[1.1.0] Flight Manager for Reusable Stages (FMRS x1.1.0 [Experimental])

[SIT89]

I proudly present you my first own created plug for Kerbal Space Programm.

The Flight Manager for Reusable Stages X1.1.00.01!

FMRS lets you jump back and forth in time.

It generates save points after separating controllable probes, ship, landers, ...

So you can launch your mission into space, then jump back in time to the separation and have full control over your dropped vessels.

You can do SpaceX´s Falcon 9 style launches and fly your first stage back to the launch site.

Or launch a space plane on the back of a normal plane. Bring the space plan into space and then fly the launch plane back to the runway.

Drop scientific probes out of flying planes. Let them descend to the ground and do research.

The separated vessels will be added to your main save after landing, or automatically recovered.

Video

Scott Manley made a video about recovery mods, including FMRS! (FMRS starting at 5:20)

 

 

Instruction

Every vessel which should be listed needs to have a probe core, command pod or a RealChute on it.

Go to the launch pad or runway and arm FMRS.

Launch you mission as usual.

Separate your boosters, probes, ...

Every separated vessel which is controllable or has a RealChute will be listed in the window of the plugin.

Now you can jump back to the time of separation and have full control over these vessels.

After you have landed, jump to other dropped crafts or go back to your main vessel and close the plugin.

Features

Creates save points after separation of controllable vessels and lets you jump back to the separation and control these vessels.

 

After you have landed, these vessels will be added to your main save or recovered.

 

 

Recover function.

 

You can recover the landed vessel by clicking the in game recover button or use the auto recover function.

 

The costs of the vessel will be refunded including a calculated recovery factor.

 

All stored scientific data will be added to your main save.

 

You will get a message which lists all recovered values of your craft as soon as you jump back to your main vessel.

 

 

Automatic recover of separated and landed vessels (can be enabled in the settings).

 

Recovers the landed vessels automatically, before jumping to other crafts

 

 

Automatic engine cut off of separated crafts (can be enabled in the settings).

 

FRMS will cut of the engines of separated crafts immediately after separation.

 

 

Killed Kerbal tracking.

 

If you kill a Kerbal during flying a dropped craft, you will lose reputation in your main save.

 

 

Toolbar support.

 

FMRS supports the stock Toolbar and

Blizzy78's Toolbar Plugin

.

 

 

Requires sarbian & ialdabaoth's ModuleManager plugin.

Installation

Copy the FMRS Folder into the GameData Folder of you KSP install.

Download

Curse

Source

Github

 

Know issues

Transmitting science during flying a dropped vessel won't return you all science points.

If you encounter any bugs:

Please check the "write debug messages to log file" option in the settings, recreate the bug and send me the log file.

Thank you!

 

Licence

This plugin is licensed under the MIT license.

Edited April 25, 2016 by SIT89

[rosenkranz]

How well does this interact with MCE?

[Woopert]

Yes! Thank you for this!

[rottielover]

How well does this interact with MCE?

+1 This sounds like the perfect plugin companion to Mission Controller Extended with it's stage recycling.

[SIT89]

+1 This sounds like the perfect plugin companion to Mission Controller Extended with it's stage recycling.

The stage recycling will work,

if you finish your launch

land your stages

after that, click the button "Jump back to Main Mission"

close the plugin

and the go to tracking station and recover your stages.

[Albert VDS]

So what does this plugin do? You explained that you use it to switch back and forth so you can land stages, but does it do anything else to make this easier/possible? Does it stop stages from dissapearing in the athmosphere if it passes 2.5 km distance, etc.

[R0cketC0der]

Looks like a nice idea. I will probably design all of my rockets reusable again after I got this plugin. Again because I once have already designed all of them to be reusable, but then stopped doing that because I had to do really weird and unrealistic launch profiles, but this will remove the need for that.

So what does this plugin do? You explained that you use it to switch back and forth so you can land stages, but does it do anything else to make this easier/possible? Does it stop stages from dissapearing in the athmosphere if it passes 2.5 km distance, etc.

From how I understand it, this sort of lets you revert back to a stage separation and after you've landed the stage, you can go back to the main mission. So for a simple two stage rocket you would do this:

1. Launch

2. Seperate first stage

3. Second stage completes orbit

4. Use this to jump back in time to land the first stage

5. Jump forth in time again and continue with main mission

[SIT89]

So what does this plugin do? You explained that you use it to switch back and forth so you can land stages, but does it do anything else to make this easier/possible? Does it stop stages from dissapearing in the athmosphere if it passes 2.5 km distance, etc.

No. It does not stop stages from disappearing or anything else.

Landing is as hard as in the stock game.

Looks like a nice idea. I will probably design all of my rockets reusable again after I got this plugin. Again because I once have already designed all of them to be reusable, but then stopped doing that because I had to do really weird and unrealistic launch profiles, but this will remove the need for that.

From how I understand it, this sort of lets you revert back to a stage separation and after you've landed the stage, you can go back to the main mission. So for a simple two stage rocket you would do this:

1. Launch

2. Seperate first stage

3. Second stage completes orbit

4. Use this to jump back in time to land the first stage

5. Jump forth in time again and continue with main mission

Yes, you got it.

It basically messes around with save files.

The plugin saves the game after staging and lists the separated stages which are controllable.

So you can jump back in time to the separation and do the landing of your ascent stages.

After you have landed you jump back to your main mission and the plugin will add your landed stage to your current game save.

[Albert VDS]

Oh I see. Now that's cool. This beats quickly landing a stage and then hope the 2nd didn't pass apoapsis yet.

Thanks for making this.

[KvickFlygarn87]

This will be great for when .24 comes!

+1 for you, good sir!

[White Owl]

For a long time, the biggest problem with doing any kind of airborne mothership spaceplane launch was losing control of the mothership. I always had to "just pretend" the plane flew back to a safe landing. Looks like this mod fixes that problem. Very nice!

[Drew Kerman]

Just tested it with this:

Worked great. Flew the plane, made 2 drops (a probe on each side), landed the plane, then switched to the pods to parachute them down to the ground... for SCIENCE! Much more convenient than the save file hacking I was doing mytself...

One thing I noticed tho is that when I switched to the second pod, it descended under an invisible parachute. Most likely because the game isn't fully reloading, so after the first chute deployed visibly the second one visually didn't - but it still worked and descended properly. They are RealChutes so perhaps contacting stupid_chris he can help you out there if needed.

[Drew Kerman]

For a long time, the biggest problem with doing any kind of airborne mothership spaceplane launch was losing control of the mothership. I always had to "just pretend" the plane flew back to a safe landing. Looks like this mod fixes that problem. Very nice!

That scenario makes me wonder. Would you have to make sure to select "control from here" on the spaceplane so that when the two craft separate you are left in control of the spaceplane and not the mothership? And would this have to be done prior to launch so the plugin know what craft is the main vehicle and what is meant to be left behind to regain control of later?

[NathanKell]

Ooh, this is interesting. And it should play nice with life support mods, if I understand the mechanics correctly.

[SIT89]

That scenario makes me wonder. Would you have to make sure to select "control from here" on the spaceplane so that when the two craft separate you are left in control of the spaceplane and not the mothership? And would this have to be done prior to launch so the plugin know what craft is the main vehicle and what is meant to be left behind to regain control of later?

I haven't thought about that yet.

So i have tried it and had to make a quick fix.

V0.1.01 now can handle that.

You can select "control form here" during the flight, but you have to do it prior staging.

After staging the controlled vessel is the "main mission".

[Albert VDS]

Would it bepossible to add decoupling of docking ports instead of only decouplers? Or is that already in?

[Drew Kerman]

You can select "control form here" during the flight, but you have to do it prior staging.

After staging the controlled vessel is the "main mission".

Most excellent indeed

[BahamutoD]

This is a great idea! I guess you found a way to save while in atmosphere... If this works the way I think it works, I'm gonna have to make a third reusable mission video without using multiple launches and scene cuts.

Would it bepossible to add decoupling of docking ports instead of only decouplers? Or is that already in?

Yeah, its important to handle this if you want to reuse spent stages without recovering them. (Redocking and refuelling on the ground)

[Motokid600]

This is a great idea! I guess you found a way to save while in atmosphere... If this works the way I think it works, I'm gonna have to make a third reusable mission video without using multiple launches and scene cuts.

Yeah, its important to handle this if you want to reuse spent stages without recovering them. (Redocking and refuelling on the ground)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you've been able to save in atmosphere for awhile now. This plugin is a god send for the Space X mod.

[BahamutoD]

While flying?

[Albert VDS]

Yes, the last update added IIRC.

[Boamere]

While flying?

Yeah it was in the changelog for ksp 0.23.5

[SIT89]

This is a great idea! I guess you found a way to save while in atmosphere... If this works the way I think it works, I'm gonna have to make a third reusable mission video without using multiple launches and scene cuts.

Would it bepossible to add decoupling of docking ports instead of only decouplers? Or is that already in?

Yeah, its important to handle this if you want to reuse spent stages without recovering them. (Redocking and refuelling on the ground)

Decoupling with docking ports now works with v0.1.02.

Restarting a rocket, with the plugin, which has been refueled will not work currently.

Because the plugin only resets at the launch pad.

But i will implement a solution for that.

[Albert VDS]

Thanks, for the update. Can't wait for it to be used everywhere.

[BahamutoD]

Yeah it was in the changelog for ksp 0.23.5

Ohh... Cool!

Decoupling with docking ports now works with v0.1.02.

Restarting a rocket, with the plugin, which has been refueled will not work currently.

Because the plugin only resets at the launch pad.

But i will implement a solution for that.

That'll be awesome!

I tested the plugin out with my falcon heavy ish craft. It works very nicely.