[News] The Space Shuttle for Flightgear 3.6

[Thorsten]

Dear Orbiter Shuttle pilots - are you up for a challenge? I got the idea while testing various failure modes and how they're visible on the avionics displays and I think it's worth posting (all you need is some familiarity with the GNC SYS SUMM 2 display of the Space Shuttle and the sections 2.18 (OMS) and 2.22 (RCS) of the crew manual (or equivalent knowledge).

The following five screens show each an off-nominal condition. The relevant fault message has been cleared already from the fault line (otherwise it'd be easy). Can you spot what's wrong (first series of hints after the screenshots)?

















Hint: The failure conditions are (not in order shown)

a) a nitrogen leak in the OMS
b) both He-valves closed for an RCS pod
c) an OMS engine burning inefficient (subtle one)
d) an RCS thruster failure with manifold closed off (easy)
e) a helium leak in the RCS with thrusters running on blowdown pressure

[GLS]

hint/picture number:
a/4
b/2
c/1
d/5
e/3

[Urwumpe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GLS

 hint/picture number:
a/4
b/2
c/1
d/5
e/3

He should have written: "SSU developers are required to answer by PM. Give the others a chance."

[GLS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urwumpe

 He should have written: "SSU developers are required to answer by PM. Give the others a chance."

You're right. My fail sorry

[Urwumpe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GLS

 You're right. My fail sorry

Well, I am not sure if c is really that subtle - such a high pressure drop between injector and tank pressure for both fuel and oxidizer rather suggests a catastrophic failure of the injector milliseconds away from LOCV or at least one the combined fuel/oxidizer valves not opening correctly, despite the 100% indication.

Just an inefficient burn would mean diverging FU/OX IN values.

[JMW]

Does FlightGear operate on Windows 10 ?............

[Thorsten]

Quote:

hint/picture number:
a/4
b/2
c/1
d/5
e/3

:-)

For the record, I cross-posted this over at the FG forum, and so far no one gave it a try :-/

Quote:

Just an inefficient burn would mean diverging FU/OX IN values.

I pull my hat to you, Sir! I realized I had made a mistake here after posting this yesterday, and you're quite correct of course.

Quote:

Does FlightGear operate on Windows 10 ?

Should... I don't use Win 10 myself, so I don't have first-hand experience, but I can't recall any disastrous user reports. If it makes trouble out of the box, usually someone manages to address the problem latest a few weeks later. Also, we have a build server which produces nightly Win and Mac images of the lastest development snapshots, so a fix is quickly available.

[JMW]

Problem:
Windows 10
Unable to locate FlightGear executable - not in FlightGear folder....?
C:/Program Files/FlightGear 3.4.0/
Path to data is fine. C:/Program Files/FlightGear 3.4.0/data

Any help appreciated...

[Thorsten]

Hard to guess at the problem with so little information and not knowing much on the Win setup myself. It sounds like an error from the launcher.

I guess if you're using the launcher (FGRun) you have to tell it where the executable (fgfs.exe) is - on the first page there should be file path menu items.

At some point the idea seemed to be to phase out the launcher (I know for Mac this has been done) and add the functionality directly to the executable - I don't know whether this has been done for Win already for 3.6.

[JMW]

Problem resolved - found fgfs.exe
FGRun not recognizing it but runs from shortcut.
Thanks again.

[Scav]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urwumpe

 . . . rather suggests a catastrophic failure of the injector milliseconds away from LOCV . . .

TL;DR: You can be puttering along in space and not even realize your day has just ended horribly wrong.

[Urwumpe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scav

 TL;DR: You can be puttering along in space and not even realize your day has just ended horribly wrong.

What's that last thing that crosses the mind of a Shuttle astronaut?




The HPOTP.

[GLS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urwumpe

 What's that last thing that crosses the mind of a Shuttle astronaut?




The HPOTP.

I'm going to hell

[Thorsten]

Some work on visualizing the more drastic failure modes.

This is the failure of the ET - if the Shuttle violates structural limits during ascent, I suspect debris might potentially rip the ET open. Or there's the Challenger scenario.

ET goes in a bright explosion:



The SRBs and the wreckage of the Shuttle (the pressure vessel of Challenger actually survived more or less in one piece) get a wild kick from the explosion, the SRBs continue to burn till their fuel is expended, the OV just continues on a ballistic trajectory:



And here's TPS failure - Shuttle fuselage weakens and breaks up...



... to enter the atmosphere in a slowly separating debris shower:

[Thorsten]

Current state of the 3d cockpit works - the first pushbuttons and switches are animated, the forward keyboard units work:



Close-up on the MDUs - the whole selection logic between MEDS and DPS is in place, MDUs are hooked up to given IDPs, they query the GPC array for what major functions are available and respond to the switch commands by changing displays,...



(I think that's OPS 201, SPEC 20 and SM SYS SUMM 2 visible there)

Instrument backlighting at night, casting a soft glow onto the interior cockpit surfaces: