Update Antares 2.0 coming soon!

[Sar]

Looks like there's some unkept sickdays I need to cash in soon... :thumbup:

 

[fausto]

Reentry flames and heat

 

[Grover]

i trust that the re-entry temperature will be made properly, i ran the 1.1 and got a Dynamic pressure of 317Kpa, which is VERY HIGH, during a re-entry very similar to the one described in the manual (although deceleration only reached a peak of 26m/s^2, or roughly 2.7G)

 

[fausto]

Well, the Antares 1.1 is a bit out of range in terms of aerodynamics model :facepalm:
We improved that In the new version, and reentry dynamic pressure limit is 150 Kpa, and 2700 C° temperature!

 

[PeterRoss]

That's a good news. The DNP of 360 Kpa I've got during reentry made my hairs bristle.

 

[Grover]

as long as the aerodynamics fit to suit it, the CM (if you'll forgive my american way of thinking) has nowhere near enough fuel to hold a high AOA, so it will have to cope with these pressures if the aerodynamics dont change (i do use a re-entry angle of 0.7* and that causes me to skip the first part of the atmosphere for some distance before the descent really begins.

ill see what i can do on a beta ( ) and sort it out, but this descent is prescribed in the manual, so something needs to change

thanks
-=Grover=-

 

[C3PO]

A capsule should use CoG offset to maintain "AoA", not RCS.

And if you point the lift vector at the horizon (roll 90º either way), you will not bounce out, unless you're on a hyperbolic arrival.

 

[fausto]

Another cool thing i forgot to say: Antares CM uses some specific attitude flaps during reentry! It's possible to change trajectory, as well as reduce the reentry G force.. this capsule is designed to perform optimized controlled reentry in levelled horizon (which is not needed to be hold by the relative attitude mode button)!

 

[Kyle]

Another cool thing i forgot to say: Antares CM uses some specific attitude flaps during reentry! It's possible to change trajectory, as well as reduce the reentry G force.. this capsule is designed to perform optimized controlled reentry in levelled horizon (which is not needed to be hold by the relative attitude mode button)!

Can't wait! Also -- do you have an idea of a release date?

 

[Grover]

so there'll be more to re-entry than just letting the CM hold a retrograde attitude and waiting till you're subsonic? nice one!

iev also found a small bug with the 1.1, not sure if it makes a difference here, but the solar panels got VERY bugged when you did a SM-sep, il get a screenie to you ASAP

-=EDIT=-
heres the problem (sorry about bringing 1.1 into it, but if the bug is still in the 2.0 or anything, then youll want to know about it)

this it at T=separation +2s, i dont suppose it makes much difference once you begin re-entry though unless you watch the separation in external view

thanks
-=Grover=-

 

[K_Jameson]

The "bug" is likely because you don't have installed the lastest version of Vinka's Spacecraft (2006-P1)!

Download the Spacecraft patch for O2006-P1 (also useful for O2010) and the problem will disappear!

 

[Grover]

i downloaded it from his own site before i installed this

 

[K_Jameson]

The 2006-P1? Are you sure? Then, it must work! Try to reinstall Vinka's and Antares 1.1 over a clean Orbiter

P.S.
Spacecraft 2006-P1 patch is included in Antares package, in the "extras" folder. Try that.

 

[Grover]

ill give it another go then

---------- Post added at 09:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:25 PM ----------

nope, still bugging

 

[K_Jameson]

I quote myself:

P.S.
Spacecraft 2006-P1 patch is included in Antares package, in the "extras" folder. Try that.

:shrug:

 

[Grover]

il try the antares version then

---------- Post added at 09:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:33 PM ----------

woo! that did it!

dont know how you have a more recent version of vinka's spacecraft dll than he does, youre baffling

 

[K_Jameson]

:thumbup:

 

[Grover]

thanks man!

 

[Grover]

Beta testing

the beta is going along... well, not exactly smoothly, but we'll find every last bug before the end.

as a test, i decided to see if it really was possible to do a lunar mission to lunar orbit and back, so i had a go, and here are some pictures

my launch setup, its a standard Jarvis M, with the payload simply changed to an Antares (spot the bug later on if you will )

heres a screenshot of the ascent "Max Q" effect

the next few images show the stages peeling away one at a time, its quite neat, except for the payload fairings, which are being a little tempermental at the moment, paticularly on the standard Jarvis B

and this is the end result! (can you spot the bug? look at the original pictures of the Antares LR for a little help)

halfway through the TLI, i noticed this nice little vista

cruising away from earth...

during a planet approach burn, the TLI stage burned out, dont worry, the HES5 stage that will be used in the final version wont quit on you like that till the last MCC, this is the "leave it behind to sling into the sun" part

approaching Perilune, about 500Km above the moon

unfortunatley, ive not been able to return to earth, partly due to a transx bug, and partly due to my poor skills in lunar returns.

also unfortunatley, i was unable to put all of my pictures here, there are some more in the ALBUM

when i get an updated version (hopefully with a PROPER lunar scenario, with a HES5 stage if fausto can work it out) ill have another go at it, trying to keep to realistic "Apollo style" methods, like making sure every stage burns up or slings into sun-orbit

until then though, im off to play with some configs and make my own lunar scenario work

-=Grover=-

 

[fausto]

Great job! This is just an example, the real HES5 stage payload is supposed to be the Antares LR.. but the shots in the previous post are showing the whole thing, more or less! :thumbup: