Project AIA Toehold Lunar Base

[tgep]

I'm using Virtual Moon Atlas 4.8 ( freeware )
It has all the data you'll need ( plus high res photos and topo maps ) for building a really SWEET lunar crater mesh.

( I sent you a site link for the program in a PM )

 

[tblaxland]

The ideal solution would be a dll based Lunar Cargo Tractor with an animated tow bar that could hook up to a landed vessel ( or a wheeled cargo flatbed ) via attachments and pull them to the desired area. Users would still need to add nosewheel attach points ( by looking at the mesh to find the right location ) to any ship they want to make compatible with ToeHold Lunar Base ( TLB ). A custom call out such as TLB would prevent other attachment snafus since it would only work with the Lunar Tractor.

I've been thinking that a universal tractor could be implemented based on cjp's car.dll. Once the tractor is parked close enough to the tow point, it could automatically extend a tow bar from the tractor to the tow point and then tow away. The main issue to be solved would be getting some realistic dynamics for the articulated assembly.

 

[tgep]

Well, if the tow bar is actually an articulated arm with a base, elbow, wrist, and tow hook, that would simplify matters somewhat. All the user would need to do lower the bar to get near to the nosewheel attach point and then manually move the towbar into position for a " capture " like the shuttle RMS.

I've been thinking about the Tractor and remembered a US Army project ( later cancelled ) that used a large Tow Tractor and several cars on large wheels that would have been used to ferry troops and supplies to military bases in the artic ( circa 1950s ). I'm going to look around and see if I can find any datta on the project. I think it just might be what we're looking for.

---------- Post added at 10:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:02 PM ----------

Ok, I can't find any details on that Army Arctic Train yet BUT I think a modified BRT hull ( like the ones pictured below ) would fit the bill nicely.

http://www.army-technology.com/contractors/vehicles/ooo-vpk/ooo-vpk1.html

 

[Donamy]

Maybe a snow cat design.

http://www.smithyards.com/HHTracksA.jpg

 

[wehaveaproblem]

Cheers for that link tgep, I shall check it when I'm home from work this evening, sounds like the perfect resource. Nice one.

As to the Tractor:
I'm liking the idea of a Bradley hull, or similar, but I also think that tracked buggy is awesome, Donamy! I want one IRL, let alone on the moon in Orbiter. When you said 'snow cat' I thought much larger, like a piste basher.
I figure, even on the moon, to pull an XR5 would require some torques. Whatsmore, a large piste basher could easily have a duel use as a regolith basher? So maybe we could make something like this, for use as a tractor and a base creator... ?

 

[the.punk]

The idea of a bigger one is good, but why do you want to move an XR-5?

 

[PhantomCruiser]

why do you want to move an XR-5?

I think (just a guess/suggestion) that the large craft might have a large area to set down in, then the tractor can spot them in a hanger or receiving area for offload of supplies.
The crew could disembark normally, while the ground-pounders (support personnel) go about unloading the craft (with the oversight of the loadmaster, of course).

 

[wehaveaproblem]

I think (just a guess/suggestion) that the large craft might have a large area to set down in, then the tractor can spot them in a hanger or receiving area for offload of supplies.
The crew could disembark normally, while the ground-pounders (support personnel) go about unloading the craft (with the oversight of the loadmaster, of course).

the.punk... what he said ^^

 

[the.punk]

I think (just a guess/suggestion) that the large craft might have a large area to set down in, then the tractor can spot them in a hanger or receiving area for offload of supplies.
The crew could disembark normally, while the ground-pounders (support personnel) go about unloading the craft (with the oversight of the loadmaster, of course).

Thanks.

 

[Donamy]

Cheers for that link tgep, I shall check it when I'm home from work this evening, sounds like the perfect resource. Nice one.

As to the Tractor:
I'm liking the idea of a Bradley hull, or similar, but I also think that tracked buggy is awesome, Donamy! I want one IRL, let alone on the moon in Orbiter. When you said 'snow cat' I thought much larger, like a piste basher.
I figure, even on the moon, to pull an XR5 would require some torques. Whatsmore, a large piste basher could easily have a duel use as a regolith basher? So maybe we could make something like this, for use as a tractor and a base creator... ?

I was thinking the larger one, but I thought the buggy looked cool.

 

[wehaveaproblem]

Nothing stopping us having a larger tractor and a smaller buggy for heavy works and personal transportation respectively... well nothing beyond actually making them and coding them of course.

 

[tgep]

I'm currently working on a new version of the Aliens M-557 APC. It is UMMU compatible and has a full interior and can hold 10 personell. With a little modification ( remove the weapon systems ) it would be perfect for a base personell transport.

 

[NukeET]

One thing that I think a permanent lunar base would have is a means of getting from a landed craft into the base without suiting up for an EVA.
If there are a small number of types of craft that the base is expected to service, they might have a standardized entry hatch location. There could be a "docking" structure on the ground that snakes out a tube to the hatch that is pressurized after it connects. This setup tends to favor small landing pads (rather than the large ones everyone seems to favor). Supporting a wide variety of landing craft (as I assume WHAP wants to) makes this approach significantly more problematic.

I had pondered this idea for Niven. It is realistic...but because of the various landing craft one would have to accommodate, I left this open until my coding skills are sufficiently enhanced.

 

[wehaveaproblem]

I'm currently working on a new version of the Aliens M-557 APC. It is UMMU compatible and has a full interior and can hold 10 personell. With a little modification ( remove the weapon systems ) it would be perfect for a base personell transport.

oooo sounds interesting! AIA may be interested in purchasing the license to manufacture/assemble those in-house on the moon. And, yes, while guns aren't necessary, a nice regolith plough option would go down well!

looking forward to seeing that come together.

 

[the.punk]

I'm currently working on a new version of the Aliens M-557 APC. It is UMMU compatible and has a full interior and can hold 10 personell. With a little modification ( remove the weapon systems ) it would be perfect for a base personell transport.

Maybe this sounds stupid: but what is a M-557 APC?

 

[wehaveaproblem]

From the Aliens film, the.punk.

One of these:

Thinking about it tgep, this may be a little low-slung for regolith travel, but would be great on prepered track way.

 

[tgep]

I can send you my current mesh files if you'd like

It's about 50% done at the moment. The mesh work is finished for the most part. I need to tweek materials and apply textures before building an SC3 .ini file to test out the animations.

Gattispilot is doing the .dll code work on it.

 

[Tommy]

DISCLAIMER: I have no experience coding UMMU or Orbiter.

However, I have a couple vague ideas that may be useful if you go with a custom module for the base. There are two different problems - Getting crew of the vessel into the base, and getting crew from the base to the vessel.

For the first, I'd say have an animated jetbridge that can be placed at the docking port of the vessel. It doesn't actually dock to the vessel, just appears to. You could even use the vessels docking coordinates to automatically position the jetbridge. One in place, the jetbridge becomes "active, and the base module will scan the area around the jetbridge for UMMU. If it finds one it add's the crew to the roster and deletes the UMMU vessel. So, once "connected" to an active jetbridge, a vessel simply EVE's the crew, and they are added to the base's roster. It would be good to make the jetbridge so that it conceals the area where UMMU are likely to be swawned by vessels, I suspect they may be visible for a frame even if you scan every frame. And of course, some provision for top dockers may be needed, a different jetbridge, perhaps.

For the second, I'm even less sure. But it seems to me that a UMMU vessel needs to be able to respond to an entry request from a UMMU, couldn't the base generate this request instead by mimicing a UMMU seekeing entrance?

Just a couple thoughts.

BTW, didn't Woo or someone make a UMMU mars rover?

 

[Woo482]

Off-Topic: Yea I made a mars rover
On-Topic: I think the idea above should work but I'm not totally sure

 

[PhantomCruiser]

Not all that off topic, could the rover be modified with a small URMS arm and function as a "spotting dolly" for a DG sive vessel?