We have quite a few really cool spaceplanes with decent simulations. The XR-series most of all, but also the DG IV, the starliner, and there might be some I've missed.
We have nothing comparable for purely orbital operations like transfers. There's the dragonfly, which has electric and lifesupport systems, but it can't do orbital transfers (much less with some load), and also it doesn't quite work anymore in orbiter 2016 (everything seems nice enough until you turn the power on, then things start to not work quite as they should). There's the shuttle-A, which is a pretty big-ass hauler with a nominal payload of 120 tons, but doesn't have much simulation. A couple of neat controls for the pods and docking port, for sure, but nothing deeper, nothing that requires any checklists aso.
The thing I found myself really wishing for lately was a kind of realistic, near-future "orbital truck" if you will, capable of transferring modest to moderate payloads between orbits, but that makes you work a bit to operate it, so there's more to flying it than just orbital transfers.
The easiest way to achieve something like this would probably be to give the shuttle-A the "XR-1 treatment" so to speak, at least in that case there would already be a mesh to start with, or to beef p the dragonfly, though its whole panel structure would need to be rewritten for orbiter 2016, which is a lot of work in and of itself.
In any case, here's some of the features I'd like to see:
The last point maybe highlights my problem... I have the coding skills to do something like this. In fact, I even have lots of code lying around from older projects, including nice things like an animation framework for orbiter, a framelocked event messaging system, a whole general constant voltage electric simulator that I kinda finished but never used, and a couple of other stuff.
I do face three major problems, though:
1. I don't know nothing about spacecraft systems. Not even airplane systems, when it comes to that. Actually designing how this thing should work and how the procedures should be would be a major learning endeavor. Usually I play simulations to learn about stuff like that, I don't typically write them, though it has happened a couple of times in the past.
2. I can do modelling, but it takes me unreasonable amounts of time, and I really don't enjoy it that much. It follows that most things coming out don't usually look that nice, and the thought of designing a virtual cockpit drives shivers down my spine...
3. The factor compounding the two above is a problem that most people will be familiar with... I don't have much time. I obviously have a job, but besides that I also have a private project that I intend to (attempt to) commercialize at some point when it's far enough, and then there's a family with a special needs child, and... well, there's not much of the day left over. If I try to do this alone, it'll never get finished.
I'm mentioning this so it's understood that I'm not just posting a feature list here and waiting for somebody else to do all the work. I'm totally willing to do my part. But my part isn't enough to get something like this over the finishing line, so let's start by discussing the basics:
a) Is anybody besides me actually interested in something like this? The goal would be to have a vessel that could be used as a solid basis of a kind of "eurotrucker in space" experience, which is something I'd like very much, but maybe I'm the only one.
b) Any suggestions for the design of the craft and its systems? Not implementation so much as specifications, sketches, equations, hell, just a sketch of what the cockpit of such a craft might look like in some detail would already be helpful...
c) Any suggestions on possible implementation patterns, libraries etc that could shave some work off of this?
d) Anybody interested to actively participate in development?
We have nothing comparable for purely orbital operations like transfers. There's the dragonfly, which has electric and lifesupport systems, but it can't do orbital transfers (much less with some load), and also it doesn't quite work anymore in orbiter 2016 (everything seems nice enough until you turn the power on, then things start to not work quite as they should). There's the shuttle-A, which is a pretty big-ass hauler with a nominal payload of 120 tons, but doesn't have much simulation. A couple of neat controls for the pods and docking port, for sure, but nothing deeper, nothing that requires any checklists aso.
The thing I found myself really wishing for lately was a kind of realistic, near-future "orbital truck" if you will, capable of transferring modest to moderate payloads between orbits, but that makes you work a bit to operate it, so there's more to flying it than just orbital transfers.
The easiest way to achieve something like this would probably be to give the shuttle-A the "XR-1 treatment" so to speak, at least in that case there would already be a mesh to start with, or to beef p the dragonfly, though its whole panel structure would need to be rewritten for orbiter 2016, which is a lot of work in and of itself.
In any case, here's some of the features I'd like to see:
- Reasonably realistic (shuttle-A is stretching it a bit to be honest, though it could be nerved somewhat with more realistic specs).
- Capable of reaching the moon from LEO, though not with much payload (maybe up to some 10 tons or so...)
- Doesn't need to be capable of landing on the moon, though that may be a cool thing for a second iteration.
- Some electrical system that needs a startup procedure before you can get going, similar to the dragonfly (though not necessarily that indept. I'm don't think we need fuel cell tank pressures and stuff, just a logical distribution system that needs to be powered up a certain way and blows some fuses if it isn't).
- Some life support simulation, like o2 and Co2 levels and thermal control (big one, that, I know). The whole thing might have an endurance of maybe a week before it needs to resupply.
- UMMU/OMMU support is quite optional, I barely use these features, but there should be some failure state if you forget important things, even if it's just a "Congratulation, everybody's dead" message on the HUD or so.
- VC would be awesome, but some nice panels would do just fine.
- Potentially, some closer simulation of the main engine. Nothing too fancy, but having to go through some procedure to get the thing ready to ignite would be cool, if that's actually realistic.
The last point maybe highlights my problem... I have the coding skills to do something like this. In fact, I even have lots of code lying around from older projects, including nice things like an animation framework for orbiter, a framelocked event messaging system, a whole general constant voltage electric simulator that I kinda finished but never used, and a couple of other stuff.
I do face three major problems, though:
1. I don't know nothing about spacecraft systems. Not even airplane systems, when it comes to that. Actually designing how this thing should work and how the procedures should be would be a major learning endeavor. Usually I play simulations to learn about stuff like that, I don't typically write them, though it has happened a couple of times in the past.
2. I can do modelling, but it takes me unreasonable amounts of time, and I really don't enjoy it that much. It follows that most things coming out don't usually look that nice, and the thought of designing a virtual cockpit drives shivers down my spine...
3. The factor compounding the two above is a problem that most people will be familiar with... I don't have much time. I obviously have a job, but besides that I also have a private project that I intend to (attempt to) commercialize at some point when it's far enough, and then there's a family with a special needs child, and... well, there's not much of the day left over. If I try to do this alone, it'll never get finished.
I'm mentioning this so it's understood that I'm not just posting a feature list here and waiting for somebody else to do all the work. I'm totally willing to do my part. But my part isn't enough to get something like this over the finishing line, so let's start by discussing the basics:
a) Is anybody besides me actually interested in something like this? The goal would be to have a vessel that could be used as a solid basis of a kind of "eurotrucker in space" experience, which is something I'd like very much, but maybe I'm the only one.
b) Any suggestions for the design of the craft and its systems? Not implementation so much as specifications, sketches, equations, hell, just a sketch of what the cockpit of such a craft might look like in some detail would already be helpful...
c) Any suggestions on possible implementation patterns, libraries etc that could shave some work off of this?
d) Anybody interested to actively participate in development?
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