[WIP Plugin] Extraplanetary Space Centers!

[skykooler]

I can't seem to figure out how to use the Auger to mine ore!

I've sent a probe into Kerbin orbit, scanned, found ore deposits at KSC, then I built a rover with the auger on the back (hooked up to a rototron from DR) and lowered it into the ground and set "deploy drill". Nothing happens though. I have some Ore Hexcans on the rover too.

I then tried just with the auger hooked up to a hexcan and started the drill but again, nothing happens.

Its above an ore deposit, I tried different depths, always keeping the auger vertical, btw theres no animation either...

I have Kethane and the extraplanetary space center mod so it shows ore and kethane deposits

The augur is broken in 0.21. Taniwha posted a fixed version in the release thread.

[Bobhendly]

Im Terribly sorry, I Know this is always a No-No, But is there a E.T.A For v3? I Am Drooling over the new Launchpad model and all... Pure Awesomeness..

(If No Eta, That's ok, Im Just amazed at your Work.)

[taniwha]

skykooler: Any particular reason the auger, smelter and workshop aren't in git? I'm in the process of rebalancing the resources and I need to adjust the smelter's and workshop's conversion ratios. Of course, I can do this on the part.cfg files in the zip, but then getting you the changes will be not as friendly as github.

[edit]Anyway, for how, here are my recommended tweaks for the smelter and the workshop. Due to how Kethane works, this is independent of my density tweaks.

smelter (assumes Metal is iron):

    // From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_ore
    // Stage One: 3 Fe2O3 + CO → 2 Fe3O4 + CO2
    // Stage Two: Fe3O4 + CO → 3 FeO + CO2
    // Stage Three: FeO + CO → Fe + CO2
    //
    // Until Kethane supports multiple input/output resources, no point in
    // worrying about CO/CO2.
    //
    // So 3Fe2O3 + 9CO → 6Fe + 9CO2, Fe = 55.845, O = 15.999 which means
    // 479.061g of ore will produce 335.070g of iron. Kethane takes care of the
    // relative densities for us, thus the efficiency is just 355.07/479.061.
    ConversionEfficiency = 0.699431

workshop (might be a little high still, but then good workshops will recycle scrap):

    // There is always some waste when building things (sawing, grinding,
    // cutoffs, etc).
    ConversionEfficiency = 0.9

Edited August 4, 2013 by taniwha

[silentdragon]

I just found this mod and I think it would be very interesting to have launchpads on other bodies than Kerbin. But whenever I try to launch something from it, the whole thing just explodes and goes off in all directions. Is there any fix or workaround for that?

[taniwha]

silentdragon: it seems that having a raised pad (eg, lander underneath the pad) invites explosions. If having the pad flat on the ground doesn't help, you'll just have to wait: it is being worked on.

[urablahblah]

To detect large quantities of ore (or smaller quantities of more dense ore, like galena, PbS), they use gravity anomaly detection. They essentially measure the difference in gravity between a predicted gravity model and observed gravity, without a fancy two-ship setup. It takes a lot of math in real life (further discouraging me from being a geophysics major), but it would be possible to implement such a device on a satellite or plane without an issue.

[Kimberly]

To detect large quantities of ore (or smaller quantities of more dense ore, like galena, PbS), they use gravity anomaly detection. They essentially measure the difference in gravity between a predicted gravity model and observed gravity, without a fancy two-ship setup. It takes a lot of math in real life (further discouraging me from being a geophysics major), but it would be possible to implement such a device on a satellite or plane without an issue.

That's precisely what's in development at the moment, actually. But instead of twin ships, the detector is just one part that extends a mirror away from the ship, with the laser's run time supposedly being used to measure anomalies.

[urablahblah]

I saw that a few pages back. That's pretty cool, though a bit overly complex compared to technologies currently in use. Still, glad to see good progress getting this AWESOME mod a new release!

[Kimberly]

I saw that a few pages back. That's pretty cool, though a bit overly complex compared to technologies currently in use.

Actually, it's almost exactly how the GRACE satellites work. The twin satellites face prograde and use microwave ranging and detect gravitational anomalies by changes in their relative speed and distance as the first satellite moves through an anomaly before the other does. The only difference with the detector being developed is that it uses a laser instead of microwaves, and a mirror instead of a twin satellite.

[kodemunkey]

Isn't this the same as the extraplanetary launch mod or is this the same mod?

[skykooler]

Isn't this the same as the extraplanetary launch mod or is this the same mod?

Yes, this is the same mod. This is the development thread.

[kodemunkey]

oh..sorry. One of those days /facepalm

[Blaylock1988]

Unfortunately, the Kethane detector module doesn't have support for checking whether you're in the atmosphere, or having a wider detection area. So until those are added to Kethane there will not be a sonar detector.

A hybrid detector part would have to be created, maybe borrowing some functionality from air intakes so that it knows when it is in atmosphere and can detect.

[Ethos.Excelsior]

So after wading through pages and pages and pages of information I cannot find a clear explanation of the problem I've been having. When trying to add kethane parts to something in the VAS, the part is not added, the attachment node vanishes, the part sticks to the cursor, and the program becomes generally unresponsive. The only two mods I have installed are this and the most recent version of kethane. I am using version 0.21 and I have replaced Launchpad.dll with the file provided in the main thread. Kethane operates fine without this mod installed. I'm assuming that there /is/ a way to have both mods operate at once, but I've just not been able to find some critical bit of information in no uncertain terms.

[taniwha]

Ethos.Excelsior: that sort of thing just happens, I'm pretty sure even in stock 0.19.1 (only time I played stock for any length of time). Sometimes, the VAB and SPH just do weird things.

[BlazingAngel665]

A hybrid detector part would have to be created, maybe borrowing some functionality from air intakes so that it knows when it is in atmosphere and can detect.

Just make a resource titled "EPLintakeair" and then have a check run by the part to look and see if "EPLintakeair" is available just like 'electriccharge'

[skykooler]

Just make a resource titled "EPLintakeair" and then have a check run by the part to look and see if "EPLintakeair" is available just like 'electriccharge'

That's something Majiir would have to add, as I am using the Kethane detector module.

[BlazingAngel665]

That's something Majiir would have to add, as I am using the Kethane detector module.

Yeah, in hindsight I should have checked before suggesting that. I guess power consumption is written into the Module{Kethanedetector} so that kinda writes that out. I haven't said it recently so let me say it again. Good work. I thoroughly enjoy this mod. Carry on the good work.

[Tw1]

Small issues. The choose launch site thing sits right over the button for subassembly manager.

Is there a way I can move it or turn it off?

[BlazingAngel665]

Next version of kethane will hav MIMO (multiple input, multiple output)

[skykooler]

Small issues. The choose launch site thing sits right over the button for subassembly manager.

Is there a way I can move it or turn it off?

That is not part of my mod; the choose launch site button is from the KerbTown mod.

[skykooler]

Version 3 released!

Changelog:

• New launchpad, with built-in fuel tanks, monopropellant, and retro-rockets for landing
  
• Ore scanners, both large (orbital) and small (for planes or rovers)
  
• Rockets no longer explode on raised pads
  
• Fixed resource density
  
• Changed conversion efficiency so that resources no longer convert at an unrealistic 100%
  
• Alert if ship is missing parts (for example, if you uninstall a mod parts pack)
  
• Updated deposit sizes to reflect new resource densities
  

[Mihara]

Ack. Sorry about posting in the release thread first.

I've been anticipating this release, but right when I attempt to use it, I bump into bugs...

I made a test object -- two hex cans (for ore and metal) and a probe core, glued a bunch of rocket parts hexcans to the new launchpad unit, launched it, and tried to build that test object. Since the entire contraption has no ore and metal cans, it attempts to spawn them empty anyway and succeeds.

But if I try to pull the sliders for ore and metal down to zero, it spawns the cans -- at least I see them -- but they don't become a vessel, aren't selectable, and they aren't on the launchpad itself, but halfway in the ground and off to the side. There's nothing that appears even remotely relevant in the logs except lots "NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object", but that shows well before I even open the launchpad.

And the auger, while supposedly fixed, shows no indication it's working for me... I have yet to attempt turning it on over an actual ore deposit, but shouldn't it be animated regardless?

That reported, can I ask, why the new launchpad model is self-propelled, pretty much indestructible so it shouldn't need any landing legs, but has no non-moving easily accessible places for a docking port or a KAS connector, (Well, I found one, but I can't call this easily accessible, you have to dig deep inside to get there) or, for that matter, has no backup power generator of any kind, so if you don't land it fast enough it will spend all power on SAS torque?

P.S. Oh, and the new launchpad model has "debug = true" in it's config file. The launchpads from Spherical Launchpad package don't, which is apparently the reason why they can't spawn the test object at all.

Edited August 9, 2013 by Mihara

[taniwha]

Mihara: Well, I'm currently working on a revamp of the resource handling. It's mostly done, but needs some actual build testing. I'll keep your issues in mind. BTW, one change is that if the built craft has rocket parts containers, the rocket parts resource becomes adjustable (with the minimum set to the amount required for the hull). Another is entire-vessel (pad) fuel search.

The auger model is pretty lame: no animations at all. I might look into adding some particle effects.

As for the KAS attachment on the new pad, try using a detachable attachment placed after deployment. I haven't used the new pad at all, but this worked on the HL pad.

[skykooler]

That reported, can I ask, why the new launchpad model is self-propelled, pretty much indestructible so it shouldn't need any landing legs, but has no non-moving easily accessible places for a docking port or a KAS connector, (Well, I found one, but I can't call this easily accessible, you have to dig deep inside to get there) or, for that matter, has no backup power generator of any kind, so if you don't land it fast enough it will spend all power on SAS torque?

P.S. Oh, and the new launchpad model has "debug = true" in it's config file. The launchpads from Spherical Launchpad package don't, which is apparently the reason why they can't spawn the test object at all.

The plan is for the launchpad to have a docking port on the back of the cockpit. But I haven't figured out how to do that yet. So, for the meantime, since you can't attach anything to it, I enabled debug mode.

As for landing it - it should have plenty of power to last as long as its engines do. If you're really worried about running out, you could always stick a RTG on the bottom which you decouple just before landing.