What did you do in KSP1 today?

[SSgt Baloo]

Today I experimented with variable geometry.

 

 

The wing root parts are resized to 140%, so the VG portion of the wing is actually imbedded into the wing root. This was just so I could sort out how to build one. 

[RizzoTheRat]

6 hours ago, DrMarlboro said:

Today i started trying to figure out what everything in MKS does, so i started testing the parts. i may be going about this the wrong way, but i had a blast.

 

 

 

I started doing the same, but I need to develop a decent rover first.  My plan is a something like a Transporter-Erector-Launcher that grabs a module and tips it on to the load bed, as I'm expecting to need to carry modules a few km from their landing site to the base.

 

The Mk1 Kolonisation Relocation and Assembly Pick-up hasn't quite got what I takes

I didn't get a screenshot of the Mk2 KRAP but it was slightly more successful in that it loaded ok, but was a bit unstable when driving in Kerbin gravity.

What mods are you using for the wheels and crane?  I'm currently using KAS/KIS electromagnet to grab the load (with the intention of having a cradle on the load bed so I switch the magnets off when loaded), and Infernal Robotics with the model rework expansion for the lifting gear. 

Edited January 28, 2016 by RizzoTheRat

[Agost]

On 27/1/2016 at 2:04 AM, KerrMü said:

And I tried to get a nice screenshot of my SSTO family.

Left: Rising Star, middle: the good, old, trusty Shinden and the one on the right hasn´t got a name jet. 

Have fun, Mü  

MAN

Those are some seriously cool X-33 inspired SSTOs. Do you have any kronal vessel viewer blueprints of them? Or a part file?

[SSgt Baloo]

(Not quite) Jonny Quest's plane with V/G wingtips!

 

[SSgt Baloo]

An homage to the Barnes-Wallis Swallow:

Full forward sweep

Mid-sweep

 

Full sweep

A close-up of the wing root, showing how I offset the hinge and buried it between two wing segments:

[DrMarlboro]

6 hours ago, RizzoTheRat said:

 

 

 

I started doing the same, but I need to develop a decent rover first.  My plan is a something like a Transporter-Erector-Launcher that grabs a module and tips it on to the load bed, as I'm expecting to need to carry modules a few km from their landing site to the base.

 

The Mk1 Kolonisation Relocation and Assembly Pick-up hasn't quite got what I takes

I didn't get a screenshot of the Mk2 KRAP but it was slightly more successful in that it loaded ok, but was a bit unstable when driving in Kerbin gravity.

What mods are you using for the wheels and crane?  I'm currently using KAS/KIS electromagnet to grab the load (with the intention of having a cradle on the load bed so I switch the magnets off when loaded), and Infernal Robotics with the model rework expansion for the lifting gear. 

the wheels are actually stock. The crane's body is stock, but the arm is tweakscaled IR, with a KAS winch, and lights from USI karbonite. I've tried to build something like you are going for in the past, but it wasn't very successful. I had a hard time making it weigh enough in the front without causing the wheels to pop.

[Cuky]

I haven't done much in last few days as I have ran into problems with my PC. I suspect that PSU decided that it had enough of it, but I haven't been able to confirm it yet nor to check if anything else failed with it.

[fourfa]

@SSgt Baloo - Infernal Robotics?  Just curious - does the variable geometry change the flight dynamics?  My limited understanding is that stock KSP doesn't care about the orientation of parts, just applies the sum total of forces at the root attach point regardless of rotation.  It would be great if there was a way to boost lift at takeoff, and reduce drag at high speed but wondering if this actually does that.  Does FAR do it?

[SSgt Baloo]

1 hour ago, fourfa said:

@SSgt Baloo - Infernal Robotics?  Just curious - does the variable geometry change the flight dynamics?  My limited understanding is that stock KSP doesn't care about the orientation of parts, just applies the sum total of forces at the root attach point regardless of rotation.  It would be great if there was a way to boost lift at takeoff, and reduce drag at high speed but wondering if this actually does that.  Does FAR do it?

I don't have FAR. It does (or should) shift C/L and C/G a bit, but I haven't flown it enough to tell if that's good, bad, or irrelevant.

 

[fourfa]

I guess drag is the thing I'm most curious about.  Try a speed run in both configurations?

The other thing I'm fascinated by is folding wings to fit in a cargo bay...

[Reactordrone]

Drove for about 170km on Duna coming out of the highlands to refuel a stranded lander down in the lowlands and was treated to a nice eclipse just before sunset.

A nice easy 75km run left to go.

[Francois424]

Planning for airborne roving on Kerbin, Duna, Laythe, Eve, and maybe some OPM moons (such as Tekto) prompted me to design this new flying rover.
It has: 79 parts, 13.3 tons, Nuclear Reactor+Electric Propeller (So a **lot** of effective range), can roll on relatively flat land and obviously fly,  full suite of Scientific instruments, beautiful glass 2-man cockpit (SXT Mod).
Managed a top speed of 220 m/s around 10km height, but I am pretty sure if I jam the ailerons 45 degrees I could do insane things with it... not it's goal tho. It carries a Pilot and Scientist for Biome hopping (Sorry Bill, no room in this one).
The two antennas each side of the cockpit are mostly cosmetic but can be used to transmit 2 experiments at once if need be, and 2 ladders on the wing allow easy access to surface EVA's and Samples.

I have a concept to deliver it to the appropriate planets/moons, however it's untested at the moment.  Still, extensive testing on Kerbin makes this one a success.
I have yet to name it, but leaning to something like the 'Monarch Butterfly"...

Here she is in all her glory :

Edited January 29, 2016 by Francois424

[SSgt Baloo]

I downloaded and installed Ferram Aerospace Research earlier this evening.

The learning curve just got steeper.

[obi_juan]

1 hour ago, Francois424 said:

Planning for airborne roving on Kerbin, Duna, Laythe, Eve, and maybe some OPM moons (such as Tekto) prompted me to design this new flying rover.
It has: 79 parts, 13.3 tons, Nuclear Reactor+Electric Propeller (So a **lot** of effective range), can roll on relatively flat land and obviously fly,  full suite of Scientific instruments, beautiful glass 2-man cockpit (SXT Mod).
Managed a top speed of 220 m/s around 10km height, but I am pretty sure if I jam the ailerons 45 degrees I could do insane things with it... not it's goal tho. It carries a Pilot and Scientist for Biome hopping (Sorry Bill, no room in this one).
The two antennas each side of the cockpit are mostly cosmetic but can be used to transmit 2 experiments at once if need be, and 2 ladders on the wing allow easy access to surface EVA's and Samples.

I have a concept to deliver it to the appropriate planets/moons, however it's untested at the moment.  Still, extensive testing on Kerbin makes this one a success.
I have yet to name it, but leaning to something like the 'Monarch Butterfly"...

Here she is in all her glory :

 

with the new atmosphere on 1.0.5 that thing will not fly on Duna, the power of the electric engine will be a 5% of the power in Kerbin. Think on duna as a planet without atmosphere.

The  cockpit is beautiful I will donwload that mod, I was thinking for several weeks, now is sure. 

[SSgt Baloo]

The learning curve just became a cliff. Since installing Ferram Aerospace, I can tell control surfaces "You're a rudder" You're an aileron , etc., ,but when I launch, they do whatever the hell they please, even though when I try to get them to knock it off, they say "I am only a rudder" or "I am only an elevator".

They lie.

Until I figure this out, I'm uninstalling FAR.

[GDJ]

Not much. Dug up some old declassified documents on supersonic and hypersonic drag profiles and started playing with the KSP game physics, just because some of the stuff was a bit off.

Between that and the RealAtmosphere's mod the game got a whole lot more interesting.

 

[Francois424]

31 minutes ago, obi_juan said:

with the new atmosphere on 1.0.5 that thing will not fly on Duna, the power of the electric engine will be a 5% of the power in Kerbin. Think on duna as a planet without atmosphere.

The  cockpit is beautiful I will donwload that mod, I was thinking for several weeks, now is sure. 

I have alternatives for that eventuality...  I got the mod only for the cockpit.  comes 1.1 I will "Clean out my install" to keep only what I want not to clutter the part selection screens.
There is a lot of good stuff in there no, no doubt.  Now if only I could get an Orion capsule mod that works (only one I found was broken).

Glad you like it

[Stratzenblitz75]

Today, I went to Eeloo.

 

[KerrMü]

I signed up at KerbalX and posted a few SSTOs in the SSTO thread like promised

Ingame:

I tried to complete a contract. "Build a station into a D-class asteroid, have this and that on your station" aso.

I thought I had fulfilled all the requirements.

But somehow the game seems to think that something on this rock is not "newly built". It´s not a big problem, cause I´m disgusting, filthy rich in my career save, but that will be the first contract I´ll have to cancel for a looong time.  

Anyway. "Betty Transfer Station" is up there, it´s useful, it´s beautiful, so I´m not toooo sad. (and that there are 13 claws attached to that asteroid and the kraken still shines with absence is remarkable :D)

[Tez613]

I built a giant ring of crew cabs and the next step is to fight it to get it in orbit. http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198158822532/screenshot/356150731153413979

[RizzoTheRat]

Continuing work on designing a Kolonisation Relocation and Assembly Pickup, intended to collect components for a Munbase (USI-Kolonisation) from wherever they land and position them at the base.

The original idea is a TEL style self loading flatbed that will tip modules on the rover in order to carry them in a more stable way than lifting them straight on top of a rover, I'm not that great at precision landing so I'm expecting to have to drive a few km with them

The main thing I've learned is I'm rubbish at rover design, I'm really struggling to get a decent rigid frame and then package all the components properly.  I know it's only got to cope with 1/6 of the weight but I figure if I build it to lift a decent load on Kerbin it should survive anything on the Mun.  I think I may need to experiment with Tweakscale and Weld to get something that's rigid enough with a sensible part count.  However I think I've got the basics for something that will do the job.  It's going to need a crane arm as well so it can right anything that falls over, but the hinged legs should mean it's stable enough to do that.

Edited January 29, 2016 by RizzoTheRat

[msasterisk]

I started a looong project to eventually have a self-sustainable Mün and Minmus base. Just researched the lab module and landed a survey probe on Mün, so it's going well!

Also created a custom flag for an agency I call Hyperbola Industries (hyperbola comes from the greek for over-the-top).

Overall an eventful day! :)

[Choctofliatrio2.0]

I've been planning a new sequence of missions to fulfill a good 3 or 4 contracts.

I'm planning to build a station in Minmus orbit, carrying some decoupler with me (Two contracts fulfilled). Then, that station would become a sort of mining base, and I'd have landers go down to get ore (Possibly fulfilling the "plant flag on Minmus" contract), and bringing it back up. If I get the opportunity, I"d send one such lander into Kerbin orbit (Send X ore into Kerbin orbit)

[GDJ]

1 hour ago, RizzoTheRat said:

The main thing I've learned is I'm rubbish at rover design, I'm really struggling to get a decent rigid frame and then package all the components properly.  I know it's only got to cope with 1/6 of the weight but I figure if I build it to lift a decent load on Kerbin it should survive anything on the Mun.  I think I may need to experiment with Tweakscale and Weld to get something that's rigid enough with a sensible part count.  However I think I've got the basics for something that will do the job.  It's going to need a crane arm as well so it can right anything that falls over, but the hinged legs should mean it's stable enough to do that.

Rovers are their own special kind of construction. I've tried many things (tires, tank treads, low COG with tight suspension, high COG with lots of suspension, Big, small, light, heavy )and what it boils down to is that there is not one design that can do it all. A rover on Kerbin will work fine on Eve, but it's too bouncy and uncontrollable on the Mun or it's just off on Lathe. It's something that can drive a gamer to drink.

It's almost to the point that a rover must be built to the planet or moon that it's intended to land on.

Edited January 29, 2016 by GDJ

[loch.ness]

Worked on my new Saturn V and LEM.

 

I lost all of my old craft files a while back along with my old saves, but I had so much fun with the AAP challenge mission report I'm thinking of starting a new one and including the russian side of things.  (So, Kerbalized space-race theme the NASA analog would be KASE (Kerbin Academy of Space Exploration) and the Russian analog would be KOSMO (Kerbin's Orbital and Spatial Mechanics Organization).

 

I have prototypes for Sputnik (Looks pretty), Vostok (very rough), Soyuz (Lifter needs complete rebuilt - its ugly right now) Mercury Redstone (very proud), Mercury Atlas (even prouder), and the Saturn V with LEM - If I can finish tweaking it I'll be proud - right now I feel its better than my old one in looks but I'm still tweaking.

 

I've also built a WWII themed planes for Jeb and Val for backstory shots.