STS 1:"A remarkable flying machine" My first full mission

[Gingin]

Good morning,

I discovered SSU a week ago, and I am loving it. You did really a great work, with many very accurate systems and behavior about the Shuttle

I finished my first complete mission STS 1, here are some footage of my little trip around Earth, beginning the 12th April of the year 1981.


I)Ignition and Ascent

Here we are, T-9mn, contemplating the Shuttle and starting the timer.

R2 part configure for the launch, SSME are ready to rock

T-6sec, SSME ignition

And Lift Off !

Orbiter 2016 is beautiful, either on the air or on the ground.

Everything was fined, no RTLS or TAL, MECO time

II)Post MECO and OMS burn

ET separation, and LH2 Dump via Back up valve for 2 mn ( Impressive modelization) followed by LO2 and LH2 Main Dump.

Time for OMS 1 burn, roughly 200ft/s to add.

We are now on a safe orbit, let's go for OMS 2 and reconfiguration of the cockpit

Voila, nominal Orbit reach for the mission, 145x142Nm , real one was 146x143,
almost there


III)Orbit

Time to Open cargo, deploy radiators and antenna, followed by two days in space for various test.

Hello Earth

 

[Gingin]

IV)Entry

It's already time to go back to Earth. We are 14th of April, 16:00 UTC.
Time to calculate the deorbit burn and re configure the cockpit for entry.
250 ft/s to loose.

Approaching TFF, and starting the two others APU.

Here we are,400000 feet at 4415 Nm from Edwards, not too bad

Beautifull sunrise before entry

Burning and first Roll Reversal

Nicely on profil, time to transition to TAEM soon, to deploy probe and start radio altimeters

V)TAEM and Landing


We are now below 80k feet, approaching the HAC and going into full CSS command

Mojave AFB below us
http://imageshack.com/a/img922/2932/aMnqhn.jpg

Above field and entering the HAC for a 270° Left Overhead

Final turn towards Edwards

2000 feet RA, preflare

And touch

Landing at 18h17UTC, 3 mn ahead of the schedule. But after 2 days and a half in orbit, it's ok

I am very optimistic concerning SSU. It's a tough and realistic add on, very rewarding and demanding, I like that. :thumbup:

 

[asdad]

Thank you Gingin For tutorial of STS1 :thumbup:

 

[kuddel]

Very nice Gingin!
I don't think SSU simulates this, but an "inaccuracy" in you simulation is that STS-1 didn't have a glass cockpit yet ... No critics, just something I noticed ("Klugscheißer" would be the right German term here )
I think the glass cockpit was first flown with Atlantis on STS-101 mission in May 2000.

 

[Urwumpe]

I told you, somebody would notice it. :dry:

 

[kuddel]

I told you, somebody would notice it. :dry:

There's always the next (mayor version increment) release :thumbup:

 

[Gingin]

Thanks for your return
Yep, no analog old school cockpit
I was wondering if you plan to include OPS 6 for RTLS scenario ?

 

[GLS]

I think the glass cockpit was first flown with Atlantis on STS-101 mission in May 2000.

After we finish splitting the vc panels, the MCDS cockpit (a.k.a. old cockpit) comes a bit closer to reality... but it's still far away.

I was wondering if you plan to include OPS 6 for RTLS scenario ?

Eventually... sometime in the 2020s. :shifty:

 

[Thorsten]

Since we're nit-picking already:

We're in MM 304 still - would HORIZ SIT already show trajectory predictors in the graphical portion? I was under the impression that only comes on in MM 305?

(Also operationally I guess there should be TACAN intercepted and incorporated 118 miles to site, though I'm not sure that's implemented).

 

[GLS]

Since we're nit-picking already:

We're in MM 304 still - would HORIZ SIT already show trajectory predictors in the graphical portion? I was under the impression that only comes on in MM 305?

(Also operationally I guess there should be TACAN intercepted and incorporated 118 miles to site, though I'm not sure that's implemented).

From memory, the SPEC 50 doesn't show the graphics in OPS 1 and above 200Kft in OPS 3, but currently due to our GPC limitations it doesn't work in OPS 1. Can't remember if we check the 200Kft part...
TACAN, what is that?! :uhh:

 

[Gingin]

After we finish splitting the vc panels, the MCDS cockpit (a.k.a. old cockpit) comes a bit closer to reality... but it's still far away.

Eventually... sometime in the 2020s. :shifty:

Wow, you are working on MCDS panel, amazing :thumbup:
For the OPS 6, I will pray the god to not have Engine failure before Two engine TAL :lol:

I will do a late reentry and see if I can see the base on Spec 50 above 200kft.

 

[GLS]

Wow, you are working on MCDS panel, amazing :thumbup:

Uhh, no I'm not.... I just said that some of the work that is going on opens the door for the MCDS sometime in the future... we still need to climb many mountains before we get there.

For the OPS 6, I will pray the god to not have Engine failure before Two engine TAL :lol:

You can go CSS during ascent now. We don't have the displays or guidance, but you can always try it manually. After MECO in MM104, you jump to MM304 for reentry (maybe starting the MPS dump manually before you do it is a good idea :lol and also put the correct landing site in SPEC 50.

I will do a late reentry and see if I can see the base on Spec 50 above 200kft.

I just checked the code and we always draw every thing. When we get the altitudes sorted out in the GPCs we'll add this. Right now I can't find the altitude at which the drawing starts, but I think it's 180Kft or 200Kft.

 

[Gingin]

You can go CSS during ascent now. We don't have the displays or guidance, but you can always try it manually. After MECO in MM104, you jump to MM304 for reentry (maybe starting the MPS dump manually before you do it is a good idea ) and also put the correct landing site in SPEC 50.

Yep, it's a good idea. I can simulate a kind of GPC PASS failure and have to rely on BFS with CSS and use Unconverged guidance table for the powered pitch around

nice challenge

---------- Post added at 03:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:07 AM ----------

Wow It's hard
I a managed with 3 engines, but need practice with two engines.

Small question, I read the manual page 7 for taking manual control of thrust, but it doesn't want to switch to man ( light stay white on auto), I can't put 109% of power when doing two engine RTLS.Same for manual control of Speed brake.

 

[GLS]

Yep, it's a good idea. I can simulate a kind of GPC PASS failure and have to rely on BFS with CSS and use Unconverged guidance table for the powered pitch around

nice challenge

---------- Post added at 03:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:07 AM ----------

Wow It's hard
I a managed with 3 engines, but need practice with two engines.

Small question, I read the manual page 7 for taking manual control of thrust, but it doesn't want to switch to man ( light stay white on auto), I can't put 109% of power when doing two engine RTLS.Same for manual control of Speed brake.

You can always shutdown one engine with the PBs on panel C3.
Are you in the PLT seat? Only the right side SBTC works during ascent.
Currently the SSME thrust level is fixed between 67% and whatever is set in the mission file (again GPC limitations).

 

[Gingin]

Ok, thanks.
I put 109% for max thrust, it looks much closer to the chart for 2 engine RTLS, it's impressive how 18% thrust make such a difference, I am almost there, I reach Zero velocity at 310kft during the PPA, very close to the graph.
For the SBTC, even on pilot place I can't take it manually.

Another question ( I know, I have too much questions ), is it possible (in the mission config or scenario files maybe) to decrease the OMS propellant quantity to simulate an OMS to RCS interconnect dump?

---------- Post added at 04:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:45 PM ----------

I had even too much speed for the return, I took 5 G during entry and flew over the runway at 100kft, let's go again

 

[GLS]

Ok, thanks.
I put 109% for max thrust, it looks much closer to the chart for 2 engine RTLS, it's impressive how 18% thrust make such a difference, I am almost there, I reach Zero velocity at 310kft during the PPA, very close to the graph.
For the SBTC, even on pilot place I can't take it manually.

Another question ( I know, I have too much questions ), is it possible (in the mission config or scenario files maybe) to decrease the OMS propellant quantity to simulate an OMS to RCS interconnect dump?

The MaxThrust mission file parameter controls the nominal thrust level, so if you set it at 109% the GPCs will set the SSME at that level even on the "non-abort" parts. In real life there are (or were) options to increase the SSME thrust limit from the standard 104 to 106 or 109%... but we don't have that yet. :facepalm:

To manual thrust control you need to press, and hold, the SBTC takeover button, and then increase or decrease the SBTC level to match the current commanded SSME throttle to within 4%, and then you should have control.

We currently don't have aborts, so no OMS (and/or RCS) dumps except the MM103+10s "standard OMS dump".

 

[Gingin]

I am gonna try that again for the SBTC, wow found it. It was written "minus" to disconnect in the manual, but I have an AZERTY stuff so it's another one, but found it, nice!

Ok, it's noted for the max thrust, so I will create a specific Scenario to simulate RTLS and allow the engine to have more thrust than nominal to compensate loss of one.

In real life there are (or were) options to increase the SSME thrust limit from the standard 104 to 106 or 109%... but we don't have that yet.

With the Override Spec 51?

Thanks for the help!!

 

[GLS]

I am gonna try that again for the SBTC, wow found it. It was written "minus" to disconnect in the manual, but I have an AZERTY stuff so it's another one, but found it, nice!

Ok, it's noted for the max thrust, so I will create a specific Scenario to simulate RTLS and allow the engine to have more thrust than nominal to compensate loss of one.



With the Override Spec 51?

Thanks for the help!!

Yeah it was in SPEC 51, which you can bring up but currently it does nothing.

 

[Gingin]

Ok cool

I found something with manual SBTC. When we put 109% in mission config file, we can't take it manual during ascent. When I put less, it works like a charm.

It's really a complicated abort, just 2% of difference in SSME thrust and some wrong pitch attitude lead to some Bailout

I understand now when John Young said: " “Let’s not practice Russian roulette, because you may have a loaded gun there.” :lol:

 

[GLS]

I found something with manual SBTC. When we put 109% in mission config file, we can't take it manual during ascent. When I put less, it works like a charm.

Yeah, because the SBTC software is using a fixed 67-104.5% throttle range... again GPC limitations.
Keep all 3 engines running and throttle them down to 75 or 80%, and that should mimic 2 engines at 109%. :shrug: