Altea erospace XR Flight, Operation Manual

Page 1: ...ons Manual Version 3 0 Publication Date 12 February 2018 Vessel Versions XR5 1 13 XR1 1 15 XR2 1 10 Copyright 2006 2018 Douglas Beachy All Rights Reserved This software is freeware and may not be sold...

Page 2: ...XR Descent Hold Shortcut Keys 27 XR Airspeed Hold Shortcut Keys 28 Center of Gravity Shifting 28 Using the Multi Display Area MDA 29 Walkthrough Launch from KSC to Low Earth Orbit 30 Fuel and Oxygen C...

Page 3: ...lopment Team Douglas Beachy Concept systems design C code 2D graphics dialogs documentation Russell Hicks 3D modeling internal cockpit textures model design cargo module models some animation code Pen...

Page 4: ...achary Grillo Jgrillo2002 Zachstar Brown Zachstar XR5 Vanguard Beta Testers Callum Massey kais58 Charles Singh Don Gallagher Donamy J gvan Trondesen C3PO John Mark Simpson Duke Julian Soulages jsoulag...

Page 5: ...Acknowledgements Many thanks to Dr Martin Schweiger for his outstanding Orbiter program which he develops for free Special thanks to Don Gallagher for his early XR5 Vanguard prototype meshes that help...

Page 6: ...volved regardless of the terms governing the Orbiter instance on which it is running without express written permission signed by the author and sent via hardcopy letter or fax i e an email is not suf...

Page 7: ...s cfg and with all the realism settings disabled each vessel is just as forgiving to fly as the default DeltaGlider The configuration file also features a custom CHEATCODES section that allows the use...

Page 8: ...cent when using the SCRAM engines Slope gauge showing ascent descent slope AOA and Slip gauges SCRAM Diffuser Temperature gauge which allows the pilot to monitor when the SCRAM engines reach the edge...

Page 9: ...works by pumping fuel forward or aft and 3 RCS jets The combination of these three methods allows the ship to hold a rock solid reentry attitude even under time acceleration It is also extremely effic...

Page 10: ...it carefully Airlock pressurization depressurization Custom autopilots Attitude Hold Descent Hold and Airspeed Hold save and reload their state to from the scenario file This means you can now save yo...

Page 11: ...el view An RCS Config mode that switches between standard and docking RCS configurations in RCS docking configuration two things happen 1 power to the RCS jets is reduced to 40 of normal to allow for...

Page 12: ...by the XR vessel s zip file the new configuration file contains new settings not present in older configuration file versions 5 Unzip the XR vessel s distribution file into your C Orbiter directory 6...

Page 13: ...omething below 0 5 is recommended 0 1 is a good place to start If you see a noticeable framerate hit with 0 1 try upping the value slightly 12 If you have a joystick go into the Joystick tab and confi...

Page 14: ...XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3 0 Copyright 2006 2018 Douglas Beachy All Rights Reserved 14 1920x1200 Screenshot Showing the Vanguard s Optional 1920 pixel wide 2D Main Instrument Panel...

Page 15: ...XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3 0 Copyright 2006 2018 Douglas Beachy All Rights Reserved 15 1600x1200 Screenshot Showing the Vanguard s Optional 1600 pixel wide 2D Main Instrument Panel...

Page 16: ...te that you do not need to exit the Orbiter Launchpad in order for your edits to take effect the configuration file is read every time a new vessel is created i e each time a scenario loads XR vessels...

Page 17: ...RBITER_HOME Config XR5VanguardPrefs cfg For example to configure disable different types of ship damage you would edit the following parameters in your XR vessel s configuration file and set one or mo...

Page 18: ...or technical reasons the second method is limited to overriding only the settings listed below CONFIG_OVERRIDE_MainFuelISP CONFIG_OVERRIDE_SCRAMFuelISP CONFIG_OVERRIDE_LOXConsumptionMultiplier CONFIG_...

Page 19: ...rence override file exists with this name ORBITER_ROOT Config XR2 EXAMPLE xrcfg the filename is case insensitive If the file exists it will be read and any preference settings in it applied after the...

Page 20: ...have a virtual cockpit In Virtual Cockpit mode you may move between seats via the CTRL arrow keys You may toggle external view with the F1 key and then pan around by holding right mouse button or pag...

Page 21: ...when firing the main engines you may refer to the TSFC Thrust Specific Fuel Consumption gauge on the MAIN HOVER display on the lower panel to show how much fuel is consumed to produce a given amount o...

Page 22: ...fuel right before it is injected the operational limit of the engines is 8000 Kelvin Since the SCRAM engine is a RAMJET variant the speed of the ship determines the temperature of the compressed air i...

Page 23: ...ng ascent in an atmosphere2 Engine Display Gauge Landed on Earth The bottom part of the panel shows the G forces currently active on your ship Orbiter uses a left hand coordinate system and so the X a...

Page 24: ...6 kg m s2 Max touchdown descent rate max load full fuel full cargo 3 1 m s 2 8 m s 2 6 m s Max touchdown descent rate typical load 33 fuel 75 cargo 5 8 m s 4 2 m s 3 5 m s Crew Survivability Limit max...

Page 25: ...for the hull s absolute dynamic pressure limit of course however the hover doors must be CLOSED during reentry in order to prevent the inner hull from overheating Similarly you must close the SCRAM d...

Page 26: ...topilot replaces stock LEVEL HORIZON autopilot A Toggle Descent Hold autopilot replaces stock HOVER HOLD ALT autopilot ALT S Toggle Airspeed Hold autopilot note that Airspeed Hold may be engaged simul...

Page 27: ...ach XR Attitude Hold Shortcut Keys L Toggle Attitude Hold on or off CTRL L Engage Attitude Hold and sync to current attitude NUMPAD2 Increment pitch AOA hold by 2 5 degrees NUMPAD8 Decrement pitch AOA...

Page 28: ...fting yourself ensure that the Attitude Hold and Descent Hold autopilots are disengaged If Attitude Hold or Descent Hold is engaged the flight computer will use COG shifting in conjunction with elevat...

Page 29: ...the screen those areas are touch sensitive You can use the blue arrows on either side of the 3 in the lower right corner to step to the next or previous MDA mode You can also select an MDA mode direct...

Page 30: ...lower panel to keep the ship s internal systems cool You can monitor the internal coolant temperature on the lower panel or on the main panel on the MDA screen mode 3 it should currently be displayed...

Page 31: ...M doors if they are not already open CTRL G or use the switch on the upper panel Adjust the elevator trim controls to maintain level flight CTRL and CTRL or INS and DEL Once you reach your target velo...

Page 32: ...produce 12 You will also notice as speed increases the SCRAM TSFC Thrust Specific Fuel Consumption will go down which means the engines are being more efficient As speed increases beyond Mach 7 9 howe...

Page 33: ...ines operate at peak efficiency around Mach 7 9 15 Once you shut down the SCRAM engines close the scram doors CTRL G or use the switch on the upper panel If you don t do this and you engage the main e...

Page 34: ...zero to negative You can use accelerated time T and R keys to speed up the process 19 As you approach apoapsis engage the PROGRADE autopilot key or use the Prograde autopilot button on the main panel...

Page 35: ...XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3 0 Copyright 2006 2018 Douglas Beachy All Rights Reserved 35 XR5 Vanguard Docked at the ISS...

Page 36: ...n in an atmosphere You may change any of this behavior as desired by editing the config file To refuel or resupply you must be landed or docked and your XR configuration settings must be set to allow...

Page 37: ...in tank to the RCS tank Resupply in progress filling RCS tanks as well Hint If you are low on main engine fuel during a mission and have some RCS fuel to spare you can cross feed RCS fuel over into th...

Page 38: ...ank it feeds is full The only exception to this is when the main tank is full but is still cross feeding into the RCS tank at that point refueling will continue until the RCS tank is also full at whic...

Page 39: ...or a ground based or station based external cooling system If not the internal computers and systems will overheat and fail causing the computers which regulate environmental systems to fail as well...

Page 40: ...to cool the ship s systems You can monitor coolant temperatures on the main panel via the Temperature Display MDA screen described earlier or you may refer to the COOLANT TEMP gauge on the lower panel...

Page 41: ...uel so be efficient with its use and don t leave it running when you don t need it If you attempt to take off in an atmosphere with the APU off you will hear a warning callout from the computer Becaus...

Page 42: ...nt panels APU Button and Fuel Gauge M E T and Interval Timers XR vessels feature a Mission Elapsed Time MET timer plus two manual interval timers The MET timer will start automatically once the ship g...

Page 43: ...els but it functions similarly on all XR vessels XR5 Vanguard Master Warning System Indicator Lights The MWS panel is present on both the main and lower instrument panels To silence the audible alarm...

Page 44: ...ystems Status MDA modes modes 5 8 MDA Mode 4 Systems Status Display 1 Attitude Hold Autopilot XR vessels include a highly accurate and efficient ATTITUDE HOLD autopilot that can hold a given pitch or...

Page 45: ...itch rather than AOA mode to hold a given angle of attack in atmospheric flight the ship s angle of attack will constantly decrease with the autopilot engaged this is normal and so AOA mode will cause...

Page 46: ...up MDA MODE 9 Reentry Systems Check by pressing 9 or use the MDA arrows Close any doors flagged by the reentry check Once all systems show GREEN you are ready for reentry MDA Mode 9 Reentry Systems Ch...

Page 47: ...e time acceleration at 1000x in space or 100x in at atmosphere the autopilot will switch to SUSPENDED status this will be shown on the MDA screen it will automatically re engage when you switch back t...

Page 48: ...e or maximum time Typically you will have about eight seconds if you are right on the threshold and only have one surface that is over temp however the average time to breach will be lower if you are...

Page 49: ...over doors are open if the hover doors are closed or if you close them with the hover engines running the hover engines will shut down and the DESCENT HOLD autopilot will disengage You can toggle the...

Page 50: ...t any time There are four values of interest displayed on the Descent Hold MDA screen V S Shows vertical speed in meters per second ALTITUDE Shows altitude in meters with 1 10th meter resolution HVR T...

Page 51: ...cision in the interests of efficiency Airspeed Hold is designed to be used in an atmosphere or while taxiing However you may engage it in a vacuum if you want to accelerate smoothly and precisely to t...

Page 52: ...ll engage automatically Engaging any thruster or powering down the APU will automatically disengage the parking brakes A NOTE ABOUT TIME ACCELERATION You should be able to run the Airspeed Hold autopi...

Page 53: ...ain panel and the docking camera panel or you can use the ALT J hotkey Clicking the button toggles the RCS configuration between Normal and Docking modes in normal mode the RCS jets operate normally I...

Page 54: ...panel via the Return to Upper Panel View button on the left side or you may press one of the following hotkeys CTRL UP Switch to Docking Camera view XR5 only CTRL RIGHT Switch to Upper Panel view CTRL...

Page 55: ...R payload system would be a prohibitive amount of work as well as severely limit the XR5 s carrying capacity However Woo482 has written UCGO Cargo Deck XR payload modules for the XR2 and XR5 that allo...

Page 56: ...screen For the Vanguard you may switch between payload bay slot levels 1 3 by clicking the LEVEL button on the bottom of the touch screen XR5 Vanguard s Select Bay Slot Touch Screen Bay slot block bo...

Page 57: ...the GRAPPLE ALL button to automatically grapple all targets in range into the bay starting at the lowest free slot number and working upwards The largest payloads in range are automatically grappled...

Page 58: ...and arrows as shown below Deploy Payload Screen in Orbit In addition your selected payload s thumbnail will be displayed on the Target Payload screen Before you click DEPLOY to deploy your selected p...

Page 59: ...u are still free of course to always deploy top level cargo modules first so that lower level modules will not be blocked but in the interests of playability XR vessels do not enforce this Deploying p...

Page 60: ...odules attached in the bay that are venting mass or burning consumables like a bay fuel tank you will see that reflected in real time on the Payload Mass and Ship Mass displays i e if any of your carg...

Page 61: ...in order for the ALT B hotkey to close the window again the reason is that the Orbiter core traps keystrokes sent to child dialogs and so ALT B can only work if the main Orbiter window has the focus A...

Page 62: ...te that most users will not need to read this section or deal with custom cargo modules this section is intended for use by developers who want to create their own custom cargo modules or modify exist...

Page 63: ...3 024 XR Payload custom parameters REQUIRED must be set to true for this vessel to be dockable in an XR class payload bay XRPayloadEnabled true cosmetic description 127 chars MAX but 40 chars or less...

Page 64: ...ndered on the panel ThumbnailPath Vessels XR1_Spare_Parts_Thumbnail bmp OPTIONAL List of Orbiter vessel classnames for which an ExplicitAttachmentSlots property is defined VesselsWithExplicitAttachmen...

Page 65: ...own Web site I would be happy to link to your page from the Payload section on my Web page at http www alteaaerospace com If you prefer I would also be happy to host your new payload module on my Web...

Page 66: ...s Foobar Each Vanguard ship defined in the scenario may use a different or the same skin If the SKIN property is not set the default skin is used Submitting a Feature Request or Bug Report Before subm...

Page 67: ...ing registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE AlteaAerospace XR Disable DWORD DisableWindowPosRestore 1 There is a separate set of saved coordinates for each given window size Altea in Altea Aerospace...

Page 68: ...3 5 m s Crew Survivability Limit max vertical impact velocity 39 m s 39 m s 39 m s Max bank at touchdown 15 degrees 15 degrees 15 degrees Max pitch at touchdown 16 degrees 16 degrees 16 degrees Max d...

Page 69: ...total Maximum SCRAM Engine Thrust 160 kN x 2 320 kN total 350 kN x 2 700 kN total 5 250 kN x 2 10 500 kN total Retro Engine Thrust in Vacuum 40 8 kN x 2 81 6 kN total 64 2 kN x 2 129 kN total 905 kN x...

Page 70: ...seconds Main Refueling Line Pressure 22 2 psi nominal 30 psi max 22 2 psi nominal 30 psi max 22 2 psi nominal 30 psi max SCRAM Refueling Line Pressure 15 6 psi nominal 21 psi max 15 6 psi nominal 21...

Page 71: ...XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3 0 Copyright 2006 2018 Douglas Beachy All Rights Reserved 71 XR2 Ravenstar Leaving Orbit end...