SkyLab Program :: Crew Rotation Vehicles :: Mün Crew Shuttle
A repurposed LKO Crew Shuttle to attend the (currently still being planned) Mün Station.
Mark 1
The Mün variant was updated to use the Mark 1 Shuttle from the LKO project.
Downloads
Launcher Mark 2
After "fixing" the LKO Crew Shuttle by putting the project back on tracks, Bill proceeded to review and update the related projects (Launcher and the Mün Shuttle Variant and her respective Launcher). Nobody dared to stop him at this point, he was triggered!
_ All right! Who was the crazy SAS that cooked up this Mün Shuttle Launcher?? I don't know if he's a genius or a madkernal, but the damned thing works! - exclaimed Bill, between scared and amazed - I have to ask: it was Jebediah?
_ I hear someone call by my name? Ah, this? Yeah, it was me. I'm playing lately with this cute Space Sim called Human Space Program, and I found this concept on a post on their Forum. You should try it, Bill. It's a cartoonish space game with pretty hilarious characters obsessed with things like economics, survivability and safety - besides failing spectacularly on all of them now and then!
_ I don't know what scares me more: you being the one coming with this solution, or from where you got it... Anyway, it works. And better than the LKO Launcher, besides being a bit pricey. But it's clearly an amateur job (no offence intended).
_ None taken! - replied Jeb - I am an amateur on engineering after all! But I'm looking ahead for your next flight lesson... 😜
_ Fair enough... 😄- said Bill laughing. Now back to business. You over engineered the thing a bit: too much (and complex) stages and, incredibly enough, you are wasting some fuel in exchange for... stability and safety! Was you feverish or something? 🤪
_ 😒- Jeb
_ It was a good job, anyway. Just not optimal. Here, this is new blueprint...
_ See, with 4 TT-70 Decouplers instead of two, we could redistribute better the stresses over the Shuttle's wings and got rid of that engine assembly behind them - it was the only real "unsafety" by the way, as any RUD there would surely cause that small tank you used to connect the engines subassemblies to collide into the wings, dooming the Shuttle.
_ You also is wasting a lot of fuel, besides using 6 Hammer SRBs on launch. Fuel is cheaper than hardware, granted. But they are expensive on mass and mass is very costly. I replaced the 6 Hammers with 4 Thumpers, just a bit more expensive, but with a hell of an extra stamina allowing to reduce a lot the amount of fuel tanks. It ended up being cheaper this way!
_ On the other hand, I kept your idea of jettisoning the empty fuel tanks from the main boosters. Clever, you saved some fuel doing that. I also liked the sepatrons being used as retro-boosters on the main booster, guaranteeing them to be deorbited instead of littering the LKO with space junk.
_ In a way or another, the Mark 2 Launcher has 7 less parts and is ~4,500 F cheaper.
_ Bill... - replied Jeb - By shoving the Reliants on the Shuttle's back, you are not making her wobbly after jettisoning half of the main booster's fuel tanks?
_ Yes. She was wobbling a tiny little bit before, but now things are somewhat worse. I strongly suggest you to manually jettison them before circularization. I could not program MechJeb2 to reliably stabilize her in full thrust after that point. You will have enough fuel to do it with the Valiants, so this will not be a problem. I ended up adding some extra monopropellant and RCS linear thrusters to help on the matter.
_ Wait! - interrupted Jeb - I'm seeing it right? Is William Kerman doing a... GAMBIARRA? 🤣
_ Yep... 😳 - complied Bill somewhat embarrassed - Sometimes it's the most practical solution, indeed...
_ Anyway, I just had set up the Simulator. Go take her for a ride - remember to jettison the Reliants before they became too much for MJ2 to control her.
_ I wonder if there's something more I can do for her... - said Bill to himself as Jeb rushes to the Simulator with a menacing grin in his face.
Downloads
References
- Forum on What did you do in KSP1 today.