cpotm aug 2023 Apollo 11 Anniversary Tribute - The Full Mission flown in First-person view (IVA) - KSP RSS/RO

[kurgut]

For the occasion of Apollo 11 - 54th anniversary, I'm happy to present this video of the whole mission, entirely flown in First-person perspective (IVA), in Real Solar System with Realism Overhaul.
Contrary to Apollo, the full mission here was piloted manually, except for the Earth ascent to orbit.
Also featuring synchronized Capcom audio all along, as well as rarer archive onboard crew recordings, real images and 16mm films, which gives it sort of a mix between actual gameplay, documentary and cinematic feel.  

Due to those IVA limitations, I had to place maneuver nodes from the map view, which was the only time it was used.
Note that the CM and LM instruments and panel layouts are mostly accurate to the real ones, however the instruments are adapted towards KSP gameplay and capabilities. I also tweaked the IVAs a bit, so that the analog gauges display the actual fuels, instead of LF/Ox, and added a few mandatory instruments to the LM (target phase angle display, speed indicator).

This was definitely a challenging and fun mission to do, as well as learning a lot about the outstanding Apollo 11 mission and its crew.
 

  Below the video, you will find a section where I describe how each important steps is executed in IVA, with associated images.  

A huge thanks to forum user @JonnyOThan, who helped me a lot getting into the IVA modification bits.
Squad for making KSP 1, KSP modders and especially RSS/RO team, Nasa, Neil, Mike and Buzz.

Enjoy, happy journey to the Moon and back !
Also any feedback or questions are appreciated  
(Best watched with headphones !)

 

Description of the key phases of the mission

(click on images to enlarge)

 

 

 

 

Below another look at the LM descent profile, directly took from Nasa Apollo 11 flight plan ! (linked in Ressources section at the bottom of this post)

 

 

*** correction : the LM, on Lunar ascent, inserted in an elliptical orbit, not circular. I saw that first in the Nasa mission report, but then saw the Nasa doc which doesn't agree with that, so I forgot about it...

      That would've made the ascent to orbit sooo much simpler, Since doing a circular orbit in one burn was while managing rel Inc with Columbia was kinda spicy ^^

 

- I'm also sharing below the main ressources I used :  

Spoiler

- Apollo flight journal : incredible internet site, all the transcripts, with commentary, images, videos, audio loops, and more : Apollo 11 Flight Journal - Index Page (nasa.gov)
- Apollo in real time : Impressive work, timeline with synchronised capcom audio, transcript, video, mission control audio, you can watch the mission in real time as it happened : Apollo 11 in Real Time
- Nasa Apollo 11 Onboard Audio Database : most of the original Capcom audio : Apollo 11 Onboard Audio Database | NASA (archive.org)
- Nasa Apollo 11 audio transcripts : Apollo 11 Transcripts (nasa.gov)
- Description of the Lunar descent and ascent trajectories : Apollo Lunar Descent and Ascent Trajectories (nasa.gov)
- Original mission flight plan : Apollo 11 Flight Plan (nasa.gov)

- Official Nasa mission report : APOLLO 11 MISSION REPORT NOVEMBER 1969 (nasa.gov)
- Great video documentary by Nasa, explained the complicated lunar rendez-vous and docking process, with a lot of concept unseen in the video, such as visual tracking, lighting requirement, etc. A must watch !
LUNAR ORBIT RENDEZVOUS (1968) - NASA documentary
- Another Nasa video documentary about Earth entry, showing the concepts and great technical challenges implied by it : Apollo - Atmospheric Entry Phase (1968)
- Apollo Docking sequence - Connecting the Command Module to the Lunar Module. - YouTube

- Mods used :

Spoiler

RSS and RO mods suite
Deck's Saturn V
ROCapsules (with modified IVAs)
ASET and RPM
FreeIva
Through the Eyes of a Kerbal
Historical Kerbal Heads and Suits
QOL and utility mods
Visual enhancement mods

Thanks for watching and reading !

Any feedback or questions are appreciated  

Cheers

Edited July 19, 2023 by kurgut
Typos everywhere ^^

[MirageDev]

Wow, this is the coolest IVA mission I've seen in a while. If I'm correct the IVA is from Decq's Saturn V, not from ROCapsules?

[kurgut]

5 minutes ago, MirageDev said:

Wow, this is the coolest IVA mission I've seen in a while. If I'm correct the IVA is from Decq's Saturn V, not from ROCapsules?

Thanks a lot for your kind words !

IIRC yes, the original IVA is from Decq's Saturn V, which is distributed by ROCapsules too now (it's the mod I'm using since I'm in RSS and RO here).

Edited July 19, 2023 by kurgut

[MirageDev]

Just now, kurgut said:

Thanks a lot for your kind words !

IIRC yes, the original IVA is from Decq's Saturn V, which is distributed by ROCapsules too now (it's the mod I'm using since I'm in RSS and RO).

Thanks! I'll make sure to try it out later since it looks amazing.

[kurgut]

Just now, MirageDev said:

Thanks! I'll make sure to try it out later since it looks amazing.

Yeah it's an incredible work. Happy IVA-ing !
Also welcome to the forum !

Edited July 19, 2023 by kurgut

[MirageDev]

Just now, kurgut said:

Yeah it's an incredible work. Happy IVA-ing !
Also welcome to the forum !

Huh, seems like Decq's Saturn V doesn't bundle the Apollo spacecraft. I've looked through the files and it only contains parts that are needed to create the LV.

[kurgut]

11 minutes ago, MirageDev said:

Huh, seems like Decq's Saturn V doesn't bundle the Apollo spacecraft. I've looked through the files and it only contains parts that are needed to create the LV.

I'm using this version, for the saturn parts. But it also has Apollo spacecraft in it :

Edited July 19, 2023 by kurgut

[MirageDev]

Just now, kurgut said:

I'm using this version, for the saturn parts. But it also has Apollo spacecraft in it :

 

Alright, thanks. Seems like I've been looking at the wrong page. Thanks again for the help!

[kurgut]

6 hours ago, MirageDev said:

Alright, thanks. Seems like I've been looking at the wrong page. Thanks again for the help!

Hi again, I tried myself DECK's IVAs by curiosity, and to confirm it was it indeed. And it's basically the same, but what's funny is that the CSM has more details (nice fake instruments panels on the sides, etc), and also the seat is below the window, which I think is more accurate to the real one.

Slight variation in the LM too. 

You can compare by yourself from my video.

Cheers

[Kerbalsaurus]

This is really cool! I like the info panels next to the pictures too. This is a very unique style of mission report, and I like it!

[kurgut]

42 minutes ago, Kerbalsaurus said:

This is really cool!

Thank you   ! The mission it self was the top of coolness so... ^^

44 minutes ago, Kerbalsaurus said:

I like the info panels next to the pictures too.

Yeah I really enjoyed making those !

Cheers

[kurgut]

 Happy Moon landing anniversary everbody !!
Today is the historical day ! : )

 

Edited July 20, 2023 by kurgut

[kurgut]

On 7/19/2023 at 2:53 PM, MirageDev said:

Alright, thanks.

You might be interested, I just made an extensive tutorial on the usage of the FDAI, found on Apollo, and others KSP retro-style IVAs : )

[MirageDev]

Hi, I'm currently in the process of editing the Deck's IVA to contain more switches, and I'm currently looking at how did the RO devs make some of the props. However, I saw that the IVA in the ROCapsules GitHub repo does not have the switches that you have in the video (SM Sep, SLA Sep, D Ref, etc.). Did you add them yourself?

[kurgut]

23 hours ago, MirageDev said:

Hi, I'm currently in the process of editing the Deck's IVA to contain more switches, and I'm currently looking at how did the RO devs make some of the props. However, I saw that the IVA in the ROCapsules GitHub repo does not have the switches that you have in the video (SM Sep, SLA Sep, D Ref, etc.). Did you add them yourself?

Hi, to my knoledge, the RO team didn't modify anything they use one variant of the DECK's IVA (he provides 2).

And yes ! I added some props indeed, tho the ones you mentioned tho are already present, they're just action groups switches, which you can rename so that they display a text (done in the VAB, in vessel description : "AG1= enteryourtexthere".

However, I added in the LM : speed indicator, phase angle indicator, and also repositionned the x pointer, added x pointer mode and scale switches, analog speed indicator, to make the manual landing, which is already very challenging and technical, more convenient. I also edited all the analog gauges in both  capsules, so that they display the actual fuels used in RO, as their text labels : can see SM prop/S-IC prop/etc, and the fuels are aer50/MON1/RP-1/LOx/LH2, instead of the usuals LF/Oxidizer, which are usueless in RO.
Cheers

[MirageDev]

1 hour ago, kurgut said:

Hi, to my knoledge, the RO team didn't modify anything they use one variant of the DECK's IVA (he provides 2).

And yes ! I added some props indeed, tho the ones you mentioned tho are already present, they're just action groups switches, which you can rename so that they display a text (done in the VAB, in vessel description : "AG1= enteryourtexthere".

However, I added in the LM : speed indicator, phase angle indicator, and also repositionned the x pointer, added x pointer mode and scale switches, analog speed indicator, to make the manual landing, which is already very challenging and technical, more convenient. I also edited all the analog gauges in both  capsules, so that they display the actual fuels used in RO, as their text labels : can see SM prop/S-IC prop/etc, and the fuels are aer50/MON1/RP-1/LOx/LH2, instead of the usuals LF/Oxidizer, which are usueless in RO.
Cheers

Alright, thanks! I really recommend using the MASFlightComputer thing, it allows you to create more action groups that don't interfere with the default ones. I really like them since I'd like to make a J-type lunar mission, where I deploy my rover with action groups. Also, does RO use the BDB docking mechanism or the Deck one? I'm experiencing issues with it, since I'm also trying to recreate an Apollo IVA mission.

[kurgut]

2 hours ago, MirageDev said:

Alright, thanks! I really recommend using the MASFlightComputer thing, it allows you to create more action groups that don't interfere with the default ones. I really like them since I'd like to make a J-type lunar mission, where I deploy my rover with action groups. Also, does RO use the BDB docking mechanism or the Deck one? I'm experiencing issues with it, since I'm also trying to recreate an Apollo IVA mission.

I've tried using MAS action groups, tied to certain parts, but I didn't succeed in making them work... (I used example from Moardv plus) Thus I sticked with RPM...

But I'd be interested in knowing how you achieved that !

RO has configs for both, however on my case I was using BDB parts.

[MirageDev]

1 hour ago, kurgut said:

I've tried using MAS action groups, tied to certain parts, but I didn't succeed in making them work... (I used example from Moardv plus) Thus I sticked with RPM...

But I'd be interested in knowing how you achieved that !

RO has configs for both, however on my case I was using BDB parts.

Well uhh, I wanted to say that after careful consideration RPM really could in fact be better. I tried it but there were many issues. I just added a MASFlightComputer with some MAS Action Groups to the Apollo Capsule and replaced my props with the example code (with correct colliders and animations ofc). But yeah, RPM really is easier to work with and it's flawless. Also, do you know what could be the issue with the BDB Kane (Apollo) docking mechanism not working? The docks are perfectly aligned and the probe is extended.

[MirageDev]

Nevermind, I figured out that the rings have to be perfectly aligned for the hard docking to succeed.

[Dunas Only Moon]

Nahhh....
this deserves more than just ctotm, this deserves a salary of neil armstrong plus the people who built this

[kurgut]

10 minutes ago, Dunas Only Moon said:

Nahhh....
this deserves more than just ctotm, this deserves a salary of neil armstrong plus the people who built this

Maybe that's a tad  too much haha, but I greatly appreciate the compliment, thank you ! : D
Cheers

[kspbutitscursed]

Amazing will do apollo 15 eventually