[1.5] KOOSE mini reentry pod aka escape pod

[TiktaalikDreaming]

This is a minimal reentry pod for use primarily as an escape pod.  I've tried to minimise the number of parts.  The parachute is separate because if it's not, the thing doesn't hang from the parachute, because the whole part is the chute.  The heat shield is independent, as that's how the shield stuff works in game (unless you assume the whole pod is covered in an ablative surface).

So, 3 parts.  A pod with reaction wheels, electric charge, some RCS and deorbit SRBs.  A parachute unit that fits into the pod.  And a heat shield.  The base is the size of a reclined kerbal, and is just slightly smaller in diameter than the Mk1 pod (1.25m).  It is much shorter though.  The heatshield's fairing is slightly tapered to match 1.25m attachments.

Plus a docking station so these can be positioned around a core. 

Available for download from SpaceDock: https://spacedock.info/mod/1885/KOOSE

Development versions will be on github: https://github.com/TiktaalikDreaming/KOOSE

It's NOT the MOOSE for kerbals.  This is a full pod, not a crazy backpack expanding death trap.  But I couldn't think of a better name, so there we are.

(continued from the WIP thread https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/175192-wip-mini-reentry-pod-aka-escape-pod/)

MIT License, I blame github.

 

Parts;

 

 

Steam shared VVessels
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1423101946

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1423103411

 

Edited November 4, 2018 by TiktaalikDreaming
part screenshots

[guesswho2778]

nice looks cool

[Vaga]

Looks cool Instant download.

[Saltshaker]

looks cool, though the heatshield could use some work

[Kamaling]

It's not looking like a kerbal with dressed helmet will have enough space inside this pod....!?

How about the price, is it balanced to the stock part prices?

[TiktaalikDreaming]

4 hours ago, Saltshaker said:

looks cool, though the heatshield could use some work

Yes, the texture work on the heatshield is quite basic. But fixing that won't break anyone's craft, so it's released as is, with future updates to tidy up the heatshield and IVA textures.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

4 hours ago, Kamaling said:

It's not looking like a kerbal with dressed helmet will have enough space inside this pod....!?

How about the price, is it balanced to the stock part prices?

I haven't tried with a helmet. I'm away from my pc, otherwise I'd try it. There's room around the Kerbal head, but I'm not sure if would be enough. There's definitely no room for a stock seat.

the pricing is a bit under the stock mk1, and it has smaller everything except for the inclusions (rcs, deorbit srbs etc) than the mk1.  For a primary pod, I don't think it'll end up replacing the mk1 except in very odd designs. The international safety Orange helps dissuade overuse by anyone going for a look.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Well, with some work on the IVA, maybe a helmet could fit.  But the intention is no helmet;

 

[guesswho2778]

1 hour ago, TiktaalikDreaming said:

But the intention is no helmet;

good luck going outside and then putting your helmet on then XD

Edited June 14, 2018 by guesswho2778

[TiktaalikDreaming]

1 minute ago, guesswho2778 said:

good luck going outside and then putting your helmet on then XD

Well, the intention is climbing into the pod from a main craft or station, then deorbiting. It's an escape capsule, not an EVA platform.

If you need an escape capsule, you're not realistically going to be able to suit up. That takes hours, and assistance. And who's going to assist the last astronaut?

[guesswho2778]

9 minutes ago, TiktaalikDreaming said:

Well, the intention is climbing into the pod from a main craft or station, then deorbiting. It's an escape capsule, not an EVA platform.

If you need an escape capsule,

you have a point there but still what if he landed on the mun or other airless bodies hes not going to want to wait in that small thing hes going to want to get out

 

9 minutes ago, TiktaalikDreaming said:

you're not realistically going to be able to suit up. That takes hours, and assistance. And who's going to assist the last astronaut?

their kerbals their not known for being smart and complicated (unless its so complicated its stupid like add more boosters until you cant tell whats being staged when)

nvm you have a good point

Edited June 14, 2018 by guesswho2778

[TiktaalikDreaming]

Also, the game doesn't care.  

 

[Kamaling]

OK, I agree about the helmet.

Of course every mod takes time to create and therefore it has my respect.

Sadly some modders don't balance trust, weight, size, price etc. with the stock parts. Of course so that their mod will be used well. But this makes the stock parts useless (or in my case the mod's).

So my wish would be, that the mod parts are balanced but have a special reason. In this case, it is smaller & lighter, but should mor expensiv than a regular pod. So the interesting part of this mod would be the lesser weight, but for more cash. And don't forget the chewing gum!

[DStaal]

6 minutes ago, Kamaling said:

So my wish would be, that the mod parts are balanced but have a special reason. In this case, it is smaller & lighter, but should mor expensiv than a regular pod. So the interesting part of this mod would be the lesser weight, but for more cash. And don't forget the chewing gum!

It's also significantly harder to control than the Mk1 pod, doesn't fit nicely on a stack (even with the fairing from the heat shield it looks a bit awkward), has a lot less torque, and carries significantly less EC and Monoprop than the Mk1 pod.

I've flown it a few times.  Believe me, if you want to launch into space and back the Mk1 is a far nicer pod to work with.  (Orienting for a circulation burn with even a small upper stage attached is *very* annoying.)  But for the stated job of being an escape pod on a space station, it works fairly well.  Yes it's cheaper and lighter, but that fits for an escape pod.

[TiktaalikDreaming]

13 minutes ago, DStaal said:

It's also significantly harder to control than the Mk1 pod, doesn't fit nicely on a stack (even with the fairing from the heat shield it looks a bit awkward), has a lot less torque, and carries significantly less EC and Monoprop than the Mk1 pod.

I've flown it a few times.  Believe me, if you want to launch into space and back the Mk1 is a far nicer pod to work with.  (Orienting for a circulation burn with even a small upper stage attached is *very* annoying.)  But for the stated job of being an escape pod on a space station, it works fairly well.  Yes it's cheaper and lighter, but that fits for an escape pod.

Yeah.  I want it to be cheap and small, pretty much, less pod for less dollars.  And make it balanced by making it less useful.  I'm still not convinced it should have reaction wheels, but every stock thingy in KSP has reaction wheels.  And control with RCS in game is tricky at best.

[Blinkboy77]

Really good job, just add more RSC for docking more easy will be good  

[Catatau_27]

15 hours ago, TiktaalikDreaming said:

Bem, com algum trabalho sobre o IVA, talvez um capacete poderia caber. Mas a intenção não é capacete;

 

I think the best help is from natural selection, so that the Kerbals start to be born with slightly smaller heads, and it is no use justifying head size for intelligence since there is an imbecility meter inside the game. xD

[DStaal]

In case you didn't see - Kobattos reviewed already:

https://youtu.be/SosK_BmGRkw

 

[TiktaalikDreaming]

31 minutes ago, DStaal said:

In case you didn't see - Kobattos reviewed already:

https://youtu.be/SosK_BmGRkw

 

Jeebus.  Does the guy ever rest?

No, I hadn't seen it.  Thanks for the heads up. 

[doggonemess]

On 6/12/2018 at 9:53 PM, TiktaalikDreaming said:

The base is the size of a reclined kerbal, and is just slightly smaller in diameter than the Mk1 pod (1.25m).  It is much shorter though.

Looks cosy. Get it? COS-E.

-drum riff-

I'll let myself out.

[sstabeler]

On 6/14/2018 at 2:16 PM, Blinkboy77 said:

Really good job, just add more RSC for docking more easy will be good  

bear in mind that this is intended as an escape pod. In many ways, this pod wouldn't be docking to another craft mid-flight. it's based on the MOOSE- Man Out Of Space Easiest, or later Manned Orbital Operations Safety Equipment. Basically, it's designed to offer a last-ditch way for a Kerbal to get down from orbit in an emergency when there is no other option, including sending a rescue mission. (as for the question of how you get this pod to a space station, you would attach multiple of them to a central core as something of an "escape module" in the VAB, then fly the whole module up and attach it with a tug.)

[lajoswinkler]

Wow, very cool!

[TiktaalikDreaming]

8 hours ago, sstabeler said:

bear in mind that this is intended as an escape pod. In many ways, this pod wouldn't be docking to another craft mid-flight. it's based on the MOOSE- Man Out Of Space Easiest, or later Manned Orbital Operations Safety Equipment. Basically, it's designed to offer a last-ditch way for a Kerbal to get down from orbit in an emergency when there is no other option, including sending a rescue mission. (as for the question of how you get this pod to a space station, you would attach multiple of them to a central core as something of an "escape module" in the VAB, then fly the whole module up and attach it with a tug.)

Well, it's more inspired by the moose, than based on it, but definitely based on the same brief. Minimal reentry capability. In this case limited by ksp and me not really knowing if I could get a KIS based system to work.

From 1.1 onwards, there's a new part for transpiring your kooses. The texture work isn't finished.

[Uthgood]

just tried it for the first time....apparently my station is just a little bit too high for the solid boosters to get it into the atmosphere.....fortunately Jeb apparently ate beans before getting into the pod, so the rcs had enough to nudge him into the upper atmosphere....

 

 

 

edit....it did get me down from 225K to around 71-72K so not much more was needed in my case (thats with full srb fuel)

 

 

Edited June 17, 2018 by Uthgood

[TiktaalikDreaming]

30 minutes ago, Uthgood said:

just tried it for the first time....apparently my station is just a little bit too high for the solid boosters to get it into the atmosphere.....fortunately Jeb apparently ate beans before getting into the pod, so the rcs had enough to nudge him into the upper atmosphere....

 

The original intent was to just have the RCS for deorbiting.  Which is (well, that plus pod shapes) why it mostly all faces forward.  There's probably about the same delta V in the RCS as the SRBs.  

Glad Jeb made it.  For the record, warranty is void after the first use.  KOOSEs should be returned to the manufacturer for refit before reuse.

PS: If you have a station higher up, it might be worth adding more solid fuel to the SRB array.  Or, making crazy service modules;