Orbiter Screenshot Thread

[N_Molson]

I kept the periapsis at 200km, and performed four burns.

After the second burn, I got a 200x19,000km orbit :

After the third burn, I was on a 200x390,000km orbit, which demonstrated that the stack had enough Dv to reach the Moon :

I had 2k propellant left, so I performed a fourth and final retrograde burn to lower the orbit to 100x38,000km. The DM2 ran out of fuel, so it was time to say goodbye :

I had put three cosmonauts in the capsule using UMMUFA, so I couldn't resist to perform an EVA 38,000 kms away from Earth :

BO separation at 2500 kms of altitude :

Then I aimed for a 60km periapsis, jettisoned the SM and the crew started to sing chants to ask the Probe to help the heat shield ! At 130km of altitude, the autopilot took the hand. It probably detected that the trajectory was off-nominal and choosed the ballistic reentry option ! At 90km, the heat shield began to heat significantly :

At 75km, the situation was almost hopeless :

A few seconds after, a few hundred meters below 70km, what should happen happened :

Oh, shooting stars !! Obviously Thorton was right Does that count as a new way to kill UmmUs ?

To sum up, a circumlunar flight is possible using a joint ProtonM-DM2 / SoyuzTMA launch & rendez-vous in LEO. What we need is a better (and heavier) heat shield for the Soyuz

 

[Thorton]

If i remember correctly original design of such mission provided a special module attached to DM-2. This module should contain additional life support, docking and other systems.
Here is the interesting info: http://www.russianspaceweb.com/soyuz_acts.html

It probably detected that the trajectory was off-nominal and choosed the ballistic reentry option !

No, it is random event, it suppose to simulate failure of descent control system. Btw, with escape velocity and ballistic mode you dont have any chance to land safely, but maybe it is possible with controlled reentry, Zond-like.

 

[N_Molson]

I managed to force the semi-controlled mode by removing the "BALLISTIC" and "ALLOW_BALLISTIC" lines from the scenario file.

I don't manage to reenter in one piece, though. I must say I'm not sure of the way I should try to control the capsule. The manual says that "you can controll manually the roll channel".

But if I bank the capsule on the side, the lift decreases... And when the aerodynamic flow becomes strong, around 75km, the autopilot reduces the pitch to a few degrees (to make sure the shield protects the capsule I guess ?).

Also I'd be curious to know the best AOA in terms of lift for the Soyuz, I'd say it's between 20° and 30°, but it's really only a guess...

Above 68km periapsis, the capsule bounces out of the atmosphere. Under 68km, it burns... :hmm:

Now maybe Mach 35 is just too fast :lol:

Edit : Well, here's the scenario if some Soyuz ace over there wants to give it a try ! You only need to have ISSR installed for the scenario to work. You begin above 2,000km of altitude, with BO depressurized and ready to be jettisonned (press J).

BEGIN_DESC
A suicidal reentry !
END_DESC

BEGIN_ENVIRONMENT
  System Sol
  Date MJD 55486.8006975464
END_ENVIRONMENT

BEGIN_FOCUS
  Ship SoyuzTMA-L01
END_FOCUS

BEGIN_CAMERA
  TARGET SoyuzTMA-L01
  MODE Cockpit
  FOV 40.17
END_CAMERA

BEGIN_HUD
  TYPE Surface
END_HUD

BEGIN_MFD Left
  TYPE Map
  REF Earth
  POS 0.00 0.00
END_MFD

BEGIN_MFD Right
  TYPE Orbit
  PROJ Ship
  FRAME Equator
  ALT
  REF Earth
END_MFD

BEGIN_SHIPS
SoyuzTMA-L01:ISSR\SouyzTMA
  STATUS Orbiting Earth
  RPOS 6289694.36 2244548.03 -5506350.52
  RVEL -628.322 4438.098 7519.397
  AROT -156.18 -12.13 115.32
  AFCMODE 7
  PRPLEVEL 0:0.288790
  NAVFREQ 0 0
  CAM 0 1.0000 -1
  SOL_DEP 0 1.0000 -1
  ENG_COV 0 0.0000 1 0 0
  VKA 0 0.0000 1
  PROBE 0 0.0000 1 0.0000
  LIGHT 0 1
  BATTERY 38995.9308 92.8475
  SHOWDATA 1
  DEPLOY 0.0000
  TRACK 0
  INIT 1
  TARGET 
  CURDOCK 0
  CMST 0
  DETACH 0
  DEPRESS 1 1.0000
  IMP 2
END
END_SHIPS

BEGIN_ExtMFD
END

 

[astrosammy]

Ok, lets start the test flights! Who'll clean up the mess if I crash it?

 

[JonnyBGoode]

I took this on one of my re-entry tries on my recent trip to Jupiter, added flare and contrast and it came out looking like something from one of those old magazine illustrations from the 50s.

 

[Izack]

I don't mean to gripe, but if you do things with Paint can you please save as a PNG and not a JPEG? Paint creates humongous artifacts when saving in JPEG format (just look at the stars.)

 

[JonnyBGoode]

:huh: It was done in Corel Paintshop Photo Pro, and it was exactly the artifacts and such that I thought lent that "old-school sci-fi illustration" quality to it. I guess art is in the eye of the beholder though... :shrug:

 

[Pilot7893]

My attempt at some image editing.

I know the shuttles launched at night in the movie, but I wanted to actually be able to see them.

 

[Lucy]

Steam - the propulsion material of the FUTURE! XD

 

[JonnyBGoode]

Now you need to do a steampunk XR2 skin. All in brass, lol. :lol:

 

[Lucy]

Now you need to do a steampunk XR2 skin. All in brass, lol. :lol:

Heh. I don't skin - only code.

 

[Izack]

Well, my Orbiter has finally gone bonkers:

Obviously, this XR-2 has some factory defects. I want my 22M$ refund! :lol:

 

[Wonderer]

I had simmilar issues when my video card got fried :dry:

 

[HAL9001]

a screenshot from a very new and real cool Add-On, the Skylon-Spaceplane:

 

[n122vu]

Well, my Orbiter has finally gone bonkers:

Obviously, this XR-2 has some factory defects. I want my 22M$ refund! :lol:

Looks like one of those car commercials that uses the 3D cutaway car to show off the braking system or stability control, etc.

 

[Izack]

On IRC:

[22:09] <Izack> I need something extraordinarily interesting to do in Orbiter
[22:09] <River_Crab>...launch whales?

Ten minutes later...

 

[JonnyBGoode]

THIS IS A TRIUMPH... I finally made it to Pluto! (And this was after I fell asleep at the switch and overshot Pluto, and had to plot a new intercept course.)

Unfortunately, one crew member died, and was buried at the landing site. The rest of the crew decided to go exploring the Hadean ice fields...

... while the delta glider undocked from the mother craft to explore Pluto's nearby dusky moon, Charon, almost directly overhead.

 

[n72.75]

What caused the death of the crew member? Oxygen Budget?

 

[JonnyBGoode]

No, a hard landing on Pluto. There was an AutoLand malfunction.

 

[astrosammy]

Wow, even flights to Mars at full time acceleration are to long for me.