parts [1.12.x] Asteroid Recycling Technologies

[SpaceMouse]

 

Don't know if this has been mentioned previously but i thought it might be worth posting. While i now have no real trouble getting myself to a asteroid, I've tried multiple times to put them in orbit but i always underestimate it. Perhaps a part to make this easier, say a single-use shaped charge similar to the orion drive system might be a good idea? I realize that kills half the challenge, but even ISRU doesn't do much to move them. At least not in the four days or so i have to break there speed when there in Kerbin's SOI.
I suppose i could just drag a massive fuel supply from Kerbin.

Edited April 2, 2016 by SpaceMouse

[RushilP]

Is this still full of bees?
Not that it would change whether or not I use it, its just that it sounded cool saying it had bees.

[Alewx]

The link for USI Catalog Page is broken and no longer working.

I would like to try ART but getting it, is quite difficult with broken link.

[mcortez]

12 minutes ago, Alewx said:

The link for USI Catalog Page is broken and no longer working.

I would like to try ART but getting it, is quite difficult with broken link.

You can simply Google USI Catalog and you'll get the link, or use the updated link in RoverDudes's signature.

[Alewx]

1 minute ago, mcortez said:

You can simply Google USI Catalog and you'll get the link, or use the updated link in RoverDudes's signature.

Yeah but a download link in all his threads for the different mods would be great.
It is the first point where ppl are going to find it.

Edited April 24, 2016 by Alewx

[AetherGoddess]

For Reference, the USI catalog page is http://bobpalmer.github.io/UmbraSpaceIndustries. additionally, all of the releases are on GitHub, under Rover's Repository page.

[lodestar]

Someone mentioned how the Mass Driver seems overpowered. That's an understatement. I was building a large transfer ship for a Duna mission and just for fun I decided to add the Mass Driver with rock tanks and check if it would work, and it was insane. It was outperforming the Colossus MPD engine from NF Propulsion, which requires almost 2000 ec/s! It's so overpowered it feels like cheating. I did some back of the envelope calculations comparing with a few other electric engines and it outperforms them by two orders of magnitude, considering thrust power over Ec ratio. It's clear it was supposed to be a low thrust engine, so I decided to balance it for myself by increasing Ec consumption ratio by 10x and reducing thrust by 10x.

 

[RoverDude]

Whatever works for your game, go for it

[occ]

can i store all the stuff from KSP Interstellar Extended using this stuff?

[PGTART]

i'm using CKAN, to install mods, and have ART version 1.0.8.3.0
i also use Community techtree 1.2.4  (also latest).

I'm  pretty far now in game science, but i dont see the advanced drills in the game, i have a few but i kinda miss the asteroid grabbing stuff.
Is that some sperate download, or isn't it updated for latest ksp, or something wrong with community techtree.. not sure if its still in the game and where to look for in what is missing.
I have installed all USI parts + MKS lite

[RoverDude]

Can you please be specific on what part you are not seeing?  (i.e. a screenshot or specific part name from sandbox would help)

Edited June 21, 2016 by RoverDude

[PGTART]

well i have the orange drill - o matic 
But i'm missing out on stuff that grabs and drills in asteroids as seen here (youtube introcution of this) https://youtu.be/qXPDOqbErJ8
 

Edited June 21, 2016 by PGTART
typo

[RoverDude]

And you see them or do not see them in sandbox?

[PGTART]

they are not in sandbox either, all was clean installed (no old installation left),

btw you made super mods for KSP !

Edited June 21, 2016 by PGTART

[RoverDude]

Thanks - then sounds like you have an install issue.  Show me your GameData folder and your UmbraSpaceIndustries folder please.

[PGTART]

Game data folder :
000_USITools
CommunityResourcePack
CommunityTechTree
Cormorant Aeronology
dumpt.txt
FerramAerospaceResearch
Firespitter
JSI
KAS
KIS
KSP-AVC
MagicSmokeIndustries
MechJeb2
MechJeb2 Embedded by Dennis6492
ModularFlightIntegrator
ModuleManager.2.6.25.dll
ModuleManager.ConfigCache
ModuleManager.ConfigSHA
ModuleManager.Physics
ModuleManager.TechTree
NearFutureElectrical
NearFutureProps
NearFutureSolar
NearFutureSpacecraft
PrakasaAeroworks
SmokeScreen
Squad
TweakScale
UmbraSpaceIndustries

UmbraSpaceIndustries folder:
05-06-2016  19:21    <DIR>          .
05-06-2016  19:21    <DIR>          ..
05-06-2016  19:21    <DIR>          ART
05-06-2016  19:21             2.741 CHANGELOG.txt
05-06-2016  19:21    <DIR>          ExpPack
05-06-2016  19:21    <DIR>          FTT
05-06-2016  19:21    <DIR>          FX
05-06-2016  19:21    <DIR>          Karbonite
05-06-2016  19:21    <DIR>          KarbonitePlus
06-06-2016  02:01    <DIR>          Kolonization
05-06-2016  19:21    <DIR>          Kontainers
05-06-2016  19:21    <DIR>          LifeSupport
05-06-2016  19:21    <DIR>          MKS-LITE
05-06-2016  19:21    <DIR>          ReactorPack
05-06-2016  19:21    <DIR>          SrvPack
05-06-2016  19:21               766 USICore.version

ART folder
05-06-2016  19:21    <DIR>          .
05-06-2016  19:21    <DIR>          ..
05-06-2016  19:21    <DIR>          Separator
05-06-2016  19:21    <DIR>          RockTank
05-06-2016  19:21    <DIR>          MassDriver
05-06-2016  19:21    <DIR>          Jaw
05-06-2016  19:21    <DIR>          CrewHatch
05-06-2016  19:21    <DIR>          FuelHatch
05-06-2016  19:21    <DIR>          Spaces
05-06-2016  19:21               918 DRE.cfg
05-06-2016  19:21            28.160 DynamicTanks.pdb
05-06-2016  19:21               755 CTT.cfg
05-06-2016  19:21             1.015 CHANGELOG.txt
05-06-2016  19:21                75 ATM.cfg
05-06-2016  19:21               434 MFT.cfg
05-06-2016  19:21               542 Asteroid.cfg
05-06-2016  19:21               731 ART.version
05-06-2016  19:21            12.288 DynamicTanks.dll
               9 File(s)         44.918 bytes
               9 Dir(s)  57.013.710.848 bytes free

 

[RoverDude]

hm... totally at a loss on this one

[PGTART]

should i remove some ckan part of usi and reinstall it again ?
 

[RoverDude]

0.8.4 - (KSP 1.1.3)
------------------
Dependency Updates
Adjusted the step size for asteroids from 1kl to 50kl per click

[Speadge]

Edit:DL link fixed

Something else: Tried the mod with an 1.1.2 created save in 1.1.3 and it seems to change the asteroids that already spawned.

Main problem is a station i have on an E-class asteroid. it was somehow sucked into the center and is not usable / accessable anymore.

Any idea on this? Would like to use the mod on that station :-/

 

Edited June 23, 2016 by Speadge

[Undecided]

Just to continue from my questions from the other thread, what scanner(s) are supposed to be used to detect "rock" resource in asteroids? It may just be a case of me using the wrong scanner rather than the mod not working, since I can see things like the Mass Driver or Rock Tank in the tech tree.

[RoverDude]

The stock surface scanner will show composition when attached to an asteroid.

[stub]

On 12/12/2015 at 0:56 AM, pellinor said:

The 1.25m mass driver seems a bit strong for its weight. Powered by batteries it makes a decent engine for a rocket SSTO :-)
RCS is just a different control scheme for engines, so it would be good if both are roughly balanced against each other.

Also, how come the larger mass driver uses less electricity in RCS mode than in engine mode?

Even now they make a good engine choice. I was redesigning my asteroid tug, having learned the hard way that my first attempt wasn't up to scratch tacking a class C. But how to get this 4xfront engine mining beast with its dangling torque pod+2nd jaw into orbit? At which point I realized I didn't need a first stage. Four main engines and the rock powered RCS on the torque pod meant it got to orbit happily all by itself starting with its tanks only half full, and I've still got 5k delta-v for the intercept.

[stub]

On 12/05/2016 at 0:46 PM, lodestar said:

Someone mentioned how the Mass Driver seems overpowered. That's an understatement. I was building a large transfer ship for a Duna mission and just for fun I decided to add the Mass Driver with rock tanks and check if it would work, and it was insane. It was outperforming the Colossus MPD engine from NF Propulsion, which requires almost 2000 ec/s! It's so overpowered it feels like cheating. I did some back of the envelope calculations comparing with a few other electric engines and it outperforms them by two orders of magnitude, considering thrust power over Ec ratio. It's clear it was supposed to be a low thrust engine, so I decided to balance it for myself by increasing Ec consumption ratio by 10x and reducing thrust by 10x.

 

However, lowering the thrust further would make it even harder (and less fun) trying to capture even medium asteroids.

How about if instead the engines become much heavier, eg. by bolting the ISRU model to the top of the engine model to represent the complex machinery required to transport and convert raw unprocessed solid material into something suitable for being blasted out of the back of a rocket in real time. Heavy enough that a rock powered engine can't be used to take off from Kerbin for sure, or maybe even Minmus. Keep the ISP, but get the TWR in line with ion drives. It should make using them less practicable than nuclear engines, unless you have an asteroid attached for its fuel supply.

So a longer and heavier 2.5m RCS+main, maybe with even more thrust replacing the current 2.5m drive. And a 1.25m RCS+main replacing the current RCS. And maybe a 4 way 2.5m RCS block (only two will fire at once, so processing machinery can be shared).

Or perhaps this could be done with one new part, a fuel tank that converts rock to rock vapour with only enough storage for a few seconds of thrust. With MKS, efficiency would be a factor so maybe one converter/tank doesn't have the throughput to feed a large engine at full thrust without engineers present.

Edited August 8, 2016 by stub
gramma

[Montieth]

Isnt part of the mass value for propellants based on density? Rock being rather more dense than liquid and gaseous fuels, would that not have a great deal of thrust then?