Kron series (Kron 6 end of mission) - temporary halt of program

[KAL 9000]

If you don't mind, I'll pay you a lot of roots for a stock payload of mine to hitch a ride on Kron 6. Thanks! Will upload .craft file soon!

 

[lajoswinkler]

Thank you, xXIndestructibleEVAXx. One of the things I'm doing this is to inspire other folks to do exactly what you described.

 

KAL 9000, you'll have to be more specific. The ship does not have anything but a lateral docking port for refueling and its needs radial symmetry to be stable.

 

On with the report.

Engineer Bill arrived in a poopy Mk1 capsule because the financial department was stoically refusing any luxuries such as decent comfort.

Those two lines in the distance are the propulsion unit and the ship itself.

 

It took a long time for Bill to adjust the ship's heading so that the docking proceeds correctly. This is one of the things that was not beneficial at the moment.

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

Honestly, this was like trying to move an elephant through goo. I never look forward to it, just like the lengthy burns at very low TWR values.

 

Kron 6 is now assembled with some 0.5° error in roll upon docking, which is acceptable. It's still empty, though. Lots of refueling missions will have to follow.

 

Bill is returning to his poopy ship with a smile on his face because he made this right. The ship is ready to receive fuel.

Edited July 17, 2016 by lajoswinkler

[KAL 9000]

More specific? Don't worry, the mass is too small to affect symmetry basically at all, and it'll have an extra docking port to replace the one it takes up. It's miniature probe landers for Plock, Karen, Beros, and Kyx.

[lajoswinkler]

OK, prepare the thing (mind the part count, I'm close to my limit) and I'll see if it fits.

[Geschosskopf]

18 hours ago, lajoswinkler said:

This is one of the largest rockets I've ever successfully flown.

It's impressive that mondo fairing didn't make it flip, given the lack of tail feathers.  How'd you manage that?  Beaucoup torque and lots of Vernors?

[lajoswinkler]

8 hours ago, Geschosskopf said:

It's impressive that mondo fairing didn't make it flip, given the lack of tail feathers.  How'd you manage that?  Beaucoup torque and lots of Vernors?

I really don't know. I didn't use Vernors... I just use a careful gravity turn and ascent protocol.

[KAL 9000]

The .craft file will be up within the hour, just making some final tweaks to the design  .

[KAL 9000]

Here it is, @lajoswinkler! Kron 6 Probe Payload

[lajoswinkler]

23 hours ago, KAL 9000 said:

Here it is, @lajoswinkler! Kron 6 Probe Payload

Thanks. If you don't mind, could I replace the RCS tanks with procedural ones? I'm keeping the part files as low as possible and I've deleted the RCS tanks except the largest one from my game folder.

[VASMIR]

Are you going to try landing on Beros of Kyx?

[lajoswinkler]

@KAL 9000 Sorry, but this thing won't be able to go with the ship. It has 76 parts (I thought you're gonna use like 20 at most) which would grind my framerate to very unpleasant levels, lot of them are redundant or even unneeded and the craft is increadibly heavy - 9.3 tonnes.

Kron 6 will have around 15 km/s and such cargo would drastically lower its delta v, not to mention how massively it would throw it off balance. Also, some parts will have no function, such as those biome surface scanners or radiators.

If you can make itsy bitsy probe core landers with few useful experiments (thermometer, seismometer) and a rudimentary, highly conservative build, I could do it. Kyx and Beros would be the optimal targets.

 

36 minutes ago, VASMIR said:

Are you going to try landing on Beros of Kyx?

Absolutely. The plan is to visit all the poles of all bodies, at least.

 

Mission update: first refueling has been finished.

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

Edited July 19, 2016 by lajoswinkler

[DMSP]

@lajoswinkler, when will you be launching Kron-6 off into the deep black?

I do not have my computer with me, but I know how to make low part count scatter probes and very light landers. I would love to have the opportunity to put some on. I can get them to you by the 27th.

All the best with these refueling missions.

[lajoswinkler]

10 hours ago, DMSP said:

@lajoswinkler, when will you be launching Kron-6 off into the deep black?

I do not have my computer with me, but I know how to make low part count scatter probes and very light landers. I would love to have the opportunity to put some on. I can get them to you by the 27th.

All the best with these refueling missions.

I don't think I'll make it by the end of the week. In fact, I'll be surprised if I manage to do it by the end of the next one. I rarely have the time to play KSP so that's why this ship took so long to realize (plus all the version updates...).

The ship could take something like two very tiny probes that could land on these potato satellites, that's it.

[DMSP]

2 minutes ago, lajoswinkler said:

I don't think I'll make it by the end of the week. In fact, I'll be surprised if I manage to do it by the end of the next one. I rarely have the time to play KSP so that's why this ship took so long to realize (plus all the version updates...).

The ship could take something like two very tiny probes that could land on these potato satellites, that's it.

Well, in that case, can do. I'll email the probes and their details later.

[lajoswinkler]

Obligatory blueprinty screenshot, made using superscreenshotting.

 

Meanwhile, the central tank pillar is almost completely filled with liquid fuel.

[KAL 9000]

Understood. Most of the parts are the launch vehicle, but I can make tiny Kyx + Beros landers to scout out ahead of the crew, sure! I can optimize and remove a lot of parts! Note: There will be an included launch vehicle and an RCS tug for docking to Kron 6. Just release it when it's docked!

[lajoswinkler]

4 hours ago, KAL 9000 said:

Understood. Most of the parts are the launch vehicle, but I can make tiny Kyx + Beros landers to scout out ahead of the crew, sure! I can optimize and remove a lot of parts! Note: There will be an included launch vehicle and an RCS tug for docking to Kron 6. Just release it when it's docked!

You don't need to make the launch vehicle, I can pack them together with the crew when they head for the ship. Requirements are: negligible mass compared to the ship, minimal dimensions to reduce the torque on the ship's axis as much as possible, very low part count.

Redundancy is not needed as Bill Kerman can repair anything that breaks down right before the release.

Just remember you're dealing with potatoids, one of which has less gravity than Gilly. Even Oscar tank and the ant engine are totally overpowered for it. Therefore I highly recommend using Procedural Parts to make custom tanks.

Also, if the principal method of propulsion is gonna be RCS, there is no need for Puff engines and reaction wheels. Four RCS thrusters can take care of all those things.

[lajoswinkler]

I'm having potentially grave issues with the docking ports. In most cases, after I dump the fuel into the ship, I click "Undock" and the button disappears. Nothing happens. The camera does not change its focus, the ports do not undock themselves.

Kerbalism reports no problems with them.

 

So far, whack-a-Kerbal was the only method of removing the docked vessel. However, I won't be able to do that with the Knugen lander, of course.

Does this occur because of some mod? I've seen many people complaining about the bug, but no solutions.

[KAL 9000]

@lajoswinkler Tiny Landers

Here's the .craft file! Less than 2 tons, less than 20 parts! 

[TheSaint]

39 minutes ago, lajoswinkler said:

I'm having potentially grave issues with the docking ports. In most cases, after I dump the fuel into the ship, I click "Undock" and the button disappears. Nothing happens. The camera does not change its focus, the ports do not undock themselves.

Kerbalism reports no problems with them.

 

So far, whack-a-Kerbal was the only method of removing the docked vessel. However, I won't be able to do that with the Knugen lander, of course.

Does this occur because of some mod? I've seen many people complaining about the bug, but no solutions.

It's a (remarkably irritating) bug in stock. Stock Bug Fix claims to have a solution. (I only say 'claims' because I haven't had a chance to play with it. I don't have any reason to doubt that it will work.)

[Geschosskopf]

3 hours ago, TheSaint said:

It's a (remarkably irritating) bug in stock. Stock Bug Fix claims to have a solution. (I only say 'claims' because I haven't had a chance to play with it. I don't have any reason to doubt that it will work.)

I was about to say the same.

[lajoswinkler]

7 hours ago, KAL 9000 said:

@lajoswinkler Tiny Landers

Here's the .craft file! Less than 2 tons, less than 20 parts! 

Excellent, I'll test them later this day, thanks.

 

6 hours ago, TheSaint said:

It's a (remarkably irritating) bug in stock. Stock Bug Fix claims to have a solution. (I only say 'claims' because I haven't had a chance to play with it. I don't have any reason to doubt that it will work.)

It will have to do, one way or another. Thanks.

[insert_name]

I find that KIS with the weight limit boosted allows you to detach a ship, and you can then reattach it

[lajoswinkler]

On 7/22/2016 at 6:52 PM, insert_name said:

I find that KIS with the weight limit boosted allows you to detach a ship, and you can then reattach it

So far, Stock Bug Fix mod works. No sticky ports yet.

 

@KAL 9000 I've taken the liberty of adapting the thing. The landers weren't balanced so I added one small battery on the side (10 charges from the probe core would be depleted fast, too). Also, I've replaced the strut with a procedural structural element that brought the mass down, and I lowered the decouplers' force to some 5%. We don't want to eject the landers out of the potatoid SOIs.

You can name them, of course.

Cargo was delivered by this weird looking, but efficient rocket.

 

Textures got messed up so I don't have the attached landers screenshot at this moment.

 

In other news, the first row of the LF tanks on the ship has been filled. The vessel already has over 6000 m/s of delta v.

Edited July 24, 2016 by lajoswinkler

[KAL 9000]

Thanks!

Names... Hmmm... AHA! The 'official' names will be PPMTL-B01 (Plock Potatoid Moons Tiny Lander - Beros 01) and PPMTL-K01 (Plock Potatoid Moons Tiny Lander - Kyx 01), but the ACTUAL names will be: Beros Lander: Romeo; Kyx Lander: Juliet