Project Multistage 2015 Apollo Saturn Launchers for AAPO

[1987VCRProductions]

Due to technical difficulties, there will be no release this week. Whenever I go out of town, I make a copy of my most recent Orbiter installation to take with me so I can continue the work on my laptop. Upon reaching my destination, I learned that the file wasn't done saving when I disconnected the drive from my computer, as such it was corrupted and unusable. All my work should still be safe on my main computer at home but I will be unable to work on this again until I return home in a few days.

 

[1987VCRProductions]

I added launch scenarios for the ATM-B and Resupply Module for Skylab B.

 

[4throck]

If you need/want to redistribute the meshes for Skylab-B and support vessels, go ahead, that's fine for me

 

[1987VCRProductions]

If you need/want to redistribute the meshes for Skylab-B and support vessels, go ahead, that's fine for me

Thank you 4throck, though I don't think that will be necessary. The only meshes I'm redistributing are a few problem meshes from Velcro Rockets and Velcro Saturns. I do have ini files made for Skylab missions 6-8 but I do not have scenarios set up for them. The Skylab B scenarios that I'm including are derived from the Skylab B missions that I've been flying. I did make some changes to the launches since I had Zarya docked to the station and I was also using the built out LC-39 with pads C-E. I've moved the launches of those flights to pads A and B and I've removed Zarya from the station. The AMSO Canaveral base file that I am including does have base coordinates for a built out LC-39 and I will include some pointers in the read-me of how to use those pads.

 

[barrygolden]

Looking forward to seeing these fly, any release time frame ?

You might look to put some of the DOD shuttle payloads on the S 1b with or with out an upper stage.

I did see the S1C 015 yesterday and they claim it as for APOLLO 19 but really it was built for APOLLO 20. S1C 013 used for Skylab and S1C 014 was the APOLLO 19 booster

if you do a Skylab addon there is a really good Skylab MMU ready to go

 

[1987VCRProductions]

Looking forward to seeing these fly, any release time frame ?

You might look to put some of the DOD shuttle payloads on the S 1b with or with out an upper stage.

I did see the S1C 015 yesterday and they claim it as for APOLLO 19 but really it was built for APOLLO 20. S1C 013 used for Skylab and S1C 014 was the APOLLO 19 booster

if you do a Skylab addon there is a really good Skylab MMU ready to go

I originally wanted to release this a month ago, then a week ago. I'm really not sure. The best time frame I can give you for release is either a couple weeks from now or a couple months from now. Unless I die or WWIII happens, this add on will come out this year.

I have seen the Saturn V that's on display at the Kennedy Space Center back in 2011. I would love to see it again and maybe finally get to see a Space Shuttle up close.

I have no plans to do a stand alone Skylab add on. If you want some good Skylab add ons, check out Skylab1973 and Skylab1980 by usonian and check out 4throck's Skylab B Pack. Now, if you were wondering if I was going to release my personal scenarios for the custom Skylab B missions that I'm flying, then I'm not sure. It would require a lot more add ons than just the ones required for the standard Skylab B Pack. My Orbiter 2010 install is highly customized.

---------- Post added 06-14-17 at 12:00 AM ---------- Previous post was 06-13-17 at 11:56 PM ----------

The only DoD payload I intend to launch is the Magnum spy satellite. I can't sit on this add on any longer because the longer I do, the more things I want to add to it. It's also eating up my time and motivation for completing the Apollo 12 and Apollo 14 soundpacks I've been making for literally years now.

 

[1987VCRProductions]

In the final stages now.

I added the final planned scenarios for this add-on, launches of TDRS, Magnum, and OrbiComm satellites on Saturn-IB/Centaurs. The only things left to do are small things like scenario descriptions, documentation, and the packaging of files into a zip folder for distribution.

 

[barrygolden]

you might look at some DOD payloads to launch

 

[4throck]

Looking forward to this. Skylab B needs a rocket

I know that you are working on payloads, but don't worry much about that.
Go with the venerable probe or something that's simple and get it done

I think that was part of the appeal of the Velcro add-ons. They were generic.
People will then customize your Saturns to specific missions, and that's great !

 

[barrygolden]

you might look at doing Apollo 5 using the Spider LM it works with 2016 you would need to remove the legs though

 

[4throck]

The LEM from Skylab B should work (it's spacecraft4), and it has no legs

 

[1987VCRProductions]

I used the LM from the AAPO add on. I wanted something that had both a DPS and APS engine, the key is pretending that the legs aren't there. The Apollo 5 mission tested DPS burns and the throttling of that engine, plus the fire in the hole abort where the APS is ignited a split second before the bolts are fired to separate the stages. The APS engine was then reignited and burned until the fuel ran out.

I think I posted screenshots earlier of Skylab B atop a Saturn V rocket. I also set up launch scenarios for the ATM-B and Resupply Module.

 

[1987VCRProductions]

Over the past couple days I've been doing beta testing and ironing out all the bugs in my code. I believe that I've completed the list of required add ons. The only way to see if I've got them all is to do a test install on a clean copy of Orbiter. All I think that I have left to do is write descriptions for all the scenarios and to create the necessary read me files. I moved Galileo to the INT-13 for better fuel margins.

 

[1987VCRProductions]

I learned that I can modify the initial gravity turn pitch in the guidance file so I decided to do a complete overhaul of all the guidance files, sans AS-201 and 202 since those were suborbital flights. Next step is doing an installation test on a clean copy of Orbiter and writing a read-me file. All the development and testing was done with Orbiter 2010 P1. Now, the rockets themselves might work with Orbiter 2016, but the launch pads I used might be hit or miss. Many of the launch pads I used are older (we're talking spacecraft2 stuff) so they might need to be removed from the scenario for these rockets to work in 2016. Other things might need to be removed and modified as well for these to work in Orbiter 2016 such as the AMSO landing sites and the AMSO/Sol line in the scenario files. The launch pad used in the Apollo 5 and AS-203 launches are part of the scenery from Project Apollo 7 so might work in 2016. These are things that I need to test on my end. The most important task right now is the installation test since there are so many add-ons that are required for many of these scenarios to work. I plan a release by this weekend if all goes well (I mean it this time!)

 

[4throck]

Great!
Dont' worry about the pads, let's get the rockets going.

How are you handling dependencies?
Have you cloned the meshes or will we need to install 4 or 5 different addons (that don't even work on 2016) ?:hmm:

 

[1987VCRProductions]

Great!
Dont' worry about the pads, let's get the rockets going.

How are you handling dependencies?
Have you cloned the meshes or will we need to install 4 or 5 different addons (that don't even work on 2016) ?:hmm:

The only meshes I cloned were the Titan UA1205 SRBs and the one fairing mesh from Velcro Saturns that was giving me a headache. The fairing in question was the 21 foot fairing. The way it spawned when it was jettisoned was off so I copied the meshes and swapped the names, at least that's what I think I did, it's been so long since I had to do that. One of the required add-ons is the old Cassini-Huygens add-on which I updated to Spacecraft3 and Multistage2015 recently and rereleased, so both the original and the patch I did are required add-ons. Does Spacecraft3 work in Orbiter 2016? I've never bothered to check. If it does, I imagine that anything like Skylab, Skylab B, or any of the Shuttle payloads that I have launched would work as most of them are Spacecraft3. I assume, for the most part, that most if not all of the payloads will work.

I just finished doing a test install on a clean copy of Orbiter 2010 P1. I found a few bugs or things that were missing and updated some things. I'll do some testing with Orbiter 2016 tomorrow. All I need to do now is write a read-me file.

---------- Post added at 09:04 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:53 AM ----------

The only thing AMSO is used for is the Solar system without the default launchpads and the landing site scenery for lunar missions Apollo 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14. You can go without it for Orbiter 2016, all you need to do is change the scenario files so they say Sol instead of AMSO/Sol and remove the Apollo landing sites from the scenarios that have them. Project Apollo (NASSP) V7 is used for the rocket meshes and for Launch Complex 37B for AS-203 and Apollo 5. It does look like a version of NASSP is in development for Orbiter 2016 but I'm not sure if the meshes will be the same or not, I would assume they would be the same. UMMU and UCGO is required for the Apollo CSM and LM which are from the AAPO add-on.

 

[1987VCRProductions]

Multistage2015 Saturn Rockets for Orbiter 2010 P1 has just gone online. The download link can be found here: https://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=7168

 

[4throck]

Great!

As for 2016 yes, SC4 works well for payloads.
Multistage should run on 2016 with no problems. But the addon dependencies might be a problem.
I suggest you start with the default 2016 pads and a dummy payload.

 

[1987VCRProductions]

Great!

As for 2016 yes, SC4 works well for payloads.
Multistage should run on 2016 with no problems. But the addon dependencies might be a problem.
I suggest you start with the default 2016 pads and a dummy payload.

I’m figuring that out the hard way. Orbiter CTD’d when I tried to release Skylab-1 from the Saturn V. Seems spacecraft3 doesn’t work in Orbiter 2016. The release of MS2k15 Saturns for 2016 will be more or less a bare bones release. I’ll modify the ini and scenario files so the rockets sit properly on the default pads 39 A and B. The exhaust hole for the Shuttle SSMEs was the same hole used by the Saturn Vs and the later Saturn IB launches. I’ll also cut back on the number of satellite launches, the only payloads being a dead-weight stand-in or perhaps a satellite that actually works in Orbiter 2016. I’ll replace the HST with the default one to take away that 3rd party dependency. Maybe I’ll launch the default LDEF as well. If you noticed in my initial release, all launches after Skylab take place from either Pad B or LC-34. I figure it could be part of an alternate history where 39A was used for Shuttle launches and 39B was kept original for Saturn launches, either manned orbital or interplanetary flights or for launches of heavy payloads.

I have to apologize to you real quick as well. Although I credited you in the documentation, I forgot to mention you in the add-on description. There’s something I want to add to the manual so I’ll do an update tonight and fix those issues. I want to make sure I give credit where credit is due. I’ll do some more testing just to make sure I can do a launch with the AAPO CSM and LM. I’ll also change the short fairing to the one from Velcro Saturns to take away the dependency on Skylab1973.

---------- Post added 04-24-18 at 12:42 AM ---------- Previous post was 04-23-18 at 10:07 PM ----------

I doesn't seem like AAPO works with Orbiter 2016. That's really unfortunate.

---------- Post added at 01:28 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:42 AM ----------

I updated the Orbiter 2010 P1 Multistage2015 Saturns to include a general rule of thumb about launch times in the manual and to include a credit to 4throck in the add-on description.

 

[4throck]

No problem with the credits!

For 2016 I suggest cloning Velcro meshes.
I used them for the Titans (asked the author for permission) and they are great because you get all the parts you need.

Clone them and change paths (meshes and textures) so that everything loads from your own folders. And of course, apply some rotations or scaling as needed.
So you get a 100% stand alone add-on for 2016.

Agreed that it will be a bare bones add-on but we need to start somewhere.

Spacecraft4 runs on 2016. You should use that version. Spacecraft 3 is outdated, even for Orbiter 2010.


Finally I suggest moving all 2016 talk a new thread