Tutorial KSC LC-39: Slat's LC39-EAFB 2006 in Orbiter 2010

[astrosammy]

As I posted in another thread before, having beautiful Shuttle launches with Slat's pads and the default Orbiter 2010 Cape Canaveral is possible with some little changes in two config files.

Ok, lets start.

First you should make sure that you have Orbiter 2010 and [ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=4662"]Shuttle Fleet for Orbiter 2010 (BETA)[/ame] installed.

Now you have to do some work in the file Config/Earth/Base/Canaveral.cfg:

MESH ; Pad 39B tower
 FILE KSC_3
 POS -11830 0 5280
 ROT 178
 TEX Cape18
 SHADOW
 PRELOAD
END
MESH ; Pad 39B base
 FILE KSC_4
 POS -11830 0 5280
 ROT 178
 TEX Cape19
 SHADOW
 PRELOAD
END

This lines should be removed from the file. If this is not done, you'll still have the old pad B below the new one, wich will be added later.

Ok, now we have a clean LC-39 to work with. The next step is to install [ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=3792"]LC39-EAFB 2006.3 - Hi-Res by Slat[/ame] OR [ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=3005"]LC39-EAFB 2006.3 (Lo-Res)[/ame]. Do not overwrite default Orbiter 2010 files when you are asked. You do not need to install the required add-ons that are mentioned inside the manual.

You'll now have a new file Config/Earth/STS/Canaveral.cfg. Again delete some lines from it:

Remove everything between "BEGIN_OBJECTLIST" and "END OBJECTLIST", but NOT the following lines (You can also leave the runway markers if you want, but I never tested it. They may be misplaced):

; --- Pad 39A --- 
MESH 
 FILE STSmlp
 OWNMATERIAL
 POS -8943.8 30 6634.3
 ROT 90
 SHADOW
 PRELOAD
END
MESH  
 FILE STSpad39B
 OWNMATERIAL 
 POS -8877 46.5 6622
 ROT 180
 SHADOW
 PRELOAD
END
LPAD2A ; n.2
 POS -8936.2 0 6639.1
 ROT 90
 SCALE 0.0001
END
; --- Pad 39B --- 
MESH 
 FILE STSmlp
 OWNMATERIAL
 POS -11036.8 30 4999.3
 ROT 90
 SHADOW
 PRELOAD
END
MESH  
 FILE STSpad39B
 OWNMATERIAL 
 POS -10970 46.5 4987
 ROT 180
 SHADOW
 PRELOAD
END
LPAD2 ; n.3
 POS -11029 0 5003.8
 ROT 180
 SCALE 0.001
 TEX Lpad02
END
; --- Press site --- 
MESH 
 FILE STSclock
 OWNMATERIAL
 POS -6065 7.5 2631
 ROT 40
 SHADOW
 PRELOAD
END

Again, that are the lines that tell Orbiter where to put the pads, so they need to stay.

Remove the following lines from the file:

BEGIN_NAVBEACON
VOR KSCX -80.53835 28.43352 112.70 500
END_NAVBEACON

Also remove the whole surface tile section:

BEGIN_SURFTILELIST
[...]
END_SURFTILELIST

Nearly done with all the cfg file editing, now change the line

Name = Cape Canaveral

to

Name = LC-39

Change the file name to LC-39.cfg. Copy this file to Config/Earth/Base.
You now should have beautiful pads a LC-39.

But there are still many moving parts missiong that can only added by vessels.

Install [ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=3737"]International Space Station v.3.0[/ame]. If you just want to have the pad you don't need to install the required add-ons. Thorton has added a beautiful pad to it, wich has all the moving parts, lights and smoke to have an authentic Shuttle liftoff. It is limited to a lauch time 9 minutes after scenario start, so make sure to set that to a time exactly 9 minutes before launch. Here's an example with Columbia on it's first flight:

BEGIN_ENVIRONMENT
  System Sol
  Date MJD 44706.4937500000
END_ENVIRONMENT
BEGIN_SHIPS
Columbia:Shuttle
  STATUS Landed Earth
  BASE LC-39:1
  HEADING 0.00
  AFCMODE 7
  PRPLEVEL 0:1.000000 1:1.000000 2:1.000000
  NAVFREQ 0 0
  CONFIGURATION 0
  OV- 102
  ORIGINAL 
  ET 
  PROFILE 1
  SRB 
  CARGODOOR 0 0.0000
  KUBAND 0 0.0000
  POSTLAND 0 0.0000
  SSMES 0 0.0000
  ADTA 0 0.0000
  PETD 1 1.0000
  SETD 1 1.0000
  PRADIATOR 0 0.0000
  SRADIATOR 0 0.0000
  GEAR 0 0.0000
  PAYLOAD_MASS1 0.0000
  PAYLOAD_MASS2 0.0000
  PAYLOAD_MASS3 0.0000
  PL1_OFS 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000
  PL1_DIR 0.000000 1.000000 0.000000
  PL1_ROT 0.000000 0.000000 1.000000
  PL2_OFS 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000
  PL2_DIR 0.000000 1.000000 0.000000
  PL2_ROT 1.000000 0.000000 0.000000
  PL3_OFS -1.850000 1.800000 11.750000
  PL3_DIR 0.000000 1.000000 0.000000
  PL3_ROT 0.000000 0.000000 1.000000
  PL4_OFS -2.200000 1.800000 -6.250000
  PL4_DIR 0.000000 1.000000 0.000000
  PL4_ROT 0.000000 0.000000 1.000000
  PL5_OFS 2.200000 1.800000 -6.250000
  PL5_DIR 0.000000 1.000000 0.000000
  PL5_ROT 0.000000 0.000000 1.000000
  PL6_OFS 1.850000 1.800000 11.750000
  PL6_DIR 0.000000 1.000000 0.000000
  PL6_ROT 0.000000 0.000000 1.000000
  KEEL_CAM 0.145000 -0.500000 -1.356000
  OMS 
  CALLOUT 
  TGT_HEADING  90.00 228.00
  ASSIST  90.00 228.00
END
LC39:ISSR\LC39   ;this is the vessel with all the moving parts of the pad
  STATUS Landed Earth
  POS -80.6041380 28.6082950 ;39A ;move the ; to choose A or B
  ;POS -80.6208780 28.6271250 ;39B
  RSS 0 1.0000 -1
  WR 0 0.0000 1
  VA 0 0.0000 1
  TC 0 0.0000 1
  PS_LVL 1.0000
END
END_SHIPS

To place vessels at the launch pads, choose Base LC-39 and Pad 1 for 39A or Pad 2 for 39B in the scenario editor.

If you only use ISS, which is at version 3.2 at the date of this edit:

[...] You have to do some work in the file Config/Earth/Base/Canaveral.cfg:

  MESH ; Pad 39B tower  
   FILE KSC_3  
   POS -11830 0 5280  
   ROT 178  
   TEX Cape18  
   SHADOW  
   PRELOAD 
END 
MESH ; Pad 39B base  
   FILE KSC_4  
   POS -11830 0 5280  
   ROT 178  
   TEX Cape19  
   SHADOW  
   PRELOAD 
END

This lines should be removed from the file. If this is not done, you'll still have the old pad B below the new one, wich will be added later.

Ok, now we have a clean LC-39. [...]

Add this to scenarios:

  LC39:ISSR\LC39   ;this is the vessel with all the moving parts of the pad   
   STATUS Landed Earth   
   POS -80.6041380 28.6082950 ;39A ;move the ; to choose A or B   
   ;POS -80.6208780 28.6271250 ;39B   
   RSS 0 1.0000 -1   
   WR 0 0.0000 1   
   VA 0 0.0000 1   
   TC 0 0.0000 1   
   PS_LVL 1.0000 
END

[...]

 

[DelRioPilot]

Very helpful, thanks a lot!