Outerra forum
User mods, screenshots & videos => Aircraft => Rockets & Spacecraft => Topic started by: andfly on February 03, 2022, 07:36:26 pm
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Initially it was a simple challenge: to be able to convert the beautiful model of the Space Station, from the NASA 3D Resource site, into something "edible" for the FBX importer of Outerra and obtain a static model that can be explored in every detail.
Then, the evidence that such a detailed model deserved something more, turned it into a real working model, which follows its real orbit and can also be piloted to explore different orbital trajectories.
Thanks to NASA for allowing the free use of the original models:
https://nasa3d.arc.nasa.gov/detail/iss
https://nasa3d.arc.nasa.gov/detail/iss-internal
https://nasa3d.arc.nasa.gov/detail/emu
Special thanks to the authors of the Satellite.js project
https://github.com/shashwatak/satellite-js
which I used to calculate the position of the ISS
and to the site "Where the ISS at?" (https://wheretheiss.at/w/developer)
which provides the TLE data of any satellite in Earth orbit, necessary for position calculations, with a simple "get" call.
The model can be downloaded at the following address:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tXoXrPaDdeZN__z1tpG0pYIVW2Iax6H_/view?usp=sharing
For details on installation and use, read the MANUAL in the Help folder of the model.
I hope this Space Station is worthy of the magnificent world of Outerra.
Have fun ! =D
https://youtu.be/lPEhTyQ9Qt8
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Looks stunning!
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Wow ! This is incredible ! It really simulates the experience on the ISS !
Such an incredibly detailed model all explorable in a way that feels like floating in zero gravity !
..and so carefully crafted astronauts ..(all italians ...lol)
so many thanks to italian artist andfly ;)
And not only that: the milkyway and even polar lights !...didn't get yet over cities in the night
but I will definitely make many orbits around the earth ! Its so fun, even just guessing where you are by looking at the terrain,
and it really feels like beeing in space !
Big congratulations to you andfly ! A superb mod for outerra !
And what a surprise...a new mod from you was the last thing I was expecting ...everybody is so busy but you found the time
to give us another one of your artworks.
We'll have a lot of pleasant hours to spend in orbit now , observing our planet from above:)
p.s. Post it also on outerra discord !
just a few screenshots:
(https://i.postimg.cc/fbvw8108/food4.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/Ff75RWpS)
(https://i.postimg.cc/CM2wrGzp/good1.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/RqcrNn7g)
(https://i.postimg.cc/k417m8s8/good3.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/1nqk08L5)
(https://i.postimg.cc/ZnW4KRsQ/good5.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/2LNP0zDd)
(https://i.postimg.cc/KzvmwQPx/good6.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/Ff8tJyCB)
(https://i.postimg.cc/WzxjDvQ1/good7.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/WqmxKQNB)
(https://i.postimg.cc/zfNzSq3L/gppd2.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/sMnC3dYy)
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beautiful work of Andfly,, a great contribution,,, as always... thank you very much.
I'll have to read the manual to get to know the modules... but from the outside it looks great...
Congratulations.
https://youtu.be/DO8ZJuMzNM4
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I now saw the city lights ..but at first I thought they're clouds as they are more white than yellow and quite dim.
So I changed the IIS_EARTH.mtl in IIS_OBJECTS/ISS_EARTH folder at the NASA_EARTH_NIGHT entry increasing the emissivity considerably and making it more yellowish..
Outerra
(https://i.postimg.cc/PfwGSBZT/good.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/YjMy9Dbs)
(https://i.postimg.cc/9F56KJtT/screen-1644016895.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/7b9tT1RY)
Real ISS view
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XBPjVzSoepo/maxresdefault.jpg)
},
{
"name" : "Material",
"shader" : "trasparent no shadow",
"alpha_coverage" : false,
"color" : "0.0,0.0,0.0,0.0",
"f0" : "1.0",
"roughness" : "1.0",
"emissive_color" : "0.25,0.20,0.00", <-------this one instead of default 0.02, 0.02, 0.02
"max_temperature_black" : 0,
"max_temperature_white" : 0,
"thermal" : "",
"tex_albedo" : "",
"tex_normal" : "",
"tex_roughness" : "",
"tex_opacity" : "",
"tex_reflectance" : "",
"tex_environment" : "",
"tex_emissive" : "NASA_EARTH_NIGHT.dds",
"tex_thermal" : ""
},
{
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Hi HiFlyer
It is a great pleasure to see you again here on Outerra!
Hope this model gives you a good time !
Thank you
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Thanks aWac9
As always, you know how to create the "ad hoc" video for every circumstance!
Even the voices of the astronauts in the background ... nice !!!
I am happy if you like the model and enjoy it.
Good simulation!
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Hi, fly77
receiving appreciation from those who contribute so continuously and always with new and exciting ideas to enrich the world of Outerra is a great pleasure.
The screenshots you made are a really good indication of what can be achieved from the simulation!
I couldn't have done better! Thanks!
For the night lights of the cities you had a good idea.
Indeed a more yellowish cast and higher intensity give it a more realistic look.
It is certainly advisable to change the parameters of the material with those indicated by you.
I really hope this model gives you a pleasant time (maybe really hours).
Have fun! :D :D
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now everything is calm, here everything is happiness... come and see...
https://youtu.be/a-flzdifn54
the International Space Station ISS, is scheduled to self-destruct around 2031, when the entire platform will head towards the planet... the remains of the modules that do not disintegrate while descending, will end up falling in the Pacific, in a known place like the spaceship graveyard. (Point Nemo). Unless unforeseeable situations occur.
come in and get ready
https://youtu.be/1g76irtoMus
^-^
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I have been observing the sky for days and since the installation of the Andfly mod, strange things are happening up there... I always see two vigilant objects, which observe threateningly... they are always there, in the perspective of the sun... no I know what it will be, if it's floating mod debris, or space junk... but I fear the worst, I think they're aliens... they've seen the Andfly mod they don't see it with good eyes... 8)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51871544788_867bc46924_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2n2He67)objetos extraños (https://flic.kr/p/2n2He67) by a (https://www.flickr.com/photos/awac9/), en Flickr
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♪♫ Apuntes musicales ♪♫
https://youtu.be/kdJ3arnSryU
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Magnificent !!! :D :D
( I also saw the aliens! ) ;)
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party on the ISS..listening to earthen home radiostations to feel less lonly lost in space =D
...but where are our pizzas ?!
(https://i.postimg.cc/sf7QdVGX/screen-1644523530.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/rzyF52JX)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqOl0DKdLDk
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maps are useful also in space
(https://i.postimg.cc/Wp8Db5SL/screen-1644526068.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/t71RBtL2)
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the Adfly mod and the real ISS perform the same trajectory in real time.
the integrity of the trajectory and the curvature of the earth is demonstrated. :)
https://youtu.be/u3HOSutzysg
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When a rocket takes off from Earth into space, it does so from zero speed to orbital speed... and it does so with a maximum speed of 7 Mach (2401 m/sg) when it is approximately 70 km in altitude. Keep in mind that the speed goes from less to more and the molecules that it finds in its ascent are less and less (less dense atmosphere) so the friction is less and less and the heat dissipates better... that is why it does not burn on the ascent.
But the other way around is different, when it descends it does so from an orbital velocity (7000 m/sg) to zero. When it descends and is, for example, at an altitude of 57 km, its speed is still almost orbital (7000 m/sg) and as it enters the atmosphere, the density of molecules will be greater and with it greater friction and increase in temperature. at 2000 ºC, and we already know that everything that is combustible in contact with oxygen burns... the result is disintegration...
We are going to check if the Andfy model meets this certainty.
Here we are going to stop, so you can think about what options we have:
a) It may happen that the ISS descends with the acceleration of gravity and increases in speed until it hits the earth. It would be most likely looking at JSBsim's Flight Dynamics Model (FDM)
b) It may happen that its descent speed is constant at a point, but I don't think so that was already an experiment we did with Fly77's carnivorous ball
c) It may or may not happen that the ISS disintegrates on entry to the atmosphere.
d) strange objects continue to be seen, and what might appear to be just an alien attack.
What do you think will happen? Make a bet and then we'll see.
We'll take manual control of the station and intentionally lose power to let newton's pull do its job.
https://youtu.be/KIJg9QNVoPc
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:)) :)) :)) you gotta find 100 billion dollars now, aWac9 !
But are you sure you did the experiment right ? applying downward thrust continuosly you do more than just "deorbit" the ISS.
maybe you should just apply reverse thrust until speed is smaller than speed required to stay in orbit so that it can not stay in orbit for long and then stop applying any kind of thrust and wait a year or so until it slowly drops to earth :))...but I guess the result will still be a 100 billion dollar to pay ... so answer c) in every case is my guess.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOvHGLFL4lo
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party on the ISS..listening to earthen home radiostations to feel less lonly lost in space =D
...but where are our pizzas ?!
Beautiful! :D
Never miss a good occasion to party !!
And if there is good music, good company and pizza ... then nothing is missing!
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the Adfly mod and the real ISS perform the same trajectory in real time.
the integrity of the trajectory and the curvature of the earth is demonstrated. :)
I still do, sometimes, when a good ISS passage is expected in my area.
I turn on the computer, install the Space Station mod in Outerra and turn the camera towards the ground.
I go to the window and check the sky until I see the bright point that runs through it quickly.
A little I look at the ISS and a little I look at Italy, with the lights of the cities, flowing on the computer monitor.
I almost seem to be really "up there" intent on looking "down here" ... ::)
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When a rocket takes off from Earth into space, it does so from zero speed to orbital speed... and it does so with a maximum speed of 7 Mach (2401 m/sg) when it is approximately 70 km in altitude. Keep in mind that the speed goes from less to more and the molecules that it finds in its ascent are less and less (less dense atmosphere) so the friction is less and less and the heat dissipates better... that is why it does not burn on the ascent.
But the other way around is different, when it descends it does so from an orbital velocity (7000 m/sg) to zero. When it descends and is, for example, at an altitude of 57 km, its speed is still almost orbital (7000 m/sg) and as it enters the atmosphere, the density of molecules will be greater and with it greater friction and increase in temperature. at 2000 ºC, and we already know that everything that is combustible in contact with oxygen burns... the result is disintegration...
We are going to check if the Andfy model meets this certainty.
Here we are going to stop, so you can think about what options we have:
a) It may happen that the ISS descends with the acceleration of gravity and increases in speed until it hits the earth. It would be most likely looking at JSBsim's Flight Dynamics Model (FDM)
b) It may happen that its descent speed is constant at a point, but I don't think so that was already an experiment we did with Fly77's carnivorous ball
c) It may or may not happen that the ISS disintegrates on entry to the atmosphere.
d) strange objects continue to be seen, and what might appear to be just an alien attack.
What do you think will happen? Make a bet and then we'll see.
We'll take manual control of the station and intentionally lose power to let newton's pull do its job.
Oh yeah
The Space Station does not exempt itself from the normal canons of physics.
If you push it towards the atmosphere at a speed of 65,000 km/h (!!! :o) it can only disintegrate in a spectacular blaze!
It is a speed higher than that of normal meteors and causes complete destruction around 100 km of altitude.
You may have noticed that the dynamic pressure to which the Station is subjected during its flight is continuously monitored.
When the value exceeds a certain limit, overheating begins and, if persisted, destruction occurs.
If, however, you approach the atmosphere with a much lower speed, as recommended by our friend fly77, at the first hint of overheating (the station changes color) it is still possible to save it by activating the ascension engine that takes it back to the most rarefied space. .
And this can happen at a much lower altitude than the previous 100 km.
With patience and attention, by dosing the power of its engines, you can fly the ISS to very low altitudes without damaging it.
All this, of course, is only allowed for having equipped the model with engines of unprecedented power that have no comparison with reality.
But it was nice to be able to explore all the possibilities, even the most unlikely ... after all: it's a simulation ... a game!
As for the penalty to be paid ... some advice.
Reload a new ISS immediately, it will be identical to the previous one and perhaps no one will notice the change !!!
I will gladly give up the commission that the International Scientific Community had guaranteed me on the 100 billion dollars.
I don't want to run the risk of missing your future movies !!! :))
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Can you add those motor ignition impulses to direct it?
Can the animation of the Northern Lights be improved?
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Can you add those motor ignition impulses to direct it?
Can the animation of the Northern Lights be improved?
When you enter Manual Piloting Mode (key: P) you have the control of the motors available to direct the Station in any direction.
With the "Arrow keys" you can control the lateral propulsion impulses.
Key: Up Arrow = Forward propulsive impulse
Key: Down Arrow = Backards propulsive impulse
Key: Right Arrow = Right propulsive impulse
Key: Left Arrow = Propulsive impulse to the left
The cursors under the word "THRUST" (on the left of the screen) visually indicate the thrust you are making.
Immediately below the corresponding change in Speed m/s will highlight the effect of the propulsion.
These commands carry out a real propulsive "impulse", effective as long as you keep the key pressed, which is canceled as soon as you release the key.
The operation of the vertical thrust motor is different.
As in all Outerra Jsbsim models, the power of this motor is adjusted with the Pg-Up and Pg-Down buttons (as in the Mig29).
Pg-Up increases the motor power and Pg-Down decreases it.
If the Pg-Up key is released, the motor power does not reset, it remains constant until it is decreased and reset with the Pg-Down key.
The "J" key changes the pushing direction from Ascending to Descending and vice versa.
A further possibility of interaction, in this piloting mode, is the possibility of rotating the station around its vertical axis by varying the yaw angle.
It is obtained with the "Ins" and "Del" keys.
The Northern Lights can certainly be improved.
I'll try to try.
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ok . I was referring to the simulation of the thrusters
https://youtu.be/VVuXYCqLRNw
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I beg your pardon aWac9 ... I really misunderstood ...
It seemed impossible to me but, thinking I was not clear, I preferred to repeat myself in more detail.
It may be useful for those who have not read the manual to understand the potential of the model.
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something strange is happening at the ISS station.
Houston. we have a problem
https://youtu.be/who8eQ4eEyc
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wow ! How did you achieve this special effect ?
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fly, it's not an effect, it's happening... it all started in the smoke ball... you remember. :o 8)
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Aaagh ! :o
Shields are effective for meteorites ... ( and space beans )
But this was not expected !! 8)
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UPGRADE ISS
I did a little tweaking that is essentially about the visualization of the night terrain, with city lights, which is now considerably more detailed, and the remake of the simulation of the polar lights (I hope it is a little more realistic than the previous one).
You can download the updated model at the usual link. :)
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Much more detailed city lights indeed ! Thanks ! :)
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it looks better, much better... thank you Andfly for your time.
one question... can you tune in the audio signal on the 145800 kHz FM frequency with the ISS station in real time?
:)
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Much more detailed city lights indeed ! Thanks ! :)
Thanks to you for the feedback. :)
I have divided the globe into four segments, each with its own texture.
Respecting the size limit for the textures that can be displayed in Outerra (around 40-45 Mb, with DXT1 format compression), I have thus obtained a resolution that is quadruple the previous one.
It could still increase by further dividing the earth's surface and using more textures ... but the "weight" in megabytes and the probable (slight) drop in fps do not recommend it.
If you want to explore the night of the earth in very high resolution, on the NASA website (https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/NightLights) there are 8 maps at a resolution of 21600 x 21600 pixels which, put together, reach the remarkable resolution of 43200 x 86400 pixels for the entire earth's surface! =D
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it looks better, much better... thank you Andfly for your time.
one question... can you tune in the audio signal on the 145800 kHz FM frequency with the ISS station in real time?
:)
There is the possibility of listening to amateur radio broadcasts through the web by connecting to the SDR radio sites ( http://websdr.org/ ).
By consulting the website: https://www.ariss.org/
or: https://www.amsat-on.be/ariss-calendar-with-scheduled-contacts-by-the-ariss-operation-team/
it is possible to know the calendar of the broadcasts scheduled with the ISS.
A radio will have to be chosen which receives the frequency of 145,800 MHz and which "sees" the space station at the moment of transmission.
Considering that the "visibility" of the ISS, for any ground station, does not exceed ten minutes for each passage, this is a more theoretical than practical procedure, but still feasible.
By preparing, with some advance, the chosen radio and set the frequency and the other listening parameters, we proceed to upload the ISS model on Outerra.
When the transmission becomes audible it will be the background to the exploration of the Space Station and, even if it will not last long, it should be pleasant because it is really "real-time".
However, if you prepare (in advance) the desktop connections to different radio stations that cover the entire globe, you can set the right radio at the right time and continue listening more continuously.
I've never experienced such a thing because I hadn't really thought about it.
You have piqued a curiosity that I will surely experience.
Thank you :)
Of course...
If there was an online service that reports these broadcasts in streaming ... we should ask our friend fly77 (audio magician) to insert it in the channel database of his car radio!
Unfortunately, I have not found it! :(
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:)
https://youtu.be/GLgKci9xaqM
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ISS FM RADIO LISTENING MODE 145800 Khz Using SDR radio online
I realized that manual radio listening operations are quite complicated because the high speed of the ISS requires rapid changes of radio receiver station.
So I tried to automate the operations by introducing a new simulation mode.
You enter "radio listening" mode with the combination of the keys Ctrl + A.
The program probes the positions of the set receiving stations, chooses the one closest to the Space Station and automatically opens a new page of the brownser with the site of the chosen SDR radio.
At this point it will be up to the user to manually complete the settings that cannot be controlled automatically.
+ Enable audio (not all brownsers do this automatically, often you have to click on an "audio on" or "start audio" button or something similar.
+ Make sure that the listening frequency is the right one (145800 Khz, 2MT band): it should already be set automatically but ... not all SDR radio managers are the same.
+ Set frequency modulation reception (FM button).
+ Adjust the listening volume.
+ If necessary, insert the squelch to eliminate background noise in the absence of signal.
It sounds complicated but, with a little practice, it only takes a few seconds.
Now you can return to the simulation of the ISS by clicking on the Outerra screen that is still open below or on the relative icon in the status bar.
The audio signal of the listening station will be the "background" to the simulation.
Every ten seconds a new check is carried out on the radio closest to the ISS: if the radio is already in use, nothing happens, if the chosen radio is different, a new window will be opened in the brownser with the new radio and the user will repeat the procedure just illustrated, remembering, first of all, to delete the window with the old radio.
In these days of rehearsals to refine the procedures of the program I have not yet received any transmission but, from the readings on the Web, it seems that, sporadically, in the free moments, some astronauts delight in amateur radio broadcasts towards the earth so ... every time could be the good one!
By consulting the calendar of scheduled broadcasts with schools
https://www.amsat-on.be/ariss-calendar-with-scheduled-contacts-by-the-ariss-operation-team/
however, one should have the guarantee of pick up something by listening at the right time.
And now my due thanks to fly77 who, with its Worldradio program, has inspired my work. :)
I blatantly copied his method (which I did not know) of storing radio station data in a separate json file from the main script, obtaining a file that can be easily edited by anyone without the risk of touching the program.
In this regard it is really advisable, for those who have experience in radio reception, to take a look at the file of the radio stations set (radio_SDR.json in the ISS / Script folder) because the criterion with which I compiled it only takes into account the coverage while it would be preferable to also consider the "performance" of the receiving station based on the equipment and antennas.
It is possible to replace the stations set with other more "performing" ones or add them for better coverage (there are still many free places).
At the site: http://websdr.org/ you can find the list of SDR radios available on the Web.
You can download the updated version of the ISS at the usual link.
IMPORTANT
Copy the NEW Andfly_plugin.dll located in the data plugins folder
in the plugins folder of the Outerra program
Once again ...
Have fun !!! :D
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thanks andfly for your time.. but i haven't been able to hear any conversation yet.. maybe you have to configure the page when you press ctrl+A ?
Thank you.
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Hi aWac9
I haven't even been able to hear anything yet!
I connected to the website of the closest online radio station to Japan that I found: Tianjin CHINA -> https://websdr.mmuaa.com/
during the last scheduled connection of 17 March, with a Japanese school, and I have not received any communication.
I probably deluded myself that it could be easy but it isn't.
The distance between the receiving station and the ISS was about 1500 km or more ... I think "too much" to pick up any signal.
It would take the extremely fortunate chance that the connection happened in the vicinity of an online SDR station.
I am not completely discouraged and I think I will try again at the next scheduled connection, but with a little less enthusiasm ...
However, there remains the possibility of listening to a radio station with a wide range of frequencies when simulating the ISS on Outerra.
You can use it to listen to radio amateurs around the world and other possible communications that these online radios allow.
I also discovered another larger online radio catalog: https://rx-tx.info/ which can serve to enrich the MOD's "radio_SDR.json" catalog.
As for the configuration ...
When you press Ctrl + A you don't have to do anything, just wait for the program to choose a radio station and open its window on the brownser.
The configuration is done right on the brownser window and, unfortunately, I was unable to make it totally automatic, so it must be done manually.
:)
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Hi andfly !
Cool it seems that at least some of these radios have self-playing audiostreams that can be easily configured
for example just pasting into a browser it starts playing and by concatenating strings it should be possible to create a link for interactively adjustable frequency inside outerra
airspy.grundstil.de/#freq=118825769,mod=am,sql=-150
airspy.grundstil.de/#freq=118826069,mod=am,sql=-150
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we hear because sound waves come through the air. but in outer space? do you hear anything? NO...absolutely not. you can't hear anything... and what sound does nothing have? I do not know.
Houston, we have a problem. We don't hear anything, I think the radio is broken.
https://youtu.be/ZJENRpcnRco
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Hi andfly !
Cool it seems that at least some of these radios have self-playing audiostreams that can be easily configured
for example just pasting into a browser it starts playing and by concatenating strings it should be possible to create a link for interactively adjustable frequency inside outerra
airspy.grundstil.de/#freq=118825769,mod=am,sql=-150
airspy.grundstil.de/#freq=118826069,mod=am,sql=-150
Cool !! 8)
I had not noticed this possibility for the new OpenWebRX, I was left only to the possibility of adding the string "?tune=145800fm" to the command line necessary to open the WebSDR page I knew before.
Now I can create an "ad hoc command line" for the type of radio being called up.
As for the possibility of controlling the radio from inside Outerra (as you did for Worldradio) I think it is beyond my capabilities.
In fact, I had circumvented the problem by commanding only the opening of the Web page and leaving the user with the task of fine adjustments.
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As for the possibility of controlling the radio from inside Outerra (as you did for Worldradio) I think it is beyond my capabilities.
In fact, I had circumvented the problem by commanding only the opening of the Web page and leaving the user with the task of fine adjustments.
In fact you could use eventually my plugin ..there is a function to play audiostreams that cou can call from the outerra script.
I am now at work but I can give some instruction and a tutorial example script as soon as I've got time
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Thank you
I will gladly study it.
However, don't rush ... ;)
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in outer space, things are also lost...
I was wondering if the radio receiver ot went in that bag? :)
https://youtu.be/zf3bDpdhUNc
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Thank you
I will gladly study it.
However, don't rush ... ;)
here is my very basic webaudiostream radio ..just featuring the most basic script to play a single autoplaying web audiostream URL.
enjoy !
https://forum.outerra.com/index.php?topic=5019.0
unfortunately I found that those RX radio links I mentioned before are actually not working when used in my mod..seems they are actually not audiostreams but rely on the code of the player in the URL :'(
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eh ... yes ... too bad! :(
Back then these radios were really in the lost bag .... =D
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I finally "felt something"! :D
This morning, coinciding with the scheduled contact between the Space Station and a school in Rome (IT), I set up the connection to an Open Web Rx Station (CISAR in Assisi, Perugia (IT)) which is "in the right place" for receive the broadcast.
The radio was phenomenal and picked up the radio signal very well.
I was a little less good and, perhaps thanks to the emotion, I was not able to capture everything but equally I hope that the resulting video gives an idea of what can be obtained from these online radio stations and stimulates others to try the same thrilling experience.
Good simulation, in OUTERRA, everyone! :))
https://youtu.be/Y4IBj4IuMFk
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magnificent.. another step for humanity :)
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https://youtu.be/4CkDb_4XsRE
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Very nice :D
and ... what music !!
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ISS FM RADIO LISTENING MODE 145800 Khz Using SDR radio online
I realized that manual radio listening operations are quite complicated because the high speed of the ISS requires rapid changes of radio receiver station.
So I tried to automate the operations by introducing a new simulation mode.
You enter "radio listening" mode with the combination of the keys Ctrl + A.
The program probes the positions of the set receiving stations, chooses the one closest to the Space Station and automatically opens a new page of the brownser with the site of the chosen SDR radio.
At this point it will be up to the user to manually complete the settings that cannot be controlled automatically.
+ Enable audio (not all brownsers do this automatically, often you have to click on an "audio on" or "start audio" button or something similar.
+ Make sure that the listening frequency is the right one (145800 Khz, 2MT band): it should already be set automatically but ... not all SDR radio managers are the same.
+ Set frequency modulation reception (FM button).
+ Adjust the listening volume.
+ If necessary, insert the squelch to eliminate background noise in the absence of signal.
It sounds complicated but, with a little practice, it only takes a few seconds.
Now you can return to the simulation of the ISS by clicking on the Outerra screen that is still open below or on the relative icon in the status bar.
The audio signal of the listening station will be the "background" to the simulation.
Every ten seconds a new check is carried out on the radio closest to the ISS: if the radio is already in use, nothing happens, if the chosen radio is different, a new window will be opened in the brownser with the new radio and the user will repeat the procedure just illustrated, remembering, first of all, to delete the window with the old radio.
In these days of rehearsals to refine the procedures of the program I have not yet received any transmission but, from the readings on the Web, it seems that, sporadically, in the free moments, some astronauts delight in amateur radio broadcasts towards the earth so ... every time could be the good one!
By consulting the calendar of scheduled broadcasts with schools
https://www.amsat-on.be/ariss-calendar-with-scheduled-contacts-by-the-ariss-operation-team/
however, one should have the guarantee of pick up something by listening at the right time.
And now my due thanks to fly77 who, with its Worldradio program, has inspired my work. :)
I blatantly copied his method (which I did not know) of storing radio station data in a separate json file from the main script, obtaining a file that can be easily edited by anyone without the risk of touching the program.
In this regard it is really advisable, for those who have experience in radio reception, to take a look at the file of the radio stations set (radio_SDR.json in the ISS / Script folder) because the criterion with which I compiled it only takes into account the coverage while it would be preferable to also consider the "performance" of the receiving station based on the equipment and antennas.
It is possible to replace the stations set with other more "performing" ones or add them for better coverage (there are still many free places).
At the site: http://websdr.org/ you can find the list of SDR radios available on the Web.
You can download the updated version of the ISS at the usual link.
IMPORTANT
Copy the NEW Andfly_plugin.dll located in the data plugins folder
in the plugins folder of the Outerra program
Once again ...
Have fun !!! :D
I have been going hinking with my firend with a TRX for years now .. this is a beautifull adition to Outerra ! ... was sometimes tuning to the open ISS ferquancy ( US and Russian ) lots of times and had them caught even on spacewalks. Its fantastic to get a signal like that in real life, sometimes, even in your own garden.
In the radioamateur circles, they often use repeaters to push signal further and that friend of mine talks like this often with other guys this way. I plan to make one myself on my roof one day and i just got a really interresting idea/question - would it be possible to relay the signal into Outerra ? I mean, the repeater at my roof would send the sound to my PC, and that would relay it to an outerra location like this ( could make a model for it later too ). Basically, you could listen to it trough OT online, if having the mod and being close to it. Dont thing it be good to put a two way comm into it, but im fairly sure if this would work, one could send audio the other way out too - to the real life repeater as well ... It would be interresting to comunicate with someone from/to OT by a real TRX station.
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Hi PytonPago !
First of all it is a great pleasure to hear from you here on the forum ! :D
You have highlighted a very interesting aspect about the possibility of receiving communication, from space, with online radios.
There is not only listening on the amateur frequency of 145800 Khz, used for scheduled transmissions between the ISS and schools.
The space station and, in general, all space missions are continuously in communication with the earth on other frequencies which are most likely available on online radios.
If we are not dealing with encrypted transmissions, it would be very interesting to investigate the possibility of "witnessing" these communications that would allow you to feel emotionally involved with astronauts in intense moments such as spacewalks or in the more normal ones of routine activities.
It is definitely a topic that deserves further investigation!
As for the possibility of connecting Outerra users with a MOD created for this purpose, I too think it would be possible (the existence of countless voice chats and environments created for this specific purpose, such as Skype, confirm this).
Even the possibility of channeling the audio stream on a TX used for this purpose would certainly be feasible ...
But this is a job absolutely beyond the capabilities of a normal modder and would require precise knowledge and specific skills.
In fact, in the ISS MOD, the program is able to simply choose the online radio closest to the location of the space station (from a pre-built database) and open the corresponding Web page on Brownser. It cannot interact directly with the radio settings because I have no idea how it can be done ...
However, listening to radio communications in the background when "flying" with the ISS in Outerra should add a little excitement to the simple graphic interaction.
This was the goal I had set myself and the only possible one for my current abilities. :)
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Some time ago Windows was updated and since then the ISS station does not work for me
happened to someone else??? :(
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What does not work ? here everything seems fine ...except in eng.log appears an error
19:36:42.216 ERROR: Cannot get file stats "D:/Outerra2020-userdata/Outerra/data\earth7/weather/2018-08-08/weather-2000.din.zs"!
when spawning the ISS but it does not seem to affect it as far as i can tell
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Everything works fine for me too ...
Maybe a look at your eng.log could help ... can you post it ?
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Windows update happened today for me..but ISS still is OK
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*** New version of the Space Station Model.
I managed to optimize the program by making the internet connection, necessary to download the starting data of the position calculations, in TLE format, directly from the plugin and thus making the system call to the Windows program CURL.EXE superfluous.
In this way the code, despite being more complex, was more stable, even in the case of subsequent reloads which, lately, were causing me frequent crashes.
I then added some new functions which, I hope, will make this model more enjoyable.
For details you can download the New Manual:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11tekmHpL5z-J81HhOfO4JK3OIMQol_cy/view?usp=sharing
To download the complete New Version use the usual LINK.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tXoXrPaDdeZN__z1tpG0pYIVW2Iax6H_/view?usp=sharing
As always ...
GOOD FUN !! :)
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*** New version of the Space Station Model.
I managed to optimize the program by making the internet connection, necessary to download the starting data of the position calculations, in TLE format, directly from the plugin and thus making the system call to the Windows program CURL.EXE superfluous.
In this way the code, despite being more complex, was more stable, even in the case of subsequent reloads which, lately, were causing me frequent crashes.
I then added some new functions which, I hope, will make this model more enjoyable.
oooh ! I was just looking now for a way to do internet connections from within the plugin since besides fetch GET and POST calls its not possible from within outerra's HTML to establish a connection to external websites/servers.
if you like you can get the ISS data from within a HTML such as vehicle config HTML (which is called by t key) just using fetch ...its really easy and works....see code snippet below.
Could you share your plugin code with me ? (private mail is OK) ...or maybe for what I want i still need to do the CURL.exe windows call...idk but you also did that so that old plugin code could be also interesting for me if you are available to share it ;)
by the way here is the HTML code snippet to get ISS position ..that you can use inside vehicle_config.html for instance of the tatra
<body>
<p> The ISS lat lon are : <span id="ISSpos"></span> </p>
</body>
<script>
async function catchISS(){
const URL = "https://api.wheretheiss.at/v1/satellites/25544";
const response = await fetch(URL);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);
document.getElementById("ISSpos").textContent= "lat " + data.latitude + " : lon " + data.longitude;
}
catchISS().then(response=>{
console.log("yay! connected to ISS !");
})
.catch(error=>{
console.log("error!");
console.error(error);
});*/
</script>
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*** New version of the Space Station Model.
Cool!! :D
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yes ! Cool !
(https://i.postimg.cc/FzPYxC7G/screen-1668719344.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/9w7XmpPq)
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by the way here is the HTML code snippet to get ISS position ..that you can use inside vehicle_config.html for instance of the tatra
Really very interesting!
I too had tried, at the beginning of the construction of the ISS, to use HTML to "exit" the constraints of Outerra and face the Web, but without success, while you immediately found the right way!
As for the plugin code I have, unfortunately, to give you a disappointment.
Not only have I failed to include Curl in the plugin but I'm also unable to talk to a website or server...
The solution that I luckily found comes from the discovery of the formidable Dr. T.S.Kelso's CelesTrak site, created way back in 1985.
Perhaps precisely because of its longevity, the site can communicate satellite data by responding to a simple "Http Request" in addition to the more current "Https Request" (protected by SSL encryption) as required by almost all WEB sites.
GitHub contains many projects to perform simple Http Request, I chose one composed of a single file and its inclusion in the Outerra plugin project was very simple (contrary to the inclusion of CURL, composed of numerous files and complete with coding of SSL security).
If I had found a solution or an interesting novelty that could have helped us solve the problems highlighted in the discussion we had on the inclusion of CURL I would certainly have continued to write in that tread ... so, unfortunately, it was not .. I just used one trick and got lucky.
However, a small novelty, in terms of programming, is contained in this new version of the ISS.
To create a dialog box in which to enter the Ariss Contacts data, I wrote a small program in Visual Basic Form which, compiled into an "exe" file, is executed by the plugin with the usual system call.
If you are interested I can share the code with great pleasure.
(it might have been easier to use HTML, but it's a language I don't know while Visual Basic is part of my cultural background)
I am following with great interest the progress of your attempt to build a multiplayer mode in Outerra and I hope you will soon arrive at the results that you aim for.
And now, as usual, I take the opportunity to ask the usual question ...
I think I've read that you can call an HTML file execution from a template script with any key combination...
How you do it ?
I only knew the "T" key method, which calls the configuration...
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Hi KW71,
Thank you! :)
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by the way here is the HTML code snippet to get ISS position ..that you can use inside vehicle_config.html for instance of the tatra
Not only have I failed to include Curl in the plugin but I'm also unable to talk to a website or server...
The solution that I luckily found comes from the discovery of the formidable Dr. T.S.Kelso's CelesTrak site, created way back in 1985.
Perhaps precisely because of its longevity, the site can communicate satellite data by responding to a simple "Http Request" in addition to the more current "Https Request" (protected by SSL encryption) as required by almost all WEB sites...........
And now, as usual, I take the opportunity to ask the usual question ...
I think I've read that you can call an HTML file execution from a template script with any key combination...
How you do it ?
I only knew the "T" key method, which calls the configuration...
Hi andfly
yes I also do the Http request ...just I do it in javascript with the fetch function....which i learned from this fantastic programming tutorials (see video below)
About the "usual question" I will answer you in the following days providing an example code that you can run and edit...because if I just post the code without testing it first it mught just result in wasting your time.
So I'll be back soon with news on this for you ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8DU14qX6I&t=493s
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Hi andfly
yes I also do the Http request ...just I do it in javascript with the fetch function....which i learned from this fantastic programming tutorials (see video below)
About the "usual question" I will answer you in the following days providing an example code that you can run and edit...because if I just post the code without testing it first it mught just result in wasting your time.
So I'll be back soon with news on this for you ;)
Thank you very much :D
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Hi andfly ! I got your http request code compiled and working !
I made it slightly more general so that you can pass any valid http URL to the plugin .
The only downside is that it seems to take about 1 sec to get the data in the case of http://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/gp.php?CATNR=25544&FORMAT=TLE
and during this time outerra freezes...will try if there are sites that have a faster http response.. Also I will find a way to do the same via the plugin for https requests ...such as
https://api.wheretheiss.at/v1/satellites/25544
which return json data, which is very convenient
header file
-----------
#pragma once
#ifdef _MSC_VER
#define _CRT_SECURE_NO_WARNINGS
#endif
#define WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN
#include <HTTPRequest.hpp>
#pragma comment(lib, "ws2_32.lib")
ifc_fn coid::charstr httpGETrequest(coid::charstr URL);
cpp file :
-------
ifc_fn coid::charstr simplugin::httpGETrequest(coid::charstr cURL) {
std::string v;
char* result = nullptr;
const char* cURL = URL.c_str();
// you can pass http::InternetProtocol::V6 to Request to make an IPv6 request
http::Request request{cURL };
const auto response = request.send("GET");
v = std::string{ response.body.begin(), response.body.end() }; // the result
return v.c_str();
};
(https://i.postimg.cc/zXPVVTqn/screen-1668868304.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/GHGcf882)
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hmm actually the 1 sec or so time for the request seems to depend on the used http request library https://github.com/elnormous/HTTPRequest
since it happens also with other hhtp sites like for instance this simple test site http://www.posttestserver.com/
That seems to me a long delay...will see if the same delay occurs with the fetch function from inside HTML but I had the impression its much faster..lets see
freezing outerra isn't really a choice for most applications. :'(
(https://i.postimg.cc/Twqc6tMj/screen-1668869281.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/mzk93Nrh)
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tested the http request to my chat server http://fly77-outerra-chat-server.glitch.me/ via the plugin and via the popup HTML page...
again with the plugin the usual freezing of outerra at each request happens..
while doing the same request via fetch from the HTML window every 2 secs...no freezing nor stuttering at all.
maybe using a http library in the plugin means some windows calls are made and outerra freezes while windows does its thing...while when fetch is called from within the outerra HTML browser
no windows calls are made and so outerra doesn't need to wait for anything expect for the data to arrive.
I don't know.
(https://i.postimg.cc/wjwvSJGt/screen-1668872270.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/mPFB9cRR)
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Well, I share your disappointment
I chose this Http-Request project for its simplicity and ease of implementation with the plugin.
I hadn't even noticed the program pause waiting for the answer because it happened only once, when the model was installed, and when the additional models were loaded.
While waiting for the completion of the various loads and the positioning of the space station, a second block goes unnoticed.
But I was aware of it because this simple implementation of Http-Request acts in a "synchronous" way, that is, it waits for the completion of the operation before giving back control to the normal program flow.
To have a more performing performance, and not to notice that the call is taking place, you should look for a project that produces an "asynchronous" call.
This does not mean that the request for data takes place in a shorter time, only that, once the request is made, the control is immediately returned to the main flow of the program, the data is downloaded only when it becomes available and the user does not he notices all this "underground" work because the program shows no interruptions.
Ideal, famous and now ultra-tested, it would be the CURL project (it can work asynchronously and with SSL encryption) but we have found that it is not easy to include in the Outerra plugin.
Perhaps, with patience, another Http-Request project could be found that possesses these characteristics and is easier to implement ...
I take this opportunity to congratulate you on the speed of development of your Multiplayer project which is already beginning to produce tangible results.
Good work! :)
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Thanks andfly also for the appreciation and the clarification whats causing the http request delay. Yes curl would be a nice option. I will try again if I manage to get it working in the plugin. I've not forgotten your request about bringing up html menus with new action keys. I will respond when I'm ready