Starwind - Ended (due to the Kraken)

[fulgur]

Sorry for not updating yesterday, I was so fed up with docking craft with off-CoM RCS to create my station I didn't want to create panels. So I made an ultralight SSTO in my sandbox save instead, and put it on KerbalX.

Here is a picture of Weather Station up and running:

The craft docked to it are: Val's Cygnus I, and the little docking tug which I am going to deorbit.

[KerballingSmasher]

Weather Station... what's the TEMPERATURE on board?

[fulgur]

I would imagine that outside the station it is a couple of degrees, same as everywhere in space (CMB and all that). Inside, it is a balmy 300-odd degrees.

Kelvin! I meant degrees Kelvin! I promise I do not fry my kerbals for fun! (For plot, that is another matter...)

In other news, I have overcome my boredom with a photo montage!

And also with the introduction of Walt. For when you just need to break that (4th) wall.

I had a bit of an issue with the contract not completing. Eventually I figured out it was because the Cygnus (which had Lt. Commander Val on it) was an older craft and it has to be a new station. So I undocked and got that nice green symbol in the message box!

Tune in next time for the establishment of a Munstation... or maybe a Minmusstation. They will have proper (ie inventive) names which will not be in Latin. Also, I have made a little rover. Top speed 30m/s on the Kerbin flats should be much easier for a little biome hopping.

[demon_313]

I'm currenty working on a Minmus station. I'll look forward to seeing yours as mine tend to look terrible. In the future, I will be shamlessly stealing your designs.

[fulgur]

Don't do that! Mainly because there are plenty of better designs out there than mine, also because I use ReStock and ReStock+ (gives better textures in my opinion) and finally because I am playing on Moderate mode (it's one harder than Normal) and so you have way more parts unlocked than me.

Also, it'll be a pretty basic Minmus station. Just a tank of fuel for the lander, a tank of liquid fuel for the nuclear powered transfer vessels, a lab and a recycling module (because USI-LS). Nothing as fancy as Weather Station.

EDIT: And here is a science rover to get some of the first results to be analysed at Weather Station or Mint Station (I've invented a name!).

The Taurus I is going to land on Minmus and get lots of science from lots of biomes! And then it will do the same on the Mun, as part of our upcoming Munbase contract project.

Edited July 11, 2019 by fulgur

[fulgur]

KSP has updated to 1.7.3, so 2 things:

1. I have finished playing with helicopter blades and grip pads, so I am going to have the Taurus I on Minmus tomorrow IRL at the latest.

2. Kopernicus has updated, so I have installed MIP by @KerikBalm and so I now have a couple more bodies to explore! Some interplanetary expeditions will be coming up soon.

Although, due to the sacred force of continuity, I am deleting the file KerbinMoons.cfg, which swaps the Mun and Minmus.

Edited July 13, 2019 by fulgur

[fulgur]

Roving halfway across Minmus with a horse which thinks it's a cat took longer than expected.

Here ends Chapter 2. Did I plan the Cygnus' landing? You'll never know...

I hope you like the change in format. It's more wordy. I like words. It also allows me to differentiate between Val-who-talks-in-Lucida-Handwriting and Gersy (my other Command pilot) who talks in, well, I haven't decided, but it's probably Edwardian Script ITC.

And finally... well, no there isn't really a window to Eki, it's a shiny space rock at the L4 lagrange point. The window saves about 100m/s dV according to TWP. But yes... our first interplanetary flight. With the KSS Whimsical Name. Because that is a whimsical name, isn't it? I like the sound of the KSS Whimsy.

Plus a supporting cast of Several Whitesuits, Gene, Wernher, Linus, Mort etc. I haven't decided entirely who will be on what.

Edited July 18, 2019 by fulgur

[fulgur]

Today, I have finished the Volito dropship. It awaits fiddling and dV-adding, though.

The main points are:

1.8km/s with no payload.

The engines can rotate 180 degrees.

The payload is mounted on a hinge, for ease of docking.

That Oscar-B tank the hinge is mounted on is mounted on a piston, to balance the payload.

Therefore, I ask my readers (all 2 of them - @demon_313 and @Kerballing (Got Dunked On)) to submit some designs which I will launch to Eki and land using the Volito. Because I would like to see what you would take to a shiny rock 1500m/s away. The design must fit on the Volito, I am uploading it to KerbalX this afternoon.

Edited July 18, 2019 by fulgur

[demon_313]

Aaaahhhh. What?

Let's start with the stupid question first. Where is Eki?

I saw this and was like... "Yay a challenge! Hinges? Pistons? oh no!"

I have no DLC, No mods, and while if you asked me to calculate the dV for a craft in vacuum, I could probably do it, but I haven't the slightest clue how that translates to getting anywhere.

Also, are you asking for a rover? It seems like you are asking for a rover.

[fulgur]

1. Eki is a planet from MIP (link provided above) which is at the L4 lagrange point of Kerbin (which I stated above). In consequence, it is an early career destination, and TWP says it takes 1000m/s ΔV to get to Eki and another 500m/s ΔV to circularise. It isn't a stupid question, Eki is neither stock nor in one of the more popular planet packs.

2. ΔV readings are provided by the ΔV indicator which is included in KSP 1.6 and above (I think). I use Kerbal Engineer Redux because I prefer it, however it is a stock feature. They are white on blue and they are in the staging icons, above the icons for what will be staged but below the stage number. The overall dV of a craft is in orange at the bottom of the staging thing

3. As far as I understand it, if you burn 1m/s ΔV, your speed will change by 1m/s. So when you burn 800m/s ΔV in the right place, you accelerate enough to make your orbit cross the Mun. Then you burn 200m/s ΔV retrograde, and decelerate into Munar orbit.

4. Oops, I forgot that some people don't have the DLC. The Volito I uses BG and ReStock+ according to KerbalX. (It's on KerbalX now).

5. I am not asking for a rover, as I already have the Ambulo II. I want some ideas so I can justify sending a dropship with fancy robotic features and not a boring skycrane. Otherwise, I will send down some Supplies and a solar array, dump it on the ground, attach it to the dropship by KAS and let the Volito stay on the surface without worrying that they will starve. But that's boring, right?

6. Ok, so what I want is something novel and interesting which is under 1.5 tonnes and will fit on the Volito. For reference, the Ambulo II is 1.1t and is 1.3m tall, 2.1m long and 2.3m wide (including wheels). I don't mind what orientation the port needs to be in, it is on a hinge for a reason.

Edited July 18, 2019 by fulgur

[demon_313]

Thanks for the information on dV, That makes a lot more sense now.

 

So what you are looking for is something interesting that you can drop on the planet to make this something other than just another science run?

Hhhmmm, my brain goes to a large unfolding relay dish, though a small sat would be better and that's just another skycrane drop. I'll mull it over for a while. Won't be able to touch ksp until tomorrow.

 

Oo, oo, I have an idea. Completely pointless, but maybe fun... what is the gravity like on Eki?

Edited July 18, 2019 by demon_313

[fulgur]

Here is a page of comic explaining the Volito I.

To anyone who does not want to read the text above: I challenge you to design me a payload which this dropship can carry to the surface of Eki, an 0.07g vacuum world at Kerbin's L4 lagrange point. (For reference, Minmus is 0.05g).

Edited July 18, 2019 by fulgur

[Geschosskopf]

On 7/6/2019 at 10:34 AM, fulgur said:

Also, anyone know if there are any more formations than just the stones, the Mun crater and the bigger Mun crater? Or the sandstone and the Olivine formation on Minmus?

I'm only just now reading this (so add 1 more reader--do I make 3 now?  )  I scrolled ahead and didn't see this question get answered so here's the answer

There are only the 3 types of ROCs you list here on Mun.  Mun Stone, Mun Crater, and Large Mun Crater.  And only Green Sandstone and Olivine on Minmus

For a complete list of all ROCs, look in the GameData\SquadExpansion\Serenity\Resources folder for the file rocsdef.cfg.  This lists all the ROCs for all planets and also which biomes they're in.

Kerbin:  Baobab Trees and Large Quartz

Gilly:  Ridgeline

Ike:  Duna Ejecta

Bop:  Gravel Pile

Pol:  Yellow Stone

Minmus:  Green Sandstone, Olivine

Moho:  Moho Stone, Wrinkle Ridge

Eve:  Volcanic Rock, Basalt Formation, Pancake Dome

Duna:  Duna Stone, Meteorite, Dune, Blueberries

Dres:  Meteorite, Crater

Mun:  Mun Stone, Crater, Large Crater

Laythe:  Laythe Stone, Boulder, Geyser

Vall:  Ice Chunk, Vall Stone, Cryovolcano

Tylo:  Light Stone, Dark Stone, Checkerboard

Eeloo:  Ice Chunk, Brown Boulder, Eelooberg

EDIT:  No telling what might be on mod planets.  I'm sure modders will add new features (or copy and rename existing ones) when/if they updated to 1.7.3

===================================

EDIT:  

Anyway, I have now read through all this an quite like the presentation.  And now things are getting interested with the BG parts.  The adjustable CoM piston on the dropship is a pretty neat idea.  It would be useful with the Planetary Bases mod using modules of different masses and sizes.

I've always liked skycranes myself, because I always give them enough fuel to fly high enough after decoupling to crash and explode spectacularly.  Plus, there's the danger they might come down on something important   .  And now, with BG, you can get Science! from this if you have the ground seismometer thingy set up before the skycrane crashes.

 

Edited July 19, 2019 by Geschosskopf

[fulgur]

1. Wow, I am honoured to have you as my 3rd reader!

2. Thank you for the list of surface features. I asked Kerik_Balm, the authour of the MIP mod, whether he could add surface features, and he said he was working on it.

3. Obviously, I stole the presentation from Kuzzter. But then I felt guilty, so I added the different ship's logs.

4. I think that the servos are the most useful in early career, as they allow you to change engine orientation. I thought up the piston when I was testing it and getting bored of balancing KER thrust angles by engine thrust, and thought it might be useful to balance the payload.

EDIT: I have made a page about the Hastam Multus II (Many Spears 2) mothership, so-called because it carries several Hastam II comms probes.

EDIT EDIT: Oops. It should be the Hasta Multi II, which actually means Many Spears 2. I'm not very good at writing in Latin.

Now to go and fly prop powered planes while I wait for my 3 (hooray!) readers to come up with payloads.

Edited July 19, 2019 by fulgur

[Geschosskopf]

6 hours ago, fulgur said:

1. Wow, I am honoured to have you as my 3rd reader!

I dunno.  I'm surrounded by a cloud of bad karma and thousands of vengeful Kerbal ghosts :).

6 hours ago, fulgur said:

2. Thank you for the list of surface features. I asked Kerik_Balm, the authour of the MIP mod, whether he could add surface features, and he said he was working on it.

No problem.  I didn't find the file, just passing on the info ;).

If @KerikBalm hasn't updated MIP before this expedition leaves, you can add surface features to Icky Eki yourself.  Just copy and rename the rocsdef.cfg file, delete all but the ROCs you want on Eki, then change the body name to Eki and the biome names to whatever Eki has.  Once MIP updates, delete this file.

BTW, I like that you're doing an interplanetary flotilla.  So much more flexibility than a single ship

I hope you're packing plenty of supplies as round trips to L4 or L5 might not need much dV but take LOTS of time.  Plan on several years.

6 hours ago, fulgur said:

 

Now to go and fly prop powered planes while I wait for my 3 (hooray!) readers to come up with payloads.

Well, as you've already got a rover, how about an unmanned food-making base module.  You can leave it there and it will make and store food should anybody be in the neighborhood later and need it.

[fulgur]

Well, I don't have ISRU but for some reason I do have K&K algae farms. I will include that but I warn you it will be small, it has to be attached to the Hasta Multi II and then the Volito I.

Well actually I am taking 2 ships: one with the crewed landers attached and another with the probes attached.

[Geschosskopf]

4 minutes ago, fulgur said:

Well, I don't have ISRU but for some reason I do have K&K algae farms. I will include that but I warn you it will be small, it has to be attached to the Hasta Multi II and then the Volito I.

The machinery doesn't have to be big, but give it as much storage space as you can.  The let it slowly build up an emergency stockpile which hopefully will never be needed.

How long do you expect this trip to take?  

[fulgur]

49 minutes ago, Geschosskopf said:

let it slowly build up an emergency stockpile

I have no ISRU or drills. But I can turn Fertiliser + Mulch into Supplies.

50 minutes ago, Geschosskopf said:

How long do you expect this trip to take?  

Transfer Window Planner says 320 days. USI-LS says I have supplies for 62 days, plus fertiliser makes 4 years 250 days. It's more weight-efficient to have lots of fertiliser on a ship.

[Geschosskopf]

35 minutes ago, fulgur said:

Transfer Window Planner says 320 days. USI-LS says I have supplies for 62 days, plus fertiliser makes 4 years 250 days. It's more weight-efficient to have lots of fertiliser on a ship.

In MIP, Kerbin's year (and thus Eki's too) is still 426 days, right?  Hmmm...

Basically, to get to L4 in only a single burn, you go inwards from Kerbin and set your solar Pe such that you make 1 full solar orbit and arrive back at your solar Ap (which is where Kerbin was when you left) in the same time it takes Eki to make 5/6 of a solar orbit (360^ - 60^), so Eki is there when you arrive.  5/6 * 426 = 355 days.  So 320 days is in the same ballpark, given expected errors in the algorithm and eventual execution in-game.

Getting back on 1 burn takes a bit longer as you're effectively going to L5 behind you.  Here, you burn outwards from Eki, setting your solar Ap such that you make 1 solar orbit in the same time that Kerbin makes 7/6 of an orbit (360^ + 60^), so it gets to your solar Pe (where Eki was when you left) at the same time you return there.  7/6 * 426 = 497 days.

All told, you spend right at 2 years in transit as the differences going and coming cancel out, plus however long you spend at Eki, plus however long the crew is in LKO prior to departure while you get all the flotilla up and ready.  So it sounds like you've got enough chow.  Good

I always find trips to L4/L5 rather irksome due to the long time required to go such seemingly short distances across space.  

[fulgur]

Well, currently my plan is thus:

Launch the Hasta Multi II ASAP and send it on its way to Eki, arriving before the KSS Whimsy.

Launch the KSS Whimsy and the attached craft.

Val et al. arrive at Weather Station with a load of Minmus science.

Bill will stay behind as our most experienced engineer, to oversee the construction of a Munbase (with ISRU I am anticipating developing from Minmus and solar science). The crew will be 2 pilots, 2 scientists and 1 engineer.

The KSS Whimsy leaves for Eki.

I currently need to think about the craft yet to be designed. I made a small K&K base which I think the Volito can carry down to the surface of Eki (0.07g, remember). I think I will mount that to the side of the Hasta Multi II and the Ambulo II to the other side, balancing thrust with KER, and drag a fuel pod copied from Weather Station behind it.

Speaking of the KSS Whimsy, here is a page about it!

 

[demon_313]

I tried to make a  video of my useless addon, but OBS failed miserably. I'll try to make a panel for it tomorrow.

[fulgur]

You can just tell me about it. Be warned, I may not be able to make it the same as you have, as I am in Moderate mode and have fewer parts unlocked than you.

In other news, I have made the @Geschosskopf Base and have tested landing it on Eki. I had to move the engines further out, but it works.

The only problem was that the base wobbled around a lot, as it was designed for lighter payloads. Nothing autostrut can't fix though!

[Geschosskopf]

Hehehe, I'm flattered to have a house of exile and misery named after me

The KAS EVA-placeable struts also help with wobbly things and give the Kerbals something to do.

[fulgur]

I do not think EVA struts exist any more. :-(

I will be away from my computer this weekend, so no more panels.

[KerballingSmasher]

@fulgur I speak some latin, Hasta Multi feels a tad bit off, but it sounds good!