[24.2] Asteroid Recycling Technologies [0.4.2 - 2014.08.24]

[RoverDude]

GitHub (Source)

DropBox (Current version as ZIP)

Background:

What's more awesome than asteroids? Asteroids you can put stuff in! Asteroid Recycling Technologies (ART) allows you to remove asteroid mass and attach multiple reconfigurable storage tanks to the asteroid's surface. ART is a collaboration between myself (plugin code, configs, and Unity), and WaRi (modeling and textures).

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How it works:

First, Attach (via the same mechanism as the ARM Claw) a mass extractor to the surface of the asteroid. This device (aka the Jaw) uses a high powered laser to vaporize asteroid mass, transforming it into rock (a new resource) and prepare the interior space for use.

Next, attach one of several reconfigurable storage tank hatches to the asteroid. Each of these contains a specific resource (LiquidFuel, Oxidizer, XenonGas and Karbonite are included, mod creators and players are encouraged to create more!). These begin with zero capacity, but can be inflated once attached to the asteroid and take advantage of the space created by the Jaw.

Better yet, these storage tanks can be reconfigured on the fly based on your needs - need more Karbonite space and less XenonGas space? no problem - just compress and expand the different tanks. There's even an option to bleed off the contents if you need to make room for something else.

What do I do with all of this rock?!

You can bleed it off - just select 'Vent Rock' on your asteroid's right click menu to toss some out into space. Or, use one of our handy low-yeild extractors (ones for Karbonite, Kethane, Minerals/Water, and Substrate/Ore come with the release) to transform rock into useable stuff.

Example:

Using the Jaw, a player can create available space of, say, 50,000 units. They could then attach tanks for Karbonite, Liquid Fuel, and Oxidizer, and distribute that 50K capacity among all three, and change it as needed (i.e. reduce Karbonite space and expand LFO space during conversion, etc.)

There's some extra stuff too!

Lastly, there are two new parts for other rocky goodness: a nifty mass driver engine that runs off of Rock, as well as an accompanying storage tank. These are similar to ion drives, but with much higher thrust at the expense of ISP (so they sit somewhere between the nuke and the ion drive).

I'm still lost... can you make an awesome video or something?

Ask and ye shall receive.

What's next:

Habitable modules that let you turn your asteroid into an ant colony. More complex high-yield mining technologies, and integration with Freight Transportation Technologies (FTTP)

ChangeLog

0.4.2
[LIST]
[*]Final configuration updates and licensing
[/LIST]

0.4.0 RELEASE CANDIDATE
[LIST]
[*]Split parts into two packs - ART and ART_PartPack
[*]RCS and 2.5m Mass Drivers are deprecated, RCS is coming back with a new model.
[*]Hollowing potential jumped up to 75% of mass.
[*]Simplified the converters at the expense of efficiency - now go straight from rock to resources.  Ratio is approximately 1000:1 to account for conservation of mass (asteroids are fluffy), and to leave breathing room for mining specialization.
[*]The probe now gives science.  Analysis results are non-game impacting for now, but there to support the next expansion.
[*]Some FX adjustments
[/LIST]

0.4.0 RELEASE CANDIDATE
[LIST]
[*]Mass drivers in 1.25/2.5 form factors along with a high-thrust RCS version. Yes, you can fly asteroids around. No, they have no more gimbals. Oh.. and the fade of the emmissive is prettier.
[*]The probe now requires direct activation to perform it's analysis. IT also shows analysis results (so does the asteroid).
[*]Turns out asteroids are very fluffy... conversion rates and hollowed out volume adjusted accordingly.
[*]A new part - Intermediary Separation Module - handles the separation of rock into the specialized types. It will attempt to do this when it sees you have a lot of rock. It also handles Rock=>RockDust conversion.
[*]Fixed the whole 'probe zooming in the VAB' thing
[*]Mass should now remain constant (until conversions start expelling waste).
[/LIST]

Edited August 25, 2014 by RoverDude

[WaRi]

This is the concept art of the mod

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This is the concept art of the Parts

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Edited October 5, 2014 by WaRi

[RoverDude]

Added a DropBox link for the curious - I will get the code up on the GitHubs tonight.

[Torxhead]

Awesome. Congrats on the dev release. Looking forward to testing this out!

[RoverDude]

Awesome. Congrats on the dev release. Looking forward to testing this out!

Thanks. I gotta say, playing with it has been a treat. Can't wait to do the planetary versions.

[Donziboy2]

Sounds interesting, does it detect the size of the asteroid and limit the space created to the dimensions?

[RoverDude]

Sounds interesting, does it detect the size of the asteroid and limit the space created to the dimensions?

Yes, it actually reduces asteroid mass as it adds space (so based more on mass than dimensions).

[crimsonknight3]

Is adding mod functionality simply a case of (without creating new models) copying one of the existing tanks and then just editing the .cfg to store say kethane instead?

[ahappydude]

Kickass locking , cool consept to

[Donziboy2]

Yes, it actually reduces asteroid mass as it adds space (so based more on mass than dimensions).

Where will that mass go once you remove it?

[RoverDude]

Is adding mod functionality simply a case of (without creating new models) copying one of the existing tanks and then just editing the .cfg to store say kethane instead?

Correct.

Kickass locking , cool consept to

Thanks WaRi's models are pretty sweet.

Where will that mass go once you remove it?

With the Jaw, the mass is vaporized and expelled into space. There will be a secondary part that drills instead and crushes the resulting rock and extracts resources while expelling the rest. So you end up with a lot of space dust

[Helix935]

Love the models WaRi, hope this goes far d:cool:b

[Donziboy2]

With the Jaw, the mass is vaporized and expelled into space. There will be a secondary part that drills instead and crushes the resulting rock and extracts resources while expelling the rest. So you end up with a lot of space dust

My only concern is technically that would be thrust. And depending on where you released that dust you could be damaging other craft with the debris.

[Mipe]

Not if you expel it radially (symetrically, of course). The forces negate each other out. As for Jebs floating in front of exhaust ports, however...

[RoverDude]

My only concern is technically that would be thrust. And depending on where you released that dust you could be damaging other craft with the debris.

Not if you expel it radially (symetrically, of course). The forces negate each other out. As for Jebs floating in front of exhaust ports, however...

We'll categorize these under suspension of disbelief It's also a very slow rate.

[Donziboy2]

There has been rumors of other mods possibly mining asteroids at some point, would that interfere with hollowing them out? or possibly combine the resource acquisition while hollowing out the rock.

[RoverDude]

There has been rumors of other mods possibly mining asteroids at some point, would that interfere with hollowing them out? or possibly combine the resource acquisition while hollowing out the rock.

Really depends on the mass. Ours takes about 50% max. So assuming they aren't taking 75% we're good Although I may do a tweak to double check mass as it reduces in case someone ninja's some.

[Rich]

Added a DropBox link for the curious - I will get the code up on the GitHubs tonight.

Hi RoverDude,

Could you do this sooner rather than later please, as providing source code is a requirement of posting a plugin on the KSP forums.

Thanks,

Rich

[RoverDude]

Hi RoverDude,

Could you do this sooner rather than later please, as providing source code is a requirement of posting a plugin on the KSP forums.

Thanks,

Rich

Sure, will toss some up tonight

[DaveStrider]

While i like the idea of storing solid things like food or ore or kerbals in an asteroid, i can't help but think that you shouldn't go pouring your precious fuel into a dirty rock where it could get contaminated. but my problems with the mod are solely related to realism, i totally dig the idea anyway.

[crimsonknight3]

Where will that mass go once you remove it?

I believe it becomes steam which can be stored (which gets lost over time) or used as an alternative to rcs It's on the other thread

[Edit] Ignore that, I am guessing that idea was thrown out the window?

[Donziboy2]

While i like the idea of storing solid things like food or ore or kerbals in an asteroid, i can't help but think that you shouldn't go pouring your precious fuel into a dirty rock where it could get contaminated. but my problems with the mod are solely related to realism, i totally dig the idea anyway.

No reason you could not put a bladder into the cavity...

[crimsonknight3]

I'm currently making a patch for resources for insterstellar - kethane and MKS (and any other mods I perhaps have installed and can't remember). If it's okay and they work fine, want me to upload them?

[Edit]

I won't be making tanks for the radioactive substances, nor for the substances that require cooling systems. I don't know how to balance out the boil off and other cfg options to make asteroid cooling seem more likely. I will do the others though.

Also a question. I've already done the kethane tank but I wanted to ask, on the info screen liquid fuel and oxidizer have their name then a value in blue on the left hand info screen, whereas my kethane tank doesn't... Still the expanded info is there. Is it still going to work without that blue value on the left? I dont have time to test tonight.

[Edit 2]

I've done Ammonia, Argon, Water & liquid methane and they all have blue values, it's only Kethane that doesn't.. Strange. Anyway I'll wait to see if I am allowed to upload them, and also I'll wait for your word on whether you would like for me to do the MKS one's aswell. I'm terrible with modelling but I was considering editing the colouring of the kethane tank but I'll do that tomorrow. Going to watch 47 ronin tonight.

Edited May 20, 2014 by crimsonknight3

[Captain Sierra]

I'm currently making a patch for resources for insterstellar - kethane and MKS (and any other mods I perhaps have installed and can't remember). If it's okay and they work fine, want me to upload them?

[Edit]

I won't be making tanks for the radioactive substances, nor for the substances that require cooling systems. I don't know how to balance out the boil off and other cfg options to make asteroid cooling seem more likely. I will do the others though.

Also a question. I've already done the kethane tank but I wanted to ask, on the info screen liquid fuel and oxidizer have their name then a value in blue on the left hand info screen, whereas my kethane tank doesn't... Still the expanded info is there. Is it still going to work without that blue value on the left? I dont have time to test tonight.

Near Future Propulsion adds ArgonGas and LiquidHydrogen (as well as some uranium resources for reactors but why you'd need an asteroidful I can only imagine).

Also, question for the author. how compatible is this with Asteroid Cities? Is there a chance that with some coordination, they could be made compatible?

[crimsonknight3]

Near Future Propulsion adds ArgonGas and LiquidHydrogen (as well as some uranium resources for reactors but why you'd need an asteroidful I can only imagine).

I dont use NFP (Or at least not right now). Mostly I add the interstellar resources to use with the ion/plasma engines etc... Would be good to be able to have huge orbital refuelling depots for long flights between planets or etc etc etc etc lol