[1.12.5] Sterling Systems v0.4.9 [Sep 22, 2024]

[JadeOfMaar]

9 minutes ago, RedAl1en1 said:

How??!?!?!?!

Clearly, someone has not yet fully grasped the weight of the kerbal in kerbal engineer.

[RedAl1en1]

wait maar, does the mk 2 heatshield work with the opt mk 2 cockpit?

[JadeOfMaar]

On 11/27/2024 at 1:30 AM, DareMightyThingsJPL said:

Do you think you could add a pulsed solid core NTR? I haven's seen any mod that adds it, including KSP:IE. 

I could do that but Sterling's thermal nozzle package answers the call for that. The current nozzles lean toward thrust optimized but lately I've entertained (rather, stopped resisting) the request for ones that grant more impulse.

[DareMightyThingsJPL]

7 hours ago, JadeOfMaar said:

The whole point of PCAM is to fill that slot for entry level Antimatter propulsion. Sorry, I'm not going bother with "BCAM but initially underperforms."

Yes, I see the wisdom in that. There would indeed be no point in implementing an underperforming antimatter propulsion system when, indeed, you are already have the PCAM to develop. Not a lot of return on investment. 

7 hours ago, JadeOfMaar said:

Another thing I'm considering is implementing a lego system among the fusion and antimatter parts. It's such that the reactor and nozzle pieces fit into a standardized hexagon truss system  (with standardized socket modeling) and can be mixed and matched for more engineering fun. If I go the whole way it would require that the magnetic nozzle pieces all require a resource produced by the reactor pieces and which represents the energy to be given to the reaction mass just like how the thermal nozzles work.

The truss system I just mentioned would lock parts into just under the frames of their sizes: 3.75m, 7.5m, 15m.

Hmm. Sound like an interesting idea, it may be worth testing.

I think that going the whole way with the nozzles & reactor being independent parts is a bit much, it's hard enough to test the delta v of thermal engine crafts. 

7 hours ago, JadeOfMaar said:

8 hours ago, DareMightyThingsJPL said:

Thanks. Already have Rational Resources installed and will have a look for the engine. Now that I think about it that might explain my ion craft not working. I think I accidentally used the engine on some of my craft, and now that i know the issue I'll send a rescue mission to Jeb and Bob, who are currently stuck on a Solar Kerbolar orbit.  

Bruh.

Yes, indeed Bruh. I've now rescued the fellows, and I'm are going to reattempt the mission with the correct engine this time!

7 hours ago, RedAl1en1 said:

How??!?!?!?!

It was an asteroid-hopping mission similar to that of the Dawn space probe by NASA. I was intending to collect samples from a multitude of asteroids to which the craft would return to Kerbin to recover the science. The ejection burn from Kerbin was done using a dedicated stage. By the time I'd realized the mistake, The crew were already out of Kerbin's SOI. Ion engines were chosen due to the major inclination changes which would have to be done in deep space... Well, they should have been. We all know what happened.

6 hours ago, JadeOfMaar said:

On 11/27/2024 at 4:30 PM, DareMightyThingsJPL said:

Do you think you could add a pulsed solid core NTR? I haven's seen any mod that adds it, including KSP:IE. 

I could do that but Sterling's thermal nozzle package answers the call for that. The current nozzles lean toward thrust optimized but lately I've entertained (rather, stopped resisting) the request for ones that grant more impulse.

I think the request can be put on hold: seeing as what you need to work on, I think that you should focus on what you are already working on. But that's my opinion - It's your mod, and your choice on what to work on, and in what order, when concerning it.

[Technophobe]

I think there is an issue with the inertial confinment fusion engines. The engines seem to have no engine effects. I have the newest version of Waterfall installed, the engine is obviously running. I'm draining fusion pellets and the vesserl is accelerating, but there is no plume.

 

Spoiler

 

[DareMightyThingsJPL]

3 hours ago, Technophobe said:

I think there is an issue with the inertial confinment fusion engines. The engines seem to have no engine effects. I have the newest version of Waterfall installed, the engine is obviously running. I'm draining fusion pellets and the vesserl is accelerating, but there is no plume.

You'll need the mod Waterfall installed, as well as Stock Waterfall effects.

[DareMightyThingsJPL]

Hello.

Not exactly sure where  to post this, as it involves interaction between  multiple mods, but the issue is with Sterling Systems, so I'll post it here

Long story short, when the patch for system heat covering fission engines, sterling system engines, and the RR Nuclear Family patch is installed, all the system heat settings for the SULEU engines are removed, and replaced with core heat parameters.

A fix would be appreciated, I'll post my logs if needed. Thank you.

[JadeOfMaar]

@DareMightyThingsJPL The nuclear family config for the SULEU not working is because I forgot to remove the RRNF detection from the copy of it that I packaged in Sterling Systems. That detection isn't necessary now but was put there while I temporarily had Sterling depend on RRNF. I'm working through a couple of fixes now and should get to release something very soon.

 

[DareMightyThingsJPL]

13 hours ago, JadeOfMaar said:

The nuclear family config for the SULEU not working is because I forgot to remove the RRNF detection from the copy of it that I packaged in Sterling Systems. That detection isn't necessary now but was put there while I temporarily had Sterling depend on RRNF. I'm working through a couple of fixes now and should get to release something very soon

Thanks! 

[DareMightyThingsJPL]

Hello. I have two new ideas for additions (remember, only ideas, in no way do you need to work on them right now, as i said, you've got a lot to work on). Both are related to carbon, oddly enough.

First: diamond radiators. Diamonds melt at a higher temperature than most other materials, and so would be an ideal radiator material. Maybe it would function as a microchannel graphene radiator, but maybe needing less (or more) surface area to cool the craft. Or, it could function at an intermediate temperature between high temp. radiators, and the microchannel graphene heat radiators in Heat Control, or they could be the hottest radiator. (to be clear, we are using synthetic diamonds).

Second: diamond batteries. They aren't a literal batteries, but the press is calling them that. They are similar to RTGs, in that they use radioactive decay to generate power. However, instead of using heavy radioisotopes, they use carbon-14, the same that is used in radiocarbon dating. Having a long half life, they could serve a niece in  interstellar travel, where long term, reliable power sources as needed. In game, they could function as mass efficient RTGs with lower power output, but thousands of years of operational lifetime. They have been made IRL recently, so it can be done.

Edited January 20 by DareMightyThingsJPL
Information was lacking

[JadeOfMaar]

On 1/19/2025 at 11:46 PM, DareMightyThingsJPL said:

Hello. I have two new ideas for additions -snip- Both are related to carbon, oddly enough.

Mmmm. Carbon.

Diamond radiators
The higher the operating temperature, the more a radiator radiates and the less surface area it needs. A colder radiator needs more space. I don't want to provide radiators that operate between the current stantdards: High temp/Full Metal (1100K) and Higher/Graphene (1300K). The window is too narrow. I do contemplate making a suite of radiators for 650K which would be aimed at some ISRU devices. The stackable liquid film radiators provide that but they're rather bulky and too big for anything less than some sort of mothership. I'd like to possibly go with Aluminium Oxynitride instead as it's commercially available and shares its melting point with the stock wing boards. That, paired with molten Tin for coolant would make for a very visually pleasing potential rival to liquid film radiators. But I'm not wise enough in Thermodynamics to anticipate what all might be very wrong with this.

I've had a nerd friend shoot down my proposal for such radiators before, so I'm slow to be excited again.

Diamond batteries
Betavoltaics. I'm aware of them but only that they're strong enough for use as watch batteries. Volume-inefficient and underpowered but safer and easier to buy or build vs tockalike RTGs, eh? I may just run away with this one. Providing a rival pathway vs NFE's advanced RTG and the size0 reactor or adding to that branch of progression oddly appeals strongly to me. I'd rather not have anything to do with defining a new resource and having it be consumed. It won't do well with high timewarp.

[DareMightyThingsJPL]

44 minutes ago, JadeOfMaar said:

The higher the operating temperature, the more a radiator radiates and the less surface area it needs. A colder radiator needs more space. I don't want to provide radiators that operate between the current stantdards: High temp/Full Metal (1100K) and Higher/Graphene (1300K). The window is too narrow.

Yes, I see the argument against diamond radiators, at least, their application at lower temperatures. Reviewing my idea, they would have to relegate themselves to higher temperature to  be adequate, and we do already have liquid drop radiators. 

45 minutes ago, JadeOfMaar said:

I do contemplate making a suite of radiators for 650K which would be aimed at some ISRU devices. The stackable liquid film radiators provide that but they're rather bulky and too big for anything less than some sort of mothership. I'd like to possibly go with Aluminium Oxynitride instead as it's commercially available and shares its melting point with the stock wing boards. That, paired with molten Tin for coolant would make for a very visually pleasing potential rival to liquid film radiators. But I'm not wise enough in Thermodynamics to anticipate what all might be very wrong with this.

I've had a nerd friend shoot down my proposal for such radiators before, so I'm slow to be excited again.

I like the idea of ISRU-optimized radiators, there is a large gap between the low temp 350K radiators and the high temp, fully metal 1100K radiators, and they'd fit in nicely. I think this is a concept you should look into further, there may be existing designs that operate at the required temperatures. Maybe look at Project Rho; the Atomic Rockets website. They have a page or two on radiators and thermal control systems.

53 minutes ago, JadeOfMaar said:

Diamond batteries
Betavoltaics. I'm aware of them but only that they're strong enough for use as watch batteries. Volume-inefficient and underpowered but safer and easier to buy or build vs tockalike RTGs, eh? I may just run away with this one. Providing a rival pathway vs NFE's advanced RTG and the size0 reactor or adding to that branch of progression oddly appeals strongly to me. I'd rather not have anything to do with defining a new resource and having it be consumed. It won't do well with high timewarp.

First off, I'm unsure whether Betavoltaics or Diamond batteries sounds cooler. I'll leave what you call them up to you, and I think you overall have the right idea on how to implement them. Also, don't add a new resource for them - It'd be much easier just to have them function as the stock RTGs typically do. 

Have a great rest of your day/night!  

[Grenartia]

On 12/27/2024 at 10:38 AM, JadeOfMaar said:

Kerbal Health: Haven't used this at all so I don't make configs for it.

I do recommend it as a lightweight alternative to Kerbalism's health effects. Basically, "what if snacks, but for health?"

[BGYT]

If i could request a thing and that would be half fuselages e.i fuselages that are cut in the middle from end to end the long way e.i from node to node

Edited Monday at 02:06 AM by BGYT
I had a brain fart and remembered one of the things i asked was was already in the mod

[WhatALovelyNick]

Could we ever get some triangle LFRs? Please?