0.90 Mk3 Space Shuttle

[Naito]

Updated!!

Download link: http://kerbalx.com/crafts/631

Fully stock parts-only NASA Space Shuttle recreation, as faithful as I could manage. No fancy tricks to make it fly period, reaction wheel in cargo bay purely used to help reduce rcs prop use for attitude changes in orbit.

FAR and Deadly ReEntry compatible!! Yes it flies properly even with FAR!

(On further testing, it appears it's not possible to get to orbit WITHOUT FAR, but the stack and the orbiter both fly in stock-only and in FAR)

Reason why I'm so proud of this can be shown by this video, which I've synced up with audio from an actual shuttle launch =)

My first time recording a video, go easy on me!

Features:

- Real Shuttle attachment points: Complete stack is held by Boosters, Booster thrust goes through the "intertank" structure, and SSME thrust goes through lower attach points.

- Twang effect

- Monoprop powered OMS engines

- Body flap (helpful during reentry!)

- Split rudder for air-brake!

- Balanced thrust throughout flight regime, no "cheats" needed to keep it flying straight!

Stages:

1) SSME Ignition

2) Booster Ignition and blow hold-down bolts

3) Booster Separation

4) ET Separation and OMS engine activate.

Launch Procedure:

1) Enable SAS Stability Assist mode

2) SSME ignition

3) when "twang" returns the shuttle to centre, ignite boosters and release clamps!

4) roll maneuver to your desired orbital inclination when you clear the "tower"

5) on booster burnout, switch to SAS Prograde hold mode

6) roll to heads-up, switch back to SAS Stability Assist and aim about 30 degrees above the horizon

6a) you can activate OMS boost around now if you'd like, as the later shuttle missions did

7) You should run out of fuel while still suborbital

8) Detach from external tank and use OMS engines to circularize, leaving the tank to burn up in the atmosphere!

Action groups:

1 - SSME 1 shutdown

2 - SSME 2 and 3 shutdown

3 - OMS engines toggle

9 - decrease body flap angle

10- increase body flap angle

That's it! Control is quite good throughout the entire ascent profile, don't do anything overly drastic and there should be no issues. No need to play funny with the throttles to maintain control, I just throttle back in the video to simulate the actual throttle down calls on a real launch =)

I was able to make a 150x150km orbit, may be able to make higher with better piloting =)

Edited December 22, 2014 by Naito
Changed "primary" download to the newer B model

[Captain Sierra]

Kerbalx.com is one option. If your into supporting a community run site, then thats the place to go.

[Naito]

Added download link at KerbalX, and instructions for launch =)

[Bob Jub]

I can't get it from flipping around when the booster's fuel is low

[montyben101]

Looks amazing but it would look better if you replaced the ET with a 3.75 meter one

[Bob Jub]

I like how it looks, but I just can't get it to fly And the OMS makes it even worse.

Edited December 19, 2014 by Bob Jub

[Naito]

I can't get it from flipping around when the booster's fuel is low

Hmm, I've found it best to keep the first stage trajectory almost vertical, with just a very slight nudge towards your orbit inclination. As it gets close to end of burn, it'll start to overpower the balance and start flipping towards upside down, but that's the way you want to be anyway. Once the boosters go, you should have plenty of control authority back.

Looks amazing but it would look better if you replaced the ET with a 3.75 meter one

I have a version with the bigger tanks instead, but I wanted to try keep the orange tank like the real thing =p

I like how it looks, but I just can't get it to fly And the OMS makes it even worse.

What're you having trouble with? Pretty sure I got the OMS aimed correctly, unless I uploaded an older version.......I'll double check.

[Bob Jub]

I'll give it another try without tilting.. but I do now for certain that once the boosters go... The thrust imbalance with the shuttle's boosters will give it a hard rotation pitch down. The OMS also cause a severe nose down attitude

EDIT Nope.. limiting the trust on the boosters dows help when they're low fuel though- it'd be nice if I could find a way to do that through action groups

EDIT EDIT I found a mod that will center thrust and mass.. but once the SRB's are gone, there is no center and the engines won't work

Edited December 19, 2014 by Bob Jub

[Naito]

I uploaded a new version with a slight change to the fuel load and the SSME angle, it should have better control authority now after booster separation.

[Naito]

Looks amazing but it would look better if you replaced the ET with a 3.75 meter one

How's this?

Managed to keep everything balanced, flies the same way, though I suggest keeping heads-down until the ET is almost empty. Had to replace two of SSMEs with the non-gimbal versions for extra thrust, but it does reduce your control authority.

Download link: http://kerbalx.com/crafts/598

[i like turtles]

Omg that looks... Awesome....

[Naito]

Updated with a new version, along with a video, synced with audio from a real space shuttle launch! =)

[Woopert]

You're back! I remember you from the SpacePort days. I didn't have a KSP forums or SpacePort account but I remember you were one of the few to make a successful stock or modded Space Shuttle in KSP. Great job with this!

Oh, and did they actually fire the OMS engines (AJ10-190) for the later Space Shuttle missions, during SSME burns? I never knew that, I always thought they burned SSME's until they get close to orbital velocity, then detach the external tank (ET) and use the OMS engines to enter orbit. You're probably right here, though.

[Naito]

hey! haha didn't know anyone would remember my old shuttle, that go lost back when the forum got reset a while back. Thanks! I'm rather proud of this one =)

According to the guys as NasaSpaceFlight.com (who are THE authority when it comes to anything space related), they started the OMS assist burns in 1998 on STS-90

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=17437.msg420152#msg420152

Additional fun fact about the OMS assist, John Young (legendary NASA astronaut) was adamantly against this change in launch procedures, you can read about it in astronaut Mike Mullane's book "Riding Rockets". Highly recommended.

They DO burn the SSMEs until they're just barely suborbital, then I believe the official call for the orbital insertion burn is OMS-2 to raise the shuttle's perigee out of the atmosphere. The two reasons it does this is one so that the ET will burn up since it'll still be suborbital, and also that the shuttle will automatically re-enter after one orbit in case there is a problem with the OMS engines. This would be called the AOA Abort (Abort Once Around).

[K.Yeon]

Thanks for this awsome space shuttle! i used it in my mod's photo haha it looks great

[Naito]

Thanks for this awsome space shuttle! i used it in my mod's photo haha it looks great

Thanks!! The new nosecone and cockpit look awesome! Incidentally, if you want a REALLY high res image to make textures from, I took a 300 megapixel picture of Atlantis when I went to visit her earlier this year, maybe it'd help with texturing your parts?

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=32414.msg1291421#msg1291421

[Naito]

Working on a new version, tweaked RCS to be accurate to real shuttle, smoothed out wing slightly now that I'm better with the new offset controls, and made a version with bigger engines so it can actually lift something useful =) Borrowed trick from Rune's shuttle to bury bigger engines inside the aft compartment to both make them look more realistic and use the larger ones relatively well.

Teaser image for Jumbo Shuttle with Spacelab =)

Will upload soon!

Edited December 31, 2014 by Naito

[montyben101]

No idea how you can say that this works with FAR. Impossible to control on reenty, it just flips nose up and *somehow* remains stable SIDEWAYS??!! any idea how to fix it?

Edit: Sorry for my rant, fixed it by adding spoilers underneath the wings.

Edited January 21, 2015 by montyben101

[Naito]

No idea how you can say that this works with FAR. Impossible to control on reenty, it just flips nose up and *somehow* remains stable SIDEWAYS??!! any idea how to fix it?

Edit: Sorry for my rant, fixed it by adding spoilers underneath the wings.

Did you use the flaps? AG 9 and 0 are set to the body flap, you need to max it out on initial re-entry and gradually reduce it.

This is also my old wing design, I updated it on my other shuttle stack so that I can actually come in at about 15-20 degrees and make very gentle S-turns. I'll have to update the orbiter on this one when I get a chance.

[zachdude777]

Every freaking time i try to launch, I STALL!!!!

Help, please! >

[Naito]

Every freaking time i try to launch, I STALL!!!!

Help, please! >

What do you mean stall?

You can try this my newer version instead: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/105572-Stock-only-NASA-replica-fleet-FAR-and-MechJeb-compatible

It's got more power, which makes it easier to fly.