KSP Interstellar Extended Support Thread

[enewmen]

On 9/13/2021 at 12:01 AM, Metadane said:

I don't know what I'm doing wrong but the NERVA fission engine keeps telling me I've run out of fuel (Enriched Uranium) but I definitely have it on my ship. It also shows two other fuels I can switch to Uranium-238 TWR or Plutonium TWR but I can't find anything that stores these. Please can someone offer some help. 

 

Edit: I've noticed that the EnrichedUranium slider doesn't come up on the NERVA engine like it does other nuclear engines so possibly a conflict, not sure though.

I think the Nerva is a stock engine KSPI-E replaced/upgraded to use many different types of propellants. I didn't have the problem you are describing and you may be missing some component. Anyway, please give a screenshot.  I used  KSPI-E nuclear engines a lot.

Edited September 27, 2021 by enewmen

[Bej Kerman]

4 hours ago, enewmen said:

However, KSP-IE seems to have more realistic physics.  Fuel decay, atomic reactions, atomic waste, half-life, ideal operating temperatures, waste heat, and more propellants than just LF/Ox/Atm, are all important.

Are they? KSP has a balance between realism and simplification that makes it easy to pick up but also teaches a lot. KSP IE just introduces all these ibbly things that overcomplicate the mod and don't do much to teach the player.

[EvilSpace]

HELP! "swap fuel" BROKEN
I am using KSP 1.12.2 and a clean install (to make sure there are no conflicts)
This applies not only to reactors, but also to nuclear engines of the NERVA type, when trying to switch the fuel mode to an alternative one. 
 
GameData:

Spoiler

 

[Turbo Ben]

Hi, noticed a small issue with the science laboratory. I'm running a mission in career mode that has a requirement for 5000 electric charge. I have a battery with 4000 EC and with the 1000 EC in the science lab, I thought I'd be good. Problem is, after launching the craft, there is no EC in the science lab. Right clicking the lab, the EC display shows 0.00 / 0.00. In the VAB however, it shows 1000 / 1000. Any thoughts?

KSP V1.12.2

KSPIE V1.29.2

[Kamilo]

Is there a way to "mine" LiquidHelium? I havent found anything yet. Help would be appreciated.

[enewmen]

On 9/22/2021 at 3:18 AM, Kamilo said:

Is there a way to "mine" LiquidHelium? I havent found anything yet. Help would be appreciated.

LiquidHelium is created using the ISRU Nuclear fuel processor. It requires uraninite, empty container of enriched uranium, and empty container of depleted uranium. However this technique creates very little Helium.

EDIT: I'll check for a better way to harvest LiquidHelium. Such as scooping it out from a Helium atmosphere.

EDIT2: I was able to harvest ³He using the Radial Atmospheric Scoop. However, you need to get close to Jool to get any decent amount.   

 

In case you meant hydrogen: LH2 is a lot more simple and you can use stock(ish) parts after installing KSP-IE.

There is no way to mine LH2 directly. First mine ore using the stock Drill-O-Matic like you normally do. Then you need the stock Convert-O-Tron 250 to convert the ore to LH2. Then need a cryogenic LH2 container to store the LH2.  You need lots of power for the mining, refining, and powering the cryogenic fuel container. If the power runs out, the LH2 will slowly leak.

 

EDIT3:  The Near Future Mod makes this easy. There is a more correct KSPI-E way to do this using the All In One IRSU Refinery.

Edited October 5, 2021 by enewmen

[enewmen]

On 9/15/2021 at 3:52 AM, Bej Kerman said:

Are they? KSP has a balance between realism and simplification that makes it easy to pick up but also teaches a lot. KSP IE just introduces all these ibbly things that overcomplicate the mod and don't do much to teach the player.

Some things can not get more simplified. I'm no physics expert, so someone else can explain better.  In the stock tech-tree, it basically stops with LF/O,  NERV, and Ion engines.  These engines are fine for getting to the moon or sending small probes farther, but large payloads require huge amounts of fuel to get to other planets. Any LF/O can only burn so fast, so a completely different type of engine is needed to improve efficiency.  Expanding the tech tree allows completely different kinds of engines that require different types of fuel. These new engine types make the other planets a lot more accessible.   About one or two generations beyond the stock tech-tree are nuclear-thermal rocket engines and electric/plasma engines.  Some techs go way beyond this, but I'll try to simplify.  The real-life thermal engines use fission to create lots of heat that pushes a propellant out fast, with a much higher ISP (efficiency).  Liquid fuel used in the stock LV-N NERV works but is not efficient.  One fuel is not ideal for all future rockets.

Without getting into many details, a nuclear-thermal rocket has the highest exhaust velocity when a propellant gas with the lowest possible molecular weight.  Hydrogen gas has a low mass and is ideal for thermal rockets. Electric engines require heavy gas, and xenon is ideal for high efficiency.  Lithium vapor is less efficient but gives a higher thrust. There is still no free lunch, and nothing is magical. To get super high efficiency or high thrust, many other kinds of energy are needed like heat or electricity.  Creating lots of energy also creates lots of heat that do not go away magically. 

Why is this important? Why should anyone care about these ibbly things? For example, the hard part of getting to Duna is reaching Kerbin orbit first, which can be done using regular dumb rockets. Once in orbit, there is no fear of crashing; a super high-efficiency electric engine can take the ship all the way to Duna easily - but with very low thrust.  The ship will then do a fly-by of Duna. However, the ship will likely enter Duna gravity and then leave Duna gravity before an orbit is possible. A thermal engine with high trust is needed to put on the brakes, prevent the ship from escaping Duna gravity, and reach an orbit. This is one example of why one engine type isn't best for all scenarios, and two or more very different engine types that use different fuels are sometimes needed - if you don't want to use tons of fuel.

EDIT: The same goes for reactors. Some reactors are slow burning and work well if you want it generating power for 50 years.  Other reactors burn a lot faster but also produce a lot more power. The molten salt reactor uses thorium that burns slowly and the used fuel can be recycled to give continuous power for as long as most anyone needs power. This works well in real-life also. However for SSTO, the molten salt reactor does not give enough power to reach orbit using a thermal nozzle. For that you need a pebble bed reactor using a very different type of fuel uranium nitride. There are other types of fission and fusion reactors that can for example generate electricity with less heat or create charged particles.  For faster that light and anti-gravity, yet another completely different type of reactor and fuel is needed.

Suppose the goal is to make KSP more simple. In that case, some engines should be avoided, like the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) can use lots of different propellants like argon, xenon, or other natural gasses with different characteristics. This engine may add confusion. It would be magically good if someone made a high-tech 1.25 meter LF/O engine with 1000 kN power and 3000 ISP, it would be magical no matter how high-tech or expensive.  Like pushing the hyper-drive button in Star Wars to reach the speed of light that is not based on any real physics. High tech and expensive can not break physics laws. Like a huge high-tech canon can not blast people to the moon and have them land safely (like in the movie 'Trip to the Moon').  Someone that knows physics better should correct me. These issues are coming up in KSP2 as developers also try to keep KSP simple while getting more high-tech that still use real science.

 

Edited September 25, 2021 by enewmen

[Bej Kerman]

6 hours ago, enewmen said:

In that case, some engines should be avoided, like the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) can use lots of different propellants like argon, xenon, or other natural gasses with different characteristics.

Them make it use a general natural gas propellant rather than having all kinds. Liquid Fuel engines can take in lots of kinds of propellant, but KSP simplifies it to lf/ox.

[EvilSpace]

On 9/23/2021 at 4:11 PM, enewmen said:

Some things can not get more simplified. I'm no physics expert, so someone else can explain better.  In the stock tech-tree, it basically stops with LF/O,  NERV, and Ion engines.  These engines are fine for getting to the moon or sending small probes farther, but large payloads require huge amounts of fuel to get to other planets. Any LF/O can only burn so fast, so a completely different type of engine is needed to improve efficiency.  Expanding the tech tree allows completely different kinds of engines that require different types of fuel. These new engine types make the other planets a lot more accessible.   About one or two generations beyond the stock tech-tree are nuclear-thermal rocket engines and electric/plasma engines.  Some techs go way beyond this, but I'll try to simplify.  The real-life thermal engines use fission to create lots of heat that pushes a propellant out fast, with a much higher ISP (efficiency).  Liquid fuel used in the stock LV-N NERV works but is not efficient.  One fuel is not ideal for all future rockets.

Without getting into many details, a nuclear-thermal rocket has the highest exhaust velocity when a propellant gas with the lowest possible molecular weight.  Hydrogen gas has a low mass and is ideal for thermal rockets. Electric engines require heavy gas, and xenon is ideal for high efficiency.  Lithium vapor is less efficient but gives a higher thrust. There is still no free lunch, and nothing is magical. To get super high efficiency or high thrust, many other kinds of energy are needed like heat or electricity.  Creating lots of energy also creates lots of heat that do not go away magically. 

Why is this important? Why should anyone care about these ibbly things? For example, the hard part of getting to Duna is reaching Kerbin orbit first, which can be done using regular dumb rockets. Once in orbit, there is no fear of crashing; a super high-efficiency electric engine can take the ship all the way to Duna easily - but with very low thrust.  The ship will then do a fly-by of Duna. However, the ship will likely enter Duna gravity and then leave Duna gravity before an orbit is possible. A thermal engine with high trust is needed to put on the brakes, prevent the ship from escaping Duna gravity, and reach an orbit. This is one example of why one engine type isn't best for all scenarios, and two or more very different engine types that use different fuels are sometimes needed - if you don't want to use tons of fuel.

Suppose the goal is to make KSP more simple. In that case, some engines should be avoided, like the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) can use lots of different propellants like argon, xenon, or other natural gasses with different characteristics. This engine may add confusion. It would be magically good if someone made a high-tech 1.25 meter LF/O engine with 1000 kN power and 3000 ISP, it would be magical.  Like pushing the hyper-drive button in Star Wars to reach the speed of light that is not based on any real physics. High tech and expensive can not break physics laws. Like a huge high-tech canon can not blast people to the moon and have them land safely (like in the movie 'Trip to the Moon').  Someone that knows physics better should correct me. These issues are coming up in KSP2 as developers also try to keep KSP simple while getting more high-tech that still use real science.

You are absolutely right. For the same reason, I do not like Far Future Propulsion, despite the fact that the quality of the textures there is at the highest level - the balancing was created for casuals. An ion engine producing kilonewtons of thrust is an unacceptable phenomenon for me. Fortunately, the KSP-I is realistic in this regard.
However, the annoying mistake of the KSP-I does not even give me the opportunity to switch the fuel mode! I hope this will be corrected in the future, since from now on the thorium cycle in a nuclear reactor on molten salts (for example) is simply NOT AVAILABLE.

[Kamilo]

On 9/23/2021 at 2:12 PM, enewmen said:

LiquidHelium is created using the ISRU Nuclear fuel processor. It requires uraninite, empty container of enriched uranium, and empty container of depleted uranium. However this technique creates very little Helium.

EDIT: I'll check for a better way to harvest LiquidHelium. Such as scooping it out from a Helium atmosphere.

EDIT2: I was able to harvest ³He using the Radial Atmospheric Scoop. However, you need to get close to Jool to get any decent amount.   

 

In case you meant hydrogen: LH2 is a lot more simple and you can use stock(ish) parts after installing KSP-IE.

There is no way to mine LH2 directly. First mine ore using the stock Drill-O-Matic like you normally do. Then you need the stock Convert-O-Tron 250 to convert the ore to LH2. Then need a cryogenic LH2 container to store the LH2.  You need lots of power for the mining, refining, and powering the cryogenic fuel container. If the power runs out, the LH2 will slowly leak.

Thank you very much! I switched my second interplanetary ship from LiquidHelium to LH2, because the later is easier to get by.

 

[enewmen]

On 9/25/2021 at 4:14 PM, EvilSpace said:

You are absolutely right. For the same reason, I do not like Far Future Propulsion, despite the fact that the quality of the textures there is at the highest level - the balancing was created for casuals. An ion engine producing kilonewtons of thrust is an unacceptable phenomenon for me. Fortunately, the KSP-I is realistic in this regard.
However, the annoying mistake of the KSP-I does not even give me the opportunity to switch the fuel mode! I hope this will be corrected in the future, since from now on the thorium cycle in a nuclear reactor on molten salts (for example) is simply NOT AVAILABLE.

OK. Let me try to be more constructive and fix instead of complaining. I'm also having some problems. KSPI-E is a volunteer effort and the creators do not really owe anyone anything. Its a labor of love and a huge amount of work went in this already.   I have a background in programming. I'll ask FreeThinker if I can fix some problems, then update GitHub. If I am allowed to do that, I need a some time to get familiar.

Edited September 27, 2021 by enewmen

[Dovahkiin2132]

Does anyone know how to fix the issues with rescaling engines? I don't even get the option to resize them, everything else seems to work.

[enewmen]

50 minutes ago, Dovahkiin2132 said:

Does anyone know how to fix the issues with rescaling engines? I don't even get the option to resize them, everything else seems to work.

Scaling with Tweakscale? Some engines can not scale.  Many have upper and lower limits.

[Dovahkiin2132]

1 hour ago, enewmen said:

Scaling with Tweakscale? Some engines can not scale.  Many have upper and lower limits.

Yeah but i don't have the option to tweak any engine at all

[enewmen]

1 hour ago, Dovahkiin2132 said:

Yeah but i don't have the option to tweak any engine at all

What engines are you using?

 

[Dovahkiin2132]

1 hour ago, enewmen said:

What engines are you using?

 

It didn't work for any engine, but now i managed to fix it. I think it might've been RO's Tweakscale settings that were causing the problems, but whatever it was, the scaling works now.

[Targus]

@FreeThinker Hello sir,  1 shroud toggle is missing in this engine.

 

[GAMP_the_Computer]

Hi there, I'm having an issue with WarpPlugin parts. More specifically, specific functions are missing from multiple parts, which I will list as follows:

• Both warp parts have the ExoticMatter percentages, but don't have the options to actually start up a warp
  • The foldable warp drive doesn't even have the option to unfold the drive
• All of the AI parts do not have the option to act independently from KSC, but do still have the emergency generator option
• The KXS cockpit doesn't have the option to open the frontal door.

The top two aforementioned issues effectively leave my WarpPlugin parts to be nothing more than glorified reaction wheels. How can I fix this? Apologies for the potato quality, every screencap i tried to take of this just had everything in the UI automatically disappear just before the actual screencap was taken. 

 

[universe72]

I installed the mod and all its dependencies, but the buttons to charge or activate the warp drive, and switch fuel type on tanks and engines is not there, basically making the whole mod unusable for me, I'm playing on 1.12

 

[tonimark]

both the lithium and lithium air batteries doesn't appear to work. its prorably a kerbalism issue 

the kw hours are consumed but there is no any electricity generated:

EDIT:this also applies to megajoule capacitors

Edited October 24, 2021 by tonimark

[Maelstrom Vortex]

Can I get someone to verify whether or not Refrigerator settings are saved upon load of a craft on the runway?

I have a craft that I will set to make max compressed air, -100% on the slider for compressed air/atmosphere, but soon as it hits the runway it is back to its default setting. Which is driving me bonkers cause I it's happening on multiple refrigerators on the same craft. It remembers part changes, but appears to be forgetting either general part setting changes or specifically the refrigerator. I think it's just refrigerators though. I will do more testing.

Hope you're doing good @FreeThinker, decided to try to take up playing again.

[Corporalsimmons]

Module manager seems to have found 60 errors and the game hangs on WarpPlugin/Parts/Radiators/ActiveCoolingSystem/ActiveCoolingSystem/activeCoolingSystemv3

I did a fresh install and tried zerominiAVC but it doesn't work. I dragged and dropped the contents of Gamedata from the download ZIP to the main Gamedata folder, did I do something wrong?

[Makrom]

Hello there,

Been using this phenomenal mod recently, one of my favorites engines, the electrodeless lorentz, doesn´t work if I have graphene/titanium radiators on the ship, without the radiators it works just fine.

MJ shows me some weird numbers when I have the radiators on the ship, no twr at all...

KSP 1.10.1/KSPIE  1.29.2

also got near future installed and RSS/RO

It happens also with reactors and some solar panels, somehow it seems that the common factor is electricity.

 

any clue?

 

thanks,

Edited November 5, 2021 by Makrom
more info

[enewmen]

On 10/24/2021 at 8:49 PM, tonimark said:

both the lithium and lithium air batteries doesn't appear to work. its prorably a kerbalism issue 

the kw hours are consumed but there is no any electricity generated:

EDIT:this also applies to megajoule capacitors

It works. Just need to charge it first. But can't charge in the VAB for some reason.

[Shikashi]

I dont know if this has been asked before. But i cannot find the right processor to create uranium nitride for my pebble bed reactor. nor can i find what the required resources are. i checked the github wiki but the pages are so old they refer to parts i cant even find anymore. So far i think i have unlocked every ISRU
EDIT: I found it

Edited November 14, 2021 by Shikashi