Slashy's quick and easy recipe for an SSTO spaceplane (for .25)

[GoSlash27]

This collection of parts will create an SSTO spaceplane that will:

-Achieve stable LKO

-Correct for 2* of inclination error with a target

-Intercept, rendezvous, and dock

-Deorbit

and

-Land under power with roughly 50 units of fuel reserve.

This is all assuming, of course, that it is properly designed and flown. I will leave that job to the user...

Parts required:

14x wing strake

4x XM-G50 intake

2x 48-7S

1x Turbojet

1x Mk2 cockpit (fill the monoprop)

1x Mk2 Clamp-O-Tron (empty the monoprop)

1x Mk2 Liquid fuel fuselage, short (240 units of fuel)

1x Mk2 LF+O Fuselage, short (full)

1x FL-T100 (full O2, no fuel)

6 Tonnes of whatever you like. Remember to account for all of your additional structure as well as payload.

This will yield a vehicle totaling a hair over 14 tonnes. It is also scaleable; you could double the parts (excluding the cockpit and docking port) and add 14.5 tonnes for a total mass of 28 tonnes, etc.

General design tips:

-Fuel tanks should go in the middle of the assembly so your CoG doesn't shift.

-Intakes should go in the rear of the plane and on top to provide a stable nose-up tendency at reentry

-Angling your wingtips upwards and attaching them as far back as possible will add dynamic roll and yaw stability.

Generic takeoff profile:

Launch under jet power at full throttle

Pitch to maintain 100 m/sec until 40* pitch is achieved

Maintain 40* pitch until 10KM altitude

Pitch down to 30*

Maintain 30* pitch until 15KM

Pitch down to 20*

Maintain 20* pitch until 20KM

Pitch as necessary to maintain 100M/sec climb rate

At flameout, reduce throttle until restart

Repeat flameout/throttle down/ restart until climb rate is zero

Shutdown turbojet, close intakes, and activate rockets (this should be an action group)

Burn as necessary to establish and circularize.

This formula will make an SSTO spaceplane as cheap and efficient as I know how to make it. Round trip operating cost is √70 per ton or √35 per Kerbal with full recovery at KSC.

Happy flying!

-Slashy

Edited November 29, 2014 by GoSlash27