NASA Asteroid Redirect Mission Pack/0.23.5 Images: now with 100% more SLS

[Deltac]

Is this out yet? I know this really isn't the most appropriate question, but seeing as Rocket Pilot 573 just posted a video and Danny2462 just posted

I'm just curious if this has been released.

lol no, the famousmorefamousthanyou youtubers always get a copy to play with in order to make them more famous. It's probably not even out of QA yet, though the tumblr hasn't updated with "EXPERIMENTALS!" or "QA!".

[Guest]

Those new engine effects are amazing!

[RocketPilot573]

Huh, Harv's video description says that it will be realized at the end of the stream... Yep, this is .18.

Hopefully that's actually true...

[Taki117]

No it's not and no date has yet been announced.

I figured as much.

I

ll just leave this here then...

[FITorion]

Huh, Harv's video description says that it will be realized at the end of the stream... Yep, this is .18.

Hopefully that's actually true...

yeah... I don't think I believe that... It's possible Harv misinterpreted something as none of the streamers think it will and the game has crashed several times on stream...

[K3-Chris]

Possible harv misinterpreted "after stream" as immediately after, after can be seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years etc after

[TYRT]

It's so exciting, cant wait.

[Comrade Jenkens]

This combined with the 0.24 contracts and mission control building is shaping up to be the best update yet!

[Deltac]

So I did a little math: Real SLS diameter (first stage at least lol) is 8.4 meters. If we 64% that, we get 5.3 meters. From there we can chop off the decimal and make the final diameter compatible with Novapunch at 5 meters (and probably FASA pack as well). 5 meters in KSP is size 4 before the 1.25 modifier is applied. This means that the size 3 parts we're getting will not be up to snuff for the hardcore rocket people we have here on the forums who would more than likely want a scale SLS to play with.

I'm fine with the new parts, I'm just sort of making a prediction that there will be complaints about the sizes. I'm just waiting for the FASA Apollo mission release which will hopefully proceed 23.5 since the update should have the stronger joints/modify joints feature that Frizzank needs, but that's off topic, so talk about the new parts in KSP, not FASA

[K3-Chris]

Deltac: though I wonder why Squad labeled the new parts as "SLS" they're not that similar imo and all previous parts were kerbal universe stuff, not parts somehow taken from NASA, KSP isn't really about realism and the parts/planet/solarsystem/kerbals aren't realistically scaled, seems odd introducing something as realistic as SLS into the picture, though I can see the NASA promotional angle, mutually beneficial.

[Linear]

It had one central 3.75m stack and 2 radial boosters, collapsed under it's own weight on load, that's ridiculous. It's in testing prior to release hence the stream marathon, doubt much will change between now and release.

Beside from further discussion, i must apologise

We were watching a completely different thing! The video i was watching had 8 3.75m boosters etc.

[K3-Chris]

Don't worry turns out you were correct, might not have been the same vessel but it was most likely the same guy, he was using .23.5 parts in what ever .23 is public atm, no idea why, obviously works better in .23.5 with the modifcations squad has made to how nodes work etc, no idea why he decided to do that, to show how badly it would go? sounded like he was legitimately trying to make it work though.

[Linear]

Don't worry turns out you were correct, might not have been the same vessel but it was most likely the same guy, he was using .23.5 parts in what ever .23 is public atm, no idea why, obviously works better in .23.5 with the modifcations squad has made to how nodes work etc, no idea why he decided to do that, to show how badly it would go? sounded like he was legitimately trying to make it work though.

Well i haven't seen it but it would be a pretty good example of how poor it was before :-)

[Woopert]

So I did a little math: Real SLS diameter (first stage at least lol) is 8.4 meters. If we 64% that, we get 5.3 meters. From there we can chop off the decimal and make the final diameter compatible with Novapunch at 5 meters (and probably FASA pack as well). 5 meters in KSP is size 4 before the 1.25 modifier is applied. This means that the size 3 parts we're getting will not be up to snuff for the hardcore rocket people we have here on the forums who would more than likely want a scale SLS to play with.

I'm fine with the new parts, I'm just sort of making a prediction that there will be complaints about the sizes. I'm just waiting for the FASA Apollo mission release which will hopefully proceed 23.5 since the update should have the stronger joints/modify joints feature that Frizzank needs, but that's off topic, so talk about the new parts in KSP, not FASA

I was actually doing the same math, great minds think alike.

Although, if comparing the Mk1-2 pod to the Apollo command module (which was 3.9 meters wide, basically 4), 62.5% is the proper way to scale down real life to KSP. I know everyone always takes 0.64 but 0.625 is more accurate. The other thing is, unless were getting a new command pod, were going to have to scale down relative to the current 2.5 meter one (meaning 62.5% trick won't work here). So this would give a size of 4.2 meters. Equation is 2.5/x = 5/8.4; x is the value that needs to be found, and 4.2 is the answer. So 4.2 meters would properly size the SLS core stage to KSP.

Coincidentally (or not), GusTurbo did some calculations earlier on another thread and found that the parts are about 4.125 meters. So it makes sense

Now, onto my thoughts. I have to, once again, thank Squad for all their hard work on this. I mean, asteroids in KSP, that you can research and pull into other orbits (i.e. off rails)? That's awesome! And they're working with NASA, too. Sweet!

They have the asteroids down perfect, and the new parts are almost perfect. The claw is sweet, the launch escape system is sweet... the only thing I have to nitpick on is the new engines. And they're very small things, too. These are: the engines on the most powerful one here have engines that are not aligned in a 2x2 square - they're canted outwards like the old SLS design with five engines. So, they got the 4 engines correct, but the orientation is a bit off. I know it's not a replica (as far as we know/are guessing), but it still irks me somewhat. I'd like to see it "fixed." (I say this because technically, Squad has already done a fantastic job).

The other thing is, the engines on the new part, the one with 2 engines on it, look a little small. The nozzles look about the same size as the ones on the bigger engine; I'm assuming they're based on the F-1B "Pyrios" boosters, which are derived engines from the almighty F-1 from the Saturn V. So they should be a big bigger, it also might bulk up the look and make them look more powerful.

But in the end, these are all minor things. Squad has done a fantastic job, I'm just pointing out the things that my attention to details notices.

Edited March 24, 2014 by Woopert

[Giggleplex777]

I was slightly disappointed to find out that the clustered engines were one whole part. I was hoping that the small engines were standalone shuttle engines, which would make stock space shuttles much easier. :/

The engines are also way too powerful and the exhaust is all wrong.

[Woopert]

I was slightly disappointed to find out that the clustered engines were one whole part. I was hoping that the small engines were standalone shuttle engines, which would make stock space shuttles much easier. :/

The engines are also way too powerful and the exhaust is all wrong.

Yeah, the real SLS has a negative TWR on liftoff (without boosters), so these are a bit too powerful. I get the exhaust part; clear exhaust in KSP might be weird (but in a cool way! )

[Comrade Jenkens]

I was slightly disappointed to find out that the clustered engines were one whole part. I was hoping that the small engines were standalone shuttle engines, which would make stock space shuttles much easier. :/

The engines are also way too powerful and the exhaust is all wrong.

I'm not actually going to use the clustered engines but rather use 4 skippers on the core. Also on the side boosters i'll be using a pair of the new large engine on each booster. It just feels more right to have to make engine clusters rather than just having them as one part.

[Linear]

I was slightly disappointed to find out that the clustered engines were one whole part. I was hoping that the small engines were standalone shuttle engines, which would make stock space shuttles much easier. :/

The engines are also way too powerful and the exhaust is all wrong.

Too powerful? Since when were you not a Kerbonaut?!

[cantab]

I was slightly disappointed to find out that the clustered engines were one whole part. I was hoping that the small engines were standalone shuttle engines, which would make stock space shuttles much easier. :/

With any luck they'll also be available in "standalone" format.

ISTR it mentioned that there's no central node on the SLS core cluster, which is a bit of a disappointment. I'm pretty sure you'll still be able to get a fifth engine in there with a cuboct strut, but it'd be nice to not have to.

[CaptainKipard]

Yeah, the real SLS has a negative TWR on liftoff (without boosters), so these are a bit too powerful. I get the exhaust part; clear exhaust in KSP might be weird (but in a cool way! )

Does negative here mean <1?

[LordOfTheOrbits]

Does negative here mean <1?

Yes, I think the SLS has a liftoff TWR of 0.75 without the boosters. It's pretty hard to actually archive a negative TWR.

[Woopert]

Does negative here mean <1?

Yes, that's what I meant.

I probably should have used a better word, I just thought that's how people phrase it.

Yes, I think the SLS has a liftoff TWR of 0.75 without the boosters. It's pretty hard to actually archive a negative TWR.

If you put the engines on top, facing down, does that count?

[NecroBones]

Granted I haven't had a chance to play with them yet, but so far I think the thrust numbers on these new engines sound fine. The goal was to reduce our need for ridiculously complicated asparagus stages and rows of boosters, and make vertical stacking more viable in the game. For that, you need thrust.

For comparison, if you want to look at the Saturn-V, each of the five engines in the lower stage (Rocketdyne F-1 engines) put out something like 6700 kn of thrust. Each. Of course things are scaled down a bit here in comparison, but the lifting thrust on the Saturn-V at the pad was in the ballpark of 33,500 KN. To get that with Mainsails, you need at least 22 of them. Like I said, I know we're scaled down, but it's worth taking into consideration.

EDIT: Unless you're talking about the new 2.5m engine pairs specifically... yeah, if they replace mainsails altogether, that might be a bit OP. We'll have to see.

Edited March 25, 2014 by NecroBones

[tygoo7]

I am in love with those parts and asteroids...

[Giggleplex777]

Yeah, the real SLS has a negative TWR on liftoff (without boosters), so these are a bit too powerful. I get the exhaust part; clear exhaust in KSP might be weird (but in a cool way! )

It should at least be blue.