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[1.12.x] PEBKAC Industries: Launch Escape System


linuxgurugamer

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Forum user @Kurld wrote this mod, and requested that I take it over since he was no longer doing KSP.  Original thread is here:https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/106518-13

Download from SpaceDock.
See the imgur album for screenshots.

Changes from previous version

  • Added second attachment node to the Mk2 towers, to allow attaching to the Mk1-2 pod without a docking node.  Also used with MM config below to attach on top of the parachutes
  • Added MM config to allow stacking for the stock Mk16 and Mk25 parachutes

 

Thanks @Kottabos for doing a nice video review!  The PEBKAC parts actually start around 2:30.

 

This add-on is a set of parts I created because I was a little dissatisfied by the stock Launch Escape System (LES). The PEBKAC Industries LES (PKI-LES) is designed to more or less simulate the Apollo and Mercury LES's used in real life. 

The LES for the 3-naut capsule features a totally non-functional Boost Protective Cover (BPC), launch escape motor, tower jettison motor and a small pitch control motor/nosecone and canard assembly. The canard assembly deploys roughly 8 seconds after the launch escape motor runs out of propellant and serves to help orient the escaping CM toward retrograde. It now includes a science experiment to simulate the "Q-ball", which contained atmospheric/aerodynamic sensors which were part of Apollo's "Emergency Detection System".

The LES for the 1-naut capsule is modeled after the one from NASA's Mercury capsule. It didn't have any pitch motor or canards.

The included plugin allows you to automatically conduct abort procedures. Just add the parts, hit the "ABORT" key and everything will take care of itself. Use staging to jettison the LES after a successful launch. Or you can add the jettison command to an action group if you prefer.

I based all of the non-performance-related details (cost, tech-tree, etc) of the PKI-LES on the stock parts. Many of the other details were tweaked to be more realistic. One big difference is that the PKI-LES has a much total thrust than the stock part from Squad. The mass (and centers of mass) of the parts were extrapolated from the Apollo and Mercury LES and scaled to be proportional to a "stock" CM assembly. I tweaked the aerodynamic properties to be (IMHO anyway) closer to reality. The end result is a more or less realistic flight profile. From the launchpad, the included example craft should reach the ocean upon initiating an abort. Also included in this version is a LES for the 3-naut capsule which has no BPC. Aside from this visual change, the part should function identically to the other Mk2 LES.

The plugin code to make is compatible with the LES for the SDHI Service Module System. It should be flexible enough to use with pretty much any other LES out there.  If you find one you want to use and can't figure out how to use my plugin to automate it, drop me a PM.

The download includes a sandbox save-game which has two example craft using stock parts showing how the PKI-LES is supposed to be assembled and configured.

Finally, if you play career-mode, you should eventually get some flight-test contracts for the PKI-LES parts.

New to this version:

- fix for agency name missing from contracts
- works with 1.3.x

Some future plans:

- add tweakable for time delay between abort and canard-deploy and LES jettison
- make the aft BPC for the Mk2 LES look more like an actual BPC
- add RealPlume support or else just make my own exhaust FX
- any suggestions or requests?

Availability

This addon includes art assets created by MP_Nazari for the Hot Rockets addon. See the license file in the Gamedata/MP_Nazari/FX folder for details.

If you have suggestions for improvement or would like me to try to incorporate specific features, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Thanks, and have fun!  Hopefully your Kerbals will never need to use these parts!

 

Edited by linuxgurugamer
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  • 2 months later...
  • 1 month later...

I had the first ever occurance of running into my own just-jettisoned-LES - at a pitch near 0° in space ...

"Usually" I jettison the LES as soon as possible - but ... after Soyuz I thought "perhaps let that thing be attached as long as possible and build a more powerful launcher then".

Doing the jettison during ascent in atmosphere works fine - but this circumstance was special.

The craft survived, but it was a crash ...

How about adding some lateral boost to the LES, especially for the jettison-sequence?

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On 10/15/2018 at 11:20 PM, Gordon Dry said:

I had the first ever occurance of running into my own just-jettisoned-LES - at a pitch near 0° in space ...

"Usually" I jettison the LES as soon as possible - but ... after Soyuz I thought "perhaps let that thing be attached as long as possible and build a more powerful launcher then".

Doing the jettison during ascent in atmosphere works fine - but this circumstance was special.

The craft survived, but it was a crash ...

How about adding some lateral boost to the LES, especially for the jettison-sequence?

Nope.  Not going to happen.  Test your rockets.maybe shut down your engines when jettisoning fir a few seconds.

Also, you didn5 mention which one yoy were using.

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On 10/16/2018 at 11:20 AM, Gordon Dry said:

I had the first ever occurance of running into my own just-jettisoned-LES - at a pitch near 0° in space ...

"Usually" I jettison the LES as soon as possible - but ... after Soyuz I thought "perhaps let that thing be attached as long as possible and build a more powerful launcher then".

Doing the jettison during ascent in atmosphere works fine - but this circumstance was special.

The craft survived, but it was a crash ...

How about adding some lateral boost to the LES, especially for the jettison-sequence?

How about adding a seperatron?

LES is supposed to be used in atmo.

The stock one does have a sideward boost though.

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1.5.1 with the Making History xpac does not have a mounting surface node on the "NPV-06" (the old Mk 16) nosecone parachute, which pretty much forces the use of radial mounts whenever the LES is used.  Or did I miss something?

Edit: If I take the next size up, mount it, shrink it (tweakscale), then try the tower, it works.

Edited by Murdabenne
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I use to mess around with my own LES stuff, way before this mod. I use to use a LES from NP pack and use it on the Mk1. I use to make the small parachute attack on top. When squad finally added their most recent LES, I hated it didn't decouple on the bottom. Well I have some of my old MM codes, this should be the mod thread to share it, and someone might find it useful.

	//===========================//
//    Stock LES Decouples    //
//===========================//
	
@PART[LaunchEscapeSystem]:Final
{
    MODULE
        {
        name = ModuleDecouple
         ejectionForce = 25
         explosiveNodeID = bottom
        }
}
	

	//====================================//
//    Parachute attach node on top    //
//====================================//
	
@PART[parachuteSingle]:Final
{    
    @attachRules = 1,0,1,1,0
    node_stack_top = 0.0, 1.53, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0, 0.0, 0
}
	

 

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@linuxgurugamer and @KurldThis is by far my favorite mod pack. I spent countless hours, days, weeks, months, trying to work in a halfway decent LES system for my Kerbals, with parts I found, nothing comes close. This mod works so well and flawless, it bring tears to my eyes, lol. 

I have always wanted a great working LES system in KSP since day one. That is my favorite part of building rockets, is adding in LES systems for failed launches and in KSP there are a lot, lol. 

Kudos, thank you!

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  • 1 month later...

I just did the update to All Y'all and Better Burn time and when I fired up KSP, this happened. I have no clue whats going on here or why this even happened (never happened before) I thought I better post this up in case it means something to someone. I resolved the problem by removing this mod. I have no clue at all of whats going on. Image below is of the console after the problem occurred. It stopped loading at this point. If this means nothing just ignore it.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7l7jelue6fvzdnr/errorksp.jpg?dl=0

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From my log file -

[LOG 15:05:05.478] PartLoader: Part 'NovaPunch/Parts/YawmasterCSM/NP_Yawmaster_ServiceModule/NP_YMASasModule/NP.YMASasModule' has no database record. Creating.
[LOG 15:05:05.486] DragCubeSystem: Creating drag cubes for part 'NP.YMASasModule'
[LOG 15:05:05.529] PartLoader: Compiling Part 'Pebkac/Parts/LaunchEscape/pebkac_mk1_LES/pkLES_EscapeMk1v2'

I did a tail of my log file live while the game loaded (notepad++ DocumentWatch module is great on windows), and it gets to here and just stops.  Every time. (Right after finishing NovaPunch) Uninstalling PEBKAC LES fixes it. The yellow ribbon at the bottom of the loading screen confirms it.  I was thinking of using this on my career, but kinda hard to do so when it keeps the game from loading.
 

Edited by Murdabenne
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7 hours ago, Gordon Dry said:

@Murdabenne do you use BetterBurnTime 1.8.0 and B9PartSwitch perhaps?

see

 

Aha thanks - B9 I use thanks to Nertea and others needing it.  Odd that an issue with BBT caused PEBKAC LES to look like it was the one hanging.  I may install BBT updated and then LES again to see if that fixes things.

Edited by Murdabenne
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  • 1 month later...
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