Journey to Laythe, with the Power of Fusion - ft. Far Future Technologies, JNSQ, OPT, and more

[lemon cup]

37 minutes ago, rocketman525 said:

Wow! 

 

Glad to see some are still finding this and getting a little bit of enjoyment.  

A bit of an update, unfortunately at this time I have no plans for a future mission to Grannus. I do have a VERY rough idea for something involving interplanetary stuff in KSRSS, but that is only an idea at this point and nothing definitive.

Just want to reiterate how much of a blast this mission was to put together and all the crazy epic things possible with Far Future Technologies. 

[rocketman525]

Do you have any advice regarding the delta-v requirements for a mission to multiple moons ( not necessarily a jool 5, but can be)? The delta-v maps for stock and this planet pack don't really help much for that type of mission, although they do say it would be hard to calculate.

And perhaps some advice on the method you used to get to Jool quickly? It was pretty cool!

[JadeOfMaar]

On 6/30/2021 at 3:52 PM, rocketman525 said:

The delta-v maps for stock and this planet pack don't really help much for that type of mission, although they do say it would be hard to calculate.

Here's the thing. Anyone in @lemon cup position would not rely on a dV map. They would use the Transfer Window Planner mod (or the equivalent in MechJeb, or if possible, the stockified one in KSP 1.12),  get a visual readout that shows (as a map) every possible point where they can exchange time for dV, and easily choose their perfect timing for the transfer burn and know exactly how much dV to spend. They can easily choose between a slow, super-efficient transfer, or a quick, super-expensive transfer.

Sample screenshot:

In this kind of playthrough you want engines with 5+ digit Isp (but thrust will usually suck very badly). dV is nearly no longer a problem.

[rocketman525]

I guess that helps with the travel time being minimized, so thanks for that. I probably should have said this in the original comment, but the first issue I was referring to is that it doesn't display the delta-v required to transfer in between moons. 

It says in one corner that it's too hard to calculate, and I guess that's understandable, But how can I find out? 

[JadeOfMaar]

@rocketman525 dV costs between moons isn't done because there are too many variables to consider, especially including, and only just beginning with, what your initial orbital situation is, in Jool's SOI. Everyone will approach Jool differently, and no one will spend the effort and the dV to put themselves into a fixed ideal start position. Transfer Window Planner will answer you. It allows for inter-moon dV calculation so input each departure and arrival situation that you prefer, take down the numbers, and add them up for yourself. It's a bit tedious but it's relatively easy, and it's that or nothing. You'll still likely be required, however, to put yourself in a zero-inclined, perfectly circular orbit, but you have the freedom to use an orbit of any size and not be forced into the orbit size given on the map.

Edited July 31, 2021 by JadeOfMaar

[lemon cup]

6 hours ago, rocketman525 said:

 

I guess that helps with the travel time being minimized, so thanks for that. I probably should have said this in the original comment, but the first issue I was referring to is that it doesn't display the delta-v required to transfer in between moons. 

 

Hey sorry I missed your first post! As @JadeOfMaar said transfer window planner and MechJeb Advanced transfer mode helps a lot. When using FFT or other very high-isp vessels your transfer window looks very different and I do go through the basics in the “Departure” post. Ina nut shell wait for Kerbin to reach the spot in its orbit where KerbinPrograde is pointing nearly at Jool (just a little in front of it) then do a couple of periapsis kicks, and do a final burn to break orbit and get that straight line trajectory. Depending on the date and other variables, a 2-month trajectory will take 50-60km/s DeltaV.

At the moons, going inbetween them is orbital mechanics 101, expect several hundred m/s to go from 1 moon to the next. Gravity breaking is your friend, your cheapest route is going from outer moons to inner moons. I don’t have the exact numbers but the bright side is that with FFT you can easily bring excess dV margins, I would allot at least 10,000m/s to be safe

[Basesixty]

How did you make the helium rigs using FFT? I can’t seem to launch one big enough to collect close to enough helium for any serious mission.

[danfarnsy]

On 8/12/2021 at 8:59 AM, Basesixty said:

How did you make the helium rigs using FFT? I can’t seem to launch one big enough to collect close to enough helium for any serious mission.

If you're still wondering about this, here's an example:

https://imgur.com/6BkfJ8L

I used Throttle Controlled Avionics to keep the thrust balanced.

Edited November 28, 2021 by danfarnsy

[lemon cup]

59 minutes ago, danfarnsy said:

If you're still wondering about this, here's an example:

https://imgur.com/6BkfJ8L

I used Throttle Controlled Avionics to keep the thrust balanced.

Hey thought this was going to stay buried for good  what brings you back around these parts?

While it is possible to launch and land rigs like the ones you see, I actually did not do either; a lot of the Mun architecture you see is cheated in using KerbalKonstructs launch sites and F12 menu.

For the purpose of the mission, I simply purchased the Helium3 in the VAB and went about my merry way. BUT, my mission was also aiming to tell a somewhat-realistic story and for that reason I wanted to illustrate some concepts that might be at play. In real life we would be spending a lot of money and a LOT of time constructing a partially-automated industry on the surface, with big machinery like that being built on site. A ton of work, and not something very conducive to pulling off in KSP. 

And in my personal opinion after having spent a lot of time with Nertea's mods, while it might not be what many players want to hear, his goal for some of this stuff is to help you understand just how hard it would be to obtain exotic propellants, run nuclear reactors without melting them, and transport huge volumes of cryogenic liquids. In some cases, he kind of doesn't want you to succeed 

[danfarnsy]

17 hours ago, lemon cup said:

Hey thought this was going to stay buried for good  what brings you back around these parts?

Google! Search "KSP far future technologies" and this is the second result from the forums. Your mission reports should be stickied, they're that good. 

In my current career, there's enough fusion-powered crypto mining that I can export He3 from the Mun  to pay for my other missions. Full canister goes for almost 2 million space bucks!

Edited November 28, 2021 by danfarnsy

[Staticalliam7]

On 1/1/2021 at 5:59 AM, lemon cup said:

The Rich Kerman Maneuver involves 3 burns.

Is that.. Is that a.. Is that a The Martian reference?

[lemon cup]

34 minutes ago, Staticalliam7 said:

Is that.. Is that a.. Is that a The Martian reference?

Yes