XR Flight Operations Manual Version 3.0
Copyright 2006-2018 Douglas Beachy. All Rights Reserved.
30
Walkthrough: Launch from KSC to Low-Earth-Orbit
Here is walkthrough detailing how to fly your XR vessel from Kennedy Space Center
efficiently into LEO
(Low-Earth-Orbit)
:
1.
In the Orbiter Launchpad, select
your vessel’s
Ready for takeoff to ISS
scenario in your
vessel’s scenario folder (e.g.,
XR5 Vanguard
). You are lined
up on the runway at KSC.
2.
Ensure that the APU (
Auxiliary Power Unit
) is powered on (it is controlled by
the APU button or CTRL-A). The APU powers your hydraulic systems. Also
ensure that the
AF CTRL
switch is set to
ON
; if you forget to do this and you
are taking off in an atmosphere, a warning callout occurs.
3.
If you will be taking off immediately, skip this step. Otherwise, if you want to
wait for more than a few minutes before taking off, enable e
xternal cooling
via the switch on the lower panel to keep the ship's internal systems cool.
You can monitor the internal coolant temperature on the lower panel or on
the main panel on the MDA screen, mode 3 (it should currently be displayed
by default). You should also shut down your APU (CTRL-A, or click the button
on the panel) so you don’t waste any APU fuel.
If you want to conserve
onboard oxygen as well, open the cabin hatch via CTRL-Y or the switch on the
upper panel.
Multi-Display-Area (MDA) Mode #3
The right-
hand gauge shows the ship’s internal coolant temperature
:
32.6 degrees Centigrade. The remainder of the display shows external
hull temperatures, which are discussed later.
4.
Once you reach your takeoff time, power up the APU again, close the cabin
hatch, and disable external cooling via the switch on the lower panel. Also
double-check that
AF CTRL
is set to
ON
. You will need to keep the APU online
until you reach about 75 km altitude and switch to RCS jets for attitude
control.
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.