Orbiter Screenshot Thread

[Loru]

Building an Energia launchpad (here with shuttle BOB)

 

[Izack]

A daring rescue attempt for an old freighter, Cairo:

Just 16 days ago, a UN patrol craft rendezvoused with this vessel, which was carrying 10 passengers from Luna to Mars. A malfunction had occurred early on in the mission when the navigation and system control computer failed to end the blowdown cycle in the craft's thermonuclear engines on-time, resulting in a large quantity of the ship's propellant venting into space before the crew discovered and corrected the error, leaving them with far too little propellant for braking at Mars, and without enough food to last them much longer than the planned duration of their transit. After rendezvous, the passengers were immediately disembarked, and the fate of the vessel was debated over. After some discussion, it was decided to attempt to aerobrake it at Mars unmanned, in an effort to avoid wasting the functional vessel. A structure carrying this aeroshield was assembled over the engines by Cairo and Minerva (the military vessel which made rendezvous,) and the ship was nudged by the interceptor into a nominal braking trajectory before being abandoned to computer control. Minerva is now overcrowded, but the passengers and crew are glad to be safe aboard, and the company operating Cairo is just as pleased with the publicity of this high-profile rescue. Hopefully the attention won't turn sour in the next few hours as Cairo makes its mark on Mars' atmosphere. Colonists in the Argyre region are encouraged to watch the skies tonight for the plasma trail of what is already being called a 'modern-day Apollo 13.' It will pass within 25km of Mars' surface.

 

[IronRain]

A daring rescue attempt for an old freighter, Cairo:

Just 16 days ago, a UN patrol craft rendezvoused with this vessel, which was carrying 10 passengers from Luna to Mars. A malfunction had occurred early on in the mission when the navigation and system control computer failed to end the blowdown cycle in the craft's thermonuclear engines on-time, resulting in a large quantity of the ship's propellant venting into space before the crew discovered and corrected the error, leaving them with far too little propellant for braking at Mars, and without enough food to last them much longer than the planned duration of their transit. After rendezvous, the passengers were immediately disembarked, and the fate of the vessel was debated over. After some discussion, it was decided to attempt to aerobrake it at Mars unmanned, in an effort to avoid wasting the functional vessel. A structure carrying this aeroshield was assembled over the engines by Cairo and Minerva (the military vessel which made rendezvous,) and the ship was nudged by the interceptor into a nominal braking trajectory before being abandoned to computer control. Minerva is now overcrowded, but the passengers and crew are glad to be safe aboard, and the company operating Cairo is just as pleased with the publicity of this high-profile rescue. Hopefully the attention won't turn sour in the next few hours as Cairo makes its mark on Mars' atmosphere. Colonists in the Argyre region are encouraged to watch the skies tonight for the plasma trail of what is already being called a 'modern-day Apollo 13.' It will pass within 25km of Mars' surface.

We want more!

 

[Izack]

We want more!

There isn't more, at the moment. Scenario was borken somehow and progress resumed from the rendezvous. Approach is happening...again.

Crazy stuff, coming in with two vessels in two completely different approaches at the same time. I hope nothing goes wrong!

Edit:
Minerva reports successful powered insertion in Mars equatorial orbit, ~1000km. Now waiting for acquisition of signal from Cairo.

Edit 2:
At 04:42 GMT in the morning the comm array on Minerva encountered the universal 40MHz "I exist" signal from Cairo's expected direction. Direct confirmation was obtained in the following hour by a reconnaissance probe searching for the flare of its shield as it entered sunlight:

Separate sources, including Cairo's own Nav/Sys computer have now confirmed that insertion was successful.

 

[IronRain]

Images of the docking of the Neesys module to Skylab-II

Station in docking attitude

Sun rise, almost done with station keeping

Station in sunlight

Go for docking

Hard-dock! Neesys has arrived at the Skylab-II station and will stay docked to docking port 5 for a couple of weeks

 

[Izack]

Visual transmission is received:

 

[MaverickSawyer]

TX and Eridanus test flight.
Currently at Mach 5 and 28 km in altitude. Almost ready to cut Eridanus loose to fly on her own.

 

[asbjos]

Picture nr. 1 - Sunrise
Picture nr. 2 - AMSO Launch (probably Apollo 8)
Picture nr. 3 - The Probe makes my day bright
Picture nr. 4 - Skylab space station with CSM. The Skylab is in orbit around the Moon, made possible with the Velcro-scenario where the Saturn V has boosters
Picture nr. 5 -Goodbye Skylab
Picture nr. 6 - Goodbye Moon
Picture nr. 7 - Well, hello there, Earth
Picture nr. 8 - ...And hello there, Hornet and rescue team (what a luck that the ocean was calm that day...)

 

[Hlynkacg]

At 04:42 GMT in the morning the comm array on Minerva encountered the universal 40MHz "I exist" signal from Cairo's expected direction. Direct confirmation was obtained in the following hour by a reconnaissance probe searching for the flare of its shield as it entered sunlight:

How are doing the 'telescope' effect on your screenshots?

I'm assuming it's a combination of fliters/overlays but I'd be interested in a detailed tutorial.

 

[ED_4]

How are doing the 'telescope' effect on your screenshots?

I'm assuming it's a combination of fliters/overlays but I'd be interested in a detailed tutorial.

That telescope image you're talking about is part of the Apollo capsule. Most likely it's one of the views from within the capsule itself.

 

[Izack]

How are doing the 'telescope' effect on your screenshots?

I'm assuming it's a combination of fliters/overlays but I'd be interested in a detailed tutorial.

Took a picture from far off with very narrow field of view. Here's the original screenshot:

In Paint.NET, applied tiny amount (radius 1 and small brightness and contrast) of glow, radius-1 Gaussian blur, then intensity-20, saturation-0 and coverage-100 noise effect. Cropped n' posted.

 

[NovaSilisko]

 

[Alfastar]

Launch of the Suisei spacecraft. Seen from a launchpad-cam.

Don't forget, Its launched in 1985 and not in 2012. So thats the reason why the picture have a bit less quality.

 

[Loru]

VRML starship generator:

 

[NovaSilisko]

I have designed my first space station, to be assembled sometime in the next decade

And a pretty picture of it:

 

[Ark]

This is what I've been working on today. The missiles are Velcro Blue Streak F1s, and their payload is a UCGO demolition charge set to automatically deploy at 10 seconds. Release it from the Arrow, use IMFD to plot an intercept, and release the warhead at 610 seconds to impact. At 90-someodd tons they are a little bit heavy, and only suitable for large ships. You could probably shoot something out of lunar orbit from the surface, but it doesn't have enough power to reliably hit things in Earth orbit. They are most at home in ship-to-ship engagements at long distances.

Still don't know what to do about hitting targets that are less than 610 seconds flight time away...

 

[MaverickSawyer]

This is what I've been working on today. The missiles are Velcro Blue Streak F1s, and their payload is a UCGO demolition charge set to automatically deploy at 10 seconds. Release it from the Arrow, use IMFD to plot an intercept, and release the warhead at 610 seconds to impact. At 90-someodd tons they are a little bit heavy, and only suitable for large ships. You could probably shoot something out of lunar orbit from the surface, but it doesn't have enough power to reliably hit things in Earth orbit. They are most at home in ship-to-ship engagements at long distances.

Still don't know what to do about hitting targets that are less than 610 seconds flight time away...

I like it! however, it looks kinda familiar ...

 

[ED_4]

Anyone tried to launch the Hubble Space Telescope with a Delta IV Heavy+ rocket? Here's HST with the Delta IV HP secondary stage still attached.

 

[Ark]

I like it! however, it looks kinda familiar ...

Those guys make for good missiles too, except they're a little too small to carry a "warhead".

Having fun with this setup as well:

If I can't get you with the missiles, I'll just come at you ass-first and stomp you flat with my thrust bombs. Did that to an "enemy" Arrow earlier. :lol:

 

[MaverickSawyer]

Those (the martlets) were actually a test for a Kinetic energy weapon. I still don't have the mesh I want! :lol:
And as for the Orion: Careful, or you'll :focus:!