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What did you do in KSP1 today?

Xeldrak

By Xeldrak
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qzgy

qzgy

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, Helmetman said:

@qzgy The glider is a Mk 1 cockpit with a fairing clipped over the nose? Is that aesthetic only or actually a improvement on the aerodynamics? I always thought the Mk 1 cockpit had less drag then a stock fairing but I might be wrong here. 

Aesthetic more to my knowledge. I'm not sure about aerodynamic performance...

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Curveball Anders

Curveball Anders

Posted
Posted

Decided to put my new toy to the test.

(As a sidenote, Core2-Quad 4x2.4GHz, 8GB DDR3, 450GB HDD, AMD HD4670, Dell 1680x1050, Ubuntu 16.04. All cobbled together from scrap for a grand total of zero funds. People give and throw away the darndest things :))

I had earlier dropped a station with attached lander at Minmus while trailling the new toy but while that mission was a success I realised that I'd forgotten to add antennas to the lander ...

No real issue except that I had no relay sats at Minmus so I decided to do a quick easy and standard (at least for me) deploy of 3x basic relay sats.

Wanting to try the install out (I copied the save from my win10 install) I decided to build a triple launcher from scratch.

QsAT3RD.png

Eye-balling a Minmus launch at 6 degrees (letting MJ do a 42 turn launch) to 72Km it went almost good (actually it failed to circularise, ending up in a 75x69km orbit, I had to do an extra lap and a little boost at AP).

Minmus transfer was obviously a standard manoeuvre, except that bloody Mün was in the way and I had to do some un-planned extra burns to actually get into a Minmus intercept.

After dodging a dodgy Mün I managed to fine tune my Pe to 1M and found a good Ap using the ROC.

Everything fine and dandy (well, after some tweaks), in the right spot, just release the first sat and ...

I've forgotten add separators under the sats ...

Ok, revert to launch, add separators under the sats, repeat all of the above.

This time I can release the first sat.

Except that I can't shift focus to it, since the Linux version of KSP isn't interpreting my swedish keyboard the same way as win10 is ...

I then decided to close down KSP and go to the local pub.

Tomorrow I'll try again, with a re-defined keyboard ...

 

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FungusForge

FungusForge

Posted
Posted

Got a probe to Minmus. Mostly forgot to take pictures. Did however manage to catch a picture of my discovery that a botched relay that found itself beyond Kerbin's SOI ended up giving me control for the last few moments of the Minmus probe's life. It's power died transmitting science and it smashed into Minmus.

EHz3ie5.png

 

4 minutes ago, Lo Var Lachland said:

What's the mod that adds that beautiful space view? :o 

Its the Foreign Eagle skybox.

 

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dvp

dvp

Posted
Posted (edited)

C8JtEnA.jpg

Today I learned (again):

  • Landers should be as low and wide as possible.
  • Mining on the Mun sucks.
  • Bouncing is bad.
  • There are no flat spots in craters. Only spots that LOOK flat.
  • Make absolutely sure you kill ALL of your lateral velocity before you begin your final descent.

Three landing attempts (quicksave/reload) and that was the only one that didn't end in fire and death and agony.

So, knowing that I was going to have to mount a rescue mission, I switched over to Sandbox mode and tried a few designs. This is what I came up with. (4 successful landings in a row.)

LLhAVLh.jpg

Like the old Pontiac commercials: Wider is Better.

And yes, it has twelve Terriers.

Edited by dvp
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Ultimate Steve

Ultimate Steve

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Posted (edited)

Oh, goody! More RO/RP-0 lagatron 9000!

Note: This isn't just today. It's the last few days (I think, it's hard to keep track of stuff).

I finally found a second mission for Gravity II (TBH I never had a use for it, and now I have the newfangled Mu V, which is cheaper and more advanced than G2, while covering it's payload range) and that is the launch of Avalon Station's Cupola module!

parsGvt.png

...Except someone forgot to check the fit. No matter, I moved it to where the RCS tug used to be (which I only used once. I moved it over to the visiting ship hub). It's almost the same location I had planned it to be in. No way I'm launching a spacer, though. I've spent enough time on this laggy station already!

CnYp61S.png

TQPauIy.png

Space Station Avalon now, viewed from the bottom. It's almost done, here's the current schedule:

(M14) Science module 2 - launch on Gravity IB. From this view it goes on the top of the picture. {Under construction. Scheduled for second launch from now}

(M15) Node 3 - only a 4 way node. Goes on the right of the picture on that weird looking module. Launches on Mu V. {Under construction, next launch. SM2 will take longer to build but is module 14}

(LSC-2) Life support container 2. No official module designation as it is a semi-permanent (as in it will last years) life support container. You can see one in the center sticking out from the solar panel array, the second one will go opposite it on the bottom. {Under construction}

(M16) Command tower (GIB). Would have gone opposite the Cupola had I not had to move it, but it will still be almost opposite the Cupola. {Undesigned yet}

(M17) Proposed Satelite Launch Platform - small cylindrical module used somehow for launching cubesats or doing other sciencey things. {Undesigned}

(ME3-ME-10) Melody Crew Vehicles. 3 man Soyuz-esque crew transfer vehicles. If each crew of 6 stays for a year (it's possible, 6 months would be ideal, but I don't want to make crew transfer a chore) I need to launch one every six months. The batch of 10 vehicles I'm going to build should last me 5 years, by which time, ideally I'd have a moon base. {Designed, pending construction}

I also launched the second module of Eclipse Station, a Low Lunar Orbit station using leftover hardware from the moon landing missions, namely the seven Gravity III's that were left unused.

IbaI1HU.png

Unfortunately, some idiot* forgot the fairing.

*me.

uBMdhR8.png

Fortunately, it made orbit alright. This was probably one of the most unrealistic things I've gotten away with in RO.

UrR08Dw.png

Eclipse Station. Currently around 50 tons (ish). 2 of 7 modules completed. The third one is under construction.

gKpCcdt.png

Also, made an almost copy of my Saturn probe and sent it to Jupiter, the only difference (I think) being the extension of the RCS booms so they can be used as landing legs. Because it's only going to Jupiter, it will have enough Delta-V to land on one of the moons. I haven't chosen which one yet, which one would you choose (I'm actually asking because I don't know)?

And last but not least, I built Mu V, a more capable, cheaper, more aerodynamically stable rocket than Mu IV, which handled like a piece of spaghetti and couldn't turn for the first 15 kilometers or else it would explode.

That mission was used to loft Geosat III, the third Geostationary comsat.

h25hfMq.png

It also tested out a prototype RTG powered rocket, which can attain specific impulses of 650s (!).

More to follow!

 

Also, for anyone curious as to my lifter lineup:

Spoiler

Here is the oldest noteworthy one, Mu III.

ugFmfPD.png

Before that, there were many sounding rockets, a suborbital manned A4 rocket (don't worry, they all survived), Mu 0 (first satellite), Mu I (First man in space, and 3-4 more one man flights), and Mu II (failed stretched version of Mu I).

Mu III, well, I've mostly forgotten everything about it, except that it launched the first lunar impactors, orbiters, and landers. I also hadn't unlocked medium solid rocket boosters (I still haven't, I have tiny, small, or huge right now) so Mu III used 24 (!) smaller solid rocket boosters in order to provide the necessary Delta-V. Later versions were equipped with four larger solid rockets to reduce lag.

 

I don't quite remember much, but the stages, particularly the upper stage, was swapped out a lot, I think it started kerolox, then went AJ-10, then went RD-something.

2tU4Arv.png

An example of a late Mu III.

My longest lived currently active lifter would be the Gravity I series:

YHfIEpF.png

I don't remember which flight this was, but going by the short upper stage and the odd side core nose cones, this was an original Gravity I, probably to take one person on a lunar flyby or orbit. In its initial form, it was designed to take 30-40 tons to LEO. It was surpassed by Gravity IA and Gravity IB, which is still in service.

7uB8aNN.png

Gravity IB shown above. This version can take a maximum of 63 tons into LEO if you try really hard. The main improvements over the Gravity I are more advanced avionics and the fact that the upper stage is now hydrolox instead of kerolox. This version almost doubled the capacity of the original. Since it was originally developed to send a 1 man capsule circumlunar, it was man rated from the beginning. It has never suffered a catastrophic failure, except for when I wasn't looking at the screen (if I was doing something else I revert).

t7KuQAj.png

Somewhere between the Gravity I and IA came the Gravity II, shown above. It's basically a one core, shortened Gravity I with (iirc) the space program's first hydrolox stage. It's first flight was to put Space Station Ruby, the first space station (like Salyut but smaller) in orbit. It didn't fly for another few years, before it made its second and probably final flight lofting the Cupola module. It's payload capacity (I think it was 10-15 tons) has been exceeded by the newer and cheaper Mu V.

Speaking of designs that seemed like a good idea but were rendered obsolete, I present to you Sigma/Peregrine:

siRo4kf.png

In real world terms, it's a mini Ares 1 designed to take one person to LEO. It was originally conceived to resupply Ruby station and Sapphire station, but it only ever went to Ruby station twice, with an unmanned resupply craft and a one man science team. both Ruby and Sapphire (larger, about the size of an Avalon module) were great technology demonstrators, but were rendered obsolete by Avalon station. Along with these two stations went Sigma/Peregrine - a really cool name that only ever flew three times. Maybe I should make a Peregrine II so I can keep the name...

Around this time came Mu IV.

XzbDOc7.png

Mu IV was my workhorse small lifter for a long time, being able to take 10-15 tons to LEO. It featured a hypergolic first stage (about 1/3 of Proton) and four solid rocket boosters, as well as a hydrolox upper stage which was later upgraded to using the J2. A lot of interplanetary misisons, most notably a Mars impactor, a Venus orbiter (and failed lander), and a Mercury flyby probe were launched on Mu IV.

pcluQFd.png

Neutron and Neutrino, I don't have many pictures of (or remember much of). However, the Neutrino series (I think it's shown above but I'm not sure) can place (iirc) about 0.5-1 tons into a polar orbit. Neutron (I'm currently on Neutron III) is like that, but a bit bigger. It can put 3-4 tons into orbit. Their use is limited, but great for when I want to launch something small without a Mu.

Also, making a note here that there's a few i'm not showing, like the one off SRMLV and others I don't find noteworthy.

All hail the mighty Gravity III!

SxTS9Ur.png

This is basically a bigger version of the Saturn V with less payload capacity. It has made seven flights so far, including two test flights (which led at least a dozen changes, I'm not exaggerating), three manned moon landings (which all nearly ended in disaster) and two Lunar station assembly flights (with five more on the way).

In the Spoice (lunar landing) configuration, it has five F-1 engines on the first stage, four of which separate to get rid of extra mass, four giant SRB's, a 5 engine hydrolox second stage (not J-2's, other engines. I hadn't unlocked J-2's at the time), a one engine hydrolox upper stage, two service modules (one for insertion, one for departure), a lander, and a crew module. The first three stages remain for station missions.

Fast forward a bit, Avalon station is being built and I needed a crew transfer vehicle, so I made a 30 ton, luxurious vehicle that had extended life support, KAS/KIS containers, a lot of on-orbit Delta-V, and so much more. Unfortunatley, it ended up huge and expensive. I would have probably been better off sticking it on a Gravity IB.

wKZ8xqX.png

I present to you, the Skye-1 mission, launching on the Illectro rocket. I don't remember what this thing was powered by, nor do I care very much - it was an overengineered, expensive, yet somewhat unreliable rocket which always seemed to not have enough thrust. It only made two flights, the first one ending in the second ever manned abort of the space program. The three astronauts thankfully survived. The second crew stayed at Avalon station for about 6 months (?). As bad as it was, hopefully the problems were ironed out. Because of it's unique KAS/KIS capability, I'm considering one more flight,  if only to remove the excess laggy RCS ports that dot the station.

vwA1A2f.png

This is Melody, what Skye/Illectro should have been. It is pretty cheap for what it does (although Mu V is currently cheaper, but I'm too lazy to switch). If you had to make a comparison between Melody and Skye, it would almost be the same as comparing Soyuz to Apollo. Of the two flights so far, both have succeeded and the only problem found was that the service module had a low thrust problem, which was easily solved.

Then, I wanted to launch a Saturn orbiter. However, neither Mu IV or Gravity IB had enough Delta-V to do this.

DURXQYm.png

This is Gravity IB XL, which uses a hydrolox core and four boosters instead of two. It has launched twice, launching nearly identical probes to Jupiter and Saturn. It's estimated that it can get 90-120 tons to LEO, although I'm not sure, I haven't actually checked the numbers.

Now, I'm really sorry the picture is so dark, but here's Mu V:

lUsNiDR.png

The problem with me is that I launch exclusively from Florida - and every worthwhile target besides polar orbit is on the same plane, which means that for half of the year I have to launch from the night side of Earth.

Anyway, Mu V has a hydrolox stage with a vastly lighter engine and a hypergolic first stage (with two liquid fueled boosters). It can get about 20 tons to LEO if you try.

So, that's most of my lineup. Current lifter capacity:

Neutrino - 1t

Neutron - 5t

Melody - 15t(?)

Mu V - 20t

Illectro - 30t

Gravity IB - 63t

Gravity IB XL - 90-120t

Gravity III - 130t (?)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, which moon should I land my Jupiter probe on?

Edited by Ultimate Steve
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qzgy

qzgy

Posted
Posted
Just now, Ultimate Steve said:

Nah, I was joking! I'll probably actually end up with Europa...

Also I just sort of realized that one of my lifters, Mu III, is a rocket of Theseus. I replaced the upper stage, then the boosters, then the core engines...

Oh, ok then!

Time then to call it the Mu IV? At least the theseus retained the same design plans. Sounds like you changed the entire design slowly.

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Ultimate Steve

Ultimate Steve

Posted
Posted (edited)
15 minutes ago, qzgy said:

Time then to call it the Mu IV? At least the theseus retained the same design plans. Sounds like you changed the entire design slowly.

Well, I did chronicle my lifter lineup in that spoiler, but to sum up Mu:

Mu 0 - first satellite.

Mu - first people in orbit.

Mu II - we don't talk about this abysmal failure. Also iirc first use of an LES.

Mu III - A, B, C, and maybe D versions. Rocket of Theseus!

Mu IV - eventually replaced Mu III. Had serious aerodynamic stability issues.

Mu V - new version of Mu IV which does not have those problems.

 

EDIT: I just realized how satisfying "V" sounds after a rocket sounds now that I have a "V" rocket. Saturn V, Atlas V, Ariane 5 (V), SO SATISFYING!!!

My super heavy rocket was going to be Gravity IV, but I think I might rename Gravity IB XL to Gravity IV so I can have Gravity V take the world to Mars and beyond...

 

Edited by Ultimate Steve
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