Orbiter Screenshot Thread

[mode1bravo]

Just having some fun flying chase on a X-15 flight.

 

[Scav]

Constitution returns to OPF4 following PRIOPS checkout, Day 1.
Monday, 12 April 2021 03:15:12 CDT.



Orbiter Vehicle Constitution has returned to the Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility, Building #4 for necessary adjustments and alterations, following the successful completion of eight of twelve major systems checkups prior to her re-certification into active flight status. She was towed the short distance from the Shuttle Landing Facility post-cessation of the PRIOPS checkout.

Amongst the items pinged as 'immediate corrective action required' are:

• The Cabin Pressurization System exhibited anomalous readings during the 30-minute stand-alone leak-down test. The system was unable to maintain a static pressure of 101.2 kPa throughout the test without oscillating within +/- .7 kPa. The oxygen environment of 20.9% O2 was maintained. However this variance has been, while compensated by the Environmental Systems Computer System, deemed unacceptable.
• Software/Hardware integration issues are continuing with Constitution's Data Processing System and Flight Control Module. No fewer than twelve sensor arrays failed to report when polled by the main computer.
• Constitution's wingroot joiners underwent a standard 'no-load' test today; the left and right wings will be dismounted beginning Tuesday, 14 April in the morning for a visual inspection of the mounting surface areas to determine whether the suspected metal fatigue squawk has been properly addressed.

The orbiter, having completed a ten month Orbiter Maintenance Down Period (OMDP) following the successful completion of SEP-010, has been the subject of intense scrutiny and review. The entire spaceframe had been disassembled completely and inspected in detail, and the reconstruction of the vessel lasted two months beginning in January of this year.

To date, no plans for flying Constitution have been announced. Enterprise remains grounded at Edwards Air Force Base pursuant to her own ongoing OMDP.

* This post is also an homage to a scene in The Gods Must Be Crazy -- the one where the Antichrist is being pulled through a desert by a rope tugged by an unmanned vehicle.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Stylish aerospace transport companies requires stylish crew transports.

 

[Ripley]

Just having some fun flying chase on a X-15 flight...

I grabbed one of your screens and put up a "just-for-fun-guess-the-sim" poll on my website! :thumbup:
http://www.tuttovola.org/smf/index.php?topic=6411.0

 

[Urwumpe]

I grabbed one of your screens and put up a "just-for-fun-guess-the-sim" poll on my website! :thumbup:
http://www.tuttovola.org/smf/index.php?topic=6411.0

Somebody will notice that the X-15 is not showing any signs of thermal conditioning or priming. :lol:

 

[Loru]

I grabbed one of your screens and put up a "just-for-fun-guess-the-sim" poll on my website! :thumbup:
http://www.tuttovola.org/smf/index.php?topic=6411.0

404 on that link for me

---------- Post added at 02:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:51 PM ----------

hmm
seems to work now.

---------- Post added at 07:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:52 PM ----------

 

[Mojave]

Raven gets her repaint

After certification, Raven was cleared for her first repaint. She is now part of the HASSESA fleet and shall be for years to come.

SE

 

[Star Voyager]

Happy anniversary!

 

[IronRain]

A couple of weeks ago, NASA announced, in cooperation with the other agencies, the end of the Skylab-II space station. The space station will enter a 'strip down maintenance period' in which it will be stripped from all essential items. These items will be send back to earth in 2-3 missions. After this is completed, the station will be de-orbited above the pacific ocean.

NASA will then launch a new space station project, much smaller (and cheaper) then Skylab-II. Although there are no firm plans, there are some sketches for a couple of configurations. In the mean time, NASA will ride to orbit with the Chinese to their Tiangong space module, which will soon be launched, to perform some experiments in the 0-g environment. NASA has said that they will spend more money on smaller LEO missions, the Pangea moon base and missions to other planets.

As part of retrieving experiments from Skylab-II, a dragon launched yesterday at 12:38:48 UTC. The almost empty spacecraft (only food for the CTV crew, now aboard the orbiting complex) will bring experiments back to earth.

 

[malisle]

I needed an excuse to try out the siamesecat's SSRMSD with inverse kinematics so I launched a quick mission. First stage separation and second stage ignition with Florida in the background:

Second stage orienting for deorbit and solar panels deploying:

Sunrise just before rendez-vous with the ISS:

Cancelling out relative speed, the plan is to arriwe 200m below and 100m in front of the station:

Approaching SSRMS(D) for capture:

Inverse kinematics makes it very easy to find the exact spot to latch onto:

And bring the Dragon to the nadir port of the Harmony:

 

[Yoda]

My new space station "Hayden" ; still under construction.

 

[BruceJohnJennerLawso]

So after orbital insertion, the Altair moved into a lower orbit around UPS and DII











After a few orbits at 50 km, the RCS was used to boost back to 100 km or so. The next 25 days will be spent waiting for the next return window to home (UPS And DI...)

 

[BruceJohnJennerLawso]

I had some time left after soccer last night (2-1 win! ), so I took Mr Martians Star Trek XI add-on for a spin. This is one of the best add-ons Ive ever seen for Orbiter :thumbup:

So I tried out the scenario with the Enterprise cruising along in LEO. Although Im not a "D3D9 for everything" person, I decided to turn it on so I could check out the work Mr Martian did on the normal maps.



Id say thats pretty cool.

So I fired up my warp drive MFD, and went on a little jaunt through sol system. My destination ended up being Jupiter, the coolest destination IMO



I did a quick flyby of Europa, then pulled up into a space over one of Jupiters polar regions. Having some time/redshirts to kill, I figured Id try doing something stupid with the Shuttlecraft Tycho.







"I may throw up on you" :lol:



Seriously, this add-on would have been impressive just for the Shuttlecraft, let alone the Enterprise, and everything else!

I flew the Tycho down into the Jovian atmosphere for a couple of high-G skips.



Unfortunately the fuel ran out while trying to get back into orbit after the first skip.





So I tried to send the Enterprise in to rescue the Tycho as she bounced ever lower with each skip.



I had trouble finding it with basic MFDs however, and a few minutes in, started to hear a funny whooshing sound. Naturally the Enterprise had fallen out of orbit, but a situation that would normally try the best pilots was simply avoided by saying "Engage"



The Enterprise returned to the spot a little while later, but was still unable to track down the wayward shuttle.



But naturally, the temptation to hit the reset switch was too high, so I handwaved a solution



Shuttles have Warp drives, right?

 

[Izack]

You couldn't just get into transporter range??

 

[Scav]

You couldn't just get into transporter range??

Ill-advised. Spock hadn't monkeyed with it yet.

 

[BruceJohnJennerLawso]

You couldn't just get into transporter range??

technobable... It Cannae be done Capn! :lol:

besides, imagine the damage to the pad when a whole shuttlecraft lands on it! (~72 tons Mr Martian listed it at?)

 

[Izack]

Couldn't you just fix it with replicators???

 

[n122vu]

Beam the shuttle directly into the shuttle bay. They've done that on-show before, haven't they?

Or get within tractor beam range...

 

[BruceJohnJennerLawso]

Couldn't you just fix it with replicators???

What, the transporter pad or the next 3 decks?

I assume none of these suggestions are serious :lol:. Imagine the effort it would take to code them.

 

[Pipcard]