Following request, AIA is releasing the 2 main hangars used at Wideawake International for easy inclusion in other people’s bases.
Included:
DG class hangar
XR5 class hangar
Hangar texture
(These are plain grey versions)
The large sign has a customizable/replaceable texture.
They can be downloaded HERE
I finished the first run at texturing the BDB yesterday. I’m not totally convinced I like it tbh, but it’s a start. Also it’s just nice to see her on the pad, finally making use of my huge tower at Ascension. I’m not sure when I will be finishing this though, I just thought I’d get this stage done. Updates will be posted when there are some.
Here’s 2 screenies of the BDB on the pad at Ascension. (I’m having trouble getting orbiter to look smooth on Vista, anti aliasing at distance is nasty, so scuse the picture quality).
Another little update showing the new SRB details and mounting brackets.
The whole mesh (exluding payload) is under 5k polys, I plan to use textures to add the real detail.
Texturing should start today or tomorrow.
Little update:
30metre, 2-part split fairing is done, some other general detail added.
Most of the mesh is now complete, some tweaking/additional detail, multiple fairing sizes and texturing to do now. Then on with multistage coding. ETA for completion about a week.
Today I started work on AIA’s Big Dumb Booster, a launcher designed for the company’s future Toehold Project Space Station Modules.
The Launcher is loosely based on the 2 stage BDB from Stephen Baxter’s “Space” novel. It’s design utilises decomissioned shuttle components following the program’s end in 2010. The basic principle is to use the existing technology in an altered format in order to lift large payloads to LEO. Designed as one shot, cheap launch systems with no unnecessary components, they are unlikely to be reusable (except SRBs).
In short, 4 SSMEs are attached to the bottom of a modified ET with a second stage payload mounted on top. 2 standard SRBs are bolted to the side for additional launch lift. The thrust and fuel numbers are similar to the current shuttle, so the second stage payload mass will be comparable to the total mass of the existing orbiter.
This section of the blog will soon contain information about “Project Toehold“, AIA’s first in-house space exploration mission program. Whilst information on this project is still confidential, we can tell you that it involves habitation of Earth orbit with a window pointing towards the moon… More news to come once Phase 1 of the Ascension Project is complete.
For information about possible projects, read here.
