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The Icarus Project

Bluegobln

By Bluegobln
in KSP1 Mod Development

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Bluegobln

Bluegobln

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Zhamy Kerman has been stirring up trouble, spreading his religious beliefs about Kaia, the spirit of Kerbin, saying things like "...even the planets are simply larger manifestations of living things, and all Kerbals are part of a larger existence!" The boys at Goblin Enterprises are still laughing about it, but they're not laughing at the sheer monetary contributions Zhamy has been getting. He's used the money to fund his own space faring group, the Cult of Kerbol.

Get this... they believe that planets are living things and may even be able to communicate, if we just wave our hands in the air or maybe pummel them with rockets (well we've been doing that for years and they haven't so much as scratched an itch in response have they?) So this cult, they're setting out to set up camp in close orbit around Kerbol, the largest "entity" in the system. Crazy, if you ask me. But hey, we only really care about two things here at Goblin Enterprises: Exploration, Kerbux, and the Kerbabes! So it happens this project appeals to us.

Goblin Enterprises has been hard at work trying to develop parts for an extended stay in close orbit around Kerbol. The Cult of Kerbol are willing to take whatever they can get their hands on, though. That means Goblin Enterprises could just as easily have competition as not! (Share your related parts, or link to ones you know about that you like!)

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The Icarus Project is an attempt to build parts with the specific intent of "realistically" (makes common sense) orbiting very close to the star of the KSP system.

- Heat shields. Specifically portable ones and where possible large ones.

- Cooling systems. Not the local bulk refrigerators mind you, I'm talking about the big Korellian stuff now.

- Drive systems with some serious efficiency AND kick. The Cult isn't too picky though, they might just decide to go with nuclear or maybe an ion variant.

- Fun stuff to do while there (whatever you can think of that seems like religious pseudo-scientists would want to try)

This isn't just for my own parts, but also a place where you can share parts that fit the general goal of the project. I'm positive people have closely orbited Kerbol before, probably a few of you have done exactly what I'm trying to do. This is about the parts tailor made for the purpose though (and ideas!)

Downloads

All Parts

All Shields

GE-150 Heat Sink

GE-4500 Solar Shield

GE-1600 16m Shield

GE-1600 16m Shield w/ White Texture

GE-1600 16m Shield w/ Gold Texture by Tommygun

GE-50 Probe Shield

Texture UV's Download

GE-4500 45m Shield.

GE_4500_1600_2.jpg

GE-1600 16m Shield.

Shield.jpg

Issues:

- Currently re-entry and mach effects stream right through the cracks in the shields.

- The first prototype isn't really textured. Nope.

- I need to figure out how to add power use to them (electric charge used each time you extend or retract the shield). Feel free to advise! :D

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Ideas:

- Thinking about some kind of probe body that *looks* like it's meant to stay intact a long time when sent straight into Kerbol. Very compact, with thick armor.

- I'd like to make a custom "viewing" habitat piece. Needs to look non-standard, and have its own shielding, with a small very dark window.

- Is it possible to create custom EVA suits?

- Electric power generation based on heat absorption, maybe just using solar panel code with significantly steeper power curve.

- Scooping material from the suns atmosphere to convert into fuel? Probably not a very effective method lol...

- Oooh... heat shield panels that can just be placed radially on 2.5m surfaces to make any part have shielding!

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UPDATE - 7/12/2013: My main PC hard drive failed and I've been without for some time now. It is frustrating but at the present time I cannot do any work on this project. I'll get back at it someday, but in the meantime I hope people fine inspiration in my shields to build their own. I never made it that far on the 200m shield, it was a lot more intense a task than anticipated, and many attempts weren't enough to get it imported in a satisfactory way. Maybe some day. :D

Edited by Bluegobln
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Bluegobln

Bluegobln

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An update with pictures of the second shield I made, now textured and animated properly. It's still a bit large, dimensions are something like 7 meter diameter and 6.6 meters tall when folded up. But then what can you really do when it's a 16 meter diameter shield? That's huge... :|

With some effort I might be able to find a design using twisting joints, additional folds, etc that will shrink it down a few notches, but that will be for a future part.

Honestly, if I can figure out a good way to stop the re-entry effects leakage I'll be very happy with it.

(See above for image)

Download links updated above shortly.

Edited by Bluegobln
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Mekan1k

Mekan1k

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Yes. You will. Until we get the puffin plugin working. Then these will have a function :D

BlueGoblin- PM me or OrbitusII. We are working on a heating model and coolant systems, and you might want to collaborate with us on this.

Edited by Mekan1k
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Bluegobln

Bluegobln

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Will you really survive near the sun? or this is just eye-candy?
Both. I plan on launching missions to Kerbol of course, under the Cult of Kerbol's flag, but mainly this thread is about parts. Half of the stuff in KSP is eye candy anyway :D

I just thought, hey, there are very few heat shield parts that are compact, but also large. We need some large heat shields. Obviously mine aren't "compact" lol but they are quite a lot larger than anything else available as well. (Actually there are some larger heat shields out there if you look, like in the THSS pack from JARFR Plumbing which has 5m and 10m shields, though they are stationary).

I don't even know what the surface of the sun does to spacecraft presently. Im guessing it doesn't do anything but that the programmers made it vaporize any spacecraft that make contact with the surface or something like that.

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Bluegobln

Bluegobln

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Well I don't think there's a way to have actual reflective surfaces in KSP right now. If there is, then yeah, the material for a shield meant to protect ships in low Kerbol orbit would nearly be a mirror I think. The current textures I'm making is just black patterned, something kinda like a re-entry heat shield would be.

I don't know if there's a good way to represent that other than an actual reflective surface. If we use an extremely shiny metallic coating it might be close, but it wouldn't be the same. :|

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Bluegobln

Bluegobln

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Both parts I have textured use PNG textures, you can edit those yourself to try different effects. Let me upload the transparent UV bits I made. Note that I didn't fully unwrap the pieces, just the parts I intended to give actual textures to rather than just solid colors.

Texture UV's Download

Edited by Bluegobln
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Tommygun

Tommygun

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Well here is what I could do.

It may come down to personal taste, but this works for me.

I could do a silver one, but there is something about how gold looks.

It looks like it's already reflecting the sun's image. I can almost feel the heat coming from that last picture.

ae78UDJ.jpg

r5DcAGi.jpg

uJW4ARn.jpg

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Bluegobln

Bluegobln

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I did a white version, put it up for download in the main post. I'd be happy to link yours there if you make the texture file available. That looks epic... lol

Edit: I was trying to think of what it reminded me of. I remember now... ever seen the movie Sphere? Yeah.

SphereMovie-Still7.jpg

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Tommygun

Tommygun

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I don't have a drop box, but if you PM me your Email address, I can send it to you.

Edit: I was trying to think of what it reminded me of. I remember now... ever seen the movie Sphere? Yeah.

A long time ago, I need to re-watch it.

Edited by Tommygun
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Tommygun

Tommygun

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The flight of the Icky Russ 2 is going well so far.......the crew is another matter.

Bob and Jeb aren't talking as Jeb left the thermometer back on Kerbin and then there's Bill......he's doing freaky things with the tanning beds again.

189 million meters above the Sun so far.

O6f0b8j.png

UvXEIn2.png

EQmVdcz.png

Edited by Tommygun
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Tommygun

Tommygun

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You gonna need a bigger shield, mate. I'm working on it!

Anyone have ideas for a REALLY good way to fold up a massive heat shield into a very small space? Lol...

Oh my gosh, it's like from one of my favorite movies, Sunshine! That's awesome! :D

Out of curiosity, what are those cool-looking satellite dishes you've got on those strut tanks?

They are from the newest version of RemoteTech:

http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/remotetech-3/

Edited by Tommygun
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Bluegobln

Bluegobln

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Well if we're making a heat shield out of cloth rather than solid pieces that can be chopped up and moved on rotating joints, I can easily create that. I mean I could make a 200 meter cloth shield that expands from a 1.25m x 1m tall piece or something. But I think it both looks and IS cooler if it's made of solid pieces that cannot be folded like fabric. After all, what kind of fabric like material can withstand the heat of re-entry? Now, for a solar shield, fabric might actually be useful. Something made of extremely highly reflective material that also has a very high thermal conduction to allow it to send heat away to cooling systems efficiently. I don't know if anyone has ever looked at that in theory or practice though.

I've thought of setting up a highly complex folding matrix type thing, breaking the shield into hundreds of facets that would somehow become rigid when pulled together. That's both a questionable design from a realism standpoint and a highly complex model and animation challenge though.

Probably the most promising idea I've had for a very large shield stored in an extremely compact form is some kind of magnetic / plasma shield. If you can generate the stuff between relatively easily, it wouldn't be hard to unfold a large framework to control the field, I don't think. The problem with a plasma shield or some such would be I'd want to use emissives for it, but you can't make something transparent AND emissive, I'm pretty sure.

All things I've been pondering.

So... anyone here REALLY good at Oragami? lol

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Tommygun

Tommygun

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I almost suggested that and NASA has an Origami "expert"/engineer designing some of their antennas and dishes.

Maybe something like?

Something like a single bladed propeller, but you would have 30 or so single bladed props that all rotate out to make a circle shield.

They would all rotate and store inline and then maybe rise up 90 degrees to be inline with the rocket.

It may be easier and more realistic to go inflatable.

Although I just had an odd idea of a inflatable heat shield with flexible scale armor made from the shuttle's heat tiles.

patio-umbrella-4862-3615523.jpg

Edited by Tommygun
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