"Our VoidFrames traversed the cosmos. Vira was the first."
The VoidFrame project was humanity's first thrust out of our solar system. Built for space flight, voidframes are equipped with impulse engines. Vira was the first voidframe, and was designed solely for data collection. The designers of Vira were corporate, therefore Vira is completely unarmed, and can be considered a civilian vehicle. The designers also used a mass manipulation design to make the craft extremely light, but the result was an odd and mediocre performance in an atmosphere. With that said, Vira functions perfectly in a vacuum.
It is extremely important to read the controls and tips!
Controls:
Fireguns - Impulse engines
Activator 8 - Toggle RCNs (Not really useful, its best to keep them on)
Tips:
Try to stay under 10,000 mph. 15,000 is fine, but its a little risky. Only go over 15,000 on your descent.
Try going high! This craft has an infinite service ceiling.
Space is disorienting. Try to pay attention to the artificial horizon in your HUD. Switch between cockpit and chase views to see how you are moving.
Atmospheric re-entry is messy. At about 200,000 Feet above sea level, you will lose control. Wait for all of that shaking to stop, and then you will be fine.
Specifications
General Characteristics
- Predecessor Space challenge (CLOSED) "To boldly go where no man has gone before..."
- Created On Windows
- Wingspan 35.3ft (10.8m)
- Length 63.2ft (19.3m)
- Height 11.3ft (3.4m)
- Empty Weight 3,006lbs (1,363kg)
- Loaded Weight 3,006lbs (1,363kg)
Performance
- Power/Weight Ratio 4.485
- Wing Loading 117.6lbs/ft2 (574.1kg/m2)
- Wing Area 25.6ft2 (2.4m2)
- Drag Points 20035
Parts
- Number of Parts 233
- Control Surfaces 4
- Performance Cost 880
@ThomasRoderick Yeah lol
@spefyjerbf Yeah on a second thought without fuel and delta-V concerns nobody's preventing you from thrusting straight up and then circularize... Oberth effect isn't that necessary when the ship have effectively infinite delta-V, right?
@ThomasRoderick Well yeah, I'm using terms liberally here. But a velocity ceiling such as the one on this vehicle would just result in a higher orbit.
@spefyjerbf Pretty sure you ain't gonna reach high orbit if you can't even get to LEO...
Also, delta-V means something else: it means the change in the spacecraft's velocity after expending the entire fuel load - and a impulse-craft should, in theory, have an infinite delta-V as long as the reactor power holds.
@ThomasRoderick Depends on the orbit. If I remember right, that sort of delta-V is alright for a higher orbit.
Suddenly realized that this voidframe can't really go into orbit even before the Grounding: 15,000 mph = 6705m/s < 7900m/s... So was it RIDs back then or was it something like "not my fault this thing starts to disintegrate"?
@ThomasRoderick Sounds good! The old parachute systems are now really buggy. Think RIDs but 100x worse.
@spefyjerbf
wierd things happen at high altitude with these,making them explode without any logical reason.I'm SO writing that into the lore of my impulse flyer...
@QXY So, in theory, impulse engines would still be viable after 1.7. However, wierd things happen at high altitude with these, making them explode without any logical reason.
@spefyjerbf Is it possible to modify the recovery function via any XML?
@Thisispointless Yep. I am completely aware of that.
This does not work on 1.7.
@Star2435 Press the Fire Guns button to activate the engines. You will probably need to have air-to-air targeting selected.
I am confused, how exactly do I fly it? Or is it not possible to control it on mobile?
Nice
@Sakari Yes. Fuel is only used for the RCNS on this craft.
hang on are those 0-fuel drives I see
I saw this challenge and said 'I bet spefyjerbf will enter'
@spefyjerbf
@LoganStarships I xml modded a gun to have a good amount of bullet weight.
@DankDorito I might make a tutorial on how to use impulse drives.
Mine is a replica so I'm trying to get the details right @spefyjerbf
Wow. Your builds are completely mind blowing! May I have a small tutorial of how to make one?
Ya @AfterShock
@AfterShock Keep in mind that building style is subjective. Your style may be better received than mine!
@WeeBabySeamus Thanks! The way it flies in the atmosphere was by accident, but I'm glad you like it!