[0.25]KSP Interstellar (Magnetic Nozzles, ISRU Revamp) Version 0.13

[Torminator]

Can you think of a practical use for the He-4 produced by the fusion? it seems a waste just to throw it away.

As far as i know this mod doesn't have a way to create RCS fuel, perhaps you could collect the helium and store it for later? it would certainly distinguish fusion from the other two reactor types (although having to resort to nuclear fusion just to refuel seems a little extreme)

Coolant?

Balloons?

Silly Voices?

[Fractal_UK]

In all honesty, I think it's comparing apples and oranges to consider the power to weight of nuclear reactors and microwave beaming systems. A microwave system doesn't have to actually generate power itself, it simplies receives it and that's why they are so damn efficient. Sure, you can build some truly excellent small spacecraft using the microwave systems but actually guaranteeing power throughout a mission actually requires the investment of a great deal of time and effort. That is the primary balancing factor.

The 1 electric charge = 1KW is not entirely arbitrary, it's a convenient unit based on the generating capacity of the stock solar panels. In space, with no atmospheric losses, you'd expect to get somewhere in the region of 1600W/m² from a perfect solar panel. That means a 100% gigantor would need to be around 11m² of collecting area to generate 18KW. Even taking into account less than optimal efficiency, this is a number that probably isn't too silly.

On the other hand, using 50KW = 1 electric charge, the gigantor now has to be minimum 550m², which it just isn't. Deploy one of these solar satellites in Low Kerbol Orbit and 80MW+ would be obtainable from one solitary panel if you pushed it to the limit!

I can see logic to restricting the amount of input microwave power to a particular dish though, the other thing that could be worthwhile would be to make orientation of the receiving dish matter - a single dish couldn't receive power from transmitters on opposite sides of the dish. Then you'd have to add extra dishes pointing in different directions to maintain power supply.

Ultimately though, reliable microwave power is the reward for developing good space infrastructure and for the taking the long term option of deploying infrastructure, rather than just slapping a nuclear reactor on the back.

[Kerbinator24]

Hey Fractal,

Did you see my reply at the bottom of last page? Just wondering

Thanks!

[Ratzap]

For people getting into the mod at this release stage, a rundown of science and AM collection:

Kerbin 0.15 per day, mun 0.375, minmus 0.375. 901km orbit of Kerbin for AM collection 4.61 e-5.

Moho 3.0 per day

Eve 0.75 per day, gilly 0.75

Duna 0.75 per day, ike 0.75

Dres 1.125 per day

Jool 1.50 per day, laythe 1.80, vall 1.80, tylo 1.50, bop 1.50, pol 1.50. 9001km orbit of Jool for AM collection 6.15 e-3.

Eeloo 3.00per day

Best AM collection, 392,000km from the Sun 3.06 e-2.

[Kerbinator24]

To add onto my already confusing problems I now have no blue option buttons on any parts from this mod except the science module and computer core.

[Fractal_UK]

To add onto my already confusing problems I now have no blue option buttons on any parts from this mod except the science module and computer core.

I'm really confused by your problems, there must be some really simple solution because I've not heard of this issue before. Your installation definitely looks right though.

Can you try downloading the WarpPlugin.cfg file I put up, place it in your KSP/saves/[GameName] directory. It should be in there with your persistence and autosave files.

What kind of platform are you running it on? Do you have any unusual hardware perhaps?

If you could put up a copy of your KSP.log file, that'd be incredibly useful as well.

[Rampart]

To add onto my already confusing problems I now have no blue option buttons on any parts from this mod except the science module and computer core.

It's painful to do with how slow the game loads, but you may just want to try a clean install with only the warp plugin and then add your mods back one by one to see what the problem is.

[Kerbinator24]

Well I reinstalled KSP and the only problem I have now is the "microwave beamed power" one.

Also .cfg file didn't help

My Platform is:

Windows 8 64-bit

Intel Core i5 3230M

8GB DDR3 SDRAM

750 GB SATA

nVidia GeForce GT 610M 2048 MB

Not to sound too nooby but where do find the KSP.log file? :s

[Fractal_UK]

Not to sound too nooby but where do find the KSP.log file? :s

It's in the main KSP directory, along with KSP.exe, the patcher, etc.

[Kerbinator24]

Another anomaly...no KSP.log file...even when I get the computer to search for the same name or parts of the name it gives me nothing :/

[Fractal_UK]

Another anomaly...no KSP.log file...even when I get the computer to search for the same name or parts of the name it gives me nothing :/

KSP.log should be created each time you run the game, if that isn't happening, well that's also very unusual and I really have no idea why that might be. If that isn't there, it implies that there is something going wrong with the stock game, not just the mod. Are you have any other issues?

Did you try the .cfg file again after reinstalling the game?

Did the warp drive animations work correctly after you reinstalled?

[Kerbinator24]

yup...no KSP.log file :/

However the reinstall did fix the warp drive animations

and yes I also tried the .cfg file after reinstalling

As for any other issues none at all...I've even tried installing on other computers in my household to no avail

[Fractal_UK]

yup...no KSP.log file :/

However the reinstall did fix the warp drive animations

and yes I also tried the .cfg file after reinstalling

As for any other issues none at all...I've even tried installing on other computers in my household to no avail

Can you try loading up the game with a microwave receiver equipped ship, pressing ALT+F2 and showing me the result that appears in the console?

[SeventhArchitect]

I love you.

[zzz]

Well, there the thing. It's better to to share it through private message, because it''s not playable(well, it's playable but cfg is just LV-N stats for ingame testing), but for some show it's by this way. I'm a little carried away with this panels and not sure it's actually can to focus something but in general it's close to concept - cone with lot of lasers and couple, maybe more, mirrors. I' made it 2.5 size but it's flat at top(as you suggest) so can be scaled if needed.

If it's looks too strange or too wrong - maybe someone else will use it for some purpose (like flying saucer), it's "into public domain thing" as well as any other my things.

http://www./?rd9rpd5187k1mfc

[Fractal_UK]

Well, there the thing. It's better to to share it through private message, because it''s not playable(well, it's playable but cfg is just LV-N stats for ingame testing), but for some show it's by this way. I'm a little carried away with this panels and not sure it's actually can to focus something but in general it's close to concept - cone with lot of lasers and couple, maybe more, mirrors. I' made it 2.5 size but it's flat at top(as you suggest) so can be scaled if needed.

If it's looks too strange or too wrong - maybe someone else will use it for some purpose (like flying saucer), it's "into public domain thing" as well as any other my things.

http://www./?rd9rpd5187k1mfc

Looks amazing zzz, I have big plans for this one. Hopefully I'll be able to demonstrate something of how this part is going to work very soon!

[theSpeare]

What's that supposed to be?

Are we getting an art pass for all the other parts soon?

[Scotius]

Zzz...how come you still don't work for SQUAD yet? This engine looks amazing. Now rest of the parts look inadequate.

[zzz]

What's that supposed to be?

The basic engine operation of VISTA is thus as follows. ICF capsules are injected into

the magnetic thrust chamber with the desired repetition rate and with the desired expellant

mass per capsule. The capsule is tracked, and imploded using a 5-MJ laser. Depending on

the capsule design employed, the released energy is 200 to 1,500 times larger than the laser

energy. For the typical energy partition leaving the imploded capsule region, we estimate

that one-half of the fusion energy is in the form of high-energy neutrons, one-fourth in x

rays, and one-fourth in charged plasma debris. VISTA uses only the plasma debris because

only the charged component is deflectable by the magnetâ€â€the rest of the energy is simply

discarded. Typically 32% of the plasma energy is available for jet power as the plasma is

redirected by the magnet into an exhaust plume. Consequently, VISTA uses only about 9%

of the fusion output for propulsion. Another 5 to 10% of the plasma energy is extracted for

power generation. As mentioned above, the engine is throttled by changing the capsule

repetition rate. Specific impulse, which is set by the plasma temperature, is varied by

changing the capsule design or (more simply) by changing the expellant mass per capsule.C. Orth, UCRL-LR-110500

9

Steerage of the entire spacecraft is accomplished by injection of the ICF capsules slightly off

the axis of the magnetic thrust chamber.

Fractal_UK asked for this thing some times ago

Now rest of the parts look inadequate.

This actually bad sign(and one of the reasons), But it's actually not very contrast with and don't look too much out of place with other in game, it's also have very lowres interstage shroud because I forgot to dedicate UV space for it and use tiny pieces of what left. And you exaggerate(but thanks).

Edited September 8, 2013 by zzz

[Fractal_UK]

To put some of that more simply, it's a system for Inertial Confinement Fusion, basically the same system as is currently being studied in the National Ignition Facility for power generation purposes in California. It uses extremely high power lasers to vapourise small pellets containing Deuterium and Tritium fuel, the extremely rapid vapourisation causes compression of the fusion fuel and initiates a fusion reaction. In the case of the VISTA, we are using inertial fusion to generate thrust rather than to generate electrical power.

The idea is to vapourise 30 of these pellets per second in order to generate something very closely approximating to continuous thrust.

The engine requires electrical power to power up the laser system, however, the key realisation is that when we initiation fusion in the fuel pellet we can achieve far more thrust than could be achieved by the laser alone because we get the energy from the fusion of all the Deuterium+Tritium fuel as well. That means we can achieve reasonably high thrust and excellent specific impulse with moderate power input.

I haven't finalised all of the mechanics for this yet but expect that it will require moderate amounts of power (think upgraded nuclear reactors), it will have average thrust (think 500-800kN) but fantastic specific impulse. This is going to require a bit of balancing for sure but expect a seriously cool space-engine at the end of it.

[GabrielG.A.B.Fonseca]

For the people inside the vessel it must be a very, very, very bumpy ride.

The pulses would ocilate your acceleration wildly, wouldn't them? If such, wouldn't it have harmful effects in a living thing's physiology? (Not to mention the high-energy particles, specially Neutrons, that would probably irradiate the crew to their deaths.)

[Fractal_UK]

For the people inside the vessel it must be a very, very, very bumpy ride.

The pulses would ocilate your acceleration wildly, wouldn't them? If such, wouldn't it have harmful effects in a living thing's physiology? (Not to mention the high-energy particles, specially Neutrons, that would probably irradiate the crew to their deaths.)

The conical design of the engine is actually to minimise exposure to such dangerous emissions, the crew would themselves be shielded from the neutrons produced by the fusion reaction though you'd likely need to maintain and restore the engine components periodically, these would eventually begin to accumulate radioactive isotopes via neutron absorption. Propellant tanks could also serve as further shielding for any crew.

The biggest danger to life would actually not be those onboard the vessel but to objects nearby - this is not an engine that you'd want to activate in the vacinity of a space station or near another ship - the fusion reaction occurs at the very tip of the conical region and so nearby objects would be completely unshielded from the high neutron and gamma ray flux. If I can implement such dangers in a way that isn't too crippling I might do this, it would provide a drawback to what is going to be a seriously powerful engine. But don't worry, I definitely won't do this in a way that just kills off your Kerbals with no warning - I'd rather there were fewer drawbacks than do that.

As for the bumpy ride, the repitition rate should be high enough that the ride isn't too unpleasant for crew aboard but I'm sure it would noticeably be not completely smooth.

[GabrielG.A.B.Fonseca]

It will certanlly be awesome to fly one of these while listening "Magic Carpet Ride"! (Zephran Crochane fellings)

Also, something interesting to the mod itself would be Radiation Shielding. Fusion Mechanisims and M-AM Reactions would pose real dangers to any form of Baryonic Stuff nearby, including Kerbals. Deuterium tanks could be used as protection, as could lead screens.

It would be quite a challenge to add to the game, but would push the realisim up one level.

[Seeker89]

I thought this was pretty cool and fun to get up there

[Kerbinator24]

Hi again Fractal,

Alt + f2 gives me the debug window where this is spammed constantly:

[Log]: https://kerbalspaceprogram.com/kspstore/dp/patcher/releases/production/win/Patcher.exe -> C:/Program Files (x86)/KSP/KSP_Data/../Patcher.exe

[Warning]: [updater] Patcher does NOT exist! Redownloading.