Ok the second cut of MCC using a modified OUIPC technology is released.
New Features
A connection dialog has been created. It has drop down menus for the last 5 addresses you connected with. Plus another dropdown with the list of various Mercury Vessel. In addition MCC has been redesigned so that if you drop comm, you won't get errors and you can reconnect by going to the man menu and clicking options.
There is a new plot in FDO called Flight Path Angle. Basically it show you the flight path angle versus (actual velocity / target velocity). If the line ends at 1.0 V/dV, 0 Angle at SECO you are definitely in Orbit.
You will need to download and install this if you want to use MercIPC. MCC doesn't need this.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=32BC1BEE-A3F9-4C13-9C99-220B62A191EE&displaylang=enYou will need this if you don't have Project Mercury 5.0
http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/mscorbaddon/project_mercury_050116.zip?downloadand Earth 1962
http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/mscorbaddon/earth_1962_060506.zip?downloadthe updated Mercury files
http://www.ibiblio.org/mscorbit/beta/project_mercury_061203.zipThe above three are standard unzip into your Orbiter directory installs.
the MCC setup program
http://www.ibiblio.org/mscorbit/beta/MCC_Setup2.exethis is a executable that will install a VB6 application MCC.exe and CapsuleComm.exe.
This DOES NOT NEED TO BE INSTALLED IN THE ORBITER DIRECTORY. In fact I don't recommend it.
If you want to examine the source this is the location.
Project Mercury is under the BSD license
MercIPC is under the LGPL
MCC is under the GPL
http://www.ibiblio.org/mscorbit/beta/mcc_source_061203.ziphttp://www.ibiblio.org/mscorbit/beta/mercipc_source_061203.zip1) You will need port 38999 unblocked. Both on your windows firewall and your router if you want to be the mercury pilot.
2) Whoever is the mercury pilot will need to activate the MercIPC plugin in Orbiter.
3) Whoever is the mercury pilot will need to know the name of the vessel they piloting. If you are using one of the Mercury scenarios it is MR-3, MR-4, MA-6, MA-7, MA-8, or MA-9. I recommend starting by using the MR-4 Liberty Bell 7 scenario as you get the nice window view and it is a 15 minute mission.
4) After the Mercury Pilot is in orbiter, the Mercury Pilot will need to run CapsuleComm.exe. Just hit connect as the Pilot is connecting through his own computer. The connect button will turn yellow if connected to Orbiter. A Windows Unblock Message may appear at this point. UNBLOCK.
5) Everyone else can run MCC.exe at this point. In the resulting dialog. You will need to type the ip address of the mercury pilot's computer and then name of the capsule. f everything work there will be a green ready light in the upper right corner of the screen. If it is red use the option button (f12) and try connecting again.
6) Just about every command an area does is on the top toolbar along with any keyboard short cut.
7) Sort out who is being what and goto your position from the main screen. I used the same type of switches and buttons as on Project Mercury 5.0 so it should be straight forward to use.
8) Everyone has a chat bar across the top. You can type stuff in there and then hit enter or click send. Every station will see what you type except the capsule along the top.
9) Only Flight, and Capcomm can talk to the Capsule. Everybody can hear what the capsule says and what Capcomm and flight say. But the capsule will only see what Capcomm and Flight says. They have a switch that allows them to talk to the capsule. Eventually the Surgeon can do this as well.
10) There is only one line of text. This represent the problem of the intercomm. everyone starts chatting at once you will miss something. Except for Telmu. Telmu has the teletype and a time dated record of everyone says. I will be writing up my thoughts on how to keep everyone coordinated.
11) Every station has a ready light that can be toggled between green yellow and read. Flight can see all the stations including the capsule ready switch.
12) The mercury pilot will have to inititate the launch by applying full thrust to the Redstone/Atlas. The clock will reset to 0 and the mission will procede.
The positions are
Flight - He is the conductor and ultimate decision maker. He has a set of clocks, an abort button, and a bank of ready lights.
CapComm - He is the main conduit of information to the capsule he has a switch to control whether the capsule is hearing what he is saying.
FDO - He has four graphs at his disposal to determine the flight path of the mission.
Retro - He can set the retro clock, monitor retro status, and control various aspect of retro-fire. If the pilot can't deal with retro fire he and also initiate the retro sequence. It is suggested that he works with FDO to figure out the optimized retro time.
Procedures - has the mission plan in front of him and is responsible for making sure all items are completed in order.
the rest will have to wait for later updates. Next up will be Systems and ECS. Further expansion of Telmu, and making procedure work for atlas missions.
Thoughts on FDO I am thinking in the long run we will need a set of markers and reference charts so that you can look on the screen and figure out what going on. Basically on the lines of ok this line is a few pixel up higher that means we are in a longer orbit so this will adjust our retro times by X. I ran a few mission and they produced distinctive shapes on the graphics which I believe can be leveraged to make actual recommendations.
I have a dedicated MCC forum at
http://www.ibiblio.org/mscorbit/mscforum/index.php?board=70.0Enjoy
Rob Conley
