[DEVTHREAD] Deep Space Exploration Vessels

[billbobjebkirk]

For the Copernicus pack, could you also include parts for the baseline HOPE BNTR crew vehicle?

EDIT1: Also, I remember that a vehicle had the same propulsion bus as the HOPE BNTR ship, but with the power source changed to Copernicus style solar panels, appeared in a NASA video in december 2014.

EDIT2: Right here, at around 4:37:

Edited May 12, 2015 by billbobjebkirk

[Angelo Kerman]

For the Copernicus pack, could you also include parts for the baseline HOPE BNTR crew vehicle?

EDIT1: Also, I remember that a vehicle had the same propulsion bus as the HOPE BNTR ship, but with the power source changed to Copernicus style solar panels, appeared in a NASA video in december 2014.

EDIT2: Right here, at around 4:37:

It looks like there are two interplanetary craft. One at 4:10 that has a large lab and big circular solar panels. The other appears to be a stretched Copernicus with arms ending in what look like long habitat modules. Is it the second one? It looks like you could make the second craft with my planned Copernicus expansion, combines with stock hitchhiker cans ank mk1 structural fuselage, but it is hard to tell from the picture. I do plan to include the saddle truss, a new version of Homestead, a tripple-mount thrust structure that doubles as a radiator and power generator when you have LV-Ns attached, and the large docking ring currently in the baseline mod. Between that and stock you should have what you need to build the ship in the video unless I'm missing something.

[billbobjebkirk]

It looks like there are two interplanetary craft. One at 4:10 that has a large lab and big circular solar panels. The other appears to be a stretched Copernicus with arms ending in what look like long habitat modules. Is it the second one? It looks like you could make the second craft with my planned Copernicus expansion, combines with stock hitchhiker cans ank mk1 structural fuselage, but it is hard to tell from the picture. I do plan to include the saddle truss, a new version of Homestead, a tripple-mount thrust structure that doubles as a radiator and power generator when you have LV-Ns attached, and the large docking ring currently in the baseline mod. Between that and stock you should have what you need to build the ship in the video unless I'm missing something.

I meant the second one. The bug thing that would make the HOPE vehicle hard to do with a regular Copernicus pack is the forward fuel tanks, which you can see in the PDF I linked. They need shortened radial gold tanks and a four way structural adapter.

[Angelo Kerman]

I meant the second one. The bug thing that would make the HOPE vehicle hard to do with a regular Copernicus pack is the forward fuel tanks, which you can see in the PDF I linked. They need shortened radial gold tanks and a four way structural adapter.

Hm, ok, looking again at the presentation you linked, I see on slide 26 a BNTR-Powered AG / PCTV with saddle trusses and a "Star Truss" segment. There are gold foil tanks radially attached.

The current DSEV release features 3.75m tanks in three sizes corresponding to the three SLS tanks in game, so those could be used for the PCTV. A FLM-7200 and FLM-3600 could comprise the radial drop tanks. I could see using the FLM-14400 and a 7200 for the inline tanks. And looking at the picture, I see a 3.75m SAS unit / RCS thruster in my future...

All the FLM tanks can be radially attached to the existing truss segments, and next update will have crossfeed enabled. So I think you can do what you're asking. I will double-check tonight when I get home.

Edit: Yup, with CrossFeedEnabler, the fuel tanks can be radially attached to other tanks and supply fuel. The HexPort also has CrossFeedEnabler, which means you can dock big fuel tanks to the central truss and they'll supply fuel- no fuel lines needed.

I have some sort of issue with my IR install; it is not giving me the >> option, and also I can't open the group editor. So I'll try reinstalling that later.

So instead, I attached the rotating hubs to an action group and they are now happily rotating away

I'l look out for the next release; I'm keen to get to grips with that engine.

Many thanks

Glad to hear!

Edited May 13, 2015 by Angel-125

[Angelo Kerman]

I decided to release what I've got now, just in case the next batch of updates takes longer than expected.

Get the latest release here!

0.3.20: Bug Stomping

Textures

- Converted all textures to dds format.

ISP Enhancements

- Buffed Supernova ISP to 35,000 sec.

- Buffed ArcJet RCS thrusters to 5,000 sec.

- Buffed "Ace" ArcJet engine to 5,000 sec.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Liquid Hydrogen is not particularly dense so you need a lot of it to get deltaV comparable to stock LiquidFuel. Plan your vessels accordingly. The game changes that affected the way how engines compute fuel use, combined with the CRP's move from 5L units to 1L units, has resulted in major tweaks needed for ISP. Remember, you can always use the MM_LiquidFuel patch to convert the ArcJect RCS thrusters, ArcJet engine, and Supernova to use LiquidFuel.

ISRU

- The Compact ISRU now produces: LH2, Monoprop, LiquidFuel, Oxidizer, LFO, Coolant, and FusionPellets.

- The Compact ISRU now costs more.

Fuel Tanks

- Multipurpose Storage Tanks will supply their resources if radially attached to other tanks, courtesy of CrossFeedEnabler.

WB-2 Fusion Reactor

- The reactor may now be started through staging.

- If the reactor doesn't have enough ElectricCharge to start then it is now smart enough to not drain the ship's electricity.

Supernova

- Added normal map.

- Added animated heat.

Masscon

- Removed Masscon resource in favor of an editor window that lets you enter the part's desired mass.

- The masscon part is slightly larger than before.

Resources

- Removed Masscon resource as it's no longer needed.

Docking Ports

- When you select a HexPort on the target vessel and Set As Target, it will light up automatically, turning off all other lit HexPorts.

- HexPort now provides resource cross-feeding, courtesy of CrossFeedEnabler. No more fuel line trickery needed!

Bug Fixes

- Fixed an issue where the orange Multipurpose Storage Tanks would not remember what size they were.

- Fixed an issue where tank decals refused to hide themselves as directed.

- Fixed an issue where radiators would explode during high timewarp.

- Fixed an issue where the Supernova wasn't showing all of its engine flame effects.

And the promo image:

Edited May 13, 2015 by Angel-125

[ChrisSpace]

Are you ever going to have a downloadable .craft file for the Discovery II replica above? I would really really love that.

[Angelo Kerman]

Are you ever going to have a downloadable .craft file for the Discovery II replica above? I would really really love that.

Yes. When I create the 1.0 release, I'll provide my reference design as part of the download.

[Neutrinovore]

I just spent the last several hours constructing my best guess at the Discovery II, based on the Imgur pictures in the OP. I really should be sleeping, but I love building ships in KSP... Anyway, I think this will be a pretty efficient ship, both in terms of Delta-V AND parts count. I mean, I have a tendency to start adding greebles and antennas and other stuff that probably isn't strictly necessary for a Jool mission, for instance, but all I really had left to add before the game crashed (don't worry, my game does this regularly, I have a middling-performance PC and a LOT of mods installed, it's nothing to do with DSEV) was the RCS system, and I had barely cracked 100 parts. MechJeb was reporting that the ship had over 140 THOUSAND m/s of vacuum Delta-V in Pulsed Plasma mode, so I may actually try to use this ship without my usual 'infinite fuel' cheat.

Anyway, tired, off to bed. But my original point was that I too am interested in an example craft file to be included in some future version of the mod. Keep up the great dev work, Angel. Looking forward to further releases as and when they're done.

Later!

[Angelo Kerman]

I just spent the last several hours constructing my best guess at the Discovery II, based on the Imgur pictures in the OP. I really should be sleeping, but I love building ships in KSP... Anyway, I think this will be a pretty efficient ship, both in terms of Delta-V AND parts count. I mean, I have a tendency to start adding greebles and antennas and other stuff that probably isn't strictly necessary for a Jool mission, for instance, but all I really had left to add before the game crashed (don't worry, my game does this regularly, I have a middling-performance PC and a LOT of mods installed, it's nothing to do with DSEV) was the RCS system, and I had barely cracked 100 parts. MechJeb was reporting that the ship had over 140 THOUSAND m/s of vacuum Delta-V in Pulsed Plasma mode, so I may actually try to use this ship without my usual 'infinite fuel' cheat.

Anyway, tired, off to bed. But my original point was that I too am interested in an example craft file to be included in some future version of the mod. Keep up the great dev work, Angel. Looking forward to further releases as and when they're done.

Later!

Awsome, good to hear. I might have to fiddle with pulsed plasma mode, there is still work to do in that area.

[iVG]

As far as I'm aware, the Discovery II had something like 51km/s deltaV. Maybe the ISP is too high? 140km/s seems a bit too much but for the KSP solar system. Something like 10km/s would get you pretty much anywhere and back sticking to the 'reference' design but hey, you could always go out there and build even bigger ship. Having engine an engine THAT efficient in real life would mean we could visit Ceres, carrying life support and tons of stuff that you don't need in KSP unless you play with life support. 20km/s for that particular design sounds like a good target right now, will get down to 10-12 with all the life support for your kerbals which is plenty!

Keep up the good work, @Angel-125 !

[Angelo Kerman]

As far as I'm aware, the Discovery II had something like 51km/s deltaV. Maybe the ISP is too high? 140km/s seems a bit too much but for the KSP solar system. Something like 10km/s would get you pretty much anywhere and back sticking to the 'reference' design but hey, you could always go out there and build even bigger ship. Having engine an engine THAT efficient in real life would mean we could visit Ceres, carrying life support and tons of stuff that you don't need in KSP unless you play with life support. 20km/s for that particular design sounds like a good target right now, will get down to 10-12 with all the life support for your kerbals which is plenty!

Keep up the good work, @Angel-125 !

According to what I read, the NASA design had about 22k deltaV. 140k it is definitely too high for pulsed plasma mode. My reference design gets about 13k for Hydrogen mode, enough to reach Pol from Low Kerbin Orbit with deltaV to spare for the RCS motors. I've actually considered removing pulsed plasma mode altogether. That would make it easier to work on the Supernova...

Edited May 13, 2015 by Angel-125

[Neutrinovore]

Heh, well, I'm not certain that MJ's delta-v calculations are totally accurate, it's been funky ever since the new drag/aero model was updated with v1.0, so...

[ChrisSpace]

According to what I read, the NASA design had about 22k deltaV. 140k it is definitely too high for pulsed plasma mode. My reference design gets about 13k for Hydrogen mode, enough to reach Pol from Low Kerbin Orbit with deltaV to spare for the RCS motors. I've actually considered removing pulsed plasma mode altogether. That would make it easier to work on the Supernova...

Well, when you get down to it there are two kinds of nuclear fusion engines: Ones that use heat from the fusion reactor to throw out hydrogen propellant (eg the Discovery II) and those that use the fusion reaction as propellant directly (eg Icarus ghost ship)

Here is a quick comparison of some fusion engines I found on atomic rockets and elsewhere:

ASTEROID MINING CREW TRANSPORT

mass: under 133.4mT

fuel/propellant: D-D fuel / Hydrogen propellant

thrust: 96kN

isp: 10,000s

HOPE Z-PINCH FUSION

mass: 95.138mT

fuel/propellant: Deuterium-Tritium fusion + Lithium6 fission fuel / no other propellant

thrust: 38.12kN

isp: 19,346s

DISCOVERY II

mass: 310mT fusion reactor + 6mT magnetic nozzle divertor + 30mT energy conversion + 11mT coolant system + 6mT fuel coolant and injector

fuel/propellant: He3-D fuel / Hydrogen propellant

thrust: 18kN

isp: 35,435s

ICARUS GHOST SHIP

mass: 1000mT

fuel/propellant: D-D fuel / no other propellant

thrust: 1600kN

isp: 540,000s

[Angelo Kerman]

Next update will be later tonight. I fixed a couple more bugs. Meanwhile, I'm experimenting with a graphics change. This is one of my test ships:

Edited May 14, 2015 by Angel-125

[Angelo Kerman]

Get the latest version here!

Docking Ports

- When selecting "Control From Here" on a HexPort, its glow panels will automatically light up.

- Had to remove CrossFeedEnabler from HexPorts due to lag issues.

Bug Fixes

- ArcJet motors now properly request ElectricCharge from the vessel.

- Fixed an issue where radiators were not taking on heat properly.

- Radiators now properly request electrical charge from the vessel.

- When selecting Toggle Engine or Activate Engine from an action group, the Supernova's flame effects will now appear properly.

- Cleaned up the Action Group items for the Supernova.

NOTE: You might need to redo your action groups.

Other

- Discovery II reference design added to the DSEV/ReferenceDesigns folder. This is a .craft file that you can use in your own saves. Simply copy the .craft file to the KerbalSpaceProgram/Ships/VAB folder.

Help me help you! This release of DSEV includes the reference design I'm using for Discovery II. Right now the Supernova engine is tuned to produce 1000k heat, which should give you plenty of time to perform engine burns. If you are so inclined, please play with heatProduction for the Hydrogen engine and see what burn times work best for you. Then, report your results here. You'll find that setting in the SupernovaPart.cfg file in the DSEV/Assets directory.

Also, I've created a poll regarding the pulsed plasma mode. Please vote!

Well shoot, the stuff I did to drain electricity isn't working properly. Next update, dang it!

Edited May 15, 2015 by Angel-125

[Neutrinovore]

Next update will be later tonight. I fixed a couple more bugs. Meanwhile, I'm experimenting with a graphics change. This is one of my test ships:

http://i.imgur.com/FaGrGoo.png

Oh, THAT'S why the fusion reactor is smaller than the engine!!! I didn't realize that I was supposed to put it INSIDE a hex truss! I thought I was having some kind of scaling problem, lol.

[Angelo Kerman]

Oh, THAT'S why the fusion reactor is smaller than the engine!!! I didn't realize that I was supposed to put it INSIDE a hex truss! I thought I was having some kind of scaling problem, lol.

Heh, yup, sometimes it's not readily apparent.

I have some more bugs to fix as a result of seeing tonight's stream, but the good news is that DSEV is getting close to 1.0 release. And by overwhelming demand, the "Mace Windu" engine flame color stays.

Edit: OK, I just did a stealth hotfix for DSEV. Version number is still 0.3.21, but I've fixed the electrical consumption issue, and included the Tripple Hex Truss.

And the latest update to the splash image:

Edited May 15, 2015 by Angel-125

[rabidninjawombat]

Awesome mod - Angel-125! Im really diggin the direction this is going

Only small thing ive noticed. The FLM-100 radial tank seems to be holding way to much in the way of resources. It actually seems to hold more than the FLM -900.

[Angelo Kerman]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll have that fixed next update

[Whizzkid]

Is the issue of overheating on high timewarp supposed to be fixed? I encountered this issue when using the Discovery II craft.

EDIT: I know that the radiator exploding on high timewarp bug has been fixed, but the whole craft explodes for me at 100,000x warp after about 10 - 15 seconds. The overheat bars show for a split second before it explodes.

Edited May 17, 2015 by Whizzkid
Added Extra Info

[Angelo Kerman]

Sounds like during high timewarp I need to disable heat circulation. Not sure why they exploded...

[Angelo Kerman]

OK, fixed the FLM-100's LFO amounts, and the ship exploding during high warp.

[Angelo Kerman]

Just a heads up, this week's DSEV updates, due out Thursday evening, will have more bug fixes, individual Supernova engines will finally require RocketParts and some Science to upgrade to pulsed plasma mode (and a skilled engineer), a new monopropellant storage template, and 1-2 new parts depending on how much time I have. The 1.0 release is just around the corner.

[Whizzkid]

Just a heads up, this week's DSEV updates, due out Thursday evening, will have more bug fixes, individual Supernova engines will finally require RocketParts and some Science to upgrade to pulsed plasma mode (and a skilled engineer), a new monopropellant storage template, and 1-2 new parts depending on how much time I have. The 1.0 release is just around the corner.

Awesome work! Absolutely love using this mod

[Angelo Kerman]

Awesome work! Absolutely love using this mod

Thanks! It's been a long haul with a few hiccups along the way, but I stomped a lot of bugs and just got the Supernova upgrade code worked out. Now I'm building the .625m mini fusion reactor- I already have the 1.25m mid-sized reactor done. Both of these are by request, and the .625m will be KIS/KAS portable.