Request Orbital Sciences Antares family

[Urwumpe]

And you're lucky, there's no apparent engine plumbing, it is conveniently hidden

well, the pipes to the nozzle exit plane would be nice to see :lol:

 

[Donamy]

One minor criticism... the pink foil on the engines in the roll-out photograph is removed before flight.

I beg to differ !!!

 

[Urwumpe]

I beg to differ !!!

Not pink - in the photo above, it appears rather a dirty white, while in the Pathfinder photos, there was some flamingo pink foil around the engines, that was clearly not made for launch (since it was held in place by duct tape)

See at this:

While later:

Not pink.

 

[Donamy]

Not pink - in the photo above, it appears rather a dirty white, while in the Pathfinder photos, there was some flamingo pink foil around the engines, that was clearly not made for launch (since it was held in place by duct tape)

I disagree, it looks like a pink insulation blanket to me.

 

[Urwumpe]

I disagree, it looks like a pink insulation blanket to me.

Added another photograph there for comparison.

 

[Donamy]

I disagree, it looks like a pink insulation blanket to me.

A bigger shot.

 

[Urwumpe]

A bigger shot.

Yes, but there is a lot of pink stuff in that roll-out picture, that was gone in the erection pictures already. The actual blanket seems to be a dirty white, I see no pink there even in the A-ONE roll out.

 

[Donamy]

If you select the color in a paint program, it definetly has a red hue, I think the roll out picture is washed out by a very bright light.

 

[Urwumpe]

If you select the color in a paint program, it definetly has a red hue, I think the roll out picture is washed out by a very bright light.

I am not sure there - at least in the launch picture, the red hue could also be the engine exhaust, since it also colors the vapors from a pressurization valve pink.

 

[Donamy]

Maybe I have it too pink.

 

[Urwumpe]

Maybe I have it too pink.

Yes, or not enough specular white. But at least it should be pretty wrinkeled in Normal mapping. Animating this cover could be a harder task.

 

[Donamy]

No one will see it with the Orbiter starburst effect.

 

[Urwumpe]

No one will see it with the Orbiter starburst effect.

I will. And that is annoying enough :lol::lol:

Also, it would be good to have this place right, since there are also some pipes venting vapors and flames from the nozzle exit plane during pre-launch, that would be boring if missed. :lol:

 

[Donamy]

blast trench ?

 

[Urwumpe]

blast trench ?

Not just that. There is also a special pipe down the nozzle, that ejects the exhaust of the starter turbine, a moment before the main combustion chamber is lit (~0.4 second delay between firing starter cartridge and the pressure kick in the main combustion chamber - long enough to notice even at normal time warp).

 

[N_Molson]

That's really not easy to say. What is sure is that there is something like a fabric wrapped around the nozzles after launch. Could be the pink covers, could be something else hidden under. My advice is to let it light pink in doubt, then after, if we can get better pictures from other launches, it's only a texture to change.

 

[Urwumpe]

Take a look here, from the PDF file, the events during engine start, which are pretty interesting.

 

[Capt_hensley]

I think you're getting a bit nit-pinky:rofl:, I'd rather just see a working launcher, and iron out the details later, I know as well as everyone how a spectacular add-on gives a great sim experience, but using the same old add-ons can get boring, This launcher like the InterOrbital Systems, and SeaLaunch, can give a different veriety of launch choices, that are based in real world vehicles rather than the nice near tech stuff we see lately. SLS will be a great addition as well, even though it's not nearly as developed as Antares and Falcon.

Patiently waiting, but looks great so far...

 

[Urwumpe]

I think it is simply about finding what makes a vehicle unique. What events give it character? How good is a Soyuz launcher without its unique booster separation sequence or its unique launch complex?

In the simplest form, you just press for 100% thrust and go the way up. Nothing happening, no events, nothing that gives you a different feeling to other launchers.

Which is a bit sad, since all launchers are different kinds of beasts, When they sit on the pad, some are simply silently waiting for launch, while others are hissing and fuming. One just sways a bit in the wind, another emits loud metallic sounds while the temperatures equalize.

You might call it nitpicky... I call it art. An art that I appreciate more, than I exercise it myself to be honest.

 

[N_Molson]

Hehehe Urwumpe is nit-picky... and that's one aspect of his personnality I appreciate the most. It is very useful to have a critical return about your work that you can have confidence in, because he also has an impressively extensive knowledge of various astronautic hardware, past, current, or to come :tiphat:

Of course it can become a trap (I'd say SSU has a bit fallen into it, and I also myself have more than one time), and sometimes simplification is required.

But still, it is good to know as many details as possible. And I completely agree on the idea that each launcher has its personality. What Thorton as an exemple rendered very well with the Soyuz and the Proton LVs. The first one has a noisy prelaunch sequence and a lots of things are moving around during the countdown, the second one just sits there and BOOM, liftoff ! The Shuttle had cryogenic vapors floating all around emitting strong hissing noises, etc...

And that's an area where Orbiter can definitively put itself forward compared to KSP, as an exemple, that offers "only" generic launcher parts.