SSU V1.25 Release

[SiameseCat]

For the moment, the best thing to do is probably to implement a GLS vessel which will handle to countdown and trigger the animation functions when appropriate. I'd rather not get into the dialog stuff until after we release this version.

In the meantime, it might be a good idea if we put a zip file with the current files on the SSU sourceforge site as a beta release. That would help us get the existing code debugged.

 

[DaveS]

For the moment, the best thing to do is probably to implement a GLS vessel which will handle to countdown and trigger the animation functions when appropriate. I'd rather not get into the dialog stuff until after we release this version.

In the meantime, it might be a good idea if we put a zip file with the current files on the SSU sourceforge site as a beta release. That would help us get the existing code debugged.

OK, here's a concept image:


By daves

 

[Donamy]

If I started a STS mission in Orbiter, and it scrubbed, I would wonder why I turned on my computer in the first place.

 

[Urwumpe]

If I started a STS mission in Orbiter, and it scrubbed, I would wonder why I turned on my computer in the first place.

Now, it would be nonsense, you are right. But later, it would make sense, for example when we can finally allow launching again.

Also, we would have to get a scrub, when for example, the player does not activate the orbiter systems before launch.


-----Posted Added-----

OK, here's a concept image:

We could do this maybe as external application and as dialog with nearly the same drawing code. Could allow plugging into a session and follow it over a TCP protocol.

 

[DaveS]

We could do this maybe as external application and as dialog with nearly the same drawing code. Could allow plugging into a session and follow it over a TCP protocol.

Why not try it? Would love testing something like this.

 

[Urwumpe]

Why not try it? Would love testing something like this.

I think I can include such a communication inside the DLL I currently design for handling the internal communication. This way, any vessel we create which uses this DLL could be targeted by such network communication... could also be nice for debugging, when we could downlink telemetry frames into an independent application.

 

[SiameseCat]

A slightly more detailed plan for the pad animations:
I'll create an Atlantis_Pad vessel to simulated the FSS and animations. I'll also create a LCC vessel which can, eventuall, be used to simulate the LCC. For the moment, it'll simply trigger the animations at the appropriate point.
Comments?

 

[DaveS]

A slightly more detailed plan for the pad animations:
I'll create an Atlantis_Pad vessel to simulated the FSS and animations. I'll also create a LCC vessel which can, eventuall, be used to simulate the LCC. For the moment, it'll simply trigger the animations at the appropriate point.
Comments?

Sounds good for now. Currently working on correcting a few flaws with the tank, which wil be ET-129. Once that is done, I'll resume work on retrofitting the changes I did on the left-hand SRB to the right-hand SRB. Then I'll deal with some loose ends on the MLP.

 

[Urwumpe]

A slightly more detailed plan for the pad animations:
I'll create an Atlantis_Pad vessel to simulated the FSS and animations. I'll also create a LCC vessel which can, eventuall, be used to simulate the LCC. For the moment, it'll simply trigger the animations at the appropriate point.
Comments?

Name is OK, I would have chosen SSU_FSSRSS or SSU_Pad. Can you include code which will fix the position of the launch pad at the real world examples? Allowing to launch from free locations might make autopilot development painful, so we should limit it.

 

[SiameseCat]

I don't think there's much point in restricting the position of the launch pad. There isn't anything in the autopilot which is affected by moving the launch pad somewhere else.

 

[Urwumpe]

I don't think there's much point in restricting the position of the launch pad. There isn't anything in the autopilot which is affected by moving the launch pad somewhere else.

Not in the code, but in the constants and assumptions behind it. Take for example the abort modes. These are all based on a constellation of launch sites and landing sites, as well as Earth relative velocity. Calculating the abort regions on the fly before a mission will be a major pain in the ass, so limiting it to KSC and possibly Vandenberg will make it easier to use pre-calculated values.

The Explicit powered guidance will work anytime, that is right, but only if the data you feed into it is also right. Otherwise, you get "trash in - trash out".

 

[DaveS]

Well as it seems like we have experienced a server glitch that resulted in several posts being lost, here's the FSS animation timings again:

OAA: 190 sec(normal). 32 sec(Emergency securing and standard GLS cut-off securing).
GVA: Vent hood: 24 sec. 42 sec. for the entire arm.

Do note that the launch position of the vent hood is fully raised. It isn't lowered down until several hours post-launch.

 

[Donamy]

Are we going to have animation, of the testing of the aero surfaces and SSME's at T-4:00 ?

 

[Urwumpe]

Are we going to have animation, of the testing of the aero surfaces and SSME's at T-4:00 ?

Sure, SSMEs are under work the last time I looked, aerosurfaces can be done.

 

[SiameseCat]

DaveS: Thanks for the timings.

Any preferences for release dates? I'm hoping to finish the pad stuff over the weekend.

 

[DaveS]

DaveS: Thanks for the timings.

Any preferences for release dates? I'm hoping to finish the pad stuff over the weekend.

How about Nov. 10? Should allow for testing and finalizations. How about making it so that the shuttle automatically calculates attached payload mass? Then we don't need a scenario cheat which will be inaccurate as STS-126 will both deployable(MPLM) and non-deployable payloads(LMC).

 

[Donamy]

Is it my understanding that the changing textures on the KU can't be fixed ? I know I've asked this before, but I don't think I got a definitive answer.

 

[SiameseCat]

It shouldn't be too hard to loop through all the attachment points and add the vessel mass. The mass of anything attached to the payloads won't be taken into account, though.

 

[DaveS]

It shouldn't be too hard to loop through all the attachment points and add the vessel mass. The mass of anything attached to the payloads won't be taken into account, though.

I think we could live with that.


-----Posted Added-----

DaveS: Thanks for the timings.

Any preferences for release dates? I'm hoping to finish the pad stuff over the weekend.

This is for Donamy's question earlier: will this include the aerosurface and SSME TVC testing? NASA TV usually only show the SSME TVC test. The only launch I can remember where they showed the aerosurface test was STS-109. There you could see the elevons and bodyflap move through their full range of motions.

 

[SiameseCat]

I don't think there'll be time for the SSME/aerosurface tests; once I finish what I'm currently working on, I want to spend some time doing testing.