Rune's Slightly Used Vehicles

[Heckspress]

I'm just gonna bump this thread up, since it's interesting and I don't want to have to rummage through piles of crap to find this.

[Rune]

I'm just gonna bump this thread up, since it's interesting and I don't want to have to rummage through piles of crap to find this.

Haha, thanks, but don't worry: a lot of new stuff coming soon. In fact, the SPH section will be completely rebuilt shortly. But as a general comment, I would advise you to subscribe to the threads you like (there is a button for that in "thread tools", next to the OP in a thread). That way you get a heads up on your subscriptions page when something new is up. Or you could check my sig every now and then, too.

Rune. Which reminds me, I haven't walked by the skunkworks in ages... my game is 100% stock now, at least in parts.

[slaintemaith]

Have you had a chance to work out any flight profiles yet? I can't seem to get -any- SSTO (even so-called easy ones) into orbit, and I'm using Mechjeb's Smart A.S.S. to hold attitude. =(

Even a list of pitches\altitudes\speeds would be something to work with.

I presume kerbal Mach 1 is 340.3 m\s?

Difficult to tell now...

I limped into orbit with 59 m/s left of DV. Clearly I'm doing something very, very wrong.

Edited May 22, 2015 by slaintemaith

[slaintemaith]

So maybe I answered my own question. This got me into orbit with some good Delta V left over...

1) Full throttle, 40° pitch off the runway.

2) At 12 km Altitude, reduce pitch to 5°.

3) Accelerate to 1200 m/s (watch your temps!, I survived, though)

4) Pitch up to 30°. (You'll hold this until you're in space.

5) At 24 km, switch Rapier modes to non-air breathing.

6) MECO at 100km.

7) Use the smaller vertical engines to circularize.

[Rune]

So maybe I answered my own question. This got me into orbit with some good Delta V left over...

1) Full throttle, 40° pitch off the runway.

2) At 12 km Altitude, reduce pitch to 5°.

3) Accelerate to 1200 m/s (watch your temps!, I survived, though)

4) Pitch up to 30°. (You'll hold this until you're in space.

5) At 24 km, switch Rapier modes to non-air breathing.

6) MECO at 100km.

7) Use the smaller vertical engines to circularize.

Sorry I missed that! Yeah, I haven't gotten around to writing it, but you seem to have nailed it. Basically break Mach over 10kms by going shallow (your exact angle depends on TWR, and the later you do it, the easier it is), then go as shallow as you dare to gain mucho speed. When you start overheating pitch up a bit, and once you run out of air you want to have as much vertical velocity as you can, without creating too much drag by pitching up brusquely. In case of doubt, let it go and stop touching things. Those insane G's you pull when you turn at high speeds are all in the wrong direction to gain speed. I would correct you only in that when you have a time to apoapsis over 50s or so, you are better off telling the autopilot to hold prograde to minimize drag, and that you can perfectly fine circularize on RAPIERs: they actually have the same isp as Thuds (I love that name).

Rune. As always, lazy about writing posts. Sorry!

[Rune]

Update! The first three 1.0 releases have been considered flight-tested (without any issues reported!) and therefore have earned its place here. Thus, a new age starts at R-SUV, with 1.0-approved designs. The old 0.90 SPH section has been archived in the second post, for the die-hards (or inspiration, or plain nostalgia). Next up on the list, the Base Pack (just atmospheric landing tests to do now), and shortly after, the VAB section with a bundle of lifters to supersede the very, very old General Liftersâ„¢. I think I'm calling them General Boostersâ„¢, and the 2.5 to 20mT line will be low-tech reusables.

Rune. Courtesy of my career save.

Edited May 23, 2015 by Rune

[linuxgurugamer]

Truly awesome

Have some rep

[DMSP]

Gonna get these crafts ASAP!

Anymore base module ideas?

[Rune]

Gonna get these crafts ASAP!

Anymore base module ideas?

Stock-wise, I have the resource Module pending testing in-situ, but in kerbin it performs just like you'd expect. And I have recently installed RoverDude's life support mod, so I have another one with greenhouses and stuff to handle the snack situtation. Will release the first for sure, the second under demand (though you'll see it in screenies). Just to wet your appetite, have a look at the basic pack without landers. Moar modules, moar compactness!

But have in mind, I'm also being sucked by the black hole of time of building a career save back to where I had it. Just unlocked the tier III R&D, about to launch my last science vessel (because if that one doesn't max the tree, I'll eat my hat, it'll make five landings on Mun and an indeterminate amount on Minmus... and I'll just refuel it). Actually, here, have an album of the stuff I'm doing, might find some low--to-mid tech inspiration there for your own saves:

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Rune. Patience!

Edited May 24, 2015 by Rune

[SHiftER2O]

I would recommended to add drogue chutes to the White Dart 1.0 for a safer and less-experience required landing to Duna

[Hobbes Novakoff]

I would recommended to add drogue chutes to the White Dart 1.0 for a safer and less-experience required landing to Duna

Not to mention, drogue chutes for runway braking are a thing now, so that would be cool.

[Rune]

Not to mention, drogue chutes for runway braking are a thing now, so that would be cool.

If so (everybody is welcome to customize R-SUV models), I would recommend to use the RCS ports as a guide, that's where the CoM is. Just where the wings "bend".

In other news, I'm kind of looking for test pilots for a beta of the Base Pack... I just finished the third deployment system, and realized there is no freaking way I am going to get it all decently tested in the near future on my own. Any daring experienced pilots that want to give it a try and promise screenies? The thing went to well with the Dart (thx again, ShiftER2O) that I'm open to the doing the same thing again. Now, let's show off those new deployment canisters! Now with 100% more heatshields!

They WILL be rough around the edges (like, no commented action groups and stuff). But at least you get an early crack at it, my gratitude, and all the due credit.

Rune. Particularly, I need testers for the Eagle drone substitute on Munar and/or Duna conditions... And I warn you it's not half as cool-looking as that one was.

[Heckspress]

Dude. Look at the skunkworks

[Rune]

Dude. Look at the skunkworks

I know, I know, I should put something up! But the skunkworks are going to have to be forgotten for now,sadly: there is no way I can keep them updated if my main thread is more than I can keep up with.

Rune. Douchy RL and its demands for time, what can I say.

[slaintemaith]

Curious to know the re-entry procedure for the Spatha. Was able to get it -out-, but am completely unable to bring it back in once piece.

[DMSP]

If so (everybody is welcome to customize R-SUV models), I would recommend to use the RCS ports as a guide, that's where the CoM is. Just where the wings "bend".

In other news, I'm kind of looking for test pilots for a beta of the Base Pack... I just finished the third deployment system, and realized there is no freaking way I am going to get it all decently tested in the near future on my own. Any daring experienced pilots that want to give it a try and promise screenies? The thing went to well with the Dart (thx again, ShiftER2O) that I'm open to the doing the same thing again. Now, let's show off those new deployment canisters! Now with 100% more heatshields!

http://i.imgur.com/nnDhrRY.png

http://i.imgur.com/vCAkOrE.png

http://i.imgur.com/97Kt6Oc.png

http://i.imgur.com/QJ5RudL.png

They WILL be rough around the edges (like, no commented action groups and stuff). But at least you get an early crack at it, my gratitude, and all the due credit.

Rune. Particularly, I need testers for the Eagle drone substitute on Munar and/or Duna conditions... And I warn you it's not half as cool-looking as that one was.

I will test!

Go bases!

[Rune]

Curious to know the re-entry procedure for the Spatha. Was able to get it -out-, but am completely unable to bring it back in once piece.

Hum. It has the ailerons set up as airbrakes, but... just do like I do with every SSTO: as soon as the temp bar comes up, pull up like crazy (45º AoA if you can) until you are close to going back up. The drop in vertical speed will be nothing next to the drop in overall velocity! If you find it won't pull up enough, move some fuel backwards to get her less stable and give you more control authority (less lawn-darty). If you can make all that wing area work as an airbrakes, you don't really need to see any reentry effects at all.

I will test!

Go bases!

I think I have the files on Mediafire already... give me a sec, and you might receive a PM real soon. Edit: nope, it'll have to wait until I get back home this afternoon.

Rune. Yay, test pilots!

[DMSP]

I think I have the files on Mediafire already... give me a sec, and you might receive a PM real soon. Edit: nope, it'll have to wait until I get back home this afternoon.

Rune. Yay, test pilots!

I'll be ready!

[slaintemaith]

I think my issue was that it broke apart when I pulled up. =(

[Rune]

I think my issue was that it broke apart when I pulled up. =(

Ok, you might have pulled up a bit too late, too much. xD

[slaintemaith]

Okay, re: Most SSTO's and especially the Spatha, I'm not left with much usable Delta-V. Sometimes I have enough to de-orbit, usually not so much. Which sort of defeats the purpose.

This is not your fault.

I just don't seem to have a decent grip on what numbers I should be looking for when I make pitch/engine/intake adjustments.

Also... I *gasp* use mechjeb religiously, because frankly the manual controls of this game have always bitten the big one.

With spaceplanes, Mechjeb gets a bit trickier--but also more 'manual' since all I'm using is the Smart A.S.S. in surface mode, meaning essentially all I'm doing is inputting pitch holds at various speeds and altitudes.

(Which I've listed before in this thread)

So I guess I'm still begging for documentation on how to fly these things, assuming I'm an idiot. =)

[Rune]

The longsword is a bit tight on dV but yeah, you should be getting out more, because I didn't push them that hard during testing. Let's see, AoA vs heights... Keep >20º until 10kms, then go to 5º to go past Mach. Engage SAS and turn off Mechjeb and just do nothing as AoA increases because the planet curves around you. When the heating bar comes up (if it comes up, the Longsword accelerates very slowly), pull up slightly with a few taps of S, or lock Mechjeb again and go to whatever AoA you have +5º, usually somewhere between 15º and 20º. You should be approaching 20kms by then, or at lest be over 17. Two things can happen: One, you burn up something. You got greedy, so go a bit higher on AoA because this is a high TWR design. Or, you don't: then you could probably had gotten faster on airbreathers going shallower (this one is mostly for the Longsword). I think the Spatha and the White Dart have the TWR to do the speed run at 10º and still switch at over 1,200m/s, but you know, this way you will get even more out of them (I confess I've never put an airbreather above 1,300m/s during a climb, so I myself can get better climbs... it's probably that last pull up, I chicken out too fast)

Rune. There, that should work. Also, keep an eye on your vertical velocity indicator.

[slaintemaith]

I'll give it a go!

*Edit

Nope. 381 d/v left after limping into a 70 x 68 "orbit."

Seems I just suck.

Edited June 3, 2015 by slaintemaith

[slaintemaith]

...then my docking autopilot rammed the ship into the station, which destroyed most of it... and Ugh. I'm at the point where I hate this game again.

Maybe I'll give it another year or so.

[Rune]

I'll give it a go!

*Edit

Nope. 381 d/v left after limping into a 70 x 68 "orbit."

Seems I just suck.

...then my docking autopilot rammed the ship into the station, which destroyed most of it... and Ugh. I'm at the point where I hate this game again.

Maybe I'll give it another year or so.

Well, 381m/s is not nothing! In fact, you won't be able to get much more if you fly it with the maximum payload. I got her to a 70x70 with half that during the test flight, after all. Reentering only takes 10-30m/s if you do it right (do the burn on the opposite side of Kerbin from KSC), and rendezvous won't take much more if you take your time synchronizing orbits.

As to docking autopilots... take the time to learn Navyfish's docking UI, and you won't ever need one again. Takes a bit of practice to know what each line means, but once you get them right in your head (basically, make the yellow circle go to the green cross with translation controls while you point the white crosshair into the orange circle, but that won't make any sense to you right now...), you can do a whole docking while not taking you eyes of that little window, in perfect darkness otherwise and with minimal RCS consumption from correction. Nowadays I glide to dockings with an ease that is astounding thanks to that.

Rune. That's my beef with Mechjeb: it stops you from getting better at the game.