[1.12.*] Deadly Reentry v7.9.0 The Barbie Edition, Aug 5th, 2021

[Starwaster]

I am not sure if this is a DR or a FAR question, but I believe that my problem fits better with DR.

During lunch I have to keep my TWR at maximum of 1.3 as I approach the sound barrier. If I go any stronger my tanks (the empty ones) heat up and explode. Only when I get to 25-30 km height when the temperature starts dropping I can throttle up.

For temperature display I use Critical temperature gauge

My question is: Is this normal behavior or am I doing something wrong?

The same question! What's the best ascent profile for the recent version of DE? I'm a new player. Trying to maintain low speed and making a smooth gravity turn makes velocity vector fall down the horizon. Increasing thrust makes the rocket fall apart. Struts and fuel lines go first, that makes further flight almost impossible. I understand the physics of the process and how it works in real world, but can't figure out how to complete it in the game. Also try to build my rocket as aerodynamic as possible.

Shall I just go straight up to the upper atmosphere and then make a pitchover maneuver? AFAIK these parameters depend on the specifications of every vehicle (mass, TWR)...

Your problem is probably linked to a multiplier that I'm using that increases heat even before you have gone supersonic. Try using the config below (copy that on top of the existing file in your DeadlyReentry folder)

It uses an exponent that causes reentry heating to start sooner but without the across-the-board aeroheat multiplier. That should help. (this is the file that's going to be going into the next update, which I hope to have out in the next day or two)

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Starwaster/DeadlyReentry/master/DeadlyReentry/DeadlyReentry.cfg

[Mighty1]

Thank you. Then I'll just be extra careful for now while launching unitl the properties of Kerbins atmosphere change in a couple of days

[Bruunz]

Ok. Write me if you found bugs.

This 0.1 version patch.

Did not have a chance to play tonight but KSP now loads successfully. Thanks again!

[Sof]

Dunno if anybody has mentioned this, but I've seen some strange behaviour with the heatshields.

This is with FAR installed.

My Mk1 pod with a parachute on top, periapsis at 20k, Apoapsis from LKO. Heatshield is almost entirely consumed with 0.01 to 0.09 ablative units left out of 100 (never had a pod explode though as it never reaches less than 0)

Same pod on a decent from Minmus orbit with a periapsis at 20k, going considerably faster but only uses about 20 units before the pod has slowed enough and the ablation stops.

Why the big difference, and why is it that way round?

Edited May 27, 2015 by Sof

[Starwaster]

Dunno if anybody has mentioned this, but I've seen some strange behaviour with the heatshields.

This is with FAR installed.

My Mk1 pod with a parachute on top, periapsis at 20k, Apoapsis from LKO. Heatshield is almost entirely consumed with 0.01 to 0.09 ablative units left out of 100 (never had a pod explode though as it never reaches less than 0)

Same pod on a decent from Minmus orbit with a periapsis at 20k, going considerably faster but only uses about 20 units before the pod has slowed enough and the ablation stops.

Why the big difference, and why is it that way round?

I don't know.

That has not been my experience, not with the Mk1, not the version of DRE you're running. The Mk1's shield was configured to be inferior the Mk1-2 pod shields and I found the Mk1 return from Minmus to be barely survivable. The next DRE update might not even provide for a survivable Minmus return for the Mk1. (likening it to Mercury; the USA's entry into spaceflight designed for suborbital or low Earth orbit only)

It could be a FAR issue, maybe the drag levels are such that reaches max Q so quickly that it doesn't have time to heat up. i.e. very high peak heating rate but less heat load. I dunno. (I mostly play stock to make sure that it is stock friendly and compatible with occasional tests with FAR installations to make sure the two play ok but I never noticed what you're describing even with FAR so my previous statement is pure speculation)

Edited May 28, 2015 by Starwaster

[panzerwaffe044]

Your problem is probably linked to a multiplier that I'm using that increases heat even before you have gone supersonic. Try using the config below (copy that on top of the existing file in your DeadlyReentry folder)

It uses an exponent that causes reentry heating to start sooner but without the across-the-board aeroheat multiplier. That should help.

Thanks, the ascent overheating became more logical. BTW, what approximate ascent profile could you recommend for the latest update, that you gave?

[Starwaster]

Thanks, the ascent overheating became more logical. BTW, what approximate ascent profile could you recommend for the latest update, that you gave?

Download the file I linked to earlier (DeadlyReentry.cfg) and copy that over the existing file. That should let you adopt a reasonable ascent profile without punishing you.

[panzerwaffe044]

Download the file I linked to earlier (DeadlyReentry.cfg) and copy that over the existing file. That should let you adopt a reasonable ascent profile without punishing you.

Your new file works cool! Don't have to change anything! Perfect balance, thanks!!!

[Jashin]

Hi there Starwaster. I'm trying to pinpoint the reason why my MechJeb cases blow up so easily as of late.

I'm using the latest version of DRE (the results are the same with or without the latest config you've uploaded in this thread), FAR (latest stable version), as well as the Critical Temp Highlighter mod which highlights the part that is currently under the most thermal stress.

In two rockets I built, my MechJeb cases explode either on the Launchpad (overheating in about 1 second without me doing anything) or at about 10 km. Either way, the probe I intend to send to space is shielded inside a huge fairing, which does not seem to overheat at all : I'm very mindful of my ascent profile, and try to limit the Mach effects at a minimum level.

What is also weird is that the MechJeb case's survival depends on the type of fairing I'm using : Procedural Fairings (the mod, not the new stock feature) kills it on the Launchpad, while KW Rocketry fairings allow it to survive until about 11 km. I've also noticed that it survives for a little bit longer if placed the furthest away from the top of the fairings. It doesn't prevent its inexorable demise, though.

Here are the two rockets I built :

http://imgur.com/a/11xrZ

Edited May 28, 2015 by Jashin

[Svm420]

Hi there Starwaster. I'm trying to pinpoint the reason why my MechJeb cases blow up so easily as of late.

I'm using the latest version of DRE (the results are the same with or without the latest config you've uploaded in this thread), FAR (latest stable version), as well as the Critical Temp Highlighter mod which highlights the part that is currently under the most thermal stress.

In two rockets I built, my MechJeb cases explode either on the Launchpad (overheating in about 1 second without me doing anything) or at about 10 km. Either way, the probe I intend to send to space is shielded inside a huge fairing, which does not seem to overheat at all : I'm very mindful of my ascent profile, and try to limit the Mach effects at a minimum level.

What is also weird is that the MechJeb case's survival depends on the type of fairing I'm using : Procedural Fairings (the mod, not the new stock feature) kills it on the Launchpad, while KW Rocketry fairings allow it to survive until about 11 km. I've also noticed that it survives for a little bit longer if placed the furthest away from the top of the fairings. It doesn't prevent its inexorable demise, though.

Here are the two rockets I built :

http://imgur.com/a/11xrZ

Have you looked at the part with the alt f12 debug enabled? If so where does the heat show it is coming from?

[Jashin]

Svm420, I have just launched again the two rockets with the debug menu on. The Procedural Fairing one spammed this in the debug log : "Deadly Reentry.moduleAeroReentry KzResizableFairingBase : PartThermalData is NULL !"

I assume KZ stands for Keramzit, which is the old name for the Procedural Fairing folder and mod.

The second rocket, using KW Rocketry fairing, does not show anything in the log, either at launch or later. However, I was able to check the part menu by right-clicking the MechJeb case under the fairings right before it exploded.

Here's the screenshot :http://i.imgur.com/LGd2Rd2.jpg

[Svm420]

Svm420, I have just launched again the two rockets with the debug menu on. The Procedural Fairing one spammed this in the debug log : "Deadly Reentry.moduleAeroReentry KzResizableFairingBase : PartThermalData is NULL !"

I assume KZ stands for Keramzit, which is the old name for the Procedural Fairing folder and mod.

The second rocket, using KW Rocketry fairing, does not show anything in the log, either at launch or later. However, I was able to check the part menu by right-clicking the MechJeb case under the fairings right before it exploded.

Here's the screenshot :http://i.imgur.com/LGd2Rd2.jpg

It looks like the part for mechjeb may have a mass of 0 in the .cfg file. If you can check the file for that and if the mass is 0 make it at least 0.005 or something so DR can work better on that part. Also you may want to use the dll starwaster posted a link to it will at least remove the debug spam.

This is the best work around until starwaster puts out his new updated to better handle low mass parts among other fixes

[Jashin]

Thanks a lot for the fix and the explanation. Cross-mod compatibility is always hard to implement, and I'm running so many mods it was bound to happen at some point. Things will iron out eventually but in the meantime I'm glad to know how to prevent my rockets from exploding internally

[Citizen Joe]

The module manager config for KW rocketry is broken. It causes the game to be unable to load if the cfg files for the KW Nosecones are present.

[Starwaster]

The module manager config for KW rocketry is broken. It causes the game to be unable to load if the cfg files for the KW Nosecones are present.

Read two posts above yours; there's a link to a corrected file.

[Citizen Joe]

Read two posts above yours; there's a link to a corrected file.

uh... i'm talking about DeadlyReentry-KWRocketryFairings.cfg breaking the nosecones from KW. Whatever the case is, the file(s) from the link does nothing to correct them not loading.

Edited May 28, 2015 by Citizen Joe

[Starwaster]

uh... i'm talking about DeadlyReentry-KWRocketryFairings.cfg breaking the nosecones from KW. Whatever the case is, the file(s) from the link does nothing to correct them not loading.

Oh, oops.

Use this:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Starwaster/DeadlyReentry/master/DeadlyReentry/DeadlyReentry-KWRocketryFairings.cfg

[Starwaster]

Update 7.1.0 released

https://github.com/Starwaster/DeadlyReentry/releases

* Added heat shield char support. (not all shields)

* Major changes to skin conduction, radiation and convection

* Skin percentage is now actually a percentage of thermal mass. (i.e. part thermal mass goes down as skin thermal mass goes up)

* Heat shield aerodynamics fixed. (stable when blunt end forwards for all DRE shields & ADEPT shields)

* Heat shield decoupler: texts fixed. Unused decouplers removed. 0.625m decoupler added.

* NaN checking

* MOAR NaN checking

* Moved away from foreach usage. (you shouldn't use foreach, m'kay? foreach is bad.... m'kay?)

* Delete audio on destroy

* reimplemented engine detection

* RO support

* Depleted shields burn easier

* 1kg minimum part mass enforced. (in calculations only; part mass is not touched)

* Fixed 3.75m shield normal map

* Patching of KSO parts to remove obsolete pre DRE 7 configs.

* Lowered convection/radiation factors to 10

* KWR configs fixed.

* Other general config fixes

'changes to conduction/radiation/convection' is understating things a bit. It made things hot enough that I had to reduce convectionFactor to 10 to keep certain reentries survivable. Mk1 pod can handle LKO reentries just fine but munar or Minmus returns will probably burn its shields out before it can slow down to safe velocities. radiationFactor reduced to 10 to keep it even with convection.

[Recon777]

Hey there. Love the mod. But I have a question.

So, I'm relatively new to the game and I went to the Mun for the first time to do some orbital science and come back. I've been making a lot of successful landings on Kerbin with Deadly Reentry installed, but this time I was not so lucky.

The reentry capsule was a normal Mk1 capsule with two Universal Storage "quad storage" bays (8 segments filled with science gear) beneath it. Under the bottom science bay was a standard heat shield which I've been using without incident since starting the career. The reentry from the Mun was a bit faster than usual though, coming in somewhere about 3000m/s. I heard things start exploding but couldn't tell what was getting destroyed because the craft looked fine at least what I could see through the flames. Then suddenly it all just blew up. The heat shield wasn't even a third depleted yet either. Did I do something wrong? Is there a trick to coming back in from farther than a normal Kerbin orbit in order to survive? Can I bring back my universal storage pods?

[smunisto]

Adjust your peri within the atmosphere to taste(until you don't explode).

Use Alt+F12 -> Physics -> Thermal -> Display Termal information in menus and check how hot the parts get.

The US pods may be overheating, you need to adjust your Pe within the atmosphere until you find an angle where you don't burn out.

3000 m/s or so is normal for Minmus return(+/- 200m/s) and I've never had a problem with US pods burning up (Make sure you update US, not only DRE, FAR too if you have it).

Also, post an output log, which for Windows is located in KSPinstalldir/KSP_Data/output_log.txt.

When you hear/see and explosion press F3, which will pause the game and bring up a log of all flight events, where you will be able to see what exploded and why right away.

Are you using the latest version of DRE from last night? The previous version went through many iterations, mostly distributred via direct links to cfgs and dll files by Starwaster, some of which you may have missed.

[hahawin]

Update 7.1.0 released

https://github.com/Starwaster/DeadlyReentry/releases

* Added heat shield char support. (not all shields)

What are the implications of this change? A quick google on heatshield char only turned up papers that try to model heatshield effects...

EDIT: thanks for the update btw This mod has been an essential for me ever since I discovered it and it only keeps getting better

Edited May 29, 2015 by hahawin

[Starwaster]

What are the implications of this change? A quick google on heatshield char only turned up papers that try to model heatshield effects...

EDIT: thanks for the update btw This mod has been an essential for me ever since I discovered it and it only keeps getting better

It's graphical in nature. The bottoms of of heat shields supporting it will darken as they burn through their ablative material.

[SmarterThanMe]

What's a safe periapsis for reentry from LKO? I have a Mk1 pod with four US wedges and a heatshield that I simply can't get back down onto the ground.

[Starwaster]

What's a safe periapsis for reentry from LKO? I have a Mk1 pod with four US wedges and a heatshield that I simply can't get back down onto the ground.

20 is a good go to periapsis.

If the problem is that you're burning up, you can go steeper but too steep and also run the risk of G force damage.

[Svm420]

Loving the latest update! Question for you Starwaster. I am playing on a resized system so LKO velocity is around 4500m/s. I just dd a re entry with the mk1 pod as a test. Periapsis set to 25km wanted 20 but decoupler threw it off. I survived the re entry but ran out of ablator at about 50km up still from the high velocities. As an aside, my pod's skinTemp rose to 1460s I saw in the cfg it was supposed to have a depleted maxtemp of 1200 should that apply to skin as well? I was wondering what changes I could try to slow down the ablation rate. I loved the easy setting back in the pre 1.0 DR when you introduced it with the alternate heat model I believe I had used that to tweak ablation using a resized sytem. Just wondered what setting you though any help for me to tweak if tha would be possible. Thanks again!

P.S. Is the mk1 pod meant to have 2 reentryConductivity variables?

@PART[mk1pod]:FOR[DeadlyReentry]{
    @maxTemp = 1600
    MODULE
    {
        // Most of these if unspecified default to the corresponding part variable.
        // skinMaxTemp
        // skinThermalMassModifier
        // skinThicknessFactor = 0.1
        // skinHeatConductivity = 0.12
        // skinThermalMass


        name = ModuleHeatShield
        ablativeResource = Ablator
        lossExp = -5000
        lossConst = 20
        pyrolysisLossFactor = 10000
        [COLOR=#ff0000]reentryConductivity[/COLOR] = 0.01
        ablationTempThresh = 500
        depletedMaxTemp = 1200
        [COLOR=#ff0000]reentryConductivity = 0.0012[/COLOR] // (skinHeatConductivity * default reentryConductivity)
    }

Edited May 29, 2015 by Svm420