Difference between revisions of "RE-M3 "Mainsail" Liquid Fuel Engine"

From Kerbal Space Program Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
(A very powerful rocket engine for lifting heavy things into space.)
 
m (Trivia: linked to old cfg file)
 
(77 intermediate revisions by 33 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
 +
{{:RE-M3 "Mainsail" Liquid Fuel Engine/Box}}
  
== Introduction ==
+
The '''RE-M3 "Mainsail" Liquid Fuel Engine''' is one of the heaviest and most powerful [[Radial size|large-diameter]] [[liquid fuel engine]]s among the stock parts.
  
The '''LV-T30 Liquid Fuel Engine (Large)''' is the most powerful vanilla engine added to KSP yet. It offers an unprecedented 1200 thrust and a gimbal range of 1, which is significant due to the engine's size and power. If you thought the size one parts were too small, then this is the engine for you.
+
== Product description ==
 +
{{Quote
 +
|A monster of an engine for heavy lifting purposes, the Mainsail's power rivals that of entire small nations.
 +
|manufacturer=RMC}}
  
 +
== Usage ==
 +
The Mainsail is usually used to provide thrust for larger rockets and lower stages. It is typically fueled by large diameter liquid fuel tanks like the [[Rockomax X200-32 Fuel Tank]]. It has a reasonably high atmospheric [[specific impulse|I<sub>sp</sub>]] of 285&nbsp;s, but a low vacuum I<sub>sp</sub> of 310&nbsp;s.
  
== Common Uses And Applications ==
+
It is a common choice for lifting large stacks of [[liquid fuel tank]]s into orbit and beyond, or propelling large heavy lift vehicles. As of {{version|1.11.1}}, this is one of four size 2 engines in the base game. The [[thrust vectoring]] also gives it good pitch and yaw control, greatly easing first stage stability, though care must be taken to not allow [[S.A.S.]] to tear the ship apart. The thrust-to-weight ratio of this engine is excellent. The specific impulse is also fairly good, though it can still consume large amounts of fuel.
  
This engine is ideal for lifting large stacks of [[FL-T32]] fuel tanks into orbit and beyond, or propelling large heavy lift vehicles.
+
The high thrust of this engine combined with thrust vectoring can destroy poorly built rockets in the middle of ascents. Throttling down or limiting the gimbaling is often recommended.  
  
 +
[[File:Rockomax Mainsail transparent.png|thumb|Appearance as of 1.3|100px]]
  
'''--Warning--''' LV-T30 Liquid Fuel Engine (Large) is not to be used for precise orbital maneuvers and is not recommended for manned flights. Use at your own risk.
+
==Trivia==
 +
* Prior to {{version|0.22}} the Mainsail would tend to quickly explode from [[overheating]] when run on maximum throttle and placed under a [[Rockomax Jumbo-64 Fuel Tank]].  Placing a small strut or fuel tank between the engine and the Jumbo-64 will mitigate this.
 +
* Prior to {{version|0.23.5}} it was the largest engine, as well as the one with the highest thrust. Those titles, however, are now held by the [[S3 KS-25x4 Engine Cluster]]. The equally-sized [[LFB KR-1x2 "Twin-Boar" Liquid Fuel Engine]], introduced in the same version, is also more powerful.
 +
* The 1.9 reskin made Mainsail resembles [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcain_(rocket_engine) Vulcain], albeit overpowered. In the stock included Ariane 5, the Mainsail's thrust is lowered to 73.5%
 +
:* The reskin also gave the Mainsail a new cfg file; the old one can be found [[Parts/Engine/liquidEngineMainsail/liquidEngineMainsail.cfg|here]].
  
 +
== Changes ==
 +
;[[1.9]]
 +
*New texture and variants
 +
;[[1.1]]
 +
* Renamed from ''RE-M3 "Mainsail" Liquid Engine'' to ''RE-M3 "Mainsail" Liquid Fuel Engine''
 +
;[[0.24]]
 +
* Cost increased (850 → 5650), specific impulse increased (280-330 → 320-360)
 +
;[[0.22]]
 +
* heatProduction reduced from 500 to 400, as a work around to heat transfer bugs with the Jumbo-64
 +
;[[0.17]]
 +
* Renamed from ''LV-T30 Liquid Fuel Engine'' to ''Rockomax "Mainsail" Liquid Engine'', thrust increased (1200 → 1500), mass decreased (7 → 6), new description
 +
;[[0.16]]
 +
* Initial release
  
== Development ==
+
{{Parts}}
 
+
[[Category:Liquid fuel engines]]
The '''LV-T30 Liquid Fuel Engine (Large)''' was designed by scientists at the kerbal space center, but its sheer size required the manufacturing to be done elsewhere. Few companies were willing to provide the amount of tape required at a reasonable cost, and after deliberations, 3M technologies was given the contract to begin producing the engine.
 
 
 
 
 
== Final Remarks ==
 
 
 
"Although its development was marked by tragedy, you have to look at what we have today. This is the first engine we have ever produced, and is well ahead of its time. There really is nothing that our duct tape can't do" ''Inge G Thulin'' CEO 3M
 

Latest revision as of 17:12, 30 August 2021

RE-M3 "Mainsail" Liquid Fuel Engine
Part image
Liquid fuel engine by
Rockomax Conglomerate

Radial size Medium, Large
Cost (total) 13 000.00 Funds
Mass (total) 6.00 t
Drag 0.2
Max. Temp. 2000 K
Volume  ?
Impact Tolerance 7 m/s
Research Heavier rocketry.png Heavier Rocketry
Unlock cost 38 000 Funds
Since version 0.16
Part configuration liquidEngineMainsail_v2.cfg
Liquid fuel engine
Maximum thrust (1 atm) 1 379.03 kN
(vacuum) 1 500.00 kN
Isp (1 atm) 285 s
(vacuum) 310 s
Fuel consumption 98.68 Units of fuel/s


Thrust vectoring 2 °
Testing Environments
On the surface Yes
In the ocean Yes
On the launchpad Yes
In the atmosphere Yes
Sub orbital Yes
In an orbit Yes
On an escape Yes
Docked No
Test by staging Yes
Manually testable Yes

The RE-M3 "Mainsail" Liquid Fuel Engine is one of the heaviest and most powerful large-diameter liquid fuel engines among the stock parts.

Product description

A monster of an engine for heavy lifting purposes, the Mainsail's power rivals that of entire small nations.

Rockomax Conglomerate

Usage

The Mainsail is usually used to provide thrust for larger rockets and lower stages. It is typically fueled by large diameter liquid fuel tanks like the Rockomax X200-32 Fuel Tank. It has a reasonably high atmospheric Isp of 285 s, but a low vacuum Isp of 310 s.

It is a common choice for lifting large stacks of liquid fuel tanks into orbit and beyond, or propelling large heavy lift vehicles. As of version 1.11.1, this is one of four size 2 engines in the base game. The thrust vectoring also gives it good pitch and yaw control, greatly easing first stage stability, though care must be taken to not allow S.A.S. to tear the ship apart. The thrust-to-weight ratio of this engine is excellent. The specific impulse is also fairly good, though it can still consume large amounts of fuel.

The high thrust of this engine combined with thrust vectoring can destroy poorly built rockets in the middle of ascents. Throttling down or limiting the gimbaling is often recommended.

Appearance as of 1.3

Trivia

  • The reskin also gave the Mainsail a new cfg file; the old one can be found here.

Changes

1.9
  • New texture and variants
1.1
  • Renamed from RE-M3 "Mainsail" Liquid Engine to RE-M3 "Mainsail" Liquid Fuel Engine
0.24
  • Cost increased (850 → 5650), specific impulse increased (280-330 → 320-360)
0.22
  • heatProduction reduced from 500 to 400, as a work around to heat transfer bugs with the Jumbo-64
0.17
  • Renamed from LV-T30 Liquid Fuel Engine to Rockomax "Mainsail" Liquid Engine, thrust increased (1200 → 1500), mass decreased (7 → 6), new description
0.16
  • Initial release