Patch 1.04 interlude

Yeah, the patch has hit, and it has hit a bit hard. They changed the way jet engines are working, the draft rating, the heat mechanic. Since my Kerbal Space Programme is relying on spaceplanes, this means I could need to re-design my three spaceplanes which form currently the backbone of all of my activities.

A first opportunity for a test came when the Mun Mission Lander entered Kerbin orbit.

  

- welcome back!











The White Goose is totally oversized for the task to fetch the science from the lander, but I wanted to test my most favourite spaceplane first. Conveniently a tourist is on board who just wants a simple kerbin orbit experience and thus pays for the whole flight.

  
- for starters, it now shoots laserbeams from its exhausts...









My observations:
- climb speed down from 260m/s to 160m/s, even when only at 20 degrees instead of 35-40 degrees; have to go now on a much more horizontal ascend profile, which takes much longer and thus uses much more fuel;
- top speed up from 950m/s to 1050m/s, but only initially achievable when going nearly horizontal for some time at 9km;

- no overheating (no heat gauges show up) at 1050m/s, no critical overheating during the whole ascend anymore;
- ascend angle at 17km at 1050m/s must be 15 degrees or less, or my plane will flip. Before, I was able to do 20 degrees. This is probably due to changed/lesser drag of the aft part of my plane;
- same picture on re-entry: easy to flip now, have to pump fuel first to front to remain stable at high speed without airbrakes extended, at low altidute and low speed I have to pump fuel back to the aft to be able to get back from -15 degrees to horizontal level flight;
- reentry: heat gauges show very quickly at 50km, airbrakes not as effective as before, so the plane remains very long at 2000+ m/s;
- thank god, the plane can now deal with the higher re-entry speed because it seems to heat less (i.e. heat gauges mostly stay in the green area), probably due to less drag associated to the speed;
- heat distribution works very well now, heat gauges are now showing up all over all parts and they are nivellating each other.

 - note the solar/Mün eclipse  

The plane´s design is no longer optimal and needs to be adapted to the new conditions. More engines, more fuel needed, and flights will take even longer now.

- the lander is sent to burn in re-entry

- oops, it survives re-entry...

- ready to land? If I had known, I could have saved up some fuel...

- .. but as such, unfortunately...

- last mission point for a temperature reading on Mün is finally under the Scientia´s polar orbit





In the meanwhile, the mission control center offers new contracs; one rescue contract, which I immedeately execute by means of the Munbus in LKO. And one satelite contract for polar orbit. There, I re-encounter the "no-fuel" bug. When undocking the satelite from the cargo bay, I first have to click something called "disconnect node" before I get the "undock" button. Now, when I switch to it, the fuel is still in the satelite, because I have locked the fuel tank before launch. I just unlock fuel and activate the engine, but do not throttle up. Instead, I switch immediately back to the cargo shuttle and throttle it up; then I switch back to the satelite, it is suddenly magically out of fuel. Even more weird, I then launched the second satelite, unlocking fuel, activate engine and throttle it up before switching to the cargo shuttle. It works out. However, after the maneuver, the satelite, which I launched first and is faulty, has vanished. This might be due to a naming collision?




- magically out of fuel, this satelite vanishes moments later from radar

- the Cargo Shuttle passses the test of the new patch mechanics







This was again some interlude which took away a whole game session; some more 7 days and the Omniscient hits solar orbit and thus has finalized my grand Tour de Kerbin.