New Release Interplanetary Modular Spacecraft RC9

[PeterRoss]

to Dantassi:


It seems that most of your troubles are connected with stacked modules integration. If you're building your station this way having a bug hunting in mind than you'll (and you already did) find plenty of bugs which are generated by Orbiter core and can't be fixed on IMS end, at least I don't know how to do it. But if you're building your station for fun why don't you integrate modules one by one right after docking instead of stacking them first?

 

[Dantassii]

I'm actually trying to see just how many XR5 loads it takes to build a construction/repair station in lunar orbit. When it comes time to actually integrate it, I may do just what you suggest. Right now though, I'm having lots of fun just launching my XR5 from Brighton Beach and using the URMS to dock the individual modules together.

I'm relatively new at Orbiter which is why I'm reporting whenever I find something unusual happening. I'm perfectly happy getting a "That's a known Orbiter bug that can't be solved in IMS." This is just the sort of program I've always wanted to build myself but never had the time to do it. So even with all the troubles I've had, this is still the closest I'll ever be to doing what it was I wanted to do when I grew up. I always wanted to be an astronaut..

 

[jedidia]

The end result is 14 docking ports with no assigned IDS frequencies.

Yes... the default vessel save callback is called first, then IMS does its stuff. The IDS frequencies are a default VESSEL-attribute, while the dockport managment is IMS own doing. Technically, it should be possible to just inverse the order in which the stuff is saved... It might have consequences I can't quite forsee at this time, but it's worth trying.

 

[Dantassii]

New IMS question

If I want to build a ship using IMS that docks with stationary space stations nose-first, do I have to put a docking port module on docking port 1 of my ship's command module? If so, doesn't this kinda offset the distance to the station by the length of the docking port when you actually try to dock with something?

And a 2nd question:
Once I get my lunar space station to 'initial occupancy capability' can I post the picture here on this thread, or is there another thread I should post it under?

 

[NukeET]

Yes... the default vessel save callback is called first, then IMS does its stuff. The IDS frequencies are a default VESSEL-attribute, while the dockport managment is IMS own doing. Technically, it should be possible to just inverse the order in which the stuff is saved... It might have consequences I can't quite forsee at this time, but it's worth trying.

Thanks for the reply. If you need help Beta testing the fix, let me know.

And a 2nd question:
Once I get my lunar space station to 'initial occupancy capability' can I post the picture here on this thread, or is there another thread I should post it under?

Glad you asked first. The worst that could happen is a moderator moves it from this thread over to the screenshot thread. I've wanted to post a shot here since rebuilding my lunar space station via IMS - which now makes it version #4 since starting it back in October 2006. I've chronicled it thus far here: http://nukeet.blogspot.com/2009/09/clyde-station-evolution.html

 

[Dantassii]

At last count, my space station is over 250 modules and I've just finished the first centrifuge ring. Now I'm adding enough Hydroponics and Life Support modules to support the 'initial occupancy capability' of 96 persons on board. Once I finish that, then I'll start adding the 'refurbishment and repair' trusses (2 of them) and eventually a 2nd centrifuge ring to bring the total occupancy up to 192 (with enough hydroponics and life support for them all to live on). Although it will have several MW of nuke power (currently 8 MW), the station is expected to have enough solar arrays to power all the stuff on-board. With the 2 power trusses it already has it is producing almost a MW of power by solar array. There will be 4 more power trusses when it's all finished so it will have around 5 MW of solar power when completed. Now what does one do with 5MW of solar power in lunar orbit?

I'm using an XR5 from Brighton Beach to build my station in a 100km lunar orbit. So far I've completed 33 missions with the XR5 and have mapped out missions 34-38. I estimate that it will take another 30 missions for 'initial occupancy capability' and probably another 10 missions after that for 'initial repair capability'. Then another 28 missions for the second wheel and another 30 missions to finish up the hydroponics and life support. Each mission has been a FULL LOAD XR5 payload. That's been half the fun trying to figure out what order to bring stuff up to the station so that I always have a full payload bay with each flight.

 

[goaowonk]

What does each parameter mean here in the .scn?

  CONSUMABLES 3000 0.0001 0 3000 3000 0 3000 3000 0

BG103 (O2 container) is always empty for me.

 

[jedidia]

Thanks for the reply. If you need help Beta testing the fix, let me know.

Yeah, well, I should get the code set up first... I'm somewhat distracted by a goat farm at the moment... :lol:

At last count, my space station is over 250 modules

And you flew them all up there manually? You're crazy!! :lol:

As for screenshots, you can post them here of course, but the screenshot thread gives the add-on a wider awareness and will be looked at more, so I would post it there.

BG103 (O2 container) is always empty for me.

Did you fill it?

 

[Dantassii]

Actually, I'm flying them up manually, but once I am docked with the station, I use URMS to remove them from the payload bay and get them roughly to the spot where they will go, then use the Scenario Editor to dock them. I've discovered that the modules tend to 'slip' on the URMS. I don't know if this is a DX7 bug or a URMS bug or a IMS bug. All I know is that when I was building the station under DX9 using the URMS and using the non-IMS versions of the modules, I didn't get any slippage.

I was hoping to get a few missions done today, but I've been suffering a vertigo attack all day today and I've slept most of the day away. Hope to get better soon. I really am curious to see how this space station I'm building comes out.

And this was just the sort of thing I was hoping to do when I grew up...

 

[goaowonk]

Did you fill it?

Ehm? Do I need to refill it? :lol: With what?

 

[jedidia]

Ehm? Do I need to refill it? With what?

With oxygen, of course. I guess what I'm asking is: Does it arrive empty, or does it get emptied faster than the rest? Since it's a container, not a module, it should spawn full, like all other containers. If it doesn't, that's most probably a config problem.

 

[goaowonk]

It spawns empty. I modified the CONSUMABLES value (posted above) from 0.00001 to 3000, and I magically made it became full of breathable gold.

 

[jedidia]

It spawns empty.

Then we have a faulty config file on our hands.

You can also fill up the consumables with the scenario editor (they correspond to the first three propellant resources).

 

[NukeET]

What does each parameter mean here in the .scn?

  CONSUMABLES 3000 0.0001 0 3000 3000 0 3000 3000 0

BG103 (O2 container) is always empty for me.

That's a good question...I'm getting a different result. See code below.

It spawns empty. I modified the CONSUMABLES value (posted above) from 0.00001 to 3000, and I magically made it became full of breathable gold.

Confirmed...it spawns empty. But I haven't yet found out which number to change in the CONSUMABLES line.

Then we have a faulty config file on our hands.

You can also fill up the consumables with the scenario editor (they correspond to the first three propellant resources).

True...but all I'm able to change is fuel level...i.e., PRPLEVEL. See Code below:

. . .
 PRPLEVEL 0:1.000000 1:1.000000 2:1.000000 3:1.000000 4:1.000000
. . . 
  CONSUMABLES 0.0001 0 0 0.0001 0 0 0.0001 0 0

...but I've been suffering a vertigo attack all day today and I've slept most of the day away. Hope to get better soon.

I suffer from those too...caused by Meniere's Disease. If Alan Shepard overcame it and golfed on the Moon on my 9th birthday...I can too!

 

[jedidia]

But I haven't yet found out which number to change in the CONSUMABLES line.

Nothing to do with that. You must spawn it with propellant (fuelmass line, compare with other containers).

True...but all I'm able to change is fuel level...i.e., PRPLEVEL. See Code below:

In the end it's the same thing, really.

 

[NukeET]

But I haven't yet found out which number to change in the CONSUMABLES line.

:facepalm::facepalm::facepalm:


If you don't know...who does?

 

[jedidia]

Sorry, that was supposed to be a quote. should look like this:

But I haven't yet found out which number to change in the CONSUMABLES line.

Nothing to do with that. You must spawn it with propellant (fuelmass line, compare with other containers).

 

[NukeET]

Ok...thanks. I can now transfer all the propellant I want.


But fuel is the ONLY thing I can transfer. I have valid containers (BG103_O2_Container and BG105_Water_Container) docked to valid DOCKPORTS, but get the message, "No shared resources".

 

[Dantassii]

I've found that my O2 storage (and food and water) only increase when I have more life support (O2 and water) or hydroponics (food) than I have crew on board. Then my storage units fill up. Slowly, but they fill up.

'course if you make sure that you always have more life support/hydroponics than you have crew, you can transfer the extra to other IMS compatible ships.. or so I'm told... I haven't tried it out yet.

 

[jedidia]

But fuel is the ONLY thing I can transfer. I have valid containers (BG103_O2_Container and BG105_Water_Container) docked to valid DOCKPORTS, but get the message, "No shared resources".

That should definitely not be the case. Can you verify in the scenario editor that the containers are full? I guess I should really get coding again...