[1.8.1 - 1.12.2] KSP Interstellar Extended 1.29.5 Release Thread

[AntaresMC]

10 minutes ago, FreeThinker said:

KSPIE ramjet are more like scramjet than true ramjets as they allow you speed up to higher speed in upper atmospheres

Thermal ramjets (or whateverjets, thet are all the same) work like Tory, they get more thrust the faster they go but never goes to 0 until there's no heatable air. I should can turn it on in runway as soon as I open the intake, it just gives me a thrust equal to the

Airflow×(1-T_intake/T_exhaust)×NozzleEff, assuming the air isnt compressed anywhere for simplicity . They arent like chem whateverjets that require a fixed pressure to work, just need air thats not hotter than the core.

Edited May 27, 2020 by AntaresMC

[FreeThinker]

10 minutes ago, AntaresMC said:

Thermal ramjets (or whateverjets, thet are all the same) work like Tory, they get more thrust the faster they go but never goes to 0 until there's no heatable air. I should can turn it on in runway as soon as I open the intake, it just gives me a thrust equal to the

Airflow×(1-T_intake/T_exhaust)×NozzleEff. They arent like chem whateverjets that require a fixed pressure to work, just need air thats not hotter than the core.

Well the idea is that thermal turbojet is able to suck in air while ramjet requires air to fly into the engine. The mechanism to suck in air will help you take of a runway but start to become a drag after going faster than Mach 1

Edited May 27, 2020 by FreeThinker

[AntaresMC]

11 minutes ago, FreeThinker said:

Well the idea is that thermal turbojet is able to suck in air while ramjet requires air to fly into the engine. The mechanism to suck in air will help you take of a runway but start to become a drag after going faster than Mach 1

Butyou can have a SR-71 like intake that have an internal "pump", and when there's enough airflow close a door and rely on ram pressure, but regular ambient pressure should work fine, remember, they dont need a fixed pressure to ignite/keep reactions, air isnt fuel, is just propellant that you can add at any pressure. Yea, pitty thrust, but get going, more pressure, faster, more pressure... Until you takeoff, thats a good balance point as thermal jets would need more runway. A small payoff for infinite fuel

Edited May 27, 2020 by AntaresMC

[FreeThinker]

4 hours ago, AntaresMC said:

Butyou can have a SR-71 like intake that have an internal "pump", and when there's enough airflow close a door and rely on ram pressure, but regular ambient pressure should work fine, remember, they dont need a fixed pressure to ignite/keep reactions, air isnt fuel, is just propellant that you can add at any pressure. Yea, pitty thrust, but get going, more pressure, faster, more pressure... Until you takeoff, thats a good balance point as thermal jets would need more runway. A small payoff for infinite fuel

Intresting, how is this called? Turbo Ramjet?

Edited May 27, 2020 by FreeThinker

[AntaresMC]

14 hours ago, FreeThinker said:

Intresting, how is this called? Turbo Ramjet?

The thermal ramjets work like this, Ive never seen a name but hybrid or with gears. There is a small caveat. The smaller the core temp,  the smaller is gonna be the thrust per difference of pressure. What that means is that early thermal whateverjets will need a compressed air or onboard fuel to kiclstart off the runway, until they got enough speed. The better its core temp, the less speed. Also the intake no matter if has active compressor or not compress a little, specially the shock cone one, and they are all very heavy, so pure (sc)ramjet intakes cant be. We can assume they are all SR71 like and it eases our life. Here is a good explaination of its intake/engine

Edit: I still dont know why the nuclear thermal jet exist at all, its a cool concept, but the Tory is lighter, gives more thrust and you can use a teeny bit of fuel to get up to speed. The only time Id use it is when that awful radial lintake Tory has is too pain in the ass, LET US PUT THE INTAKE WE WANT! (I know its a real world proyect, blalablab, but part cramming exist, if I wanna recreate it, I just turn a bit a cone intake and fuel tank, voilà) AND havent got the pebble bed (besto thing in da worl for nuke jets!)

Edited May 28, 2020 by AntaresMC

[AntaresMC]

20 hours ago, FreeThinker said:

Well, do allow smaller engines and lower power reactors to operate at higher atmospheric pressures, but given enough power, it doesn't matter

Are you talking on the ramjet or th Isp curve?

If Isp curve, thats a problem because the aerospike and the single part engines are in clear disadvantage. Lower power reactors aint suposed to give thrust and you can improve pressure by afterburning. Its true that of the nukes, only PB is usefull for that, but isnt it intended? NTRs are really low TWR things, at this tech level a chem 1st stage or SRBs is normal, you dont need that everyone can do everything. Also the aerospike should be heavier and lack radiator, same thrust but dont lose Isp with athmo, instead have perfect nozzle eff at any pressure. In fact I cant see use for a bell thermal nozzle unless you are very TWR limited, and with early beam/NTRs you are...

The thermal turbojet Id fuse it with the ramjet. The 1 part thermal turbojet, I havent used it since I tested vs the tory.

The bell nozzle I dont know if its a cool middle tech solution or redundant.

The VTOL nozzle is a bit awkward, some kinda radially atachable thermal nozzle will make life when using it easier.

And the mag nozzle is gynormus, scale down it a bit, why is so giant?

[AntaresMC]

I will try to design how thermal nozzles may work, are you interested?

Im not gonna play with the AM reactors because the fact that injecting propellant doesnt break them is a miracle. Fusion, will try, but no promises. In fact the GC, FF, and fusion should be all magnetic, as at this temp is all plasma. A small question: the GC fission reactor is closed or open? Because I cant see an OC design with walls and that lotta power output. If closed, Ive got concept (also wouldn be cool if the lightbulb was a reactor with a variant with engines and vectoring and a variant with reactor only? Or mabe just 7 attachment points to put 7 thermal engines). Also loved if had tweakable Isp, the more, the more WasteHeat. The max is around 2000s without radiators on lH2, 3000 is easy with aprox the mass of the engine in radiators or about 4× if brayton cycle, 4000s is possible with a lot of radiators,  no brayton. The report assumed metal-graphite rads, graphene may do better. Cant remember how was called but its in the engine list 2 of AthomicRockets)

Edited May 28, 2020 by AntaresMC

[FreeThinker]

2 hours ago, AntaresMC said:

The thermal turbojet Id fuse it with the ramjet. The 1 part thermal turbojet, I havent used it since I tested vs the tory.

I might give the VTOL more Turbo Ramjet behaviour, it was intended asa more high tech tech part

I also intend to introduce an new part next release, the Thermal AiroSpike Turbo Ramjet Hybrid, which is an Thermal AiroSpike with IntakeAir afterburner capability. It will allow you to launch in after burned mode and switch to pure Hydrogen in orbit

2 hours ago, AntaresMC said:

And the mag nozzle is gynormus, scale down it a bit, why is so giant?

Yes it a but too large, but still better than it originally was

2 hours ago, AntaresMC said:

I will try to design how thermal nozzles may work, are you interested?

What do you mean by how?

Edited May 28, 2020 by FreeThinker

[AntaresMC]

2 hours ago, FreeThinker said:

I also intend to introduce an new part next release, the Thermal AiroSpike Turbo Ramjet Hybrid, which is an Thermal AiroSpike with IntakeAir afterburner capability. It will allow you to launch in after burned mode and switch to pure Hydrogen in orbit

Souds cool! The afterburner is using fuel and get extra thrust with air, right? Why? If you can add propellant why not just air alone? Also could change the aerospike to be afterburnable instead of a new one, at the end is quite useless now.

2 hours ago, FreeThinker said:

I might give the VTOL more Turbo Ramjet behaviour, it was intended asa more high tech tech part

Interesting. I suggest fusing the jet and ramjet (more like a tech upgrade that allows to swich mode, like the SR-71,  also the TJ model is a bit flatty, the ramjet looks better) and doing the same with the VTOL version, but without upgrade as its unlocked later. The turbo-ramjet thing is not high tech and its superduper easy with thermal jets, as they sont need constant pressure, just a door to open/close.

A quick note, redirect the flux from a fusion reactor is probably impossible. For a VTOL engine to work it should rotate around the reactor, but always pointing away from it. Also surface atachable mini thermal turbojets with 360° vectoring would be awesome as control points for big VTOLs.

2 hours ago, FreeThinker said:

Yes it a but too large, but still better than it originally was

What? Even bigger? Ive been playing KSPIE from a few monts only, and watching from about a year, so I dunno how it was, but have you seen the size of ion engine nozzles? They are CP nozzles as well, and are TINY, and not bell shaped, they rarely are longer than its radious and wider than its hole! Something like this: (for a universal CP nozzle, if specialized can be 1/2 as long)

It also makes a good point defense weapon, this design was meant for anti drone/torpedo weapon for the scifi setting Im working on (have to name it), made to work along with lasers, but is basicly a really powerful beam concentrator, so a good nozzle (around .9 eff). Power usage can be reduced by quite a lot if remove that external ring, but lose aroung 10% Isp. May also work as close range, low heat footprint beam power transmitter, even could add ion beam transmitters (really efficient, almost 0 heat footprint, move CP instead of MJ, short range, dont pierce athmo at all)

2 hours ago, FreeThinker said:

What do you mean by how?

The mechanism. For the low tech nukes, just a heat exchanger. Ive got it for the gas core (a lightbulb like mechanism), the FF (afterburn it with propellant), the tokomak, mag target, MIF, stellerator; a kinda double mag cage where propellant pases trough between the core and the walls. For the other reactors, probably witchery...

Edited May 28, 2020 by AntaresMC

[AntaresMC]

On 5/27/2020 at 3:28 PM, FreeThinker said:

"VAB Beeding Blanket switching"

Im out in the clouds, sorry, I didnt read the VAB part. Why? Why not swich blanket with an EVA engineer when turned off?

[FreeThinker]

3 hours ago, AntaresMC said:

Souds cool! The afterburner is using fuel and get extra thrust with air, right? Why? If you can add propellant why not just air alone? Also could change the aerospike to be afterburnable instead of a new one, at the end is quite useless now.

Well according to the Atomic Rockets webside, you can give thermal nozzle only a anti reducing or anti oxidising coating to protect the heat exchanges (you supposedly cannot use both). To maximize the Ips, you want to use Hydrogen. Durring launch, you more thrust to get out of the gravity well, you could mix the hot HYdrogen/Liquid Fuel it with Exces amounts of (Oxygen Rich) Air to generate a lot of extra thrust.

[AntaresMC]

1 hour ago, FreeThinker said:

Well according to the Atomic Rockets webside, you can give thermal nozzle only a anti reducing or anti oxidising coating to protect the heat exchanges (you supposedly cannot use both). To maximize the Ips, you want to use Hydrogen. Durring launch, you more thrust to get out of the gravity well, you could mix the hot HYdrogen/Liquid Fuel it with Exces amounts of (Oxygen Rich) Air to generate a lot of extra thrust.

AthomicRockets is wrong, this is just lack of imagination. One word: MeTaMaTeRiAlS

More precisely, a few months ago, was confirmed (was hypothesized previously) a wonder called rotated graphene to make a theoretically infinite number of different crystal structures by rotating sheets of graphene, even made a method of production. The thing is that you can make a coating of RG in a specific angle that allows for the required temp resistance, dope 1 layer with anti-oxidizing and the other with anti-reducing dopage, punch random holes in the structure with a proton gun and put a catalyst that will move ions between the 2, pass a small high voltage current to electrolyze it and undo all chem activity and you are done.

You can also have 2 coating variants switchable by an engineer.

And a nanotube surface, unpermeable to metals but permeable to non metals and put the anti oxidizing below. Then pass propellant trough creating a boundry layer.

All this options are the ones I came up while reading/writing the posts, but the thing is that you can add more than 1 layer and move products cleverly. You can also have a secondary neutral prop. that cools and chem protects the walls.

 

Also, WHY NOT PASS THE AIR THROUGH THE FVCK1NG REACTOR!!? Should have to be compressed (pitty thrust) or liquified (refrigerator needed).

Even though the posibility is great, youve got that a refrigerator isnt practical and laughable thrust is the last thing you want in a launch. BUT anyway dont make the really common error of lowering Isp, because even though afterburning lowers your Isp, if the extra propellant is free the cost in terms of your own propellant is the same, and gives more thrust, so INCREASES your effective Isp (thats why I use Isp instead of EV, cause EV=eff is only true in perfect vaccum).

Also in an aerospike nozzle you cant prevent air from reacting so it would be more like an "athmo bonus" and ON TOP OF THAT an "oxidizing athmo bonus" in Kerbin/Laythe (O2) with reducing props and "reducing athmo bonus" in Jool(H2) and Kerbol if pro enough XD with oxidizing props. Duna's athmo is CO2, neutral. Eve probably has a halogen rich athmo, painting it purple, but in so small concentrations chemjets dont work, there is less ox athmo bonus, but a small bit.

The atmo's bonuses would only aplly to areospikes, and neutral/byprop arent affected by chem nature.

Chem nature are boosts to Psp, athmo just to thrust, conserving Isp. The possibility of add even more air to afterburn is there, but most will react with air without the need of intakes, so only a small boost in Psp. For a well optimized aerospike its the same Isp jump that would be from a rocket to a jet aprox, a little less.

Edit: I prefer to talk in Psp than in P_f because Psp counts all power from the engine, not just the kinetic energy of the propellant. Unfortunately P_f is more used 

Edited May 28, 2020 by AntaresMC

[OOM]

11 hours ago, AntaresMC said:

AthomicRockets is wrong, this is just lack of imagination. One word: MeTaMaTeRiAlS

what. Are you by any chance not a doctor of astro-physical and mathematical sciences or a member of NASA?

Spoiler

I think you're trolling.
Because you appeared relatively recently, and since then do not stop writing useless "scientific articles" in this thread.

Sorry if I'm wrong.

 

Edited May 29, 2020 by OOM

[AntaresMC]

36 minutes ago, OOM said:

what. Are you by any chance not a doctor of astro-physical and mathematical sciences or a member of NASA?

  Hide contents

I think you're trolling.
Because you appeared relatively recently, and since then do not stop writing useless "scientific articles" in this thread.

Sorry if I'm wrong.

 

Ok, I said it 1/2 kidding 1/2 not-saying-that, and only referring to the thing that you can only aply 1 layer of chem protection. AR is the best thing in the word, I dont deny it. But with a bit of moving well the fuel some sci-fi materials (its a scifi mod, we can expect graphene composites and nanotubes, I think). Generally when you say "it cant be done" and there's not a scientific law prohibiting directly, theres usually a workaround...

I started posting recently because Ive got loads of time and looked interesting, but Ive been reading it and being the most nerdy hard scifi nerd Ive seen.

1st) I started talking in a KSP2 thread, proposing a fuel system and life support specifically made to not complicate the gameplay but deepen it.

2nd) Scientific articles? 99% the info I said is in AR, applied and used to build those sustems I suggested. If you think its wrong or irrelevant please point it out and correct me, last thing I want is to misinformate...

[FreeThinker]

Version 1.25.22 for Kerbal Space Program 1.4.3 - 1.7.3, 1.8.1 -1.9.1

Released on 2020-05-30

• Added "Phoenix" Thermal Airospike Turbo Ramjet Hybrid (by Mad Medic and Tedd Deireadh)
• Added improved model and Exhaust effects for Open Cycle Gas Core Engine (by TiktaalikDreaming)
• Added ISRU Refrigeration to Magnetic Scoop
• Added Ionisation bonus to Hydrogen wall of Heliosphere
• Added power consumption/production to Daedalus engine
• Balance: lowered max isp Open Cycle Gas Core Engine to max 7000s
• Balance: increased tech requirement for Spin-Polarized D-He3 fusion mode

Edited June 1, 2020 by FreeThinker

[OOM]

4 hours ago, FreeThinker said:

Version 1.25.20 for Kerbal Space Program 1.4.3 - 1.7.3, 1.8.1 -1.9.1

Released on 2020-05-30

• Compatible with KSP 1.8.1 - 1.9.1
• Added "Phoenix" Thermal Airospike Turbo Ramjet Hybrid (by Mad Medic and Tedd Deireadh)
• Added improved model and Exhaust effects for Open Cycle Gas Core Engine (by TiktaalikDreaming)
• Added ISRU Refrigeration to Magnetic Scoop
• Added Ionisation bonus to Hydrogen wall of Heliosphere
• Added power consumption/production to Daedalus engine
• Balance: lowered max isp Open Cycle Gas Core Engine to max 7000s
• Balance: increased tech requirement for Spin-Polarized D-He3 fusion mode

Oh my god. The new version of the open-cycle nuclear engine is simply incredible (although the exhaust color is vile and reminds me of a spoiled sausage) Since KSP2 is postponed until the fall of 2021, I really hope that some other craftsman in creating 3D will give us a new version of "Discovery" and not only 

[FreeThinker]

15 hours ago, OOM said:

Oh my god. The new version of the open-cycle nuclear engine is simply incredible (although the exhaust color is vile and reminds me of a spoiled sausage) Since KSP2 is postponed until the fall of 2021, I really hope that some other craftsman in creating 3D will give us a new version of "Discovery" and not only 

Well I can tell you this, a lot more and better models will come in the near future

Edited May 31, 2020 by FreeThinker

[Cosmonauth]

On 5/30/2020 at 4:42 PM, FreeThinker said:

Added "Phoenix" Thermal Airospike Turbo Ramjet Hybrid (by Mad Medic and Tedd Deireadh)

I was so excited reading this, but I'm kinda disappointed after some testing:
It is really nice to see KSPIE integration with Kerbalism mod, but it comes with the grain of salt! I don't know how is that balanced when Halberd engine has unlimited ignitions, and don't require reactor. On the other hand, spaceplane with the reactor and "Phoenix" engine has only 1 ignition (ok, 2 with high quality setting). What's the point of having hybrid mode then? This kind of reliability renders thermal engines useless for SSTO spaceplanes, and if these restrictions are by design, it's sad.
I'm aware that it's possible to remove reliability module from thermal engines, but that's not what I want to achieve. Also, it's possible to have an engineer to repair engines after every maneuver, sounds like a lot of fun =)

Edited May 31, 2020 by Cosmonauth

[FreeThinker]

35 minutes ago, Cosmonauth said:

I was so excited reading this, but I'm kinda disappointed after some testing:
It is really nice to see KSPIE integration with Kerbalism mod, but it comes with the grain of salt! I don't know how is that balanced when Halberd engine has unlimited ignitions, and don't require reactor. On the other hand, spaceplane with the reactor and "Phoenix" engine has only 1 ignition (ok, 2 with high quality setting). What's the point of having hybrid mode then? This kind of reliability renders thermal engines useless for SSTO spaceplanes, and if these restrictions are by design, it's sad.
I'm aware that it's possible to remove reliability module from thermal engines, but that's not what I want to achieve. Also, it's possible to have an engineer to repair engines after every maneuver, sounds like a lot of fun =)

Yes I forgot about Kerbalism ignitions, I will fix next release

 

Edited May 31, 2020 by FreeThinker

[Cosmonauth]

I don't think that limited ignitions should be a thing for thermal engines and nozzles. In Kerbalism it's present for chemical engines, since they must be ignited somehow. I say this to legitimize my actions by removing reliability module from thermal engines till next KSPIE release xD

[FreeThinker]

On 5/30/2020 at 8:25 PM, OOM said:

 The new version of the open-cycle nuclear engine is simply incredible (although the exhaust color is vile and reminds me of a spoiled sausage)

I agree so after some tinkering I managed to improvedi it in KSPIE 1.25.22

[AntaresMC]

13 hours ago, FreeThinker said:

I agree so after some tinkering I managed to improvedi it in KSPIE 1.25.22

Is there any way to change exhaust depending on propellant? I love purple-white H+ engine plumes, but I miss it in some rockets... 

 

Also (offtopic) Im taking seriously the degenerate stuff, actually working on a metastable tank, with a sane mass ratio, normal electric charge usage and crossfeed, but cant hold it permanenly, slowly loosing udD (in dust, not blobs this time) and turning to WasteHeat, if loses all lHe or WasteHeat goes to top, explodes as a nuke! 

[FreeThinker]

7 hours ago, AntaresMC said:

Is there any way to change exhaust depending on propellant? I love purple-white H+ engine plumes, but I miss it in some rockets... 

Yes there certainly is. Is just need exhaust config with appropriate assets

[Ace76inDC]

Howdy, I have a head-scratcher.  I have Near-Future Electric and KSP Interstellar Extended installed.  The engine in question is the Hades nuclear engine from the Mk3 Stockalike mod.

After the latest KSPIE update, don't know if it's connected or not, I get a "Core Overheat, Reactor Shutting Down" error.  Oddly the engine was shut down when I loaded the ship.  

When I go to the Hades engine in question, I see the temperature is "NaN/3200K", meaning not showing a temp at all.

I can turn on the engine only via the Near-Future Electrical control panel, but I can only turn it on.  No change to the temperature "NaN" at all.

Oddly I have another ship flying with the same engine, and I am not getting the same error.  Reactor is working as it ought to be.

 

Tried searching the forums and tried uninstalling and reinstalling KSPIE and NFE.  I've been playing this save for about a year now, don't want to lose one of my favorite ships!

 

https://imgur.com/a/JvjCg91

[OOM]

15 hours ago, Ace76inDC said:

Howdy, I have a head-scratcher.  I have Near-Future Electric and KSP Interstellar Extended installed.  The engine in question is the Hades nuclear engine from the Mk3 Stockalike mod.

After the latest KSPIE update, don't know if it's connected or not, I get a "Core Overheat, Reactor Shutting Down" error.  Oddly the engine was shut down when I loaded the ship.  

When I go to the Hades engine in question, I see the temperature is "NaN/3200K", meaning not showing a temp at all.

I can turn on the engine only via the Near-Future Electrical control panel, but I can only turn it on.  No change to the temperature "NaN" at all.

Oddly I have another ship flying with the same engine, and I am not getting the same error.  Reactor is working as it ought to be.

 

Tried searching the forums and tried uninstalling and reinstalling KSPIE and NFE.  I've been playing this save for about a year now, don't want to lose one of my favorite ships!

 

https://imgur.com/a/JvjCg91

KSP-I INCOMPATIBLE with Near Future Electrical and Propulsion. They have different operating principles, and if NFP just adds arcade electric engine, then NFE will break the balance of KSP-I

I am still waiting for the moment when NFE can work with KSP-I. For example, some parts of the unreleased Far Future Technology (FFT) mod work great with KSP-I.

Edited June 7, 2020 by OOM