Idea I'd like to see DGIV autopilots on xr2 ravenstar.

[Keatah]

Just as the topic title says..

Though I can easily manually dock to a station, and perhaps do it faster than the autopilot depending on approach vectors I'd still absolutely love to see many of the DGIV's "pro-spec" autopilots (or their equivalent functionality) somehow ported over to the xr2. Perhaps in the form of an mfd package or something. I'd do this myself but I sorely lack the skills *and* patience to do so.

The autopilot docking sequence is fantastic. It gives you time to prep your ships and cargo. As well as play around with the stereo system for a moment.!

k

 

[dbeachy1]

People are welcome to develop third-party autopilots for the XR series. However, to quell any rumors, let me state for the record that there will never be internal autopilots (i.e., autopilots developed by Altea Aerospace) that automatically dock the ship, automatically fly the ship into orbit, or automatically re-enter the ship; XR vessels are designed to be pilots' ships, and so the XR internal autopilot's job is to assist the pilot rather than replace him.

 

[T.Neo]

How is it possible to develop third party XR autopilots?

 

[Ghostrider]

The DGIII and IV are designed with a lot of automation built-in, the XR series is different. You can use Attitude MFD to do some of the work for you, and Rendezvous MFD to get you within acceptable range of your target, but the rest is another matter.

 

[Calsir]

However, to quell any rumors, let me state for the record that there will never be internal autopilots (i.e., autopilots developed by Altea Aerospace) that automatically dock the ship, automatically fly the ship into orbit, or automatically re-enter the ship; XR vessels are designed to be pilots' ships, and so the XR internal autopilot's job is to assist the pilot rather than replace him.

What about using digital fly-by-wire to control the spacecraft? The "flight computer" just keeps the aircraft stable in the desired attitude, which is changed by the usual flight inputs. The computer could use engine gimballing, elevator deflection, CG shifting and RCS to stabilize the flight. It would be extremely useful to the blokes (like me) who don't own a joystick and it would be more similar to modern aircrafts (I am thinking about the F16 and the A380) that are stabilized and controlled by FBW.

Feedback could then be given in order to ascertain the efficiency of the flight condition. FBW would also allow odd, yet usual flight attitudes to be more comfortably kept, like the inverted high AOA aerocapture or 90° bank high AOA reentry manoeuvres, which are impossible with the current XR series autopilot implementations.

 

[RisingFury]

People are welcome to develop third-party autopilots for the XR series. However, to quell any rumors, let me state for the record that there will never be internal autopilots (i.e., autopilots developed by Altea Aerospace) that automatically dock the ship, automatically fly the ship into orbit, or automatically re-enter the ship; XR vessels are designed to be pilots' ships, and so the XR internal autopilot's job is to assist the pilot rather than replace him.

Yaaaaayyyy!!!!

The only flaw of DGIV are the autopilots!

 

[AstroCam]

Well, sometimes (ie: the fifteen-minute--i'm-late-for-class-dock-you-sunnava- orbiter sessions), the DGIV autopilots can save a lot of time. I still can't believe i managed to ascend, dock and deorbit onto my surface base in one go for the first time in orbiter - and it was flying the XR-2!

SO maybe the lack of autopilots isn't a bad thing.

That said, a generic MFD that zeros your velocity relative to a target object would be INVALUABLE both for EVA, and any kind of docking sequence, as nulling the velocity while docking is always one of the major hurdles in orbiter.

 

[Peskie]

That said, a generic MFD that zeros your velocity relative to a target object would be INVALUABLE both for EVA, and any kind of docking sequence, as nulling the velocity while docking is always one of the major hurdles in orbiter.

You want Attitude MFD: [ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=3165"]Attitude MFD V3.2[/ame]

 

[Usquanigo]

Well, sometimes (ie: the fifteen-minute--i'm-late-for-class-dock-you-sunnava- orbiter sessions), the DGIV autopilots can save a lot of time. I still can't believe i managed to ascend, dock and deorbit onto my surface base in one go for the first time in orbiter - and it was flying the XR-2!

SO maybe the lack of autopilots isn't a bad thing.

That said, a generic MFD that zeros your velocity relative to a target object would be INVALUABLE both for EVA, and any kind of docking sequence, as nulling the velocity while docking is always one of the major hurdles in orbiter.

You probably already know this, but I find using the + and circle+ to be about as easy as any autopilot (and too much automation reduced it to you watching a full-screen movie). I either point to the + and retro burn, or point to the circle+ and do a main burn. That zeros relative velocity very quickly. Then I spin and point in whatever direction I want to go and do short burns and creep in on my target.

I've docked with the ISS, starting the "docking rendezvous" (part after aligning orbits and such) from over 250K away. Works like a champ, no autopilot needed.