Jump to content

Long-term Laythe Mission (pic heavy) - ^_^ With Part 45 ^_^

Brotoro

By Brotoro
in KSP1 Mission Reports

 Share

Recommended Posts

bsalis

bsalis

Posted
Posted

Love you work.

I like the RP style and your take on a refueling system to keep on flying. It's one of the neat things about the game, in that you can achieve similar objectives through different means.

Nice to see you visiting some islands further abroad. I'm keen to see where you will be going next. Any plans on taking the Leap Of Laythe?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Brotoro

Brotoro

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Love you work.

I like the RP style and your take on a refueling system to keep on flying. It's one of the neat things about the game, in that you can achieve similar objectives through different means.

Nice to see you visiting some islands further abroad. I'm keen to see where you will be going next. Any plans on taking the Leap Of Laythe?

Had to go search for Leap of Laythe... since I didn't remember the name. While I'm sure either Aldner or Nelemy would love to drive off the cliff, I'm not sure if it "makes sense" as part of the exploration plan for them to get there any time soon. It's a small island at the limit of their range right now.

But the island where you set up your West Base is one that I'm considering for placing the new base that I just launched (since it's a handy equatorial island), and if so, it would also get the next GasStation, which will probably go out in the next launch window (I assume Kurt will want his chance to do some exploring by jet by then). And if the base goes there, the Leap island is right next door...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jocax188723

jocax188723

Posted
Posted

Just finished part 10, made me snigger in the middle of lecture.

Oops.

Still, totally worth it. Absolutely wonderful when you think about all the planning this took. Many thanks.

Makes me wonder if Scott's seen this, though. Someone should poke him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Brotoro

Brotoro

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
Any news on new craft on Laythe.

Looks like you might have been planning a VTOL...

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/37033-Center-of-Mass

Son of BirdDog mebe? EagleWolf perhaps.

I have been playing with VTOLs, yes. I was worried that if I miscalculate one of these long BirdDog flights between distant islands, I could end up with one of the pilots having to ditch his plane in the drink. And I know from experience trying to fly BirdDod-derived SSTOs into orbit around Kerbin that a BirdDog will not survive a water landing intact, but the cockpit and pilot will survive (I know this because I had to ditch a few failed SSTO attempts into the ocean). So how do I rescue a pilot from far offshore? I was hoping that a VTOL could fill the bill.

So I made a VTOL varient of a BirdDog. Double the fuel capacity for extra range...double the wings and canards for more lift to haul that extra mass around...stick a downward-facing jet engine in the middle.

At first I had problems getting the tanks to drain evenly (KSP did not agree with me on how it should be handling fuel flow), but I got that sorted out well enough. And then I practiced flying the thing, and I crashed it over and over and over again...although I crashed it less violently as time went on. Now I can semi-reliably liftoff with the thing, but I have much more difficulty in getting it to land where I want it (if safely at all)...since it takes me a lot of hovering, moving along slowly, to set the thing down, usually well past my aiming point. There are times during hovering or moving slowly around phase when the plane just pitches too far backward or forward and I can't hold it (my most common mode of crashing it now is when it pitches over onto its back and smashes in).

Anyway... I tried to land it in water (which I could do somewhat sloppily), but I could not get it to liftoff safely from water. It keeps wanting to slide off some direction or other, then parts catch in the water and flip it and smash it.

Because I can get the good ol' BirdDog to land reliably in a relatively short space in a variety of terrain, and lift off after a short run in a variety of terrain, I can't see this VTOL as a general BirdDog replacement as yet (especially if I can't manage to use it for sea landing and takeoff).

So that's what I've been up to recently. As well as some island exploration on Laythe.

VTOLtopside_zps7a275293.jpg

VTOLunderside_zpsdfdff361.jpg

Edited by Brotoro
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Tangle

Tangle

Posted
Posted

So i was looking at the BirdDogs and I thought, "What if there was a version with a rover attached, which (the rover) would be built for heavy exploration, such as steep slopes and other rugged things?" This way, it would be easier to begin exploration of Isti and Istii or other steep areas. However, it would be hard to fit a rover on the BirdDog, and it would likely be Paradropped.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Brotoro

Brotoro

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Just noticed this, but is the jet engine at the back attached to a decoupler?!

On my VTOL test plane? Yes, that's a decoupler. I needed a part in there that wouldn't crossfeed fuel so that I could hook up fuel lines to give me symmetric draining of fuel from the various tanks. It turns out to be better to use a 1x1 structural plate instead, but I did not do that at first beacuse I thought the structural plates were fuel crossfeed enabled (since I had found out earlier that I could get them to crossfeed fuel on my ocean probes).

I had a thread here discussing this weird fuel crossfeed behavior.....but it got moved somewhere else and I can't find it now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jwenting

jwenting

Posted
Posted
Those canards just look backwards, they're actually meant to be that way round. I there's a Russian jet fighter that has wings like that, but I can't remember what it's called.

Yes, there's a Russian tech demonstrator like that, the Su-47 (or S-37, they tend to have several identifications for the same system over there). And the USAF has one as well much earlier in the Grumman X-29.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forward-swept_wing

I hope you don't mind me using your designs as a basis for my own, Brotoro (though I'm a long way from going to Laythe).

I've actually managed to increase the dV on the launcher so it doesn't need to use the engines on the tug to reach 100km LKO, and still has enough fuel to deorbit itself (though I've not included recovery gear yet).

So far launched: 4 tugs. a manned station core with room for 9 Kerbals, a kethane refinery, and a kethane mining rig that should have enough power to land and return to orbit from almost anywhere (not Eve most likely) though at current it has no parachutes as it's a prototype for use on the Mun and Minmus, next version will have parachutes and be tested most likely on Duna.

Other Rest of the fleet is still in planning stages, including fuel bowsers/tankers, manned and unmanned landers and rovers, mapping, comms, and surveying probes, manned orbital shuttles, etc. etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...