Altea erospace XR Flight Operation Manual

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XR Flight Operations Manual

Version 3.0

Publication Date: 12-February-2018

Vessel Versions: XR5 1.13 / XR1 1.15 / XR2 1.10

This software is freeware and may not be sold.

Web:

http://www.alteaaerospace.com

Email:

mailto:dbeachy@speakeasy.net

Orbiter Forum:

dbeachy1

(http://orbiter-forum.com)

XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0

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Summary of Contents for Altea erospace XR Flight

Page 1 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. Web: http://www.alteaaerospace.com Email: mailto:dbeachy@speakeasy.net Orbiter Forum: dbeachy1 (http://orbiter-forum.com) XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 2: Table Of Contents
Voice Actress (all vessels) ..............3 DG-XR1 Beta Testers ................4 XR5 Vanguard Beta Testers ..............4 XR2 Ravenstar Beta Testers ..............4 XR Flight Operations Manual Translations ..........5 Acknowledgements ................5 Copyright .................... 6 Summary .................... 7 Features ....................... 7 Requirements ..................
Page 3: Dg-Xr1 Development Team
Concept, model design, 3D modeling, textures, cargo module Tyler models, Lee and Kara astronaut models, XR2 turbopack models, custom main/hover/RCS/SCRAM sound effects. Voice Actress (all vessels) • Sally Beaumont (http://www.sallybeaumont.com/) XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 4: Dg-Xr1 Beta Testers
Jógvan Trondesen (C3PO) • John Mark Simpson (Duke) • Randy Stearns (yagni01) • Ryan Kingsbury (Countdown84) • Stefan Sondermann (gnome_gemini) • Tristan Lostroh (TL8) • Zachary Grillo (jgrillo2002) XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 5: Xr Flight Operations Manual Translations
XR Flight Operations Manual Translations • German: Stefan Sondermann (earlier XR5 manual) • Spanish: Julian Soulages (earlier XR5 manual) • Italian: Ugo Palazzo (XR Flight Operations Manual Version 2.4) Acknowledgements Many thanks to Dr. Martin Schweiger for his outstanding Orbiter program, which he develops for free.
Page 6: Copyright
Special thanks to Stefan Sondermann, Julian Soulages, and Ugo Palazzo for translating the XR Flight Operations Manual into German, Spanish, and Italian, respectively. See my Web site for more information. Copyright This software copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. This software is FREEWARE and may not be sold or distributed for a fee under any circumstances, including a “distribution fee.”...
Page 7: Summary
Altea Aerospace SCRAM engines operable up to ~Mach 17 (XR1) or ~Mach 20 (XR2/XR5). • Extensive refueling/resupply support via the lower instrument panel. Also disabled Orbiter's automatic (and instant) refueling of the ship when touching XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 9 IDS frequency taking precedence over any active XPDR frequency. • DATA HUD to show custom keyboard shortcuts; activated via ALT-SPACE or via a button on the main instrument panel. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 10 Support for auxiliary fuel and LOX tank payload modules attached in the payload bay. If attached, bay tanks will drain first in flight and fill last when ship is resupplied. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 11: Requirements
XRSound installed, XRSound is highly recommended. • Optional: XR Vessels support pluggable custom third-party skins; refer to my Web Page for list of custom skins available for each ship. Installation XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 12 XR Vessels will automatically load the optimum-width panel based on your video settings. If you want to use force a particular panel resolution instead, edit your configuration file and set 2DPanelWidth. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 13 The screenshots below compare the Vanguard’s 1280-, 1600-, and 1920-pixel-wide main panels. Remember that you can enable one of the new wide-screen 2D instrument panel modes by editing your vessel’s configuration file and setting 2DPanelWidth. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 16: Configuring Your Xr Vessel
Orbiter. You can refer to the DeltaGlider-S documentation included with Orbiter for details about standard flight and view controls: the file is C:\Orbiter\Doc\DeltaGlider.pdf. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 17 1) Rename your XR vessel in your scenario file to match the name of a corresponding $ORBITER_HOME\Config\<vesselname>.xrcfg override file, or 2) Add one or more CONFIG_OVERRIDE_<settingname> settings directly to the scenario file. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 18 2. Modify your Orbiter scenario file in which you want to use your new Mars- configured XR2 and rename the XR2 vessel to match the filename of the .xrcfg file you just created: XR2-EXAMPLE, in this case. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 19 In our example here, our XR2-EXAMPLE.xrcfg override file contains these settings (comments snipped for brevity): [GENERAL] MainFuelISP=5 LOXLoadout=5 APUFuelBurnRate=1 All other preferences will use their default values as specified in the default configuration file, $ORBITER_HOME\Config\XR2RavenstarPrefs.cfg. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 20: Cheat Codes
SCRAM engine thrust and efficiency because there will be insufficient oxygen being rammed into the SCRAM intakes. The key to efficient flight XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 21 TSFC show the fuel flow rates of the main and hover engines, respectively, in kilograms-per-second. A key gauge to watch during SCRAM ascent is the Dynamic Pressure gauge on the main panel. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 22 However, remember to close the SCRAM doors (CTRL-G, or use the switch on the upper panel) before you engage the main engines! Otherwise the diffuser temperature may exceed 8000K, which will overheat and likely damage XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 23 XR5VanguardPrefs.cfg file if desired; in that case the gauge will continue to display the diffuser temperature, but exceeding the limits will not damage the ship. You may disable this realism feature by setting EnableATMThrustReduction=0 in your XR5VanguardPrefs.cfg file. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 24: Structural And Thermal Limits
Max dynamic pressure: Retro Doors 41 kPa 41 kPa 41 kPa deployed Hull Thermal Failure at temperature limit ~8 seconds ~8 seconds ~8 seconds (single surface) (typical) (typical) (typical) XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 25: Custom Shortcut Keys
XR Vessel Custom Shortcut Keys ALT-, Shift center-of-gravity aft. ALT-. Shift center-of-gravity forward ALT-M Re-center center-of-gravity XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 26 Change HUD color ALT-H Toggle secondary HUD on/off ALT-T Switch to secondary HUD mode [1-5] (also turns on HUD CTRL-[1-5] in that mode) Toggle tertiary HUD on/off CTRL-T XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 27: Xr Attitude Hold Shortcut Keys
Increase descent rate 0.5 m/s ALT-NUMPAD2 Decrease descent rate 0.1 m/s ALT-NUMPAD8 Increase descent rate 0.1 m/s NUMPAD0 Engage AUTO-LAND mode (efficient, gentle auto-touchdown using hover engines) XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 28: Xr Airspeed Hold Shortcut Keys
APU so that COG shifting and elevator trim control can occur. If you want to disable this feature, set APUAutostartForCOGShift=0 in your vessel’s preference file. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 29: Using The Multi-Display-Area (Mda)
Kelvin temperature scales. Except for the blue navigation arrows in the lower-right corner, the interactive areas for each MDA mode are different; you will find each MDA mode detailed in its relevant section later in this manual. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 30: Walkthrough: Launch From Ksc To Low-Earth-Orbit
5. Ready for takeoff! Push the main engines to full power. You will notice the Y axis G meter fluctuating as you roll down the runway; this is normal. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 31 HUD with different data fields useful during ascent. Remember that you can customize each of the five secondary HUD modes via your vessel’s configuration file. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 32 4 kPa. For optimum efficiency you want to have enough oxygen for the SCRAM engines to operate at peak thrust but still have minimum air resistance. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 33 (the “high point” of your orbit) before burning your main engines again to raise your periapsis (the “low point” of your orbit). XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 34 Congratulations, you have achieved orbit! Or you can just forget finesse and run the main and SCRAM engines simultaneously during ascent and accelerate at 3-5 Gs… XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 36: Fuel And Oxygen Consumables Management
You will see pressure build on the EXTERNAL LINE PRESSURE gauges. When pressure reaches nominal for each line the green light below the gauge will come on. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 37 Note that you must HOLD the button down to initiate the fuel dump. Tap the button again to halt the fuel dump. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 38: Xr2/Xr5 Only: Using Payload Bay Fuel/Lox Tanks
These tanks vary by XR vessel, but they all function in the same way: when bay tanks are attached, your fuel/LOX gauges are updated to reflect the increased fuel load, and bay tanks will drain before your internal tanks. Some additional notes: XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 40 Note that coolant management may be configured or disabled via the config file. You can monitor the cabin oxygen levels via the OXYGEN REMAINING screen on the lower panel. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 41: Apu Fuel Management
(i.e., without using it) you will hear a warning callout from the computer. This warning interval may be changed or eliminated via the APUIdleRuntimeCallouts XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 42: M.e.t. And Interval Timers
The first interval timer is on the upper panel and the second interval timer is on the lower panel; these timers run independently of each other. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 43: Damage And Warning Display
The indicator warning lights refer to the following systems (listed from top-left to lower-right): XR5 Vanguard Master Warning System Indicator Lights Elev Crew Elevator Payload Bay Doors main Main Engines hovr Hover Engines scrm SCRAM Engines XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 44: Attitude Hold Autopilot
87.5 degrees pitch while you are braking with the hover engines approaching a landing site in a vacuum (for example, at Brighton Beach). In XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 45 The Sync button will automatically update the bank and pitch/AOA target values to the ship's current values; i.e., it will “sync” the autopilot settings to the ship’s XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 46: Reentry Walkthrough
MDA screen or via the NUMAPAD8, NUMPAD2, ALT-NUMPAD8 and ALT-NUMPAD2 keys. You may change your bank in 5- degree increments by clicking the bank arrows or via the NUMPAD4 and NUMPAD6 XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 47 If the indicator reaches the top, one of your hull surface temps is over maximum and you will shortly damage or even destroy your ship! XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 48 Temperature readouts are displayed as follows: GREEN YELLOW temp >= 80% of maximum sustained temperature temp >= 90% of maximum sustained temperature XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 49: Descent Hold Autopilot (Hovering And Landing)
For example, you will get this message if you attempt to lift off from Earth using Realistic hover engine settings (this is set in the config file) with more than about 50% fuel remaining. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 50: Airspeed Hold Autopilot
0.1 meter-per-second in atmospheric flight or while taxiing. It is MDA mode 0; use the MDA arrows and click the Engage button, or use ALT-S to engage/disengage it via the keyboard. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 52: Using The Docking Camera (Xr5 Only)
Orbiter vessels with a dorsal (i.e., "top-mounted") docking port. Here is a screenshot of the docking camera view with the Vanguard on final docking approach to the ISS: XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 53 NUMPAD6 in translation mode will move the ship forward along the Z axis in normal RCS mode, but it will move the ship up along the Y axis in docking RCS mode. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 54: Payload Management (Xr2/Xr5 Only)
The Vanguard has a total of 36 bay slots across a total of three levels in the bay: level one contains 20 slots, level two contains 12 slots, and level three contains 4 slots. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 55: Ucgo Support
Next, click on the blue Target up/down arrows to step through all cargo modules in range: the targeted module’s information will be displayed on the screen and its thumbnail will be displayed on the Target Payload screen on the right. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 56 Unselected slot is occupied, and a payload module is attached in that slot. This is also called the primary slot for the occupying payload module, since it is the slot XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 57 PayloadGrappleRangeOrbit CHEATCODE setting in your vessel’s configuration file (e.g., XR5VanguardPrefs.cfg). The maximum grapple distance while landed may be altered by setting the PayloadGrappleRangeLanded CHEATCODE setting in your vessel’s configuration file (e.g., XR5VanguardPrefs.cfg). XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 58: Deploying Payloads
As it is deployed you will see your ship’s mass decrease accordingly. If you want to deploy everything in the bay simultaneously using the same delta-V, use the DEPLOY ALL button or press the CTRL-ALT-U hotkey. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 59 Here is a screenshot showing a full payload bay deployed (i.e., unloaded) at Brighton Beach on the Moon: XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 60: Using The Payload Editor
Note that you do not need to use the payload editor in order to grapple or unload XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 61 When you bring up the editor, notice the Selected Payload Object drop-down list. This list contains all of the XR-payload-enabled cargo modules installed in Orbiter’s Config\Vessel directory. When you select a module type, its description, mass, XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 62: Creating Your Own Payload Module
.cfg file for instructions on how to create your own payload modules. ; === Configuration file for standard 20-ft XR Payload Cargo container ; Copyright 2007-2018 Douglas Beachy ; http://www.alteaaerospace.com XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 63 ; If you adjust your attachment point coordinates to center this module in its primary payload slot, these coordinates XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 64 ; For example, '0.0 2.0 0.0' would deploy the vessel to 2.0 meters *higher* than normal when this payload ; is deployed while landed. ;GroundDeploymentAdjustment = 0 0 0 XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 65: Publishing Your Payload Module
Installing and Using a Custom Skin XR vessels support any number of custom skins so long as each skin installed to its own subdirectory under %ORBITER_ROOT%\Textures\{SHIPNAME}>\Skins. If the XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 66: Submitting A Feature Request Or Bug Report
Please include the following information in your bug report: 1. The XR vessel name and version you are using; this can be found in your C:\Orbiter\SHIPNAME.log (e.g., XR5Vanguard.log) file. XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 67: Appendix A: Notes
– it is not an error. This allows pilots to change or remove any callouts or sound effects they don’t like. Note that you XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 68: Appendix B: Technical Data
1490 C 1490 C (2714 F) (2714 F) (2714 F) Max surface heating: TOP HULL 1210 C 1210 C 1210 C (2210 F) (2210 F) (2210 F) XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 69 AUTO; the amount of LOX loaded will be higher if LOXConsumptionRate is changed. For example, if LOXConsumptionRate is set to Realistic, the actual LOX loaded for a five-year mission would be 16,942 kg (37,350 pounds). XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
Page 70 Transponder (XPDR) Frequency 117.75 MHz 117.95 MHz 118.15 MHz Docking Port (IDS) Frequency 117.85 MHz Gear Compression 0.95 meter Wheelbrake Force 100 kN 134 kN 2,220 kN XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0 Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.

This manual is also suitable for:

Xr5 1.13 Xr1 1.15 Xr2 1.10