Question NASA Manned Jovian Exploration Help

[MerA]

I need some help. I want to design a rocket with a VASMIR engine, multiple stages, and UCGO and UMMU support, with DGIV level realisim to get to Callisto. How do you design textures and rocket parameters? And, how do you get something from a DG Level realisim to DGIV realisim? And, how do you support UCGO and UMMU? Any help would be appreciated.
Expected addon realease date: March 2013:thumbup:






(Please don't make fun of me).

 

[PhantomCruiser]

For starters. take a look at the tutorials page... http://www.orbiter-forum.com/tutorials.php
Scroll down and you'll find the tutorials for addon developers.

You've got a pretty ambitious goal in mind. And (I think) you'll need to take it in small bites. I make all my models using anim8tor, but there are plenty of other to choose from (blender, wings3d, etc). Texturing can range from simple (like mine...) to a high art form, so I can't be much help to you there.
There are some talented ninja-coders here on the forum. But sadly I'm not among them.

My own development strategy is/was this...
1. Make a bunch of crap not worth releasing.
2. Settle down and work on a few rockets while improving modeling skills.
3. Get a release-worthy rocket
4. Work on a spaceplane/aircraft
5. Continue on number 4.
6. Integrate said spaceplane and spacecraft3 into something that actually works.
7. Work on coding during step 1-6.
8. Do all this in spare time while holding a full time job, husband and father.

 

[Urwumpe]

Most important rule: KISS

Keep it simple, stupid.

Especially regarding the March 2013 date... you already know how to develop that add-on, have quit your job and told your girlfriend/wife, that you are on a Mission from God?

Thats just 7 months and a big lot of coding, even for experienced developers. Full-time, it should work fine. After work/school/social duties, you will be running out of time.

 

[MerA]

well, if I can't, who can...

---------- Post added at 12:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:34 PM ----------

I know! I could get a group of people interested in making that sort of module, we'll split up the work and the combine it into the finished project!

 

[Urwumpe]

I know! I could get a group of people interested in making that sort of module, we'll split up the work and the combine it into the finished project!

Then you still need a lot of time for project management, so everybody does program the right parts of the project. Believe me, the same goal does not automatically mean that everybody does believe in the same way and schedule to achieve this goal.

And who can... I can't. I have not the time and currently also not the development machine to handle it. And I wouldn't even play non-programming project lead, because you can't offer me the power that I would need to fulfill this function.

 

[N_Molson]

And, how do you get something from a DG Level realisim to DGIV realisim?

Don't get me started on that

 

[Urwumpe]

Don't get me started on that

He used the word "RealiSim", which is IMHO, a new, but in a Freudian way, very accurately describing adjective for the suspension of valid disbelieve in simulation games, by real or pretended complexity. We should include it in all dictionaries.

 

[PhantomCruiser]

Hey MerA, don't get discouraged. I think many of would rather see you progress over several small projects first than try to tackle a Herculean sized task and fall into the same trap that others have done.

I'm playing a very small part in a development project, and it's taken about 18 months or so. And that's with no apparent in-fighting among the participants. It just takes time... Think about trying to be a project lead on something that people are doing (for free BTW) with everyone having their own agenda, ideas, timetables and egos.

Here is something to try on for size...[ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=2730"]Anim8or tutorial: How to model a rocket (Lesson 2)[/ame]
There is no telling how many times I ran through this tutorial. It teaches one method of creating a mesh, and texturing it. This tutorial won't get it into Orbiter (thus not making it "flyable"). But with a bit of study, it can be done. Think of it as something akin to training wheels.

I should be getting a new computer this weekend. I'm been tinkering with the notion of writing a tutorial (maybe an article would be better) that would take a simple rocket using anim8tor, all the way through mesh creation, into a flyable multistage rocket in Orbiter.

Would you be interested in trying something like that on for size? Something like a Mercury-Redstone? I could probably work it up over the course of a couple of weekends, with maybe the occasional interruption of real life.

 

[MerA]

Yes. I'd be interested in that. I'm still finslizing the design for the callisto project and have no Idea how to make it. A mercury redstone type rocket would be fine for now. But it's going to get hard... 4 weeks until school starts, 1 until curiosity landing. I am in for a mess.

---------- Post added at 11:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:44 PM ----------

I have the design now! It would have an VASMIR engine 20 meters long with fuel tanks on the side, then a rotating disk 3 meters thick positioned 5 meters away from the top of the engine. farther up from the disk, there would be another 5 meters of hull before reaching two 15 meter long stabilizing sticks shooting out from either side. in front of that, there would be a 1 meter block, crowned with a high gain antenna. Back on the rotating disk, there would be a 21 meter long mesh like the mid section of the SH-01 that could be filled with cargo. atop of that would be the 6 meter habitation module. on top of that would be a generally sized reentry capsule and a lander slightly larger than the Lunar Lander of the apollo program on top of the reentry capsule. jetting out from the Habitation Module would be two 7 meter long rods with small nuclear genrators (4 m high) encased with tanks of hydrogen.

 

[Tacolev]

Methinks you might be forgetting the radiators there, friend.