totm june 2018 Work-in-Progress [WIP] Design Thread

[Servo]

I may have to redo my RCS placement on the nuclear tugs. It turns out, vernors on only 4 axes, plus RCS on the remaining two (not to mention lack of roll control) is a recipe for a bad time. Not to mention that I'm trying to do double-dockings off-center from the CoM. Fun times

15 hours ago, Rune said:

Cool! One suggestion, tough. That Duna Excursion module is asking for some advanced fairing use, IMO. Did you know you can build open-ended fairings, cheating a bit the UI with clever use of undo/redo (Ctrl+Z/Ctrl+Y)? You could put one upside down from the command pod, then build one from the bottom the legit way. And I even think the second one would actually shield the insides form aerodynamic forces. You part count (=game clock) would probably improve greatly.

Also, Von Braun's last mission plan to Mars rocks a lot, probably one of my favorites. I'm looking forward to seeing your final rendition of it!

Rune. Plus, next update we get to re-skin fairings! So hyped for that.

New and improved DEM. I was having some problems with the decoupling, and the fairing suggestion solved that as well.

Also, I spent a bit of time messing around with the Regional Jet challenge. This jet can supercruise at Mach 1.7, and circumnavigate easily. Shame it's a bit small compared to the rest of the field.

 

Oh...

and this

Edited January 2, 2018 by Servo

[selfish_meme]

12 hours ago, Servo said:

 

and this

 

Looks like another x-wing on the way?

Edited January 2, 2018 by selfish_meme

[selfish_meme]

Just been soldiering away on my new film

Edited January 3, 2018 by selfish_meme

[Servo]

22 hours ago, selfish_meme said:

Looks like another x-wing on the way?

Indeed. I've got the looks down in about an hour or so, but being myself, I couldn't let it be a stationary model. Five hours later, I'm not much closer to mobile S-foils than when I started.

If you just use cruise mode, she can fly (albeit extremely poorly), so she's not a complete hangar queen.

The most recent iteration uses a hinge inspired by @SkunkTwerks's recent work, but with hinges in a different spot. I'm a purist for looks, so most of the trouble has been trying to internalize the docking mechanism. The design is in a bit of an odd spot. Bigger than SkunkTwerk's design, but smaller (at least where it counts) than @Torquimedes's Big Six (which had docking wings). 

Not to mention the fact that she's not a computer-friendly beast - over 600 parts in the flying model.

[SkunkTwerks]

15 hours ago, Servo said:

Indeed. I've got the looks down [...]

WOW. That is BEAUTIFUL work @Servo. You really nailed the aesthetics! I'll be very curious to see how you set up your internal hinges, I had some ideas but couldn't quite figure out how to do it. Feel free to PM me if you'd like to put heads together and collaborate. One of the hardest challenges I keep facing when building Star Wars craft has been balancing aesthetics, flight performance, and part count. It's always a compromise, but it's absolutely awesome when you can really nail two of those.

 

Meanwhile, the SkunkTwerks X-Wing Prototype development continues. As of Prototype Version 17, I have achieved S-foil cycling in flight! The great news is that the hinges are sturdy enough to handle it. But it's still pretty shaky and not all the wings dock into place consistently. Docking port placement is key, and it's been really fiddly work to get them all in the perfect position. Losing control of all engines and most elevons during mode switching definitely compounds the challenge. I may need to add redundant docking ports for a better chance at successful re-docking.

Flight config

Battle config (note the altitude lost during reconfiguration tailspin)

Back to flight config.

It ain't pretty yet, but it works. Kinda. Progress is progress.

-SkunkTwerks

Edited January 3, 2018 by SkunkTwerks

[Dfthu]

I have never been able to make a successful SSTO before, so I tried again. Using MK3 for the first time. I hope to deliver space station modules and get a orange tank up eventually. Here in the picture is initial test, seeing if it could get into orbit. I still need to RCS, solar panels, and so on.

This will be a part of my launch vehicle subassemblies. I built this for the super heavy cargo or long distance missions. In the picture is the first launch, seeing how it handles.

 

[Servo]

On 1/3/2018 at 4:20 PM, SkunkTwerks said:

I'll be very curious to see how you set up your internal hinges, I had some ideas but couldn't quite figure out how to do it.

This is my internal setup. Four independent wings, each on one of your 'boba in a straw' hinges, actuated using RCS balls on airbrakes. I downloaded Collide-o-scope for the first time, and it's a godsend (incidentally, it's what also made me update to 1.3).

With the wings on, it still works fine (at least on the pad). Now to coax this beast into the air.

On 1/3/2018 at 4:20 PM, SkunkTwerks said:

Meanwhile, the SkunkTwerks X-Wing Prototype development continues. As of Prototype Version 17, I have achieved S-foil cycling in flight! The great news is that the hinges are sturdy enough to handle it. But it's still pretty shaky and not all the wings dock into place consistently. Docking port placement is key, and it's been really fiddly work to get them all in the perfect position. Losing control of all engines and most elevons during mode switching definitely compounds the challenge. I may need to add redundant docking ports for a better chance at successful re-docking.

I recommend adding a pair of guide rail using I-beams (attached to the fuselage) that cubic octagonals can slide between (attached to the wing). These limit the motion of the wing in the forward-back axis, making it easier to dock.

 

I've also been working on a flight model (without moving wings) just to see what it takes to get this beast into the air. The answer: a lot. Eight Wheesleys, plus filling the fuselage with wing panels, and it still flies like a TIE fighter with its engines disabled. Not to mention that my computer was not built for  600 part craft in atmosphere. 

Edited January 5, 2018 by Servo

[selfish_meme]

I have been watching Enterprise, this makes me drool every time I see it

[Majorjim!]

3 hours ago, selfish_meme said:

I have been watching Enterprise

The new old star trek series?

[Castille7]

Eve Sat One
Update:01.06.2018

Eve Sat One is a launcher for a Satellite/Space Station. Built in 2015 had many tweaks that were needed and left it on the back burners for a while. At the moment I've been making smooth launches and better action groups set. Still working on some refueling tanks I'm calling fuel pods. The Satellite/Space Station has docking ports so it can be used to attach fuel, ore tanks, craft...etc. makes a great starter core for a station or use it as a relay. I have one at the Mun, Eve & Duna to show it's typical range.

 

Pictures at Mun, Eve & Duna...etc.

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

Edited January 6, 2018 by Castille7

[selfish_meme]

5 hours ago, Majorjim! said:

The new old star trek series?

Yeah, they have a Venture Star in the intro

[Servo]

Nearing completion on the flight model (non-moving) of the T-70 X-wing. 

Added the BB droid and split it into two different craft for cruise mode and attack mode. Somehow, it flies decently well, though landing is still hairy (as always).

The moving wing model has the mechanism completed, although I haven't tried to get it off the ground. Hopefully the lessons learned from the previous model will make this an easier process.

And when I say somehow it flies, I really have no clue how...

[Thor Wotansen]

On 1/4/2018 at 8:37 PM, Dfthu said:

I have never been able to make a successful SSTO before, so I tried again. Using MK3 for the first time. I hope to deliver space station modules and get a orange tank up eventually. Here in the picture is initial test, seeing if it could get into orbit. I still need to RCS, solar panels, and so on.

That's a nice looking SSTO, however you may be building it a bit too big.  It is entirely possible to load an airframe down with so much fuel and whatnot that it can barely get itself to space.  Try using just the 2 unit LFO tank in front of the cargo bay and adjusting the amount of oxidizer in it to get a good LF to O ratio.

15 hours ago, Servo said:

And when I say somehow it flies, I really have no clue how...

When you angle wing surfaces the lift marker gets confused

[Dfthu]

28 minutes ago, Thor Wotansen said:

That's a nice looking SSTO, however you may be building it a bit too big.  It is entirely possible to load an airframe down with so much fuel and whatnot that it can barely get itself to space.  Try using just the 2 unit LFO tank in front of the cargo bay and adjusting the amount of oxidizer in it to get a good LF to O ratio.

Thanks, i really have no idea what im doing. Ill try that later

[Shadow dream]

Huh? Less fuel? Where have you learned to play KSP? The answer is MOAR BOOSTERS!

(And occasionaly moar wings)

[Torquimedes]

On 1/2/2018 at 11:54 PM, Servo said:

Indeed. I've got the looks down in about an hour or so, but being myself, I couldn't let it be a stationary model. Five hours later, I'm not much closer to mobile S-foils than when I started.

If you just use cruise mode, she can fly (albeit extremely poorly), so she's not a complete hangar queen.

The most recent iteration uses a hinge inspired by @SkunkTwerks's recent work, but with hinges in a different spot. I'm a purist for looks, so most of the trouble has been trying to internalize the docking mechanism. The design is in a bit of an odd spot. Bigger than SkunkTwerk's design, but smaller (at least where it counts) than @Torquimedes's Big Six (which had docking wings). 

Not to mention the fact that she's not a computer-friendly beast - over 600 parts in the flying model.

As always, your dedication to aesthetics produces a work of art compared to my mechanical experiments.  Best o' luck with your internal mechanism.  I decided to make mine fit inside the largest single-piece container at my disposal (Mk3 bay) due to the required distance dockingports have to travel before they'll redock, and needing the strength of the regular-size dockingport.  Big Six ended up 191 parts while I was trying to minimize part count.

[Torquimedes]

On 1/3/2018 at 3:20 PM, SkunkTwerks said:

WOW. That is BEAUTIFUL work @Servo. You really nailed the aesthetics! I'll be very curious to see how you set up your internal hinges, I had some ideas but couldn't quite figure out how to do it. Feel free to PM me if you'd like to put heads together and collaborate. One of the hardest challenges I keep facing when building Star Wars craft has been balancing aesthetics, flight performance, and part count. It's always a compromise, but it's absolutely awesome when you can really nail two of those.

 

Meanwhile, the SkunkTwerks X-Wing Prototype development continues. As of Prototype Version 17, I have achieved S-foil cycling in flight! The great news is that the hinges are sturdy enough to handle it. But it's still pretty shaky and not all the wings dock into place consistently. Docking port placement is key, and it's been really fiddly work to get them all in the perfect position. Losing control of all engines and most elevons during mode switching definitely compounds the challenge. I may need to add redundant docking ports for a better chance at successful re-docking.

Flight config

Battle config (note the altitude lost during reconfiguration tailspin)

Back to flight config.

It ain't pretty yet, but it works. Kinda. Progress is progress.

-SkunkTwerks

That is a gorgeous craft.  I wish I'd thought of using airbrakes as external actuators that can visually blend into the wings.

Quote

 

Losing control of all engines and most elevons during mode switching definitely compounds the challenge.

 

I had "repulsorlift" VTOL engines and LOTS of torque (powered by RTG) in my X-wings for times like this.  Also spammed the full-throttle button while falling more or less like a brick, waiting for the wings to dock, but not spinning.  Didn't look nearly as good as this bird though.

Are those drills on the wingtips?  How on earth do you swing that much weight without breaking the hinges?  I may have some engineering studies to catch up on.

[SkunkTwerks]

1 hour ago, Torquimedes said:

That is a gorgeous craft.  I wish I'd thought of using airbrakes as external actuators that can visually blend into the wings.

I had "repulsorlift" VTOL engines and LOTS of torque (powered by RTG) in my X-wings for times like this.  Also spammed the full-throttle button while falling more or less like a brick, waiting for the wings to dock, but not spinning.  Didn't look nearly as good as this bird though.

Are those drills on the wingtips?  How on earth do you swing that much weight without breaking the hinges?  I may have some engineering studies to catch up on.

Thank you! I'm so glad all the hours of work paid off in terms of visual accuracy. All of the finished SkunkTwerks T-65 X-Wings (ATMO/SSTO/ATMO+VTOL) can be found and taken for joyrides via the links in my signature.* 

The AIRBRAKE hinge actuators aren't as visually sneaky as @Servo's (I guess that's what you get in a newer model T-70, instead of an old-school T-65), but what mine lack in visual perfection they seem to make up for in stability. They do a great job of keeping the wings from flopping around during mode switching, which is essential when you have (yes!) great big heavy 1.25-ton Drill-O-Matics on each wingtip, plus two Mk.0 fuel tanks, some wing panels, Big-S elevons, and heavy Engines + Mk.2 fuselage + Pre-cooler. All in all, each finished wing weighs nearly 9 TONS and is nearly 10 m long from wingtip to the RCS Port at the central fulcrum.

I'd rather not do the math because the loads aren't conveniently distributed at the end of the lever and I'm not an engineer... but for a 3rd class lever, that sure seems like an awfully large load on an awfully long load arm. And yet with auto-strutting and rigid attachment, ONE AIRBRAKE is all it takes to lift the wing. I ended up using two pairs each to reduce wobble, but I've learned a very important lesson: AIRBRAKES are STRONG! (So are RCS Ports, I-Beams, Structural Panels, and the Force.)

I may try to add VTOL capacity back to this bird at some point, but for the moment it's plenty complicated enough already. One problem at a time! Hopefully I'll have more time later this week to resume working on it.

-SkunkTwerks

 

*Death Star not included. Sorry!

 

Edited January 9, 2018 by SkunkTwerks

[Servo]

5 hours ago, SkunkTwerks said:

I'd rather not do the math because the loads aren't conveniently distributed at the end of the lever and I'm not an engineer... but for a 3rd class lever, that sure seems like an awfully large load on an awfully long load arm. And yet with auto-strutting and rigid attachment, ONE AIRBRAKE is all it takes to lift the wing. I ended up using two pairs each to reduce wobble, but I've learned a very important lesson: AIRBRAKES are STRONG! (So are RCS Ports, I-Beams, Structural Panels, and the Force.)

They're deceptively strong. I've had no problems (except maybe their size) with using them as my go-to actuator for projects. Elevons just don't have the range, and landing gear are too sketchy (suspension problems, can't adjust range).

This is much closer to a first class lever than your design, and has most of the load centered on the hinge (at least during motion), so it's relatively stable. It's still not ready for release since the lower wings still only dock about 1/3 of the time (and you need both docked to land). Cycling while in flight works, and I got the part count down to something relatively acceptable, given the quality of the aesthetics. A majority of the unnecessary parts (solar panel/thermometer detailing) are physicless, so I don't think they really impact performance anyway.

It takes 5 Panthers to get this thing into the air, and you still need to go off a ledge to give yourself enough time to pitch up on takeoff. Annoying, but I'll take it.

And just to prove that it is possible, here we are in cruise mode.

[Torquimedes]

9 hours ago, Servo said:

They're deceptively strong. I've had no problems (except maybe their size) with using them as my go-to actuator for projects. Elevons just don't have the range, and landing gear are too sketchy (suspension problems, can't adjust range).

This is much closer to a first class lever than your design, and has most of the load centered on the hinge (at least during motion), so it's relatively stable. It's still not ready for release since the lower wings still only dock about 1/3 of the time (and you need both docked to land). Cycling while in flight works, and I got the part count down to something relatively acceptable, given the quality of the aesthetics. A majority of the unnecessary parts (solar panel/thermometer detailing) are physicless, so I don't think they really impact performance anyway.

Solar panels are physicsless now?  That's a shame.  I used them in my butterfly hinge when I needed 90 degree rotation inside a Mk1 fuselage.  They worked reliably enough for a light load, but due to the aforementioned sketchiness of landing legs as pistons, I never used that hinge again.

Quote

It takes 5 Panthers to get this thing into the air, and you still need to go off a ledge to give yourself enough time to pitch up on takeoff. Annoying, but I'll take it.

 

That would make an awesome video!

[Servo]

1 hour ago, Torquimedes said:

Solar panels are physicsless now?  That's a shame.  I used them in my butterfly hinge when I needed 90 degree rotation inside a Mk1 fuselage.  They worked reliably enough for a light load, but due to the aforementioned sketchiness of landing legs as pistons, I never used that hinge again.

That would make an awesome video!

They've still got colliders (my F-14 uses solar panel hinges), but both sizes of panel have no lift or drag, making them useful for building stuff out of like hinges or cockpits.

This was a drag test I did a few days ago. Left to right: large solar panel, small structural panel, communotron, small solar panel, radial parachute, large fuel cell. 

Additionally, I made a number of minor tweaks to my F-14 to update it to 1.3.1. Top speed is slightly higher, thanks to replacing the fuel cells with solar panels in the intake, and part count is lower as I cleaned up the weapons and removed a few unnecessary struts.

[Kuznetsov Space program]

Fully stock Tupolev Tu-144 replica with folding canards and turning nose cone . 

[Rune]

2 hours ago, Kuznetsov Space program said:

Fully stock Tupolev Tu-144 replica with folding canards and turning nose cone .

Ingame screenies can be had by pressing F1 in game, they are saved to the /Screenshots folder inside the game folder. Also, F2 disables the game UI, so you can get the most cinematic stuff.

 

Rune. We were all new at some point.

[Yukon0009]

 

[Castille7]

The Cantilever Bridge
Update: 01.16.2018

"Building Bridges in KSP"
Often I work off and on projects and most often when building bridges. The reason is discouragement and burn outs, as we know KSP is not for building bridges but I do find it an exciting challenge and very fascinating. My intent for the Cantilever Bridge Project was to have about 5 sections of bridge to release for others to have the fun of building their own bridge somewhere on the KSC. Physics in KSP make this an exceptional challenge and I often throw in the towel for a while then start again at a later date. My hopes would be to finish projects within a reasonable time....BUT this is not the case with a few of my projects because of awkward hurdles that arise during the process. Here are a few of them from the last attempts to complete this project.

Front Pads on the last section of these piers kept lowering beneath the surface

 

A few more complications shown here

Spoiler

 

Decking not aligning well

Many attempts were made to land the center section before I was able to continue

Minor adjustments were made with tools made by @klond for other uses

Sometimes everything seems to be going as planed then you have to start from square one, once again!
Connection looking beautiful here!

Testing was looking great!

After many reentries to the saved game the center section on the building kept bouncing causing connections to disconnect. Another drop of the center section was done by the hardest (A VTOL Bridge is very hard to control and land on top of a building).
Picture shown here is the new beginning with the landing gear left for less damage during physics bouncing, eventually it bounced to the edge leaving no room for the remainder of the bridge sections. 

Here we decided to go with two sections of bridge meeting in the middle. (This idea was plan B from the start of the project)

New Design going great!

Flag Pole was intended to be close to the build so the end of the bridge would not be meeting with the turtle back (raised turf)
(The pole could be destroyed and then nudge the section over just a bit and we are done!....NOT. This looks and sounds like what should be done here but there are other unseen complications)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 16, 2018 by Castille7