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Life Size Space Shuttle

zekes

By zekes
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zekes

zekes

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I know exactly what you've gone through in developing this beast. I've been through it several times myself. Nice job.

But seriously... why no procedural wings? Use that one mod, just that one, and your shuttle will look smooth. Your part count will be a fraction of what it is currently. Your shuttle will look better and perform better.

there's a lot of things that would be "easier" with mods - weapons, flight, large things - but when something is stock, it's special, in a way that modded craft aren't. It's hard to describe, but it's a sort of "hardcore" mode of KSP where you're severely limited, and yet produce awesome results.

EDIT: Comparison of old Orbiter to the new Block I's Orbiter -

LSlBWp6.png

Edited by zekes
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War Eagle 1

War Eagle 1

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there's a lot of things that would be "easier" with mods - weapons, flight, large things - but when something is stock, it's special, in a way that modded craft aren't. It's hard to describe, but it's a sort of "hardcore" mode of KSP where you're severely limited, and yet produce awesome results.

EDIT: Comparison of old Orbiter to the new Block I's Orbiter -

http://i.imgur.com/LSlBWp6.png

To bad its cargo bay doesn't close.

Looks great though

Needs larger landing gear….(0.90 finally)

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BagelRabbit

BagelRabbit

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A couple of notes about this project:

♪#1: This thing is large enough to carry three full Wee Shuttle stacks to orbit in its cargo bay, each with enough Delta-V to reach orbit. (The Wee Shuttle stacks are 11 tons each.)

♪#2: Sorry to rain on your parade, but I have some nits to pick.

The tip of the Shuttle tail should be straight up and down, not out at a 20-degree angle...

...if part count really is that irrelevant to you, and if you really want to show attention to every conceivable detail, you should probably spell out a name on one of the wings with solar panels or battery packs, rotated 180 degrees so that their darker bottoms are facing up. You could neatly do the words "United States" with the smaller battery packs, and perhaps the big 'USA' with larger packs or solar panels of you're depicting the Space Shuttle Columbia. The packs and panels are all-but massless, and they add ElectricCharge. What are you waiting for?!

Here's an example of said lettering on one of my projects. The larger text is made of solar panels; the smaller text is small upside-down battery packs.

...also, are you really going to have the Shuttle supported by a dozen or so ungainly launch clamps? Of course not! You should build the tower that the Shuttle stood by in real life. Bonus points if you render the service arms (as this is a stock build, they don't have to extend or retract). It's a better way to render this Shuttle with justice! :wink:

♪#3: I wish you had made this back when 0.24 was a thing. The panels' black borders, especially on the wings, are a little off-putting. I know there's nothing you can do about it now, though.

♪#4: Why don't you just start with a thrust-limited Third SSME? It would save you some rapid semi-panicked adjusting...

♪#5: Are you ever going to close off that payload bay? You could just decouple the top of the bay when you felt like it, but I still think that it's better than just having a big hole in the top of the Shuttle from launch...

Anyways.

I don't mean to degrade this Shuttle in any way. It is glorious, and I'm sure it took a lot of building and testing and building and testing to get it to work as well as it does. I just think that it's not 100% complete yet, and I'm offering pointers on what to do next. :)

Thanks for making this enormous Shuttle, and it seems as if you've kicked off a new wave of Shuttle-building here on the Forum. Even though I'm sure you have gotten an absolute load of +Rep from this design, I can't help myself; here, have some more. :wink:

-Upsilon

[EDIT: Actually, I don't want to be the one to push you over to Three Light-Green Bars, because I just got that far myself. I'm sure that you'll overtake me in a matter of hours, and then I'll give you your +rep, alright? :)]

Edited by UpsilonAerospace
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zekes

zekes

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-snip-

Yes, I know This shuttle deserves a bit more "realism" - but I just wanted to get it flying in the first place, and I can add these details now that it works. As for the tips with the engines and launch clamps, I can fix all this because It's pretty reliable.

I'd rep you but it says i've given too much rep to you for now :D But yes, we're neck and neck :D

Also, thanks for such a long and thoughtful reply, I'm glad you really like this monster.

And yes, it seems the Shuttle- building has been revived just in time for .90 - and everyone thought that would start AFTER the shuttle parts were actually released!

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Majorjim!

Majorjim!

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You should post a video of landing at KSC runway, maybe add a few scenario savegame files, and then post a video montage of epic explosions with this thing. :)

I second that!

This craft is a perfect example of the issues we will have with the new parts.. Everyone and his dog is going to make a shuttle and they will ALL look the same...

Personally I wont post one for this exact reason. I will of course build one. For me the exciting thing will be the cargo people come up with.

This is by far the most impressive shuttle ever made in KSP. And thankfully it will remain so for the foreseeable future. So a note to anyone thinking of posting a shuttle after the .90 patch:

Accept that they will all look the same and make some imaginative cargo!

Edited by Majorjim
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zekes

zekes

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You should post a video of landing at KSC runway, maybe add a few scenario savegame files, and then post a video montage of epic explosions with this thing. :)

I'll make the video now that .90 came out, that will be fun :D

But I can deliver to you all the failures I had during testing..... It was about 10, 3 of which were in flight, meaning I wasted about 1/2 an hour each. ALso, the game crashed every 2nd launch.

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I second that!

This craft is a perfect example of the issues we will have with the new parts.. Everyone and his dog is going to make a shuttle and they will ALL look the same...

Personally I wont post one for this exact reason. I will of course build one. For me the exciting thing will be the cargo people come up with.

This is by far the most impressive shuttle ever made in KSP. And thankfully it will remain so for the foreseeable future. So a note to anyone thinking of posting a shuttle after the .90 patch:

Accept that they will all look the same and make some imaginative cargo!

Thank you :D Yeah I wanted to get this done before .90 - and it's still larger than the Mk3 parts anyway.

People will still struggle with them. A high gimbal engine is needed before anyone can make one.

Not really - just put the COM high up and keep it there, and the slight angle from the rear engines will stay centered. 3/4 of my orange tank is empty because a) there isnt enough thrust to lift that much and B) all the fuel is in the top of the tank, meaning the little bit of angle is plenty to keep the ship centered.

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zekes

zekes

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Hey - would one brave soul please try out my shuttle in the new .90? I would love to just see it on the pad! And I'm currently stuck with some homework ATM and can't tryit yet.... :(

also, closeup of the bay :D

VAFsaRn.png?1

Edited by zekes
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zekes

zekes

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Now build a life sized ISS with it.:P

Seriously though, you could launch a full kerbal sized space station with one or two launches.

pretty much - it's got room for a full orange tank, plus extra :P Would take a lot of very long missions though (with physical time slowing in-game it's 1 hour for a full ascent and about 45 minutes to land).

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zekes

zekes

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Well im not finished dev on mine yet but http://youtu.be/3BQDVC6kx3A

+1 fro not taking the easy way out and putting an engine under the fuel tank....I suggest getting Kerbpaint, your SRB and Orange tank colors are the wrong way round :P

As for after SRB decouple, that's the hardest part - the key is keeping the weight in the orange tank as far forward as you can.... but nice water landing, my shuttle was less.... tolerant.... of that.

This was early test with the underpowered Skipper orbiter engines....

Sadly, not much survived.

Ml0Ukil.jpg

XR6iVPC.jpg

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