Project XR3 Phoenix (WIP)

[RisingFury]

What about the vertical stabs acting as radiators already with no need to deploy anything, just turn on the system to pump coolant through. Might aide in atmospheric flying since currently all XRs overheat after a while...

 

[C3PO]

Are you going to make the "prime" pilot a dude? Or maybe kind of androgynous?

Pilot androids. What an excellent idea!!! :lol:

My first RC-trainer had a crash test dummy pilot figure. That way I had an excuse in case of a crash.

 

[jedidia]

Not Poser - done entirely in 3d studio.

Not bad, then. Not bad at all!

 

[K_Jameson]

No one particular but I needed some reference for head shape so I ended up using her pictures:

Persis Khambatta! A beautiful actress... so sorry that is passed away long time ago.

 

[Loru]

Some progress co-pilot. I must say that meshing human being is way more difficult than machines.

I've scrapped hair for now (studying some tutorials) and taken a shot at body:

 

[Urwumpe]

Well, its your choice, but I think it would look better with the stabilizers pointing straight up. Are they used for any vertical lift?

Angled twin vertical stabilizers work better since they are not producing bank moments when they are active.

Also, the vertical stabilizers are pretty useless during reentry in general, since you would need to make them too large for stable landing at subsonic speeds for having a real effect. Most space planes are yaw-instable during reentry and require RCS for compensation. Yaw was the last FCS channel in the Space shuttle, that was switched from RCS to control surfaces during reentry.

Only the B-2 style split ailerons/brake rudders would have meaningful effect during reentry. The DG could actually work better without its rudders and only by using the air brake for yaw control.

 

[Cras]

I didn't see the mkII design concept, so excuse if this is old ground. But how do they deploy from the stabs? I thought perhaps you could have them open like an air brake, so like an opening book, with the pages being the rad fins? Would look quite elegant, and only be a rotation animation.

They deployed from the leading edges of the them, and to be honest it was the one thing that I thought the mkII model got wrong, and I think it is a really bad place to stick radiators.

I dont think you are gonna be able to fit in the size required for proper cooling. Mixing a vital system like that with an important control surface such as the stabilizer seems to bring up questions such as failiure points, strength of the structure, and the like.

And you are limited your options when it comes to cold soak them.

These types of things may not really be too important when designing something along the lines of an XR craft which utilizes magic and suspension of the realism, which is all well and good, but that is my reaction to when I saw them on Coolhand's model.

His model also had solar panels on the underside of the cargo bay doors, which I thought was a great idea. If not already occupied by radiators, which always seems to be the logical place ,to me anyway, seems like a more than reasonable thing for a ship that is meant to go into deep space.

 

[Loru]

Some progress on the craft itself: gear bays are modeled along with flaps, along with scram doors. Also you can see that there is much room between payload and docking mechanism but I plan to fill it with some tubing, details and tunnel to hab modules so it wouldn't be as plain and empty as XR5 or XR2 cargo bay.

---------- Post added at 10:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:45 PM ----------

Are you going to make the "prime" pilot a dude? Or maybe kind of androgynous?

After chat with Doug we've estabilished crew of 3. Co-pilot and Mission Specialist will be females. Comander will be configurable via INI file so you can choose you want to fly as male or female.

---------- Post added 01-07-13 at 02:48 AM ---------- Previous post was 01-06-13 at 10:00 PM ----------

and last one for today (attaching med size since main is 3500x1750px)

 

[Hlynkacg]

I know I suggested this earlier but this time I've got pictures...

Here are two XR2 standard cargos stowed "base to base" in front of a 4.6 meter cylinder representing a standard "space shuttle-sized" payload.

here is an orthographic view of the same scene...

Now lets look at this in relation to the XR3...

Now obviously I don't mave you model but I did my best to match the scale using the XR cargos as a reference.

It seems to me that the XR3 could acomidate a space-shuttle payload with very little modification to the current mesh. The red circles represent the new path for the scram engines, green the internal propellant tanks and yellow space for the hover engines and other sub-systems

Please oh please give us an XR vessel capable of carrying ISS modules :hail:. You would be my orbiter hero.

 

[BruceJohnJennerLawso]

I know I suggested this earlier but this time I've got pictures...

Here are two XR2 standard cargos stowed "base to base" in front of a 4.6 meter cylinder representing a standard "space shuttle-sized" payload.

here is an orthographic view of the same scene...

Now lets look at this in relation to the XR3...

Now obviously I don't mave you model but I did my best to match the scale using the XR cargos as a reference.

It seems to me that the XR3 could acomidate a space-shuttle payload with very little modification to the current mesh. The red circles represent the new path for the scram engines, green the internal propellant tanks and yellow space for the hover engines and other sub-systems

Please oh please give us an XR vessel capable of carrying ISS modules :hail:. You would be my orbiter hero.

I sense a ridiculous Orbiter challenge coming: Fly to ISS, deorbit each module, then relaunch again...

Actually, on a serious note, why not create a version of the hubble that can be grappled by XR vessels & include it with this release. I recall hearing somewhere that NASA had considered a hubble deorbit mission so it could be displayed in a museum, maybe that would make an interesting mission...

 

[Loru]

I know I suggested this earlier but this time I've got pictures...

I really apreciate the effort

Now obviously I don't mave you model but I did my best to match the scale using the XR cargos as a reference.

It seems to me that the XR3 could acomidate a space-shuttle payload with very little modification to the current mesh. The red circles represent the new path for the scram engines, green the internal propellant tanks and yellow space for the hover engines and other sub-systems

Actually that "little modification" would compromise look of the craft. I've taken mesurements and it turns out I'd need to heighten the ship by 1 meter at least.

Give us few days to consider that idea

Pic below: 4.6 by 10 meter cylinder

Please oh please give us an XR vessel capable of carrying ISS modules :hail:. You would be my orbiter hero.

Hold on few days. I may come up with something but no promisses at this point.

in the mean time - prettier part of the crew.

 

[Cras]

I want an ISS module capable XR vessel probably more than anyone. I have mentioned it several times all over these boards.

But with that being said, I don't think this is the vessel to do it. It is fair to say that the adjustment with that red cylinder....not the most graceful looking thing I have ever seen.

The XR-4 is probably a more appropriate ship to alter and turn into more of a Shuttle-class-esque-like-type thing. Because I really don't see the point of a miniaturized XR-5.

 

[wehaveaproblem]

Hold on few days. I may come up with something but no promisses at this point.

in the mean time - prettier part of the crew.

It's the United Colours of Benetton triplets gone punk!

As to space enough for ISS modules, I don't really see the need, merely because XR tech post-dates ISS generation tech, so those dimensions wouldn't be a design specification IMO.
That said, there are a lot of modules in that size range, so if the XR4 can almost fit them, then why not tweak the design to make it so. Would certainly identify the 4 as a good stepping stone to the 5. As we know, the vanguard has cargo space aplenty, it wold be nice to see the xr4 having cargo space notably bigger than the smaller craft, yet more reasonable than the xr5.

Both sides of my 2c coin for you to consider.

 

[Loru]

It's the United Colours of Benetton triplets gone punk!

Not punk. I still have to figure out how to make nice looking hair (with reasonable polycount).

 

[wehaveaproblem]

Er yeah clearly I meant xr3 not 4.

The meshes look lovely btw, I look forward to seeing their hair stylings anon.

 

[Hlynkacg]

I really apreciate the effort



Actually that "little modification" would compromise look of the craft. I've taken mesurements and it turns out I'd need to heighten the ship by 1 meter at least.

Give us few days to consider that idea

Pic below: 4.6 by 10 meter cylinder

Hold on few days. I may come up with something but no promisses at this point.

in the mean time - prettier part of the crew.

No problem loru, I understand.

Would it compromise the shape as much if you extended it downwards instead of up? or perhapse just scaled the entire fuselage up by 10% or so along the vertical axis?

 

[dbeachy1]

The XR3 is designed to carry XR2-sized cargo modules. Loru has the final say in the shape of the model, however speaking personally I really don't want to compromise the XR3's sleek shape or its cargo bay to accommodate larger non-standard cargo modules. The XR3 is not a heavy lifter and there is already an XR vessel that can carry ISS cargo modules nicely: the XR5.

 

[Cairan]

Yeah but the XR-5 is a bit of overkill How about the XR-3 could take modules intended for the shuttle as well as the XR-2 type cargos, but not the full size ... say, the size of a Spacehab module or an MPLM, no more?

 

[Cras]

Overkill is still selling it a bit short.

 

[Loru]

How about the XR-3 could take modules intended for the shuttle as well as the XR-2 type cargos, but not the full size ... say, the size of a Spacehab module or an MPLM, no more?

That's not the lenght issue here - I can perfectly fit up to 10-11 meters long payloads in cargo bay. It's diameter so even spacehab or MPLM may not fit.