Flying Laboratory Showcase

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

While I was showcasing my Grimes Flying Laboratory replica, I was still a bit disappointed that it was just a means to show off new aircraft lighting rather than it being an actual laboratory with experiments and everything. I have seen many (and built a few) mobile bases with laboratories on them, and I remember Marcus House making a super trainer that can also double as a passenger transport years ago, but so far the only plane or SSTO I've seen with an onboard laboratory is Matt Lowne's flying Laythe base. So, I decided to build my own and started a thread where everyone else can show theirs off too. Maybe even get a little competitive with them along the way.

 

Here are the rules on how your craft can qualify.

• First and foremost, it has to have at least one (1) MOBILE PROCESSING LAB. After all, it's not a flying laboratory without a lab.
  • EXCEPTION: If you're using a balloon or dirigible mod that includes a part that can generate science points, that is allowed. Be sure to mention that, though.
• It has to have the following scientific instruments mounted:
  • REQUIRED:
    • Thermometer
    • Barometer
    • Seismometer 
    • Gravioli detector
    • Atmospheric GCMS
  • OPTIONAL (not required, but recommended):
    • Materials
    • Mystery Goo
• It has to be capable of flight in its final form, as in after all preceding stages (if applicable) are spent.
  • You can use delivery rockets to get the flying lab to its destination (e.g. Laythe, Duna, Eve), but the lab has to fly on its own once it arrives. 
  • You are also allowed to make it capable of traveling on land and/or water, but it has to be able to fly.
• Craft has to be able to land and takeoff in its final form; where specifically doesn't matter. Otherwise, it's just a miniature space station or interplanetary transport vehicle.
• Crew must be able to get in and out of the craft.
• It doesn't matter if the final form can only fly on Kerbin, in space, and/or on other planets.
  • The specifics on its performance capabilities will determine division placement and awards. More on those later.
• ISRU and/or docking capabilities for the end-stage okay, regardless of whether or not it leaves Kerbin's atmosphere.
  • Though I suppose you wouldn't really need docking capabilities if your craft can't even get past a suborbital trajectory over Kerbin.
• Stock and/or DLC parts only.
  • Autopilot/navigation/gauge mods okay.
    • Generally, no mods outside of DLCs that come with additional parts.
  • EXCEPTION: mods that come with balloon or dirigible-related parts are permitted, but those craft go in a separate division. 
    • If you want to allow a specific mod that conforms to the other rules, let me know and I'll take a look at it before deciding if it shall be allowed.
• Pictures and/or video of the craft in action are required.
  • You can test it in Sandbox mode. If it can perform up to regulations there, it can do just fine in Career.
• Multiple entries per person allowed. In fact, it is encouraged if you want different awards under your belt.
• Qualifying entries and their respective awards will be shown in the Wall of Fame.

 

Here are the divisions and division-specific awards for when your craft qualifies. Depending on the entry's capabilities, it might even qualify for more than one division award at once.

• ALL Divisions - awards that can be awarded to qualifying entries of ANY division.
  • Agena Award - is docking-capable.
    • It may not be practical for a Kerbin-only entry, but it can be for spaceplanes and body-specific landing craft.
  • Alicorn Award - can submerge itself in water as well as fly in the air.
    • The final form cannot detach anything, though. It has to be able to swim underwater and fly in one piece.
    • This award applies for other planets with liquid on the surface (e.g. Eve and Laythe).
  • Daffy Duck Award - can take off and land on water safely as well as land.
    • This award applies for other planets with liquid on the surface (e.g. Eve and Laythe).
    • If it can fully submerge itself underwater, then it qualifies for the Alicorn Award instead.
  • Greenie Award - goes all-electric; no Lf or Ox required (except for balancing only).
  • Huey Award - is capable of vertical takeoffs and landings. And yes, helicopters can qualify for this.
    • Landers for Duna and celestial bodies without atmospheres do not count, unfortunately.
  • Jetpacker Award - can serve as a land vehicle as well as an aircraft.
    • E.g. flying cars. 
  • Office Award - has a total capacity of 19 or more people.
    • Pilot + 2 scientists + 16 miscellaneous.
    • You don't have to load your craft with that many people to qualify, just prove that it can carry that many.
  • Olde Tyme Award - uses propeller engines that require Lf and air intakes. Jet engines cannot be the primary source of propulsion.
    • More likely to find these on Kerbin, but you could maybe try this on Laythe too.
    • Eve and Duna are not good places to win this award, since their atmospheres are not suitable for air intakes.
  • SEAL Award - final form can do well as a sea and a land vehicle as well as an aircraft.
    • Again, no detaching anything in its final form.
  • Self-Sustainer Award - can refuel itself using ISRU.
    • Electric planes do not qualify for this since a competent engineer would install some means for the plane to recharge itself, whether it be via solar panels, RTGs, or both. 
  • Supersonic Award - can cruise faster than 343 m/s.
    • If it can do a suborbital trajectory around Kerbin, then it qualifies for the Kermit Award instead.
• Homesick Division - vehicles that cannot go past a suborbital trajectory of Kerbin.
  • Kermit Award - can go in a suborbital trajectory (and not a full orbit) over Kerbin.
    • Cannot substitute for the World Traveler Award or the Verne Award.
  • Verne Award - can circumnavigate all of Kerbin without stopping to refuel.
    • Has to stay within the atmosphere at all times.
    • Electric planes that can do this can qualify, but it is recommended that you fly west with the sun at a velocity of approximately 175 m/s.
  • World Traveler Award - has a range of between 1,885 and 3,770 km without stopping to refuel. 
    • Has to stay within the atmosphere at all times.
    • If your craft can fly that far, it can go anywhere on Kerbin.
    • If your craft can do a full circumnavigation around Kerbin, then it qualifies for the Verne Award instead.
• Diamandis Division - for spaceplanes and other SSTOs. Has to do a full orbit around Kerbin to qualify, and plans must be in place to return it to Kerbin.
  • Armstrong Award - can land on the Mun before returning to Kerbin.
    • If it can do that, then it can certainly do the same thing on Minmus.
    • Will add the Apollo Commendation if it can do that without having to refuel itself in the middle.
      • Which will then be substituted for the Double Commendation if it can land on the Mun AND Minmus before returning - AND without refueling before leaving the Mun (which means refueling on or around Minmus okay). 
        • Which will then be substituted for the Twin Gods Commendation if it can do all that without refueling at any point.
  • Dirtblood Award - can get itself to Duna before returning to Kerbin.
    • Refueling stops in the middle allowed.
    • Will add the Watney Commendation if it does not need to refuel itself at any point.
  • Jupiter Award - flying lab can do the Jool-5 before returning to Kerbin.
    • Yes, that means that your kerbals have to walk on the surface of Tylo.
    • Refueling stops in the middle allowed.
    • Will add the Totally Insane Commendation if it does not need to refuel itself at any point.
  • Lazybird Award - build a spaceplane to carry your lab-equipped spaceplane.
    • For a concept demonstration, check this out.
  • New Home Award - can get itself to Laythe and back.
    • Refueling stops in the middle allowed.
    • Will be substituted for the Jool-5 Award if the craft is capable of completing its namesake challenge.
    • Will add the Iceberger Commendation if it does not need to refuel itself at any point in its mission. 
  • Snowball Award - can get itself to Eeloo before returning to Kerbin.
    • If it can do that, it can certainly do Dres.
    • Refueling stops in the middle allowed.
    • Will add Halley's Commendation if it does not need to refuel itself at any point in its mission.
• Labazon Division - for planes, landers, or other landing-capable flying laboratories that are not designed to return to Kerbin. Detachable delivery rockets allowed. Awards listed in order of proximity to Kerbol as opposed to alphabetically.
  • Hermes Award - for craft that will stay at Moho.
  • Aphrodite Award - for craft that will stay on Eve.
    • Will add the Scorcher Commendation if it can circumnavigate Eve on one tank of gas OR one full charge of batteries (day or night).
    • Will add the Icarus Commendation if the craft can do a suborbital trajectory around Eve before landing safely in one piece.
      • With how large Eve is and how thick its atmosphere is, it does not seem possible to do a full orbit and land safely in one piece. You're welcome to prove me wrong, though.
  • Mun Hopper Award - for craft that will stay on the Mun or Minmus.
    • Will add the Aldrin Commendation for craft that are designed to work on both moons, as in they are intended for inter-moon travel.
  • Ares Award - for craft that will stay on Duna.
    • Will add the Braun Commendation if the craft can do a suborbital trajectory around Duna before landing safely in one piece.
      • Which will then be substituted for the Paperclip Commendation if it can do a full orbit around Duna before re-entering and landing safely in one piece.
        • Which will then be substituted for the Whole Enchilada Commendation if it can operate in Duna's atmosphere and at least land on Ike before going back.
  • Anaerobic Award - for craft that will stay on one of the following celestial bodies:
    • Dres
    • Pol
    • Bop
    • Vall
    • Eeloo
  • Harland Award - for craft that will stay within Laythe's atmosphere.
    • Will add the Olympic Commendation if it can circumnavigate Laythe on one tank of gas OR one full charge of batteries (day or night). 
    • Will add the Frederick Fleet Commendation if the craft can do a suborbital trajectory around Laythe before landing safely in one piece.
      • Which will then be substituted for the Starline Commendation if it can do a full orbit around Laythe before re-entering and landing safely in one piece.
  • Dead Kerbin Award - for craft that can get on and off Tylo safely.
• Heisenberg Division - specifically for balloons, blimps, zeppelins, et cetera. Detachable delivery rockets allowed for entries that leave Kerbin's SOI.
  • Cluster Bomb Award - for Eve entries.
  • Graf Zeppelin Award - for Duna entries.
  • Resurgence Award - for entries that do not leave Kerbin.
  • Skytanic Award - for Laythe entries.

 

Man, that was a long list. Now that it's out of the way, I eagerly await what you all come up with. The spoiler below shows my entry, which qualifies for the Homesick Division: Old Tyme Award, the Fliegendlabor.

 

Spoiler

• KerbalX craft file: https://kerbalx.com/Mars-Bound_Hokie/Fliegendlabor
  • Stock + Breaking Ground DLC
• Only five of those were ever flown (four if you take away the one that was decommissioned and put on static display as a propaganda piece), so it was a rare honor to serve on one of those - even if it was just on one mission.
  • Read the craft description for the full story.
• Most of the crew’s experiments were performed on the ground, but research could still be done during the flight. In fact, on many occasions, the flight engineer was noted to have advised that the research be performed while the plane was flying and during the day. The laboratory used a lot of power while active, so the solar panels and engines’ alternators would mitigate the power drain.
• At the bare minimum, each Fliegendlabor mission required:
  • One pilot to steer the aircraft.
  • One flight engineer to check power levels and conduct repairs.
  • Two scientists, as Heinkel’s government did not want them to work alone.
  • (IF NECESSARY) Three more passengers for whatever jobs were required for that particular mission.

 

• The Fliegendlabor on display in the SPH.
• Since Heinkel was supposed to be a parody of Germany, I combined the German words for flying and laboratory to make the name.
• I started with a 2.5-m cockpit, since eventually I would need the mobile processing lab. Plus, I wanted to give the aesthetic of an interwar period airliner and a Mk3 fuselage was too large for that.
• Two gray nose cones are mounted on the fuselage as observation domes; one on top and the other on the bottom. After all, it is a research vehicle.
• I ripped the wings from my VC-54C Sacred Cow replica for this, since I needed for engines to haul this monster.
• As for the engines itself, after a test flight with full sized motors but the main throttle torque limit at 1%, I then reduced the motor size and output to 50%. So that it’s not as obvious that I copied a significant piece of another replica (whose wings I made on my own, by the way), I had four blades per engine and gave the aircraft a twin tail.
• Although the test cruise was smooth sailing, the landing was not since the plane was quite front-heavy. To address this, I installed some downward-facing rockets in the back to help push it down. They are linked to the main throttle, but you can toggle the rockets with the AG0 button. The oxidizer in the back is mainly for weight purposes as the fuel tanks drain, but it can also be used for the rockets - although you shouldn’t have to leave them running for that long. Be sure you have enough fuel for pushing the tail down, though.

 

In hindsight, I probably could have put a fuel tank in between the cockpit and the laboratory (and batteries and cargo) to move the center of mass further forward. In my defense, I wanted to put everything that was important up front. At least this design works, although I acknowledge that the aforementioned improvement should be implemented in upgraded models.

 

• The Fliegendlabor ascending to cruising altitude after pointing in the desired heading.
• Be sure you’re ascending at a vertical speed between 15 and 25 m/s.

 

• The aircraft flying over Kerbin’s northern polar ice cap. The onboard engineer didn’t need the thermometer to tell him that the surrounding temperature was dropping.

 

• The Fliegendlabor getting out of the polar ice caps and entering Kerbin’s highlands. In the back you can see the Mun.
• This photograph was used as part of a recruiting advertisement in Heinkel’s Museum of Scientific Progress before and during the Second Imperial Wars, convincing young would-be scientists and engineers to explore the world. It would also be used as postcards, even up to the present day.

 

This flying laboratory's cruise performance stats were as follows:

• Altitude: 6.3 km (~20.7k ft; Class Alpha airspace)
• Velocity: 165 m/s (~369 mph)
  • Will start out higher later, but eventually drops to a few m/s below 165. This is a good median.
• Blade Deployment Angle: 40 degrees
  • 45 degrees is optimal
• Recommended Throttle: 70%
• Expected Range: 1,125 km
  • This plane glided for almost 20 km afterwards before touchdown in the latest test flight.

 

• The aircraft after nearly two hours of flight and a nail-biting touchdown, which prompted the mounting of downward-pointing rockets at the tail. After that was over, the two scientists went outside to gather soil samples and conduct EVA reports.
• The engineer was complaining about a net power loss in the dark even with the engines running while the research lab was active, so the pilot ordered everyone to their sleeping bags after the data was obtained. The scientists would not resume their mission until the plane got adequate light for its panels the following day.

 

Now this is what you call a flying laboratory

And that's just the beginning

 

 

WALL OF FAME

@Mars-Bound Hokie

• (ORIGINAL POST) Homesick Division: Olde Tyme Award with the Fliegendlabor
• Homesick Division: World Traveler Award with the Surveyor

Edited August 1 by Mars-Bound Hokie
Added new entry

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

I lost a lot of sleep over this, but I finally gave my definition of "Flying Laboratory" an upgrade. And now, presenting my entry for the Homesick Division: World Traveler Award, straight out of Marx, the jet-powered Surveyor.*

• Breaking Ground science station cargo not included to maintain Stock purity. 

 

• Rare footage of an RTG-equipped Marxan Surveyor in flight.
• Marx’s Supreme Leader wanted to know the full details of the Surveyor’s capabilities before he would authorize secret production. Needless to say that he was impressed.
• Despite the Heinkelians building the first flying laboratory as well as the first jet fighter, they still lost the Second Imperial Wars. Nevertheless, they were instrumental in the Marxans building their own jet-powered flying laboratory.
• Until the Kernobyl disaster, each Surveyor was equipped with an RTG as a constant power source should solar panels fail.
  • The variant pictured here had one.
• At the bare minimum, each Surveyor mission required:
  • One pilot to steer the aircraft.
  • One flight engineer to check power levels and conduct repairs.
  • Two scientists, as Marx’s government did not one single scientist to take credit for any discoveries.
  • (IF NECESSARY) Three more passengers for whatever jobs were required for that particular mission. Most of the time, they were soldiers sent to ensure nobody would defect.

 

• The Surveyor on display in the SPH.
• To keep the plane pure stock, I removed the science station parts from the cargo inventory - and I made sure to mention that in the craft name. I left some space in the cargo bay if you have the Breaking Ground DLC and want to add the science station parts yourself.
• I started with the Fliegendlabor, replaced the props with jet engines - straightening them out on the wings was hard, by the way - arranged the landing gear in a tricycle configuration, and switched the old tail with a larger conventional one. And this time, no front gear deployment problems because I learned my lesson from the C-119 Flying Boxcar replica.
• I embedded the engines inside the wings instead of hanging them underneath since I wanted to go for an early jet airliner aesthetic.
• This model has an RTG as a constant power supply so that the plane does not deplete power completely in the dark.
• The Surveyor has deployable solar panels along the middle-to-rear part of the fuselage to increase power intake while the scientists are conducting experiments on the ground. DO NOT DEPLOY THEM WHILE FLYING, or else they’ll snap off.

 

• Shot of the Surveyor flying over Kerbin’s northern polar ice cap.
• According to declassified Marxan files, it was during a mission to study the difference in air temperature, pressure, and composition at different parts of the planet.

 

• Footage of a surveyor flying over Kerbin’s ocean on its way to a "previously uncharted island."
• This picture was found during the police raid of Creep Island, which was later discovered to be the same island that the Marxans were targeting right before their Surveyor vanished.
• Further analysis of the evidence uncovered what actually happened to the missing Surveyor: Sanger Kerman, Misty Kerman’s grandmother and Elsa Kerman‘s daughter, shot it down with an old P-61 Black Widow her mother had stolen during the Second Imperial Wars. She noticed an aircraft approaching Creep Island, and Elsa could not risk anyone uncovering her family’s operation.

 

It was nearing bedtime IRL, and the plane was still flying with plenty of fuel to spare. So, I calculated how far I already traveled given my current latitude and then the estimated range given that answer as well as the given fuel consumption rate and velocity.

Spoiler

• How far I’ve flown at the time the range was calculated.
• I was at 29* 5’ N latitude, but after crossing Kerbin’s northern polar ice cap. So, I subtracted the latitude from 180 so I know how much to add to the fuel consumption portion of the equation.
  • In other words, (how far I've already flown) + (how much further I should expect to fly).
• At this point, I had already covered 1,580 km.

 

• After calculating how much I covered already, it was time to add that to the estimated range given fuel consumption and the plane’s velocity.
• I forgot if I took out 20 or 30 fuel units from what was indicated, but I definitely left some wiggle room for landing. Either way, I had more than 916 fuel units left at the time.
• Given these calculations, expect the plane to be able to fly as far as 2,175 km (or 1,351.8 miles) before you need to land it. 
  • At the very least, it should be able to land anywhere on Kerbin.

 

 

This flying laboratory's cruise performance stats were as follows:

• Altitude: 8.25 km (~27.0k ft; Class Alpha airspace)
  • Instructions to ascend to that altitude are as follows:
    • Point the aircraft at the desired heading after taking off.
    • Maintain the aircraft’s pitch angle at 15 degrees until you reach 6 km altitude.
    • Immediately afterwards, ascend at a pitch angle of 5 to 10 degrees until you reach 7.5 km altitude.
    • Ascend at a vertical speed of 5 m/s until you reach 8 km altitude.
    • Once your velocity reaches approximately 210 m/s, climb to 8.25 km altitude at a vertical speed of 5 m/s.
• Velocity: 195 m/s (~436 mph)
  • A good average for the flight (at least the first part).
  • If you’re using MJ aircraft autopilot, it’s best to set the speed to 200 m/s. For all the time the plane bounces up and down, 195 seems to be the middle of how fast the plane goes along the surface.
• Expected Range: 2,175 km
  • I left some wiggle room for landing.

 

• The Surveyor landed in a valley with the solar panels out and the lab running.
  • And no mishaps with the front landing gear.
• Obviously, the panels deployed AFTER the aircraft had come to a complete stop.
• The aircraft’s engines have reverse thrusters to decrease the stopping distance.

 

It's a nice upgrade, isn't it? The best part is that I'm not done making these, for I have at least one other true flying laboratory in mind.

Even so, I'm eager to see all of your ideas.