[1.8.x] reDIRECT | Stockalike Orion, SLS, & Shuttle-Derived Launchers | (Fixes!) | v0.10.1

[Lil_Bread402]

Made some kitbashes of SLS. I'm not a huge fan of the liquid boosters but I think its acceptable for what it is.

[No_clue]

2 questions. Are there parachutes  and the Orion solar panels rotate wires at launch

[Cheesecake]

12 hours ago, No_clue said:

2 questions. Are there parachutes  and the Orion solar panels rotate wires at launch

Maybe there`s a revamp in the making.
For solar panels: Near Future Solar has good ones.

[benjee10]

Happy SLS rollout day (feels strange to have finally reached it)! 

To celebrate I have been creating a revamped Orion spacecraft. I was hoping to have it ready for today, but as always real life had other ideas.
Still, here are a few in-progress shots of what you can expect (art is not yet final):

Featuring white, black & reflective foil variants. 

This is a ground up remake of the entire spacecraft, so it won't be a drop-in replacement for the existing parts. The current plan is to split Orion out into a separate mod. At this point I don't intend to update anything else in reDIRECT & don't want to create an expectation to do so, and also don't want to tie people into using the very memory intensive reDIRECT orange tank parts if they'd prefer to use another mod. 

The plan is to include the Orion spacecraft, as well as abort tower and adapters to various standard sizes. Custom parachutes will also be included. The AJ10 engine is also getting a revamp, finally with emissive textures & a higher level of detail. 

Breaking Ground users will also be able to adjust the sweep of the solar arrays, just like on the real spacecraft!

No ETA for release yet but I will keep you all posted. 

[Jacktical]

1 hour ago, benjee10 said:

This image gives me serious BDB Kane vibes  These parts look incredible benjee, 10/10  

[lemon cup]

@benjee10 Your new/evolved artstyle is outstanding. Seriously, keep up the great work. We all understand real life keeps everyone busy and takes priority, so don’t sweat it! I think I speak for a lot peeps when I say: I hope we can continue to enjoy your one-of-a-kind part models.

1 hour ago, benjee10 said:

Breaking Ground users will also be able to adjust the sweep of the solar arrays, just like on the real spacecraft!

No ETA for release yet but I will keep you all posted.

This is a very cool idea, so the arrays have normal animated suntracking, but the deployment masts are robotic? Neat! I bet this could also be a really cool feature on the ISS P4/S4 Solar Wings for the Alpha Joint… 

[benjee10]

22 minutes ago, lemon cup said:

@benjee10 Your new/evolved artstyle is outstanding. Seriously, keep up the great work. We all understand real life keeps everyone busy and takes priority, so don’t sweat it! I think I speak for a lot peeps when I say: I hope we can continue to enjoy your one-of-a-kind part models.

This is a very cool idea, so the arrays have normal animated suntracking, but the deployment masts are robotic? Neat! I bet this could also be a really cool feature on the ISS P4/S4 Solar Wings for the Alpha Joint… 

The way it works is that the solar arrays work just like any other (have a deployment animation, track the sun etc) but there is a robotics module on the same part which just adjusts the angle of the panel. The only drawback is that you can adjust the angle of the panel when it's underplayed too, but the simplicity, flexibility and the fact that it keeps it as a single part outweigh that IMO. 

I hadn't considered that as a possibility for HabTech, but it's certainly an interesting idea... Might be something worth implementing as an optional extra/alternate config. The only issue with it is that a) robotics joints are fairly unstable over multiple warp/save/load cycles (not an issue for the Orion arrays as they're a single part) and b) manually tracking the panels would be a pain & wouldn't work during timewarp. 

[Kuiper_Belt]

4 hours ago, benjee10 said:

Happy SLS rollout day (feels strange to have finally reached it)! 

To celebrate I have been creating a revamped Orion spacecraft. I was hoping to have it ready for today, but as always real life had other ideas.
Still, here are a few in-progress shots of what you can expect (art is not yet final):

Featuring white, black & reflective foil variants. 

This is a ground up remake of the entire spacecraft, so it won't be a drop-in replacement for the existing parts. The current plan is to split Orion out into a separate mod. At this point I don't intend to update anything else in reDIRECT & don't want to create an expectation to do so, and also don't want to tie people into using the very memory intensive reDIRECT orange tank parts if they'd prefer to use another mod. 

The plan is to include the Orion spacecraft, as well as abort tower and adapters to various standard sizes. Custom parachutes will also be included. The AJ10 engine is also getting a revamp, finally with emissive textures & a higher level of detail. 

Breaking Ground users will also be able to adjust the sweep of the solar arrays, just like on the real spacecraft!

No ETA for release yet but I will keep you all posted. 

 Looks absolutely amazing! I'm happy you've made a black variant for us EFT-1 lovers! Delta IV + Orion = Forever . Cant wait to give it a spin! 

Happy Rollout Day!

[pTrevTrevs]

8 hours ago, benjee10 said:

Happy SLS rollout day (feels strange to have finally reached it)! 

To celebrate I have been creating a revamped Orion spacecraft. I was hoping to have it ready for today, but as always real life had other ideas.
Still, here are a few in-progress shots of what you can expect (art is not yet final):

Featuring white, black & reflective foil variants. 

This is a ground up remake of the entire spacecraft, so it won't be a drop-in replacement for the existing parts. The current plan is to split Orion out into a separate mod. At this point I don't intend to update anything else in reDIRECT & don't want to create an expectation to do so, and also don't want to tie people into using the very memory intensive reDIRECT orange tank parts if they'd prefer to use another mod. 

The plan is to include the Orion spacecraft, as well as abort tower and adapters to various standard sizes. Custom parachutes will also be included. The AJ10 engine is also getting a revamp, finally with emissive textures & a higher level of detail. 

Breaking Ground users will also be able to adjust the sweep of the solar arrays, just like on the real spacecraft!

No ETA for release yet but I will keep you all posted. 

Hate to sound greedy because this looks seriously awesome, but is there a possibility that we could get Constellation-era round solar panels for Orion as well?

[Mudwig]

Quote

To celebrate I have been creating a revamped Orion spacecraft. I was hoping to have it ready for today, but as always real life had other ideas.

@benjee10 If anything, delays and redesigns are both well within the spirit of Orion.

Looks amazing, BTW. The new SM looks especially nice!

[SpaceFace545]

10 hours ago, benjee10 said:

Happy SLS rollout day (feels strange to have finally reached it)! 

To celebrate I have been creating a revamped Orion spacecraft. I was hoping to have it ready for today, but as always real life had other ideas.
Still, here are a few in-progress shots of what you can expect (art is not yet final):

Featuring white, black & reflective foil variants. 

This is a ground up remake of the entire spacecraft, so it won't be a drop-in replacement for the existing parts. The current plan is to split Orion out into a separate mod. At this point I don't intend to update anything else in reDIRECT & don't want to create an expectation to do so, and also don't want to tie people into using the very memory intensive reDIRECT orange tank parts if they'd prefer to use another mod. 

The plan is to include the Orion spacecraft, as well as abort tower and adapters to various standard sizes. Custom parachutes will also be included. The AJ10 engine is also getting a revamp, finally with emissive textures & a higher level of detail. 

Breaking Ground users will also be able to adjust the sweep of the solar arrays, just like on the real spacecraft!

No ETA for release yet but I will keep you all posted. 

Bro I love how you randomly just drop insane content with no warning, and then go under the radar for the next 6 months 

Edited March 18, 2022 by SpaceFace545

[Galileo chiu]

quick question: will the ReDirect mod be updated to 1.12?

[pTrevTrevs]

1 hour ago, SpaceFace545 said:

Bro I love how you randomly just drop insane content with no warning, and then go under the radar for the next 6 months 

>Barges into KSP modding community

>Drops the hottest new mod of [current year] that everyone is going to start using in their games

>Refuses to elaborate

>Leaves

[benjee10]

13 hours ago, pTrevTrevs said:

Hate to sound greedy because this looks seriously awesome, but is there a possibility that we could get Constellation-era round solar panels for Orion as well?

No plans for this right now as that would set a precedent for including all sorts of previous/proposed Orion designs, which isn't something I want to commit to at this stage. 

10 hours ago, Galileo chiu said:

quick question: will the ReDirect mod be updated to 1.12?

There will be an update that comes along with Orion to ensure that everything works with the latest KSP version and includes the latest dependencies, but I don't intend to add any new features/parts or do anything art-wise with the rest of the mod. The current Orion parts will also be deprecated. 

[GoldForest]

13 hours ago, pTrevTrevs said:

Hate to sound greedy because this looks seriously awesome, but is there a possibility that we could get Constellation-era round solar panels for Orion as well?

 

1 minute ago, benjee10 said:

No plans for this right now as that would set a precedent for including all sorts of previous/proposed Orion designs, which isn't something I want to commit to at this stage. 

Konstellation  Program and Kertemis Program mods are great for the Constellaion Orion Spacecraft and Ares Rockets.  Also, glad to see you're back @benjee10

 

[Galileo chiu]

1 hour ago, benjee10 said:

No plans for this right now as that would set a precedent for including all sorts of previous/proposed Orion designs, which isn't something I want to commit to at this stage. 

There will be an update that comes along with Orion to ensure that everything works with the latest KSP version and includes the latest dependencies, but I don't intend to add any new features/parts or do anything art-wise with the rest of the mod. The current Orion parts will also be deprecated. 

YAY

[cameronisher3]

SUPER excited to see this revamp coming!

I have a pretty big request/suggestion that has been nagging me for awhile. Is there a universe where you would consider increasing the core stage part diameter? With Tundra standardizing 5.625m for Starship and RMM introducing high fidelity SSME and SSME derivatives 5m just appears to be too small. Creating a new standard would probably be too much of a hassle requiring extra work from yourself and others  and with BDB setting a "Close enough!" precedent I, and a few others I've expressed this to, feel moving up to 5.625m wouldn't negatively impact the experience of using reDIRECT.

Additionally, it would be awesome to see you coordinate with @AlphaMensae for streamlined compatibility with MLP. Nevermind, I did not realize Alpha is done with MLP

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this and to do what you are already doing. I look forward to hearing what you think!

Edited March 19, 2022 by cameronisher3

[benjee10]

9 hours ago, cameronisher3 said:

SUPER excited to see this revamp coming!

I have a pretty big request/suggestion that has been nagging me for awhile. Is there a universe where you would consider increasing the core stage part diameter? With Tundra standardizing 5.625m for Starship and RMM introducing high fidelity SSME and SSME derivatives 5m just appears to be too small. Creating a new standard would probably be too much of a hassle requiring extra work from yourself and others  and with BDB setting a "Close enough!" precedent I, and a few others I've expressed this to, feel moving up to 5.625m wouldn't negatively impact the experience of using reDIRECT.

Additionally, it would be awesome to see you coordinate with @AlphaMensae for streamlined compatibility with MLP. Nevermind, I did not realize Alpha is done with MLP

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this and to do what you are already doing. I look forward to hearing what you think!

No plans to change existing parts I'm afraid, and besides 5m is the closest standard size for the Space Shuttle ET/SLS core stage. Generally we try to arrive at KSP sizes by multiplying the real world size be 0.625 and then rounding to the nearest KSP increment. The shuttle ET is 8.4m diameter which scales to 5.25m  in KSP, so while marginally undersized 5m is closer to the 'correct' diameter than 5.625m would be. Starship is slightly larger at 9m diameter so that works out at 5.625m. 5m is the best fit proportionally and keeps everything simple in terms of adapters etc. 

[GoldForest]

42 minutes ago, benjee10 said:

No plans to change existing parts I'm afraid, and besides 5m is the closest standard size for the Space Shuttle ET/SLS core stage. Generally we try to arrive at KSP sizes by multiplying the real world size be 0.625 and then rounding to the nearest KSP increment. The shuttle ET is 8.4m diameter which scales to 5.25m  in KSP, so while marginally undersized 5m is closer to the 'correct' diameter than 5.625m would be. Starship is slightly larger at 9m diameter so that works out at 5.625m. 5m is the best fit proportionally and keeps everything simple in terms of adapters etc. 

Would it be possible to request a one tank SLS core? I know you can kit bash an SLS Core with the parts currently there, but a single core part like the Shuttle EFT take would be great appreciated. Even a two-core part, oxygen half and hydrogen half, would do. I understand if you wouldn't want to/don't want to do it. I just thought I'd throw out the request to see if you'd be willing or not. 

[benjee10]

2 hours ago, GoldForest said:

Would it be possible to request a one tank SLS core? I know you can kit bash an SLS Core with the parts currently there, but a single core part like the Shuttle EFT take would be great appreciated. Even a two-core part, oxygen half and hydrogen half, would do. I understand if you wouldn't want to/don't want to do it. I just thought I'd throw out the request to see if you'd be willing or not. 

The orange tank parts in this aren't actually particularly good for representing SLS since they're first and foremost meant to resemble the Shuttle/Jupiter tanks. Proportions aren't quite right and lots of details are wrong (LOX feed line number/position etc) so I wouldn't want to add a single part 'SLS' replica when it doesn't actually do a very good job of being a replica! The only reason there's a single part shuttle ET in the first place is for CoM reasons when building a shuttle, and I think even then that's pretty much obsolete now you can configure fuel flow. 

Wanted to gauge opinions on what the best way of handling propellant for the Orion service module would be - AIUI the AJ10, auxiliary engines and RCS thrusters all run on the same propellant and pull from the same tanks, so the most 'accurate' way of doing it would be to have the service module contain only Lf/Ox and have the RCS, aux engines, & OMS engine all run on Lf/Ox. Alternative is to stick with the current config whereby the RCS & aux engines run on mono prop, the OMS runs on Lf/Ox, and the SM contains a mix of both. Or (to keep the functionality of the aux engines being a backup to the OMS & draw from the same pool) have the aux engines run on Lf/Ox instead of mono prop. The final option would be to have the entire thing use & contain only mono prop.

[GoldForest]

39 minutes ago, benjee10 said:

The orange tank parts in this aren't actually particularly good for representing SLS since they're first and foremost meant to resemble the Shuttle/Jupiter tanks. Proportions aren't quite right and lots of details are wrong (LOX feed line number/position etc) so I wouldn't want to add a single part 'SLS' replica when it doesn't actually do a very good job of being a replica! The only reason there's a single part shuttle ET in the first place is for CoM reasons when building a shuttle, and I think even then that's pretty much obsolete now you can configure fuel flow. 

Wanted to gauge opinions on what the best way of handling propellant for the Orion service module would be - AIUI the AJ10, auxiliary engines and RCS thrusters all run on the same propellant and pull from the same tanks, so the most 'accurate' way of doing it would be to have the service module contain only Lf/Ox and have the RCS, aux engines, & OMS engine all run on Lf/Ox. Alternative is to stick with the current config whereby the RCS & aux engines run on mono prop, the OMS runs on Lf/Ox, and the SM contains a mix of both. Or (to keep the functionality of the aux engines being a backup to the OMS & draw from the same pool) have the aux engines run on Lf/Ox instead of mono prop. The final option would be to have the entire thing use & contain only mono prop.

Ah, well, just thought I'd ask about requesting it. I do really like this mod and wish it would get an official SLS. Orion feels kind of naked without it imo. But I understand if you don't want to do it. There are already other mods that replica SLS, but I feel your mod is the best out of the three that exist, especially since one of them is meant only for RSS/2.5. 

As for your fuel and engine problem, I feel mono would-be best way to go instead of LFO. Having both LFO and Mono is a pain since LFO is so heavy. Going with only Mono would be heavy in itself, yes, but It would beneficial since Orion is meant to go all the way to the Moon/Mun, so having extra mono to course correct would be a great benefit.

[lemon cup]

4 hours ago, benjee10 said:

Wanted to gauge opinions on what the best way of handling propellant for the Orion service module would be

It seems like the majority of the top-tier mods (BDB, Tantares, etc) have reached the consensus that service-type engines, running on hypergolic fuels like UDMH or MMH, should be represented by the "LFO" resource. A particular example would be all of the half-dozen+ AJ-10 variants found in BDB. I think this is partially because LFO does a better job representing the mass/volume ratio of modern hypergols. The "Monopropellant" resource is a bit too energy-dense for service engines I think.

Another point, if the AJ10-190 ran on Monoprop, it would no longer be compatible with SOCK!

I am a fan of how Tantares handles it, where the engines AND RCS thrusters all run on LFO. 

You could add a B9 Part switch to the Orion RCS thrusters with the option for them to run on Monoprop, should anyone like to use them on other craft in a more traditional way...! 

 

Edited March 19, 2022 by lemon cup

[zw_45]

On 3/18/2022 at 12:57 AM, benjee10 said:

Happy SLS rollout day (feels strange to have finally reached it)! 

To celebrate I have been creating a revamped Orion spacecraft. I was hoping to have it ready for today, but as always real life had other ideas.
Still, here are a few in-progress shots of what you can expect (art is not yet final):

Featuring white, black & reflective foil variants. 

This is a ground up remake of the entire spacecraft, so it won't be a drop-in replacement for the existing parts. The current plan is to split Orion out into a separate mod. At this point I don't intend to update anything else in reDIRECT & don't want to create an expectation to do so, and also don't want to tie people into using the very memory intensive reDIRECT orange tank parts if they'd prefer to use another mod. 

The plan is to include the Orion spacecraft, as well as abort tower and adapters to various standard sizes. Custom parachutes will also be included. The AJ10 engine is also getting a revamp, finally with emissive textures & a higher level of detail. 

Breaking Ground users will also be able to adjust the sweep of the solar arrays, just like on the real spacecraft!

No ETA for release yet but I will keep you all posted. 

The model looks absolutely beautiful!

I have a question about the service module. During launch, the service module is protected by aerodynamic side panel, I wonder if you would add jettisonable side panel to this mod? Also, Kertemis Progeam by rogerwang86 has this part included, is it possible to add side attachnodes to the service tank so the panel can work with the new model.

thanks!

[cameronisher3]

8 hours ago, benjee10 said:

No plans to change existing parts I'm afraid, and besides 5m is the closest standard size for the Space Shuttle ET/SLS core stage. Generally we try to arrive at KSP sizes by multiplying the real world size be 0.625 and then rounding to the nearest KSP increment. The shuttle ET is 8.4m diameter which scales to 5.25m  in KSP, so while marginally undersized 5m is closer to the 'correct' diameter than 5.625m would be. Starship is slightly larger at 9m diameter so that works out at 5.625m. 5m is the best fit proportionally and keeps everything simple in terms of adapters etc. 

Thank you for your response!

I guess a follow-up request would be a Rainstorm revamp since at 5m unfortunately RMM is not properly compatible. 

[TheLoneOne]

On 3/17/2022 at 12:57 PM, benjee10 said:

Happy SLS rollout day (feels strange to have finally reached it)! 

To celebrate I have been creating a revamped Orion spacecraft. I was hoping to have it ready for today, but as always real life had other ideas.
Still, here are a few in-progress shots of what you can expect (art is not yet final):

Featuring white, black & reflective foil variants. 

This is a ground up remake of the entire spacecraft, so it won't be a drop-in replacement for the existing parts. The current plan is to split Orion out into a separate mod. At this point I don't intend to update anything else in reDIRECT & don't want to create an expectation to do so, and also don't want to tie people into using the very memory intensive reDIRECT orange tank parts if they'd prefer to use another mod. 

The plan is to include the Orion spacecraft, as well as abort tower and adapters to various standard sizes. Custom parachutes will also be included. The AJ10 engine is also getting a revamp, finally with emissive textures & a higher level of detail. 

Breaking Ground users will also be able to adjust the sweep of the solar arrays, just like on the real spacecraft!

No ETA for release yet but I will keep you all posted. 

will it have a iva out of curiousity?