[WIP] Small Steps - Sounding Rockets!

[Vals_Aerospace]

Small Steps

Sounding Rockets!

 

 

This mod plans to add many sounding rockets from various different agencies.

Roadmap (Trello Board)

This mod is built to be balanced for 2.5-2.7x scale, so don't be surprised if your Black Brant can get into orbit with stock scale!

 

Version Roadmap:

v1.0: Aerobee Parts (Base Release)

v1.1 Black Brant Parts

v1.2 Other U.S. Parts (Loki Family & Commercial Rockets)

v1.3 Japanese Parts

v1.4 Soviet/Russian Parts

v1.5 European Parts

 

 

Aerobee 150A:

(texturing WIP)

 

Aerobee 300A:

 

Nike-Nike Smoke:

 

 

Will be posting a GitHub link when textures and stuff are finished.

Major thanks to @Beale for help with the texturing!

Edited December 7, 2020 by Vals_Aerospace
typo

[hieywiey]

Ooh, nice!

[EStreetRockets]

Lookin' good!

[SpaceFox]

hype hype hype hype

[hemeac]

@Vals_Aerospace, just saw this, looks really great!  Fantastic texturing work

[IronCretin]

Very nice, it's fun to start out with sounding rockets instead of the exact same "mk1 pod on a flea" a hundred times.

[Well]

Looking forward for it ! Look really promising.

Nice work

[MoeKitsune]

Nice seeing more mods built around 2.5x scale, I started playing with it and I'm loving it. Also nice to be seeing some sounding rockets!

[Vals_Aerospace]

Would you guys be interested in having a general part for each diameter, with B9 Part Switch options for the specific tanks?

For example, you get the general .225m diameter tank and you have the ability to switch between Aerobee 150, Black Brant 3, etc.

I feel like this would help the issue of flooding the parts list with loads of useless tank when you get to midgame.

Additionally, would you all be interested in color variants for tanks? I personally would like to do the original color schemes and then a white variant. Would you guys enjoy this?

[hemeac]

If it works out well, would not complain on having fewer tanks to scroll through in the VAB, but that is easy enough to solve by having easy to remember tags on the aerobee or black brant parts.  There's also Janitor Closet and that is pretty easy to use to hide parts that aren't being used.  But would definitely be interested in white variants in addition to the original schemes to help do some mixing and matching.

[AeroSky]

On 12/11/2020 at 1:27 AM, Vals_Aerospace said:

Would you guys be interested in having a general part for each diameter, with B9 Part Switch options for the specific tanks?

For example, you get the general .225m diameter tank and you have the ability to switch between Aerobee 150, Black Brant 3, etc.

I feel like this would help the issue of flooding the parts list with loads of useless tank when you get to midgame.

Additionally, would you all be interested in color variants for tanks? I personally would like to do the original color schemes and then a white variant. Would you guys enjoy this?

Sure! This is a very promising mod! Personally, I haven't tried 2.5x or 2.7x scale (Since Kopernicus doesn't officially support 1.10.1. I know the Bleeding Edge branch exists though), but I am looking forward to having a mod dedicated to sounding rockets instead of downloading BDB or something for them

[Vals_Aerospace]

9 hours ago, hemeac said:

If it works out well, would not complain on having fewer tanks to scroll through in the VAB, but that is easy enough to solve by having easy to remember tags on the aerobee or black brant parts.  There's also Janitor Closet and that is pretty easy to use to hide parts that aren't being used.  But would definitely be interested in white variants in addition to the original schemes to help do some mixing and matching.

I could also have a specific parts category so the parts don't show up in the standard parts windows. If I am unable to get the B9 Part Switch working I may do that, could be easier.


Expect some updates next week, should hopefully get Aerobee 150 textured and in game!

[Vals_Aerospace]

Quick update: 

 

After this week I am free to work on things, school will finally slow down a little so I can actually get to work. May be able to get a dev release before 2021, with a full 1.0 not soon after. 

 

I appreciate you all for the support, and I can’t wait to get a release out!

[CAPFlyer]

Hey, great addon!  Glad to see the Sounding Rockets getting some love.  The previous mods are decent, but they're showing their age now.  Getting a modern, fully upgraded sounding rocket set is definitely going to be nice for those of us who like progressing through Historic Spaceflight or just being more realistic with unmanned flight before manned.

[Fangio]

great - many thanks - good work

[Murdabenne]

What are the main differences between this and Roverdude's Sounding Rockets mod, in the context of stock scale.  Where will these fit in CTT )semi stock tech tree) and in KTT (probes first approach)?

[Beetlecat]

22 hours ago, Murdabenne said:

What are the main differences between this and Roverdude's Sounding Rockets mod, in the context of stock scale.  Where will these fit in CTT )semi stock tech tree) and in KTT (probes first approach)?

USI Sounding Rockets is possibly correct scale, but certainly a more "whimsical" style. The fins and such certainly resemble the "real deal."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sounding_rocket#/media/File:Black_Brant.jpg

[Nnimrod]

Excellent!

Edited January 15, 2021 by Nnimrod

[Palmput]

Looking forward to it.

[Vals_Aerospace]

Update: I apologize for leaving y'all in the dark for the most part. I've been working on remastering the Aerobee models (I wasn't quite satisfied with them) and I've finished UV unwrapping all of them. Texturing comes next, and it shouldn't be long. In the meantime, here's the new and improved Aerobee 350:

 

Additionally, I have a new system for science using Aerobees. Using a science truss, you can place up to 3 custom experiments (4 for the 350) within the nose cone. Example:

 

Let me know what you think!

[Starhelperdude]

amazing! How many sience experiments will there be?

[Vals_Aerospace]

1 minute ago, Starhelperdude said:

amazing! How many sience experiments will there be?

As it currently stands, I have Mystery Goo, Gravioli, and a Biological Sample experiment done. I would like a camera experiment which pokes the lens out of the nose cone in the future, as well as  Magnetometer, Spectrometer, Thermometer, and Barometer experiments.

[Spaceman.Spiff]

21 minutes ago, Vals_Aerospace said:

Let me know what you think!

Will it be tubular versions of the barometer, thermometer, mystery goo etc. but is a format that fits in the nose cone?

Ah, ninja'd 

Very cool! I look forward to it!

[theonegalen]

It's looking amazing!

[Vals_Aerospace]

Sneak peek at the next line of models! Black Brant series is done!

Decided to model these in the downtime when I couldn't work on texturing.

Featuring: Talos, Taurus, Nihka, BB5, and Terrier (A B9 Variant of the Nike booster) stages! Above those are modular science components, including an upscaled set of science parts to create the weird bulbous payload some Black Brants have.