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

[michal.don]

27 minutes ago, TM31D2475 said:

I'm asking if I could restart my entries since I made some changes to Aquila Aquilla after that (and I think noone acknowledged it's existence)

Thanks for the link - I see that you completed the STS-1a mission, and were awarded the appropriate badge. If you have a new shuttle design, you can either start from STS-2, or complete the STS-1a again - up to you.

Michal.don

[Fraus]

7 hours ago, michal.don said:

Are you interested in only a specific one?

Michal.don

I’ve been dying to do a shuttle apollo crossover, but I can just keep with the precedent of doing them in order

[Fraus]

Back at it with STS T-2, RTLS Abort

https://imgur.com/a/gJ0j2gL

Assuming this is approved, I was curious are RCS tanks considered as fuel in STS T-3?

[michal.don]

4 hours ago, Fraus said:

Back at it with STS T-2, RTLS Abort

Alright, it seems you chose to do the missions in order, thanks!

There is only the slight issue of not leaving atmosphere, but since you got pretty close, and the mission looks fine in all other aspects, I'm willling to overlook this detail and call the mission successful. Good job!

Regarding the STS T-3 - yes, RCS tanks are considered as fuel, they can't be included in the probe/lander. The two small tanks are the only means of propulsion allowed.

Michal.don

[MarkoeZ]

STS-5-8 Commander Run!

I wanted to build something interesting, so took a bit longer than expected, but think it was worth it
The first two runs were a bit boring, just hauling two big parts into space, so only pictures for those two. The last two were more interesting, so i thought i'd capture those on viideo. STS-7 just a video at x8 speed with some music, for STS-8 it switches to normal speed for the more interesting parts. Good stuff starts around 6:30 min into the vid

STS-5, Core and Science Lab (Science for the achievement): https://imgur.com/gallery/ELyoQVK

STS-6, Engines and RCS: https://imgur.com/gallery/aj1Sk60 

STS-7, Science modules and Solar/Comms (Science2 for the achievement): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pmB4j60zgg

 

Spoiler

 

STS-8, Habitation Modules and unfolding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiXp1jzhPSs

 

Spoiler

Yes the ring rotates 

Enjoy!

Edited November 13, 2019 by MarkoeZ

[ZZetho]

STS Duna 1

- with commander (hopefully)

https://imgur.com/a/fzkJe4a

mods - 

[Togu]

Hi,
I'm still new to the forum, but I would like to participate in your challenge. I flew the STS 1 mission. Hope it is alright that I am the 1a and 1b flew together.
 

 

My mods:
KerbalEngineer
KerbalAlarmClock
Environmental Visual Enhancements
Stock Visual Enhancements
Planet Shine
KIS

Togu

[TM31D2475]

Aight, so here's my STS-1 redo, I'm going for the Commander level

EDIT: Mod list
     -Trajectories
     -FMRS
     -Better Time Warp
     -DP Alignment Indicator
     -Engine Lighting Relit
     -Some other stuff
https://kerbalx.com/TM31/Aquilla-Corvus

_{Bear in mind that wind directions can change any time and with only 1 runway this equates to total chaos Right this is KSP}

Edited November 15, 2019 by TM31D2475
Mod list

[michal.don]

Hello there, time for a new round of reviews!

On 11/13/2019 at 6:42 PM, MarkoeZ said:

STS-5-8 Commander Run!

Oh my, this was very interesting indeed! From the video thumbnail, I was wandering how you managed to pack the ring segment into the shuttle, and I certainly did not see this one coming!  Very good job sir, here's your badge:

Congratulations!

 

On 11/14/2019 at 8:52 AM, ZZetho said:

STS Duna 1

Shuttle in a fairing, haven't seen one of those for quite some time! And using the support launch for stuff you forgot to take with you, htat's a properly kerbal way of doing things  On another note - I didn't expect aerobraking at Duna would be possible with the outpost exposed to aero forces like that, but I was mistaken, it seems. No objections on my part, very well executed mission, good job!

On 11/14/2019 at 9:38 PM, Togu said:

Hi,
I'm still new to the forum, but I would like to participate in your challenge. I flew the STS 1 mission. Hope it is alright that I am the 1a and 1b flew together.

Hello, welcome to the challenge!

It's perfectly fine to comlete the 1a and 1b missions in one go. Great to see another STS-resembling shuttle around here, and apart from a bit of wobbling duriing the ascent, your design seems to work pretty well! Also, I was surprised to see the quite steep reentry, but it brought you just where you needed to be to execute a perfect landing. Very impressive, considering this is your first entry here, congratulations, here's your first set of badges (of hopefully many more to come  )

On 11/15/2019 at 2:10 PM, TM31D2475 said:

Aight, so here's my STS-1 redo, I'm going for the Commander level

And this time, you nailed it perfectly! Nice flight and a pin-point landing, definitely commander-worthy, great job!

 

Michal.don

[Togu]

3 hours ago, michal.don said:

Hello, welcome to the challenge!

It's perfectly fine to comlete the 1a and 1b missions in one go. Great to see another STS-resembling shuttle around here, and apart from a bit of wobbling duriing the ascent, your design seems to work pretty well! Also, I was surprised to see the quite steep reentry, but it brought you just where you needed to be to execute a perfect landing. Very impressive, considering this is your first entry here, congratulations, here's your first set of badges (of hopefully many more to come  )

Michal.don

Hello,

Thanks for the first badges. Hope that there are a few more to come.  The next mission is ready to go on the launch pad.
Yes, the Woppeln, I just do not get away completely, no idea how many test flights I have done so already. Hope it gets better over time.

 

Togu

 

[MarkoeZ]

7 hours ago, michal.don said:

Congratulations!

Thanks!

And i forgot this bonus picture/feature: The ring packs just enough RCS fuel to start an aerobrake and safely land on the surface with shutes, which resulted in a pretty picture 

 

Spoiler

 

[Togu]

Hi,

As already announced, the second mission. This time only the STS 2a, for the 2b I would have had to completely rebuild my shuttle to have enough lift for the landing. And I did not want that for the time being.

Part 1

Spoiler

 

 

Part 2

Spoiler

 

 

 
Has become a bit longer .
See you

Togu

[MarkoeZ]

4 minutes ago, Togu said:

Hi,

As already announced, the second mission. This time only the STS 2a, for the 2b I would have had to completely rebuild my shuttle to have enough lift for the landing. And I did not want that for the time being.

Has become a bit longer .
See you

Togu

Looking good! 

And on the STS 2b, your shuttle looks pretty similar to mine. You could just temporarily add some extra wings and control surfaces to it just for this mission (and save as separate craft).

For reference, i changed this craft:
 

Spoiler

to this, and that was enough to land it:
 

Spoiler

Cheers!

[Togu]

11 minutes ago, MarkoeZ said:

Looking good! 

And on the STS 2b, your shuttle looks pretty similar to mine. You could just temporarily add some extra wings and control surfaces to it just for this mission (and save as separate craft).

 

Cheers!

Thank you,
I will certainly fly the STS 2b mission. But later, such a modification always takes a bit for me.

Togu

[Kerbolitto]

16 hours ago, MarkoeZ said:

Looking good! 

And on the STS 2b, your shuttle looks pretty similar to mine. You could just temporarily add some extra wings and control surfaces to it just for this mission (and save as separate craft).

For reference, i changed this craft:
 

  Hide contents

to this, and that was enough to land it:
 

  Hide contents

Cheers!

You'd get a far better lift / drag ratio by cleaning the design and eleminating parasite drag The butt with no cone and solar pannels creates a very high amount of drag.

[MarkoeZ]

10 hours ago, Kerbolitto said:

You'd get a far better lift / drag ratio by cleaning the design and eleminating parasite drag The butt with no cone and solar pannels creates a very high amount of drag.

Hmm, i knew about the solar panels, but no engine/cone at the rear matters too? First time i heard that

But been out of the loop a while

[sturmhauke]

48 minutes ago, MarkoeZ said:

Hmm, i knew about the solar panels, but no engine/cone at the rear matters too? First time i heard that

But been out of the loop a while

Stock aero is a bit weird with its drag model. Any exposed attach node adds a certain amount of drag, proportional to the size of the node. The visual shape of the part doesn't actually matter, it's all about the part config and whether the nodes are exposed. I think that you also have to match part sizes to fully eliminate drag from nodes; that is, if you attach a size 0 cone to a mk3 tank, there will still be some drag because they're different sizes.

[Kerbolitto]

16 hours ago, MarkoeZ said:

Hmm, i knew about the solar panels, but no engine/cone at the rear matters too? First time i heard that

But been out of the loop a while

I can give you more specific advices if you want But that's just my opinion based on experience, not engineering pro tips ! 

[Fraus]

I've been making a revamp of my external tank for my STS and in the meantime, I got a new idea that I'll probably be putting to use whenever I finish the STS 3T which I can't stress enough how annoying it's been for me, but in the meantime here's another spoiler for a future mission post 

[michal.don]

On 11/21/2019 at 9:54 PM, Togu said:

Hi,

As already announced, the second mission. This time only the STS 2a, for the 2b I would have had to completely rebuild my shuttle to have enough lift for the landing. And I did not want that for the time being.

Good job on this mission, too! The sats aren't exactly equidistantly placed, but I'm going to take that as precise enough  Curious though - is there a reason why you chose this deployment method (the three maneuvers 120° apart, which caused the not-exact spacing)? Other than that, I have to admire the precise landing again  

Congratulations!

 

On 11/27/2019 at 3:55 AM, Fraus said:

but in the meantime here's another spoiler for a future mission post 

Do I see a sort-of-Skylab?  

 

Michal.don

[Fraus]

6 hours ago, michal.don said:

Do I see a sort-of-Skylab?  

You just might  

Now, it may be a bit tacky but the requirements say the modules that need to be removed via specific docking ports, but do they need to be reattached to those specific types of ports also?

[Togu]

11 hours ago, michal.don said:

Good job on this mission, too! The sats aren't exactly equidistantly placed, but I'm going to take that as precise enough  Curious though - is there a reason why you chose this deployment method (the three maneuvers 120° apart, which caused the not-exact spacing)? Other than that, I have to admire the precise landing again  

Congratulations!

Michal.don

 

Thanks for the badge of the second mission

This deployment method, three 120-degree maneuvers, was designed to prevent just what they did. Looked very good at first glance, did not pay attention to the time factor and distance traveled by the individual satellites. This only struck me at the same point as you. I was already annoyed.   But can still adjust, the satellites have enough fuel for it.

STS 3 is already finished, just has to finish the video.

[michal.don]

14 hours ago, Fraus said:

Now, it may be a bit tacky but the requirements say the modules that need to be removed via specific docking ports, but do they need to be reattached to those specific types of ports also?

I'm not sure where you are going with this question, and because I'm curious, I'm going to say "go for it"  

10 hours ago, Togu said:

This deployment method, three 120-degree maneuvers, was designed to prevent just what they did. Looked very good at first glance, did not pay attention to the time factor and distance traveled by the individual satellites. This only struck me at the same point as you. I was already annoyed.   But can still adjust, the satellites have enough fuel for it.

Yeah, I thought so...  My go-to method for deploying geostationary constellations is goinf for the first maneuver at the same time, and then spacing the sats using 4 hour orbits, and circularizing one every orbit... But his one works too, there's just some adjusting to do... Looking forward to seeing the next mission!  

Michal.don

[Togu]

Finally finished, have fun with the video for the STS 3 mission.

  

My mods:
KerbalEngineer
KerbalAlarmClock
Environmental Visual Enhancements
Stock Visual Enhancements
Planet Shine
KIS
(new) Navball docking alignment indicator CE

Togu

[QF9E]

I'd like to enter my design, Space Shuttle Pollux, to this challenge. Rather than re-creating the existing Space Shuttle I deliberately made something that looks a bit different: Pollux has a twin-boom configuration with two side-by-side cargo bays and two Mk3 capsules, a configuration somewhat comparable to the real-world P-82 Twin Mustang. It is launched by a single liquid fuel booster, which in future flights should be recoverable in its own right. 

I flew a mission with two MulletDyne Fuel Pods, which I inserted into 100 x 100 and 200 x 200 km Low Kerbin orbits. I then landed the Shuttle on the KSC runway. If I understand the rules of the challenge correctly, this should qualify me for the STS-1 Flight Director's badge. A booster landing was tried despite it not having all the necessary hardware, and it came pretty close: it landed in several large pieces at a speed of only about 30 m/s. This bodes well for the future, fully recoverable version.

Space Shuttle Pollux during ascent.

Booster separation. Despite having two tank bodies, the booster is a single structure, which is wrapped around the Space Shuttle during ascent.

MulletDyne Fuel Pod #2 released into a 200 x 200 km orbit. Pollux, cargo bay doors open, can be seen at top left.

Space Shuttle Pollux on final approach. I overshot the KSC, so I landed from the other side. The small fuselage in the center aft wing section is the mounting point for the booster.

 

Full mission report here: https://imgur.com/a/YB8s1Yj

Mods list, according to CKAN:

• Clickthrough blocker
• Docking Port Alignment Indicator (installed, but not used in this mission)
• Hyperedit (likewise, installed, but not used in this mission - I used it for testing prototypes)
• Infernal Robotics Next (installed, but not used in this mission)
• Kerbal Alarm Clock  (installed, but not used in this mission)
• KER
• Kerbal Joint Reinforcement Next (installed in conjunction with IR)
• MechJeb 2 (I only used some of its information displays: I dislike using its auto-pilots, and I flew the entire mission by hand, with only stock SAS assistance)
• Module Manager
• Precise Maneuver (which I tend to use a lot, although I flew much of this mission by eye, using various KER information windows)
• Transfer Window Planner  (installed, but not used in this mission)
• TriggerAu Flags
• Vesselmover Continued  (installed, but not used in this mission)
• Warp Everywhere  (installed, but not used in this mission)

Looking through the list I think it is time for a bit of house-cleaning. I re-used the same sandbox in which I did my Jool-5, for which I installed some of these mods.

 

 

Edited December 4, 2019 by QF9E