  On 11/4/2018 at 3:46 AM, Petrovich said:

but here's a demonstration of a new shuttle I'm working on: https://imgur.com/a/zMfrHLV

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Really cool shuttle :) The deployable cockpit looks interesting...does it have any glide capabilities through the canards or is it more like a 'regular' abort and some chutes will pop up after beeing in a save distance?

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Petrovich

Petrovich

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  On 11/4/2018 at 8:52 AM, 4x4cheesecake said:

does it have any glide capabilities through the canards or is it more like a 'regular' abort and some chutes will pop up after beeing in a save distance?

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It actually glides pretty well on those canards, however I may add parachutes in the future for convenience's sake.

I might attach it to the space station later down the line to act as a CERV

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Dman Revolution

Dman Revolution

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@michal.don

I don't know if this challenge would benefit from it but I have a compact stock robotic arm subassembly I could submit.

This is a video of the initial version. The elbow is a little more robust at this point, but can still break if you're not careful. (This is also a version that was not a subassembly)

 

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michal.don

michal.don

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  On 11/5/2018 at 7:15 PM, Dman Revolution said:

I don't know if this challenge would benefit from it but I have a compact stock robotic arm subassembly I could submit.

This is a video of the initial version. The elbow is a little more robust at this point, but can still break if you're not careful. (This is also a version that was not a subassembly)

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Wow, that's a first here - I don't recall anybody building a stock robotic arm for this challenge! To be honest, I'm have pretty much zero experience with stock hinges and stuff like that, would you share more details about your robotic arm? How does it operate? How many parts? How about the on-rails-timewarp? Is it reattachable? I think most of us here would appreciate more insight very much :) 

Thanks,

Michal.don

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mythic_fci

mythic_fci

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  On 11/3/2018 at 11:25 AM, 4x4cheesecake said:

Do it! :)

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  On 11/3/2018 at 6:45 PM, michal.don said:

Of course you should - I'm always happy to see the "Great ones" of this challenge show up and fly shuttles a bit :) We have quite a shuttle-adicted community around here, and I think you'll fit in just fine :D Welcome back!

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3

screenshot9.png

Do I see a new Shuttle being test-fired?

  On 11/5/2018 at 7:15 PM, Dman Revolution said:

I don't know if this challenge would benefit from it but I have a compact stock robotic arm subassembly I could submit.

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I have to add my voices to the rabble and say - tell us more! Does it work post-time-accel? What's the mass limit on it, if any? I could definitely see myself using this...

Edited by mythic_fci
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Dman Revolution

Dman Revolution

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Honestly haven't really tested a max payload movement with it. I think the tank in that video is the highest I've gone.

 

The current iteration of the arm starts docked to the left side inside the bay. It uses 3 docking ports, 1 for each portion of the arm: manipulator, elbow and shoulder. It does NOT work when in time warp, but due to the docking ports you can just redock the arm to make it through that. Usually I just mount whatever I'm moving to the main port on the shuttle when I need to time warp. Nice thing about the arm though is if your do lose it a lot of times the magnetic force of the docking ports allows you to line up a lost arm and redock it and it'll actually just pop back into its hinge!

 

Now, how it actually works:

Ill start at the shoulder, it's a ball joint using a linear rcs and thermometers to hold it in. It then has small reaction wheels on the other end with a small probe core and an rig. Basically you're using the mass of the shuttle to hold the ball joint end from moving. This is then connected using a hinge to the next piece of the arm. It's made using a mess of thermometers and comm antennas. To make it stable I had to add a few more than are in the video. This is controlled in a similar way to the shoulder, but it's a hinge. At the end of this is one of the "new" tiny rcs ball tanks. Now why use that instead of another linear rcs? Docking reloads the physics. This causes clipping. So if I were to use one it would just clip through the thermometers because of its tiny collider. This problem is exacerbated by the magnetism of the docking port. You have to line it up pretty well so the arm doesn't get yanked and put in a bad spot for the physics reload.

 

 

All together it can be kinda finicky and I can probably use collidascope to clean it up a bit more, but if any of you can figure out a mission for it, that'd be cool. I'm thinking maybe a hard mode for all the station missions. Instead of just floating it away, using a tug or mmu you have to somehow use the arm to do it.

 

 

Edit:

Oh and as a bonus here's a pic of my newest version of the shuttle, working srbs and all:

https://imgur.com/gallery/45F6549

Edited by Dman Revolution
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4x4cheesecake

4x4cheesecake

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  On 11/7/2018 at 11:55 AM, michal.don said:

Umm, no, I just... thought very hard about that... yeah.... Yes, I missed it, thanks for the reminder :)

I think that is alright, the orbiter can refuel the MMUs, I don't see why not. Go for it :)

 

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:D
Hopefully, I don't have to transfer mono prop from the orbiter to the MMUs but during some testflight I've experienced some unplanned acceleration of parts during docking maneuvers which causes some light modules like the docking adapter to float far away from the Skylab/Orbiter :rolleyes:

But it is good to know that a fuel transfer would be a valid alternative to 'quicksave/load until it works like intended' :)

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4x4cheesecake

4x4cheesecake

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Unfortunately, I'm still suffering from a herniated vertrebal disc which prevents me to do long KSP sessions, so I hope you forgive me to take the 'lazy' attempt for STS - 4T: Skylab boost mission (I used the Skylab provided by @michal.don on KerbalX and put it in orbit via debug menu) :)

I had a lot of fun during this mission, just because I love orbital docking/assembling...many precise maneuvers, tight space between parts...that's my favourite playstyle :cool: Also, I revived my first shuttle for these flights since an interplanetary capable shuttle seems to be an overkill for a mission in LKO. I just added some spark engines as OMS and build a new launch vehicle which actually uses SRBs^^
Nevertheless, I messed up the docking sequence during the second flight a bit, but I was able to fix it ;) Enough said, here's my entry for:


STS - 4T : Skylab boost mission

9ZZlWI0.png

First flight:

  Reveal hidden contents


Second flight:

  Reveal hidden contents

Album for the first flight: https://imgur.com/a/H4JUQQE
Album for the second flight: https://imgur.com/a/tvk1xES

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mythic_fci

mythic_fci

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Answering the contract for a new Space Transportation System laid out by @michal.don Industries et al., MythicDyne responds with the new Space Shuttle Program, headed up by her first shiny new orbiter, the SSV-1 Halcyon...

3NRWDtu.png

This mission report for her first flight (SSP1-H1; aka Space Shuttle Program Mission 1 - Halcyon Flight 1), taking the MulletDyne 40T Fuel Pod to a ~83000km high Kerbin orbit, should satisfy the criteria for missions STS1A and 1B Commander's Rank: https://imgur.com/a/GKOOJQ8

(If anyone could tell this old hasn't-been-on-the-forums-in-a-year geezer how to embed Imgur albums again on this newfangled forum software...that'd be much appreciated!)

Edited by mythic_fci
fixing the album
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sturmhauke

sturmhauke

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I completed STS-2a with 4 comsats. I think my orbiter got stealth krakened though; after reentry it seemed to have more drag than expected, and the jet engines couldn't keep the speed up very well. I've been having problems with the core booster separation, it might be related to that.

Anyway, here's the screenshots. Full album: https://imgur.com/a/9Ja9I99

  Reveal hidden contents

 

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4x4cheesecake

4x4cheesecake

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@mythic_fci Beautiful flight, I hope to see more :)

@sturmhauke The spacing of your comsats looks totally fine though, nice laser show :) Did you fixed it afterwards or did you go for a new attempt? And what's the issue with the core booster separation? Can't see anything unusual in your screenshots.
Regarding the drag issue: I've experienced some unusual drag after installing missing history and was able to fix it by deleting the 'PartDatabase.cfg' in the KSP install folder (the file will be recreated automatically on the next start of KSP), you might want to give it a try.

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Kerbolitto

Kerbolitto

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  On 11/7/2018 at 7:42 PM, 4x4cheesecake said:

Unfortunately, I'm still suffering from a herniated vertrebal disc which prevents me to do long KSP sessions, so I hope you forgive me to take the 'lazy' attempt for STS - 4T: Skylab boost mission (I used the Skylab provided by @michal.don on KerbalX and put it in orbit via debug menu) :)

I had a lot of fun during this mission, just because I love orbital docking/assembling...many precise maneuvers, tight space between parts...that's my favourite playstyle :cool: Also, I revived my first shuttle for these flights since an interplanetary capable shuttle seems to be an overkill for a mission in LKO. I just added some spark engines as OMS and build a new launch vehicle which actually uses SRBs^^
Nevertheless, I messed up the docking sequence during the second flight a bit, but I was able to fix it ;) Enough said, here's my entry for:


STS - 4T : Skylab boost mission

9ZZlWI0.png

First flight:

  Reveal hidden contents


Second flight:

  Reveal hidden contents

Album for the first flight: https://imgur.com/a/H4JUQQE
Album for the second flight: https://imgur.com/a/tvk1xES

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You're using a new design ?

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4x4cheesecake

4x4cheesecake

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  On 11/8/2018 at 3:19 PM, Kerbolitto said:

You're using a new design ?

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Nope ;)

  On 11/7/2018 at 7:42 PM, 4x4cheesecake said:

Also, I revived my first shuttle for these flights since an interplanetary capable shuttle seems to be an overkill for a mission in LKO. I just added some spark engines as OMS and build a new launch vehicle which actually uses SRBs^^

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sturmhauke

sturmhauke

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  On 11/8/2018 at 10:35 AM, 4x4cheesecake said:

@sturmhauke The spacing of your comsats looks totally fine though, nice laser show :) Did you fixed it afterwards or did you go for a new attempt? And what's the issue with the core booster separation? Can't see anything unusual in your screenshots.
Regarding the drag issue: I've experienced some unusual drag after installing missing history and was able to fix it by deleting the 'PartDatabase.cfg' in the KSP install folder (the file will be recreated automatically on the next start of KSP), you might want to give it a try.

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Thanks! I was able to adjust the orbits, it didn't take as much fuel as I thought it would. I had to look up some math though.

Re: the booster - Staging it away tends to shake the entire ship rather violently, and sometimes causes misaligned parts. I tried turning the decouple force to 0 and turning off autostruts across the joint, but that doesn't seem to make much difference. Reloading seems to work, but maybe there was something out of alignment I couldn't see. Might also be that the decoupler is clipped too far inside other parts. On the next mission I'm gonna try a flatter decoupler and see if that makes a difference. I'll also delete that part database file.

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