KSP - Space Shuttle RTLS revisited with real guidance programs

I revisit the Space Shuttle Return-to-Launch-Site abort using my OPS1 program for ascent guidance and OPS3 for glide and landing.
System : i5 13600k@ 5.1 GHz , 64 Gb RAM, RTX3090Ti
KSP version 1.12.3
Modlist (non-exhaustive) :
-Real Solar system + dependencies
-EVE Raymarched Volumetrics (Early access)
-ballisticfox's RSS Reborn
-Realism Overhaul + dependencies
-Kerbal Operating system
-Principia
-Kerbal Konstructs
-KerbinSide props
-OSS statics
-Tundra space center
-kOS Ferram plugin
-My own fork of Ferram Aerospace (github.com/giuliodondi/Ferram...)
-My own fork of Space Shuttle System (github.com/giuliodondi/Space-...)
-the kOS Shuttle OPS1 script
(github.com/giuliodondi/kOS-Sh...)
-the kOS Shuttle OPS3 script
(github.com/giuliodondi/kOS-Sh...)
-My own fork of SpaceODY's STS Locations (github.com/giuliodondi/STS-Lo...)
Music:
- Darkfall by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio
- Winter Storm - Junichi Nakatsuru, AC5 OST
- Redemption by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

[@Kanru-5829]

Funny to think how every single trajectory screen that the shuttle had was just basically “Here are two lines and a shuttle symbol, keep the shuttle within the lines.” Really amazing video though!

[@giuliodondi]

Towards the end of the program they implemented the ASCENT BEARING and ENTRY BEARING displays which basically are moving maps, kind of like the Orbiter2016 MFDs. They first flew them on STS-126

[@LuccasLab]

babe wake up new Giulio Dondi just dropped

[@Tmccreight25Gaming]

Funny how the letters RTLS used to send shivers down the spines of every spaceflight fan but now those letters just mean "cool we get to see a SpaceX Booster land on land instead of at sea"

[@giuliodondi]

If humans were on board we would still shiver I think

[@dsdy1205]

​@giuliodondi not as much, the Shuttle had such a low TWR during its RTLS and such a narrow flight envelope that made RTLS hair raising I rather suspect Starship's envelope will be much larger.

[@AbhChallenger]

This is already so amazing. But think about this. They built this complicated software into the shuttle during the era of disco music. It also had to be synchronized across multiple computers with the power to detect and vote out a broken system. And it HAD to work. There was no way a human could calculate all this by looking at the instruments. It either had to work or the president was going to have to make a sad speech. My respect to the software and hardware engineers and the many people that contributed to this amazing piece of software history. And thank you for doing your part to show us this amazing piece of history.

[@giuliodondi]

For those reasons they had the BFS, an isolated computer running a sinplified version of the guidance equations and the OS. There is this presentation on software-induced Loss of Crew and Vehicle (LOCV) www.slideshare.net/slideshow/space-shuttle-flight-software-pass-loss-of-crew-errors-jk-orr-20150827-52150515/52150515 which details one simulated emergency where two rapid engine failures bricked all four primary computers, without the BFS it would have been fatal

[@famlrnamemssng]

Rtls seems like something I’d do just messing around in ksp

[@motokid6008]

Your camera work is awesome. Great video.

[@LeonelEBD]

RTLS is just plain crazy!

[@andrewhofmann5453]

Ive always admired anyone who can make kOS work well, great job!

[@matthewdev]

The Shuttle sure is a cool vehicle, but these abort scenarios are just insane. And to think that the shuttle could've been quite different, if not for that one very specific mission profile the DoD wanted (and never got to do it)

[@giuliodondi]

In 1971 the Shuttle baseline was quite different, with smaller wings and internal fuel tanks. Yet, it still had an RTLS abort scheme involving a combined aerodynamic-thrusting turn to reverse course. You can read about it here: ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19720006189/downloads/19720006189.pdf , not sure if this would have been that much safer. All the problems with the Shuttle concept fundamentally stem from the horizontal-landing/spaceplane paradigm. But spaceplanes are cool. Also, the Vandenberg once-around crossrange requirement was not exactly imposed on NASA by the Air Force, I think they wanted it anyways for aborts, but I don't have a reference for this sadly

[@matthewdev]

@giuliodondi I must confess, I saw that information in a Scott Manley video, stating that the modifications required for the shuttle to fulfill that specific mission profile had made the orbiter more complex than it otherwise had to be, especially regarding the extended hypersonic glide time requirement. It's been a good while since I've watched it, could very well be wrong

[@giuliodondi]

@@matthewdev I know exactly the video, the one about the 3A/3B missions. The Air Force requirement was being able to launch into polar orbits from Vandenberg. Then, in 1973, the Vandenberg launch was formalized into the 3A/3B reference mission profile, involving deployment or retrieva of a satellite and reentry in a once-around orbit. These missions did drive the aerodynamic and heat shield design, and yet there is no explicit mention of them beyond a couple papers in 1973/74. This 1977 paper here ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19770026315/downloads/19770026315.pdf studies the exact reentry profile for a once- around mission from Vandenberg and yet doesn't mention the 3A/3B reference profiles. My speculation is that the 3A/3B missions were nothing more than wargame studies (because they're ludicrous and only make sense in a state of war) but the high crossrange WAS useful to NASA for once.around abort capability for the Vandenberg mission they actually were going to fly (STS-62A) . Moreover, high crossrange gives you two or three deorbit windows every day for pretty much any landing site at almost any inclination, so you can wait for weather to clear up, which they did a lot

[@ghostblackout1]

Great Video in Love the size of the video because I can full screen it on my tablet and I still can't believe that was a real plan that NASA wanted to use

[@NollieFlipX]

That was so cool to watch

[@nils8580]

Really impressive work!

[@josublancoortiz9824]

Lovely lovely programming there mate

[@Schultz89]

holy shit your aerodynamic model handles so well, I'm definitely flying the shuttle with a joystick now

[@atempestrages5059]

That was breathtaking and frightening to watch.

[@jross1269]

babe its time for your daily giulio dondi guidance-posting!!!!

[@Dominion69420]

This is so fucking awesome. Fantastic work!

[@xtron1234]

Tasteful Ace Combat 5 music. Though it would be rather sudden in a funny way if Ofnir and Grabacr showed up as they did. Very nice video all in all!

[@Ph33NIXx]

Impressive... really impressive.

[@kerbaman5125]

Wow, that's really cool!

[@judet2992]

Shows the power of the RS-25s that even with two or one they can still get the orbiter back.

[@giuliodondi]

in a 2EO situation you only get the Orbiter back if you're in the last 30 seconds or so of powered RTLS or you're in a 2EO GREEN area and within range of Bermuda or an ECAL site, or single engine TAL/ATO. Any other situation and you have to bail out

[@judet2992]

@@giuliodondi yeah, but still, impressive.

[@21volts_gaming_official]

Could you please demonstrate a contingency abort mid-RTLS like you said it could? (Never mind lol, just finished the vid and saw you were already planning it.)

[@nikelinq2899]

(In KSP RSS) While launching out of vandenberg (using your script) I actually had to do an RTLS abort. It was scary, it was precarious, but we made it home

[@judet2992]

The shuttle never did an abort, what are you talking about?

[@Kanru-5829]

@@judet2992 he’s talking about in game

[@judet2992]

@@Kanru-5829 ah nice

[@nikelinq2899]

@@judet2992 I was referring to KSP RSS, and there was a shuttle abort STS-51F it was an ATO (Abort to orbit) after a single RS-25 failed 5 minutes into the flight

[@judet2992]

@@nikelinq2899 ah thanks, also I meant RTLS abort.

[@vovochen]

Wow !!!!!!!

[@listener-tt1gw]

impressive

[@vovochen]

Guilino - maybe you wanna take a look into the Flight Sim DCS - there's PLENTY of realism in there, and communitys the nicest I know.

[@spacebeetle]

you're a god

[@MaoistBanker]

I have no doubt Eileen Collins would have aced this had it been required for STS-93

[@Ejd582]

please make a video of how to install your shuttle mod dependiences etc

[@lerk.]

RTLS abort aka taking the shuttle out for a spin

[@Hsa12354]

This is honestly incredible, I just have one question does it work with SOCK and ksrss

[@giuliodondi]

no, the programs are calibrated for my fork of SSS and full RSS/RO

[@Hsa12354]

@@giuliodondiok thanks great job though

[@eekee6034]

Amazing to see such automated control, but why does is broken engine lit at times after it fails?

[@giuliodondi]

In the several takes I did, sometimes the right engine was shut down. The first engine to fail is either the left or the right at random

[@tinto278]

Worm shuttle > Meatball Shuttle.

[@gabrielbonfim3077]

Hi! Is EVE Raymarched Volumetrics (Early Acess) the volumetric cloiuds mod from blackrack?

[@giuliodondi]

Yes

[@gabrielbonfim3077]

@@giuliodondi Thank you!

[@eclipticsim]

How do you get your fork of sts locations to work with RSS reborn?

[@giuliodondi]

never tried this. I would just keep the KK groups and static configs and throw the rest, like the Edwards and Vandenberg terrain

[@dsdy1205]

Broke: If Giulio Dondi kOS RTLS is so good, where is Giulio Dondi kOS RTLS 2? Woke:

[@anonanon5146]

Can it do Columbia?

[@giuliodondi]

What do you mean?