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[DEVTHREAD] Deep Space Exploration Vessels

Angelo Kerman

By Angelo Kerman
in KSP1 Mod Development

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Keep pulsed plasma mode?  

33 members have voted

  1. 1. Keep pulsed plasma mode?

    • Yes, I use it
      14
    • No, I don't use it
      2

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Angelo Kerman

Angelo Kerman

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This is the dev thread for DSEV. The release thread can be found here.

qq7QEhl.jpg

The Deep Space Exploration Vessels (DSEV) mod is inspired by numerous NASA studies on deep space exploration.

Acknowledgements

Module Manager by ialdabaot

Community Resource Pack by RoverDude, Nertea, and the KSP community

Portions of this codebase include source by Snjo and Swamp-IG, used under CC BY-NC SA 4.0 license

Modular Fuel Tanks MM configs by Kolago.

CrossFeedEnabler by NathanKell

Spindle and Spin Ring concept based upon parts by ZodiusInfuser/Sirkut.

Edited by Angel-125
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Angelo Kerman

Angelo Kerman

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I like where this is going.

Thanks. :) I'm creating each engine to offer something unique. The nuclear aerospike is almost done, I just need to figure out how to make emissives work and I'm banging my head on a wall tying to follow the tutorial I found. I've downloaded Unity 4.2.2, which I think will help (I use 4.5.2 for my own game).

Oh ....! Is that a megnetic confinement type of fusion engine? I've allways wanted to make the fusion engine from the deadalus concept. Similar size.

Well it's a magnetic confinement fusion engine from NASA's Discovery II spacecraft. Basically plasma from the fusion reactor is augmented by propellant to generate thrust. From what I understand, the Daedalus concept is different in that deuterium pellets are zapped by lasers to generate thrust- no outside propellant is used.

Edit: Oh my, Porkjet, you're a genius! I realized that if I modified the code I wrote for the nuclear aerospike to support any type of dual-mode fuels (which wouldn't take much at all, it's pretty much there already), then add some electron guns to the fusion engine, then I can have a dual-mode fusion rocket! In Mode A, only a small amount of D3He fusion pellets are consumed, and liquid fuel/hydrogen is consumed to generate high thrust but relatively low isp. In Mode B, the engine burns fusion pellets exclusively for high ISP but low(er) thrust. Brilliant! :)

Edited by Angel-125
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Angelo Kerman

Angelo Kerman

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My brain has been flying on this fusion engine... I am really digging the hybrid dual mode concept. Basically, a fusion thermal rocket combined with a pulsed plasma rocket. I'm looking at creating fusion pellet fuel tanks (the engine has small fusion pellet tanks built in as well), and a support module that's a truss structure of some sort. The pellet tanks will have built-in heat radiators to keep the pellets cool and to shed some of the engine's waste heat. Here's where I'm going with it:

qNV8OdX.jpg

Edited by Angel-125
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Sudslv

Sudslv

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the comparison with big orange tank seems like overkill. i would love to see several nuclear engine types (lifters/landers/interstellar) and nuclear fuel or something like that.

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Porkjet

Porkjet

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The efficiency and power of such an engine is Overkill. Making it outrageously big and heavy (which is also realistic) is the least you can do to balance that monster. Make it at least a chellange to haul that thing to orbit, because once its there you can go anywhere you want, even to other stars.

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Angelo Kerman

Angelo Kerman

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the comparison with big orange tank seems like overkill. i would love to see several nuclear engine types (lifters/landers/interstellar) and nuclear fuel or something like that.

The Supernova is definitely a big engine, it combines a spherical torus fusion reactor with a magnetic nozzle. Unlike the LV-N, the aerospike's collision mesh encompasses the whole model, so you should be able to attach things to it like landing legs. A nuclear-powered skycrane design sounds interesting. Perhaps something that tucks into a 2.5m size that unfolds arms with nozzles on the end, with the reactor in the center. :)

The efficiency and power of such an engine is Overkill. Making it outrageously big and heavy (which is also realistic) is the least you can do to balance that monster. Make it at least a chellange to haul that thing to orbit, because once its there you can go anywhere you want, even to other stars.

I agree. Each engine I'm building offers something unique, but will also have limitations. For instance, the aerospike is a bit better than stock LV-N when in liquid fuel mode, and its OATS system gives it thrust comparable to the stock aerospike but with better ISP. It will require expensive FuelRods in addition to the fuel and/or oxidizer, which means I'll need to model a fuel rod container to refuel the thing with. I'll also learn ModuleManager so that I can change the stock LV-N to use just liquid fuel- if you look in its config file, even Squad says it's not supposed to burn oxidizer too. Now that I think of it, the LV-N could use the MultiFuelSwitcher module I created...

The Supernova is a powerful engine for sure, but it will indeed be rather heavy (30mt at present, I might up that to 50mt given that we have Heavier Rocketry now), its FusionPellets fuel will be even more expensive than FuelRods, and the engine generates a lot of heat, which means I'll have some heat radiators to work on as well in addition to the ones on the pellet tanks. I can see a single radiator module with folding radiators that's big enough to meet the reactor's needs. That will keep the part count down (I hope). Following Porkjet's lead, I'm combining functionality in the parts I make- in my case, so I can keep that part count down and avoid stuffing the build tabs.

I have a third engine in mind that is simpler than the other two, called a nuclear salt-water rocket, that consumes Nuclear Salted Fizzy Water (NSFW ;) ). It offers both high thrust and high specific impulse, but it cannot be used in Kerbin orbit below 200km, it'll kill any kerbals 2km behind its exhaust plume, and any vessels within 500m of the exhaust plume will be vaporized (if I can figure out how to make ships spontaneously combust). Even scaled down it might be too OP for the game though, so the NSFW engine is on the back burner as I contemplate building the 2.5m DUMBO engine.

Finally, fuel costs and engine costs will be high, but I plan to integrate parts into the upcoming karbonite mod that'll let you mine planets and convert materials into nuclear fuels. So a blutonium milling, enrichment and fabrication device that can plug into MKS (or do its own drilling too if no MKS is present) will create FuelRods from Ore, and an atmospheric/hydrospheric processing unit will extract deuterium for use in FusionPellets. Those are down the road though, the initial pack will have expensive fuel containers for the various fuels.

I cant wait for Supernova fusion engine

Ekhm...Download link dont work

Sorry about the link, I upgraded my website earlier this week and messed up the URL. I've updated it and posted the latest build. Yesterday was a detour as I refactored the multi-fuel switcher code, so the download only has the nuclear aerospike at the moment. I'm hoping to figure out emissives once and for all today as well, now that I have Unity 4.2.2. If you happen to have emissives working in 4.5.2, I'd be interested to know how. :)

Edited by Angel-125
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Angelo Kerman

Angelo Kerman

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Finally, figured out emissives! :) This isn't the final heat map but at least I know how to heat up the engines.

XfNonuY.png

And I'm starting to texture the fusion engine, now that I've got it unwrapped. I'm trying to make it blend with stock, and I figured out how to make nice looking panel lines.

bbh9cI9.jpg

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Angelo Kerman

Angelo Kerman

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0.3 is ready, you can download it here or from the first post. I've added an alpha build of the Supernova. There's more work to do such as particle effects and sound and adding waste heat management. There are placeholders for now. I also will be adding some support trusses and of course heat radiators.

It also occurred to me to see how the R.A.P.I.E.R. was done. It turns out, my MultiFuelSwitcher module wasn't needed, there's already a MultiModeEngine. Ugh. Oh well, I set up the Supernova to use multiple fuel types (my mod can handle more than two fuel modes); you'll get a small bonus if using LiquidHydrogen from Near Future Propulsion. And, I see how to add different exhaust plume effects and sounds based on different fuel types, so I'll be exploring that and updating the engine to take advantage of that research. What's really cool is that PartTools supports particle effects, so I'm guessing that's how I can make exhaust plumes and other effects. If I can find a sound clip of the Shuttle SRBs lighting off, I have some ideas on how to tweak that noise.. :)

Here's a teaser image:

FusionWip5.jpg

Edited by Angel-125
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Phers

Phers

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Like the Supernova :) quick question for you though... are you going to make the parts work with tweak scale? this would allow people to scale the parts to their build needs :)

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Angelo Kerman

Angelo Kerman

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Like the Supernova :) quick question for you though... are you going to make the parts work with tweak scale? this would allow people to scale the parts to their build needs :)

I don't use Tweak Scale, but I can add your request to my todo list. Thanks for the suggestion. :)

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Angelo Kerman

Angelo Kerman

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Your supernova engine is looking great, I'll definitely take it to space once your mod is more developed :)

Thanks. :) It's still alpha, there's a bunch to do, but it is coming along. I figured out how to create particle effects today, here's a tech demo and a look at what's in store for the engine effects when in pulsed plasma mode. If you look closely you can see the electron guns zapping fusion pellets streaming from the engine.

ParticlesDemo.png

Now that I know how to do particle effects, it's a matter of refining the concept. That, and building the liquid droplet radiator I have in mind for heat management...

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Angelo Kerman

Angelo Kerman

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Thanks guys. :) Making these parts for KSP has been an educational experience and has been giving me some insight on how to use Unity. I've been slowly teaching myself the art of video game design for years, and with Unity, I have a decent shot at making the game I want (XNA once held that promise until it was abandoned). Anyway, I've created the liquid flame and hydrogen flame effects. These effects are used in NTR mode. According to the NASA document, the engine mixes plasma from the reactor with hydrogen propellant and pushes the ionized result out the back. I've tried to reflect that somewhat in the exhausts but also kerbalized the engine. I have some bugs to work out of the module I wrote, then I can post the update. Oh, and I found some NASA sound bites I can use for the engine noise...

Liquid fuel flame:

LiquidThrust.png

And the hydrogen flame:

HydrogenThrust.png

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