Support Jekka`s Vostok Addon

gagarin

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It`s only a matter of weeks before the Anniversary of Yuri Gagarin`s Historic Space Flight - 12th April 1961.
I am endeavouring to mark this occascion by recreating this monumental flight by using Jekka`s great Vostok 1.1 addon and in realtime and at the correct launchtime on Sunday 12th April 2009.
The problem is :-
The tutorials are great insofar if you fly it when already in Space!
This is what I need to know -
1. What is the best Launchpad Azimuth to use for the launch ?
2. Will pressing "P" take me throught the entire mission or do I have to stop after the launch and load the in-orbit scenario?
3.It says in the tutorial to line up the rear antenna with the sun at approx 0705hrs - but when I am at this stage in the sim the Vostok is facing the wrong way making it virtually impossible to line up the rear antennaes with the sun???
And finally - this may come with practise - but trying to get the vostok orb to re-enter earth is prooving nigh on impossible!!!!
Any help with this will be greatfully accepted
Regards
 

gagarin

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Still need help - even though I am learning!
So far:-
Load Full sim from launch
Press F1
Input azimuth - I use 065 deg
Wait for the tower to rotate
Change to soyuz view from F3
Go back to F1 and relative targrt view
Wait for the time of 06:06:25 and press P
That way you get an exact launch at 06:07
Then sit back and wait for 07:10 or there abouts - align the t rear antennas and point them up to centre of the sun
wait until 8900K from Smelovka
Now this is where I need help
I do everything in the tutorial burning 40% fuel,pitching to +60 deg etc and ending up with just the orb - bit it will not decrease altitude and carries on inceasing alt and goes for a second orbit
ANY help please greatfully accepted - the 12th april is looming!
Thanks

---------- Post added at 06:48 PM ---------- Previous post was Yesterday at 10:31 PM ----------

Anybody??????
 

gagarin

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Hi Brad
Appreciate you answering
Yes I did and stick to it religiously but still cannot get the Vostok Orb to come out of orbit
regards
 

gagarin

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I really am having a hard time with this scenario!!!!!!!!!
I have tried and tried and tired to get it all right but no joy.
First of all - I think jekka has done a fantastic job with this - the graphics etc put you right there with Yuri Gagarin!
However......
I have tried every launch azimuth from 20 deg to 65 deg for the launch and the timing seems way out!
For example - launch was at 0607 Moscow time got that by pressing P at 0606:25hrs - then get an exact launch at 0607hrs- so far so good.
Kedr should be approaching Cape Horn at 0700hrs but it is still struggling in mid Pacific off South America - Why ???
Also the flight (to me anyway) simply cannot be done in 108 Minutes - no matter how hard I try!
Trying to do the sun seeking thing - very hard when Kedr isnt facing the sun or even out of darness at 0710Hrs
Am I doing something very wrong here???
Also when I use the in-orbit scenario - the flight plan takes me over Australia and the Americas....again wrong flight plan.
Still cannot bring Kedr to re-entry despite following all the tutorials!!!
Has anyone done this scenario in 108 minutes and with the historical flight plan?
If so PLEASE tell me how!
Regards
 

BrianJ

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Hi,
I've never tried this add-on, but a quick look at your namesake's page on wikipedia gives some pretty useful info.
I have tried every launch azimuth from 20 deg to 65 deg for the launch
For an orbital inc.of 69.54deg(equatorial) from Baikonour, Enjo's AzimuthCalculator tells me you need to launch at
azimuth 35.53deg (on the ascending node).

Also the flight (to me anyway) simply cannot be done in 108 Minutes - no matter how hard I try!
Orbital period of a 327km x 169km orbit is about 89.4mins, so a mission time of 108mins seems reasonable (adding a bit for launch and reentry).

Kedr should be approaching Cape Horn at 0700hrs but it is still struggling in mid Pacific off South America - Why ???.......

......Also when I use the in-orbit scenario - the flight plan takes me over Australia and the Americas....again wrong flight plan.
This sounds like it might happen if you launched from Baikonour to a 69.54inc orbit on the descending node by mistake, or had an orbit much larger than 327km x 169km.

As I said, I've never tried this add-on, but deorbiting should be the same as for any other vehicle - make a retrograde burn until your Perigee is low enough. Doesn't work?

Good luck!
 

Brad

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I've downloading Jekka's Vostok, however nothing shows up. I see Baikonour launch complex, and it is working, however no launch vehicle. I have even tried the various Soyuz series launch scenarios and still nothing. Any idea what I am missing here?

EDIT ----

Seems I had a senior moment. It is now working for some reason..no change, just now working...Hummmm.....
 

DaveS

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I've downloading Jekka's Vostok, however nothing shows up. I see Baikonour launch complex, and it is working, however no launch vehicle. I have even tried the various Soyuz series launch scenarios and still nothing. Any idea what I am missing here?
Have you installed the following add-ons:
-Soyuz Series by Mustard: http://orbiter.mustard-fr.com/addons/soyuz.php
-Baikonur, LC1-pad5 by Mustard: http://orbiter.mustard-fr.com/addons/blc1.php
-Multistage2 by Vinka: http://users.swing.be/vinka/
 

Brad

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Yep...working now..thanks.
 

gagarin

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I think I am putting as much work into this as Sergei Korolev - but find it very fascinating!
The orbit looks more realistic with launch Azimuth of 35.53deg.
Still having problems with the times though.
Launch at 0607Hrs (pressing P at exactly 06:06:25) Moscow time and all goes well until about 0653hrs when Kedr drags off the west coast of South America.
It should round Cape Horn at 0700hrs and come out into daylight at 0710hrs in the South Atlantic but it does`nt.

So shall keep on perservering until I can exactly re-create Yuri Gagarin`s historic flight as he did in 1961.
 

Brad

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Would you mind posting your "guidance" file. Are you hitting the 327km x 169km orbit?
 

n72.75

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Would you mind posting your "guidance" file. Are you hitting the 327km x 169km orbit?

I second the moation.
 

Brad

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Well here is what I have for a guidance file.

Code:
-21=PlaySound(Sound\Vessel\00soyuz_launch.wav)
-20=engine(0,0.00001,0.01) ;for Umbilicals animation
-13.99=engine(0.00001,0,0.01)
-13.98=engine(0,0,1)
-5=PlaySound(Sound\Vessel\02soyuz_launch.wav)
0=engine(0,100,14)
15=engine(81,100,150)
24=pitch(86,85,5)
29=pitch(85,80,15)
42=PlaySound(Sound\Vessel\01soyuz_launch.wav)
44=pitch(80,70,15)
59=pitch(70,60,15)
60=PlaySound(Sound\Vessel\08soyuz_launch.wav)
74=pitch(60,50,15)
89=pitch(50,40,15)
104=pitch(40,30,15)
119=pitch(30,20,15)
134=pitch(20,9,110)
160=fairing()
163=PlaySound(Sound\Vessel\09soyuz_launch.wav)
244=pitch(9,0,18)
262=pitch(0,0,68)
320=pitch(0,27,20)
340=pitch(27,27,80)
420=pitch(27,10,20)
440=pitch(10,3,35)
475=pitch(3,0,67)
512=engine(100,0,2.7)
539=PlaySound(Sound\Vessel\10soyuz_launch.wav)
547=pitch(0,0,10)
570=jettison() ; more time to make manual burn
3557=roll(0,0,0,0,-1)

I just modified one of the Otto files and named it Ottov.txt. It seems to work and gets me very close. I usually end up around 170 km X 326 km. Of course I am open to feedback on this. Maybe someone has a better approach.
 

n72.75

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After jetteson of the vostok, the upper stage engine stays on and rams in to the vostok about 20 seconds later. you might want to fix this.
 

gagarin

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Thanks for all the help here
First - where would i fing the Guidance file
second - when i try to de-orbot all goes well untl a red PE come on the alt gauge and the alt goes up again
Thanks in advance
 

Brad

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After jetteson of the vostok, the upper stage engine stays on and rams in to the vostok about 20 seconds later. you might want to fix this.

Hummm... the second stage turns completely off at 512. Looking at the rest of the file there is nothing there that is turning it on. Odd....
 

kino_astroboy

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Hummm... the second stage turns completely off at 512. Looking at the rest of the file there is nothing there that is turning it on. Odd....

To prevent that from happening, try to put 565=(0,0,0) right before jettison. It shuts down the Soyuz engine.
 

MajorTom

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Two suggestions:

1. Throttle down to -1 to shut off the engine, not 0.

2. Still, sometimes I add an additional throttle-down term soon after the engines are supposed to throttle down to -1, to guarantee they're fully off. For example,

Code:
537.5=engine(100,-1,2.5)
541=engine(0,-1,0.1)
(The above example is with Mustard & No Matter's Soyuz launcher, which is what I believe is in use in this case)

Edit: Please note the timing is different in my example because it's for launching a Soyuz, not a Vostok.
 
Last edited:

gagarin

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Just to recap here !
1 Launch at 06:06:25 by pressing P - then get launch at exactly 06:07 as was historically correct.
2.All goes well through to 06:37 and entry into eclipse (night)
3.After about 06:53 then the programme seems to drag
4. It should carry on to rounding tip of south america at 07:00 then into daylight at 07:10 over africa west coast at 07:27 and finally landing at smelovka at 07:55hrs - all moscow time.

5.Suggestions made :-
a) new guidance file - where do I find that and how to incorporate it?
b) There is a problem with the final booster seperation - suggestion made to correct it - again how and where?

6.Finally if and when sorted - be good to make a definitive flightplan/tutorial for others to run this historical simulation ?
Thanks
 

Brad

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Well after further tweaking of a guidance file, this gets me right on the money as far as the historic timeline.

Code:
-21=PlaySound(Sound\Vessel\00soyuz_launch.wav)
-20=engine(0,0.00001,0.01) ;for Umbilicals animation
-13.99=engine(0.00001,0,0.01)
-13.98=engine(0,0,1)
-5=PlaySound(Sound\Vessel\02soyuz_launch.wav)
0=engine(0,100,14)
15=engine(81,100,150)
24=pitch(86,85,5)
29=pitch(85,80,15)
42=PlaySound(Sound\Vessel\01soyuz_launch.wav)
44=pitch(80,70,15)
59=pitch(70,60,15)
60=PlaySound(Sound\Vessel\08soyuz_launch.wav)
74=pitch(60,50,15)
89=pitch(50,40,15)
104=pitch(40,30,15)
119=pitch(30,20,15)
134=pitch(20,9,110)
160=fairing()
163=PlaySound(Sound\Vessel\09soyuz_launch.wav)
244=pitch(9,0,18)
262=pitch(0,0,68)
320=pitch(0,27,20)
340=pitch(27,27,80)
420=pitch(27,10,20)
440=pitch(10,3,35)
475=pitch(3,0,67)
512=engine(100,0,2.8)
514=PlaySound(Sound\Vessel\10soyuz_launch.wav)
515=engine(0,-1,0.1)
547=pitch(0,0,3)
550=pitch(0,0,10)
552=jettison() ; more time to make manual burn
560=roll(0,0,0,0,-1)

Just save this file as Ottov.txt and place in the M_Soyuz directory off the Config directory. You'll then need to add the following line into your scenario file:

GUIDANCE_FILE Config\M_Soyuz\Ottov.txt

Place this line right below the "CONFIG_FILE" line in the default scenario "Launch Vostok-1."

One thing I did notice, it seems the mesh isn't aligned right. Poor Yuri is flying on his side on the ride up and should be heads down. It seems that the mesh needs to be rotated 90 degrees. In addition the RCS is off. Pitching down turns on the up RCS jets whereas it should the down RCS jets.

I could easily fix all of this, however since Jekka is the author, and I have no way to contact him for permission, I would not be able to release the corrected mesh or configurations.

If someone knows of way of contacting him, please forward it to me and I would be happy to ask his permission or maybe he could release an updated version?
 
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