Bendarr
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- Feb 18, 2010
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The fumbling misadventures of someone who really shouldn't be behind a joystick.
I had orbiter a while back but ended up losing in in a systems crash a while ago and decided to give it another go. Went ahead, got the files, the sound files, the DGIV (wonderful craft!) then tried to read some manuals. Later on with my head spinning I decided "What the hey, nothing like hands on and I've launched the DGIV into orbit using the autopilot several times and took some notes. And I've got it configured for invulnerability while I learn. What could go wrong with a manual attempt?"
(cue ominous music)
There I am at KSC. Sitting on the runway, just a few button pushings away from an autopilot ascent and I decide to go manual. I slam the throttle full bore and go screaming towards the end of the runway. I hear the computer saying "80 knots." I find myself thinking "I have no idea how fast a knot is but I guess I'm doing all right." then I hear "Rotate." and I find myself thinking "Well the wheels are rotating all right. Did I have the brakes on earlier or something? ...... Uh oh, the end of that runway is getting closer and closer. Better pull back on that stick." In amazement and glee I can tell the nose goes up and I'm airborne!! ok, the heading of the ISS is roughly 42 now lets look at my notes ...... WHERE ARE MY NOTES!! Me with all the memory span of a Ferrett at the stick of this craft? Ah well, what could happen? I slowly proceed to turn until the heading is roughly 42degrees. I'll fix that later. ok, time for some altitude! I pull the nose as high as she'll go and claw for altitude. BONG! the computer makes a noise and I look and realize that I still had the landing gear down and the stresses were getting ready to tear them off. I hit the button to raise them and before they could retract ....... riiiiippp!!
"Warning! Warning! Warning!" I keep hearing time and time again. I did what any pilot would do........ I turned off my speakers and pretended it never happened.
I climbed for orbit, clawing for altitude, totally forgetting about horizontal speed I raced for destiny. I ended up with the nose pitching down no matter what I did. What was wrong? Why wasn't I getting enough speed? I had the engines on full! I made it to the upper reaches of the atmosphere and found myself dropping and then rising again. It was a yo-yo ride. I switched to a external view to try to get a clue and this is what I saw.........
After such a fiery ascent to a glorious death I decided to reset and take a break. Later on after watching the autopilot one more time I realized my mistake. During the ascent I forgot to turn the "Turbo pumps" on!
More to come at a later time!
I had orbiter a while back but ended up losing in in a systems crash a while ago and decided to give it another go. Went ahead, got the files, the sound files, the DGIV (wonderful craft!) then tried to read some manuals. Later on with my head spinning I decided "What the hey, nothing like hands on and I've launched the DGIV into orbit using the autopilot several times and took some notes. And I've got it configured for invulnerability while I learn. What could go wrong with a manual attempt?"
(cue ominous music)
There I am at KSC. Sitting on the runway, just a few button pushings away from an autopilot ascent and I decide to go manual. I slam the throttle full bore and go screaming towards the end of the runway. I hear the computer saying "80 knots." I find myself thinking "I have no idea how fast a knot is but I guess I'm doing all right." then I hear "Rotate." and I find myself thinking "Well the wheels are rotating all right. Did I have the brakes on earlier or something? ...... Uh oh, the end of that runway is getting closer and closer. Better pull back on that stick." In amazement and glee I can tell the nose goes up and I'm airborne!! ok, the heading of the ISS is roughly 42 now lets look at my notes ...... WHERE ARE MY NOTES!! Me with all the memory span of a Ferrett at the stick of this craft? Ah well, what could happen? I slowly proceed to turn until the heading is roughly 42degrees. I'll fix that later. ok, time for some altitude! I pull the nose as high as she'll go and claw for altitude. BONG! the computer makes a noise and I look and realize that I still had the landing gear down and the stresses were getting ready to tear them off. I hit the button to raise them and before they could retract ....... riiiiippp!!
"Warning! Warning! Warning!" I keep hearing time and time again. I did what any pilot would do........ I turned off my speakers and pretended it never happened.
I climbed for orbit, clawing for altitude, totally forgetting about horizontal speed I raced for destiny. I ended up with the nose pitching down no matter what I did. What was wrong? Why wasn't I getting enough speed? I had the engines on full! I made it to the upper reaches of the atmosphere and found myself dropping and then rising again. It was a yo-yo ride. I switched to a external view to try to get a clue and this is what I saw.........
After such a fiery ascent to a glorious death I decided to reset and take a break. Later on after watching the autopilot one more time I realized my mistake. During the ascent I forgot to turn the "Turbo pumps" on!
More to come at a later time!