OHM DarkEnergy Spaceplane

[jedidia]

Ah, you dock the payload to the front port, now I get it. So it's really just an attachment port, without any crew transfer capability. Got it!
Just... errr... How are we going to dock the payload to the destination? Are you planning on making a docking mode that can account for the offset in the payload attachment? On the other hand, I guess we could always just wing it by the seat of our pants...

 

[Max-Q]

How are we going to dock the payload to the destination? Are you planning on making a docking mode that can account for the offset in the payload attachment? On the other hand, I guess we could always just wing it by the seat of our pants...

Well, the design mission for this ship is really to act as a CSM for a manned lunar landing; for that mission, no docking of a payload to another vessel is needed.
To haul modules or cargo for something like a station building is also a perfectly valid mission, as long as the docked payload doesn't exceed 20,000kg.
So since this is an alternate mission, it is probably gonna be the "seat of the pants" method.
On the other hand, no promises but I will certainly look at some kind of control mode to make it easier; I did something like that in my Finding Eagle addon.

 

[Max-Q]

v2.0 is here!
I added the cargo version discussed earlier in this thread.
Check out the VC in the cargo ship, I think is pretty cool!

 

[Max-Q]

Some more screenshots of Ion-6 and deep space DarkEnergy.
Now I have the spacecraft stacked on Ion 6 and the mobile launch platform, swing arms, and white room done.

 

[jedidia]

That shilouette... It reminds me of something...
Ah, riiiiight!

 

[Max-Q]

That shilouette... It reminds me of something...
Ah, riiiiight!

That is a big ship...
Seems like an awfully populated launch site though!

 

[Urwumpe]

That is a big ship...
Seems like an awfully populated launch site though!

Trust me: Perry Rhodan isn't a place for realism. It makes Warhammer 40k look like hard science fiction. But to its defense: The essence of the whole series was defined in 1961....

 

[SpaceGOAT]

Stupid question, but i cannot find the „LV SEP button“ from the post insertion checklist. Can anyone help out?

 

[Urwumpe]

Stupid question, but i cannot find the „LV SEP button“ from the post insertion checklist. Can anyone help out?

It should be on the front dashboard, on the st... larboard side. Just look into the corner of the panel from the port seat.

 

[jedidia]

Stupid question

It makes me feel less stupid, because I had to ask the same thing . It's bundled together with the attitude autopilots.

 

[SpaceGOAT]

It should be on the front dashboard, on the st... larboard side. Just look into the corner of the panel from the port seat.

It makes me feel less stupid, because I had to ask the same thing . It's bundled together with the attitude autopilots.

Thank you! Overall best addon yet!

 

[SpaceGOAT]

I think I have found a bug. When approaching the docking port the pilot calls out the remaining distance, but she reads already zero about 50 m in front of it and she also starts too early/with too low numbers.

 

[Max-Q]

I think I have found a bug. When approaching the docking port the pilot calls out the remaining distance, but she reads already zero about 50 m in front of it and she also starts too early/with too low numbers.

OrbiterSound is referencing the vessel radius of ISS, not the docking port itself.
There is a setting in the OrbiterSound options for this, run "SoundConfig.exe" in your orbiter folder and set the last option as shown:


The pilot should now call out the correct distance.

 

[Max-Q]

Preview of the lunar lander I'm working on for the deep space DarkEnergy version:
Any ideas for a name for it?

 

[Pioneer]

Preview of the lunar lander I'm working on for the deep space DarkEnergy version:
Any ideas for a name for it?

Here's a completely unoriginal idea:
DarkLander

Here are some better attempts:
DarkMatter
Electron
Neutron
Quark
Boson
Lepton
Neutrino
Fermion

...if we're still in keeping with the atomic and subatomic particle theme

 

[Urwumpe]

What about "Slash Star", when looking into the astronomy field?

 

[WolfAngriff]

Dark Matter seems good to me too, as it touches the Moon's matter. And why not call the whole mission "Expansion", as to stay on topic ?

 

[Max-Q]

I like DarkMatter, it fits nicely with DarkEnergy.

The atomic/subatomic particles theme is more for my launch vehicles, I may need some of those after I get up to Ion-9... Currently I have concepts for Ion LVs up through Ion-8 so that may not be far off!

 

[WolfAngriff]

Well, Ion exists already, Electron too, Proton too... And i think Neutron already exists as an addon. Gluon or Boson look weird, i think, but Muon's cool. Quark could fit for satellites. As quarks exist with different "flavours", it could be declined under many types. For interplanetary missions, Fermion could look cool too, as it reminds Fermi and his paradox. Duality is a great name too, more abstract but it's a very beautiful fundamental concept in atomic/subatomic physics. It could fit well for a space station for example.

So, there will be a Ion-9 ? When I see Ion-6, i guess we're going to Mars with this one ! Can't wait to see those monsters on the launchpad !

Speaking about launchers addons, I have a question. It's not a request, i'm just curious : is there a big development difference between addons like the Ion family and, for example, Kulch's addons ? I mean, a rocket usable via Scenario Editor, with it's own autopilot and HUD, and allowing to change the payload "in game" ? Does it require special knowledge in development, or does it """only""" require more time to create ? Or both ?

 

[Max-Q]

Gluon or Boson look weird, i think, but Muon's cool. Quark could fit for satellites. As quarks exist with different "flavours", it could be declined under many types. For interplanetary missions, Fermion could look cool too, as it reminds Fermi and his paradox. Duality is a great name too, more abstract but it's a very beautiful fundamental concept in atomic/subatomic physics. It could fit well for a space station for example.

But "Gluon" has humor for a launcher with strap-on boosters... (Glue-on...)
I think the next launcher family after the "Ion" series is closed will be the "Muon" family.

So, there will be a Ion-9 ? When I see Ion-6, i guess we're going to Mars with this one ! Can't wait to see those monsters on the launchpad !

Wow. Ion Aerospace must have a security leak somewhere... Must check that out.
But no, not Ion-9 for mars. I don't really know what Ion-9 will be, I only have ideas for 'em up through Ion-8.

The mars mission is conceptual only at this point, but the current plan is to assemble the deep space HAB, lander(s), and nuclear propulsion section in earth orbit with 4 to 5 flights of the Ion-7 launcher. Once the stack is assembled and ready, the crew will launch on an Ion-4 and dock in a standard earth orbital DarkEnergy.

Here is a table of all the Ion family launchers in the works at this time:
The way I come up with what's the next launcher is I define a mission I want to do, then design a launcher for it.
All numbers and data supplied below are preliminary and rounded, not to be used for payload planning purposes:

Launcher	LEO Payload	TLI Payload	Program Status	Design Mission
Ion 1	30 kg		In Service	CubeSat Launcher
Ion 2		10 kg	In Service	CubeSat Launcher
Ion 3	150 kg		Suspended Indefinitely	Bulk CubeSat/Small Sat Launcher
Ion 4	12,000 kg		In Service	LEO Manned Spaceflight
Ion 5		5,500 kg	In Service	Deep Space Probe Launcher
Ion 6		53,000 kg	Under Development	Lunar Manned Spaceflight
Ion 7	127,000 kg		Preliminary Design	LEO Super-Heavy Launcher
Ion 8	53,000 kg		Conceptual	LEO Heavy Launcher

Speaking about launchers addons, I have a question. It's not a request, i'm just curious : is there a big development difference between addons like the Ion family and, for example, Kulch's addons ? I mean, a rocket usable via Scenario Editor, with it's own autopilot and HUD, and allowing to change the payload "in game" ? Does it require special knowledge in development, or does it """only""" require more time to create ? Or both ?

Anything to do with Scenario editor is a big difference. AFIK, the amount of C++ required to do this is waaay over my head!
The Ion family has autopilots as I guess you know, just not as easily configurable. Anything that displays a custom dialog box is more than I want to mess with!
Adding text to the HUD is really, really easy; graphical stuff is doable but a good bit of work.
Hope this answered your question?
BTW, if there is something you want displayed on the HUD, please ask! I am always looking for constructive criticism on my addons so I can make 'em better.