Gas core NTP spacecraft rendering with KSP 1

[Paul000]

Hi fellow Kerbals,

I am a Propulsion Physicist currently writting a LinkedIn article on gas core open cycle Nuclear Thermal Propulsion among other things and looking to make a realistic rendering of how this spacecraft might look like with several educated guesses. I'm not making money out of this and don't have the budget to hire a digital artist so looking to make it with KSP1.

Does anyone know if there is already a modeled  gas core open cycle NTP spacecraft for KSP 1 that I can use as a base template?

I'm aiming for a high quality render with Saturn as the backdrop, I've installed Nertea's Near Future Propulsion, Kerbal Atomics and Far Future Technologies mods. I looked around for other recommended mods to enhance KSP1 visuals, any particular mods you can recommend for this task? I'm relatively new to KSP and still geting my head around it.

Any advice much appreciated, thanks for your time. The article still in the works is located on LinkedIn if anyone's interested:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/advanced-propulsion-literature-paul-titze-9a57c/

Cheers, Paul.

[The Dressian Exploder]

Pretty sure Sterling Systems has a gas core nuclear thermal rocket in both closed and open cycle varieties; you'd have to build a spacecraft around it though. Alternatively there's also the older Atomic Age mod, which I believe also has a gas core NTR. As for visuals, I can best recommend KSRSS at:https://gitlab.com/ksrss/KSRSS which will replace the stock system with the real solar system at a stock scale. Combine this with Environmental Visual Enhancements, Scatterer, TUFX (plus a good config),  PlanetShine, Distant Object Enhancement, Shaddy, and Deferred as well, and you'll have a pretty damn nice looking install. If you're taking any shots near the surface of a planet you might want to add Parallax too. If you want a working spacecraft as well as one that looks nice you might also want to grab Heat Control for some big, powerful, pretty-looking radiators. Other mods that could be useful for actually constructing the spacecraft could be Near Future Construction for big trusses as the main body of a spacecraft, Near Future Electrical or Solar for fisson and solar power generation respectively, Stockalike Station Parts for any crewed section, and if your design calls for it, Coriolis Space Systems has tethers for any spin-gravity shenanigans you might desire. If, aside from the beauty shots, you also want to show off the functionality of the spacecraft design you use in your render, Kronal Vessel Viewer has some handy tools for making blueprint-like design images.

Edited September 7, 2024 by The Dressian Exploder