[DGIV BLOG] News about devellopment of DGIV

[Topper]

Hello Dan,
i have found some Bug of the DGIV Beta 3 Relais (i think), sorry, i have no clean installation of orbiter and i havn't found the
newsest version, but i post it    nevertheless. If u have fixed it, u can ignore this Post.

1. If i try to go around with EVA'S on other moons than Luna (Europa, Titan, etc...), i cant walk arround, because the EVA is
in "RCS Mode", not "walk mode".

2. If i use High-Time-Accelation after crashing into Earth-Ground, the smoke of the "wrack" looks like a flash light ;-)

3. This is not realy a Bug, but if i use Auto-Docking, the nose-con do not open    
automatically , so i get damage. I think there have to be a programm warning, programm abort or an    
automatically -opening-nosecon. (it's only my mind ;-) )



EDIT:
Oh, ive forgot, the docking-AP to rotating space stations is not supported now, it will be cool if this will go

Thanks for youre great work Dan!

Topper

P.S.

yes it looks verry nice



Post Edited ( 01-16-07 23:37 )

[sunshine135]

DanSteph wrote:
Blog continuing

Panel almost finished (text look good?)
Grapple/release work flawlessly...

Same system as Ummu turbopack grapple/release, zone around cargo bay is scanned for compatible object
and if one found this one is grappled.

Release/grapple can also be operated with new keyboard key "j" so you can watch
from outside the release.

Dan

Dan- the panel looks great, the text looks good, and the English is also flawless. I like how you can set the release speed.
That is something I do not recall seeing on previous add-ons. How high will this setting be able to go? I can see someone
complaining about how they attached astronaut- Buck Rogers into the cargo bay, released him at Cape Canaveral at 7000 m/s and
shot him through the stratosphere.     8o

Again, you unchain all sorts of new Orbiter possibilities. I can't wait to try them out.

[Voyager]

Nice panel addition Dan, glad to see you managed to find some space for it the lower panel seems to be getting
very full :P

[Voyager]

O, if i may be the annoying person asking for more functions..again :P

In the case of a emergency reentry, and you still have the payload in your hold, the ship may be to heavy to survive
and you need to get rid of as much weight as possible to save the crew, opening the cargo bay and waiting for it to
be open before being able to jettison the cargo might take too long.

since you already have the animations in place to destroy the cargo bay doors (enough dynamic pressure when
doors are open), why not add a button to blow the cargo doors (explosive bolts idea). That way you can get rid of
the cargo real quick if need be.

Then again, would a open cargohold pose a problem for the ship on reentry (temperature wise)?

I know its probably wishfull thinking, so feel free to tell me to shut up and i'll stick to bug reports from now on

[SHV0151]

Voyager wrote:
Then again, would a open cargohold pose a problem for the ship on reentry (temperature wise)?

I think that it would be a big tempurature (and probally aerodynamic) problem.  Although if you need to make an
emergency landing (after reentry) and are too heavy you could jettison the cargo to have a smoother landing.  Would
be useful for a no-fuel landing.  Of corse how you make a sucessful reentry with no fuel is another story

[Voyager]

well no fuel is ambigious :P

no fuel to fire the engines, or no fuel to fire the RCS thrusters, which only needs a few kg's to work for a few minutes
of reentry

Still i was thinking more of the times when the DGIV would have dumped all its fuel (bar some kg's for the RCS), and was still to heavy to survive reentry, cant go chucking out some of your crew now can you? And i sure aint gonna throw my beer overboard!



Post Edited ( 01-17-07 01:24 )

[LostOblivion]

On the multi-cargo issue. I'm thinking we'd have a rig that can hold several objects, and when we need to release the cargo,
we release this rig and let the EVA guys take out the objects (ie satellites etc). Then there could be several versions of
this rig with different slots for different objects. Like 2 smaller slots on the left and one long bigger on the right, or 4
small objects etc etc. This would make EVA _much_ more meaningful too!

And when we have taken out 1/3 satellites f ex, the rigs have a grappling points for the EVA guys to hold with their hands,
and push it back into the cargo again.

The only problem I see, is releasing the objects from the rigs. Maybe have a 2d panel on the rig itself, and have buttons for
release/grapple. Another solution, is making a cargo-manager in the flight computer, letting you manage cargo. Another
solution (again) is making a DGIV-specific MFD for handling multicargo stuff. (The latter might be best, I think.)

I understand it is a lot of work, but it is also an idea to people wanting more objects in the new DG--ie they can make the
rig themselves as addons. =)

---

Another thing. I think it would be cool if the focus would shift to the EVAd guy when you press the EVA button in the DG. =)

[Peskie]

no fuel to fire the engines, or no fuel to fire the RCS thrusters, which only needs a few kg's to work for a few
minutes of reentry

As long as your initial attitude is somewhat reasonable (not tumbling and more or less nose forward) I don't see why a
complete fuel-less reentry shouldn't work for you.  I was able to do one.

After completing the Antartica touch down scenario (listed in this thread
http://orbiter.dansteph.com/forum/index.php?topic=11591.msg179680#msg179680 but converted to use the DGIV beta4) I figured I'd try
towing the disabled and fuel-less (I drained all the fuel for weight, the engines were inoperative anyway) DGIV back to a
space port.  So I spawned a Shuttle-A at ISS and (after burning a lot of fuel to align for an Antartic re-entry/landing)
landed near the downed DGIV and attached a tow line using TeatherMFD.

My first attempt failed miserably as I climbed out too fast with the Shuttle-A and my towed DGIV with stuck open hover doors
burned up on climb out (I hadn't intended to go to orbit, I initially was just trying to do a supersonic atmospheric tow).
I'm glad to report that even pilotless and towed, the DGIV burned up nicely and I was left towing a burning husk
while wreckage rained down on the surrounding area.  Good work Dan!

Anyway, I tried again with a pilot on board and by cheating a little and fixing the hover doors via the scenario file.  I
released the tow line at >7km/s and ~90km and I was able to use non-RCS controls only to bring it down to a safe landing.
Although I overshot the Cape and ended up a couple of km short of my alternate, it wasn't a bad landing considering and I
kept the heat buildup reasonable.  I recommend trying such a re-entry/tow for those that want a new challenge.

[zarb-dusk]

hello Dan

I have a question about the weight of the DG IV with the bay, It's the same as the DG III or the mass was increased?

[DanSteph]

Depend of the payload, I have done successufly ascent with 8 ton payload, it start to complaint at 6 Ton and refuse
payload more than 10 ton. Payload an crew mass are added to the 12 ton of ship (empty mass)

Dan

[Quick_Nick]

70kg turbopack?! The UMMU has to carry that thing on his back WITH his suit! Poor guy...
Also, that cargobay is bigger than I thought when you put the pack in there.

[willy88]

Quick_Nick wrote:
70kg turbopack?! The UMMU has to carry that thing on his back WITH his suit! Poor guy...
Also, that cargobay is bigger than I thought when you put the pack in there.

Maybe the turbopack has repulsorlifts...

[Voyager]

Naaa the MMU suit has intertia dampeners

[AndyMan]

Side note, not related to anything: Don't hit eject on the surface on Luna, or really any planet that doesn't have
atmosphere. The passengers get out fine, but the pilot, well he had some problems afterwards.

[n122vu]

Naturally, with the added weight of the payload, if you were to bring, say, a satellite back from orbit for refit on Earth,
you would be required to dump or use a bit more fuel prior to reentry.  Something that of course applies in a real
world situation, but those of us who just haven't quite mastered a great reentry (speaking for myself, anyway) have
just a bit more pressure to deal with.  

I think it is a positive thing, though.  If you come up short on reentry, you would have less fuel with which to correct
with powered flight, forcing you to perform a "shuttle" style reentry by ensuring you hit the mark and come in on the
target spaceport without using engines.  

In my opinion, more of a challenge, more realistic, and definitely better...


** side note - one thing about the DGIV I found a bit "unrealistic" is the ability to dump fuel during reentry, while
the ship is surrounded by reentry flames.  I would hope that the fuel for the main engines is a bit more flammable
than that....

[DanSteph]

As I recover slowly from my broken leg I work some time on litle stuff.

Now the config file of a DGIV payload have one more optional parameter:
MeshInBayName = DGIV/mtkssatBay

If this parameter is set when a cargo is grappled it will use the alternate mesh
to display.
This allow to have somes special display when grappled like attachment for exemple:



When released it will use the normal mesh of the config file ("MeshName")
or the one of the payload's dll:



Dan

[jer11]

8o wow!!

[DocHoliday]

I've said it before, I'll say it again.

Dan is a freakin Genius!

[sunshine135]

Oh that is very cool 8)

I use Greg Burch's Space Station Building Blocks a lot, and I have always been flustered with the fact you have a module in
the bay, but that is about it. No tie-downs or alternate MESH components. This is not knocking Greg's work, because I have
had hours of enjoyment with his Big Space Plane and building blocks.

I think what you are doing here is great Dan. It is raising the bar a little higher past the Spacecraft3.dll and CVEL
environments. It is the neatest thing I think I've seen since the addition of the Scenario editor and the Payload Manager for
some of the current add-ons (Energy Project and TX5 come to mind). Very nice work.

I was wondering if you find programming to be easier on good pain medications???   WOO HOO!

[zarb-dusk]

Dan do you sleep sometime, i don't know you are seriously injured but you still continue the developpement of the DG IV i
want to know what you are using to recover so faster because i'll need it to go in my exam...

Zarb - dusk

ps: Dan tu n'aurais pas une radio de cette fameuse broche j'aimerais bien voir ça tete

[jer11]

this link does not work  http://www.dansteph.com/publie/DeltaGliderIV_BETA4_070107.exe



Post Edited ( 02-01-07 04:58 )

[Quick_Nick]

Of course not, it's not public or up to date.

[n122vu]

You can't download the beta until Dan releases a new one to the beta team.  

 - vu

[DanSteph]

zarb-dusk a écrit:
Dan do you sleep sometime, i don't know you are seriously injured but you still continue the developpement of the DG
IV i want to know what you are using to recover so faster because i'll need it to go in my exam...

The "alternate cargo" took me 15mn

zarb-dusk a écrit:
ps: Dan tu n'aurais pas une radio de cette fameuse broche j'aimerais bien voir ça tete

J'ai demandé mais ils ont oublié de me les donner... dommage, genre squelette bionique
ca donnait bien. (la  broche fait toute la longueur du tibia)

Dan

[skookum]

With regards to DG IV re-entries:

Glideslope MFD is the most useful re-entry tool I've come across so far. It's available at Orbithangar. It's re-entry profile
is designed for the space shuttle, but it works perfectly for the DG IV too. Don't try to use Glideslope MFD's autopilot
however, it is not compatible with the DG IV's aerodynamics.

Since I started using glideslope MFD I've made roughly 30 successful re-entries with no unintentional failures. Nose temp maxes out around 900 degrees. You have to juggle your bank angles a bit to maintain the correct altitude profile, but it's more than manageable for the attentive pilot.

If re-entries are giving you trouble, Glideslope MFD is the tool for you.

Just remember to start from a 200km by 200km orbit with 25 percent fuel or less and you'll be fine.



Post Edited ( 02-01-07 21:52 )