My first space plane to orbit and return

[purpleivan]

This evening I landed my first space plane (sent it up last night). Ok, that's not a big deal to regular wing merchants, but for a dyed in the wool rocket jock, like yours truly, it was quite the experience.

It took a few attempts to get a vehicle together that would actually make it into orbit (or even to the other side of the ocean), but once I had those wonderous Whiplashes strapped on, it was plane sailing.

Well, I got into a 75km orbit with about 15% of fuel remaining and just about dragged it down to a landing on the Island runway. I overshot the KSC and was a little off track for a landing there also, but handily I was pretty much lined up for the island strip. Just a shame the runway there wasn't a little longer, or remembered to pack a parachute.

It was fun to finally have a crack at sending a spaceplane up and making a reasonable accurate landing, but the time, the time... it takes soooooo long compared with my usual rocket based entertainment.

Still going to be taking a crack at this again in the near future though.

[Just Jim]

18 minutes ago, purpleivan said:

This evening I landed my first space plane (sent it up last night). Ok, that's not a big deal to regular wing merchants, but for a dyed in the wool rocket jock, like yours truly, it was quite the experience.

Getting that first one into orbit and back home is always a big deal!  Congrats! 

[Cydonian Monk]

Congrats! It's always getting the reentry right that's tough. Too bad about the island landing though.... I've found that strip to be nigh-impossible to land on since 1.0. 

[kiwi1960]

Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing.... Jeb knows this only too well.

 

1 hour ago, Cydonian Monk said:

Congrats! It's always getting the reentry right that's tough. Too bad about the island landing though.... I've found that strip to be nigh-impossible to land on since 1.0. 

Actually, depends on what kind on plane... a non space plane can do it... I made an electric prop plane which barely flew above stall speed and that was able to do it...

As for space planes... just add brakes and chutes to lower your speed FAST!

[purpleivan]

1 hour ago, kiwi1960 said:

Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing.... Jeb knows this only too well.

 

Actually, depends on what kind on plane... a non space plane can do it... I made an electric prop plane which barely flew above stall speed and that was able to do it...

As for space planes... just add brakes and chutes to lower your speed FAST!

I almost managed to stop on the runway, had I packed a chute I'm fairly sure I'd not have slid of the end of it

[kiwi1960]

21 minutes ago, purpleivan said:

I almost managed to stop on the runway, had I packed a chute I'm fairly sure I'd not have slid of the end of it

Space planes and landing them always ... befuddles me.... I mean, its like trying to find a needle in a haystack as you're coming down... but I have done it in the past.

BUT... landing on the runway island... that takes a special kind of skill. I'm impressed.

 

[purpleivan]

13 minutes ago, kiwi1960 said:

Space planes and landing them always ... befuddles me.... I mean, its like trying to find a needle in a haystack as you're coming down... but I have done it in the past.

BUT... landing on the runway island... that takes a special kind of skill. I'm impressed.

 

It would have been more impressive if I'd been aiming for it

[kiwi1960]

as I said.... any landing you can walk away from.... whether or not you were aiming for it...

Usually... if you "aim" for it, it makes like a bullet and explodes as soon as the wheels even see the runway...

 

[purpleivan]

Had another crack at making the KSC runway (managed it this time) with a larger space plane using the Mk2 cockpit.

My overshoot of the KSC brought new meaning to the term "going around", but at least I put it down on the right runway this time. Although after all the tribulations of landing, I deployed the chute and forgot to keep the thing straight, so rolled off onto the grass.

Edited July 16, 2016 by purpleivan

[Geschosskopf]

On 7/15/2016 at 1:23 PM, purpleivan said:

It was fun to finally have a crack at sending a spaceplane up and making a reasonable accurate landing, but the time, the time... it takes soooooo long compared with my usual rocket based entertainment.

Congrats!  Everybody needs to do this at least once

And I totally agree on the time factor, both in design and testing, besides just the ascent.  That and the limited payload (not so much the weight but the volume) is why I rarely use them, and when I do they're small, simple crew shuttles.  But to each his own.

[purpleivan]

46 minutes ago, Geschosskopf said:

Congrats!  Everybody needs to do this at least once

And I totally agree on the time factor, both in design and testing, besides just the ascent.  That and the limited payload (not so much the weight but the volume) is why I rarely use them, and when I do they're small, simple crew shuttles.  But to each his own.

Although it's quite addictive and more of a challenge than my flights usually are, space planes aren't likely to be my go to solution for many things.. But I have to say that flying them is a lot of fun.

BTW.. agreed on the desirability of hoses. Beer hoses especially would be most appreciated, although they might lower my launch success rate a bit