Minthos

You broke my record, nice work. I'll have to play around with 0.9 when I get home from my eurotrip and see if I can come up with something faster

Thanks, and I already have, kind of.

Name: M15-7 rev. 1 Lift capacity: 8 full fuel tanks + 1 engine to orbit (70 km, 2300 m/s) Mods: none Pics: .craft: http://files.minthos.com/KSP/M15-7-001.craft Based on: Battlespire - http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/index.php?topic=962.0 Stages: 4 (2 hybrid + 1 solid + payload stage) Description: Simplified version of Battlespire. It has the same payload capacity, but less delta-v. I haven't tested it enough to tell if it has the same issue as Battlespire has, with the first stage sometimes bumping into the second stage on separation. I hope it doesn't. If it does, it may be better to make a rocket based on Iteron 6 instead: http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/index.php?topic=696.0

I've always known SAS are an inexhaustible power source. Seems you've managed to use that power to make a perpetual motion device, and a flying one at that

pretty nice

I can be a bit of an attention whore sometimes so I'm just going to cross-post my two proudest creations from the Spacecraft Exchange forum. They are both elegant, huge, and extremely fast. And of course made with only standard parts. They are: Iteron 6 rev. 1: http://files.minthos.com/KSP/i6-001.craft Battlespire rev. 4: http://files.minthos.com/KSP/Battlespire-004.craft

Thanks, I'm glad you like it

All right, since so many missed the reference or misquoted:

Empty fuel tanks have very low weight so yes, it's definitely worth it. The issues are more about structural integrity and mass to orbit. As soon as you're in orbit what you want to have is one engine and lots of propellant. The four very long stacks of fuel tanks you see in the middle are because the engines attached to those tanks are used in both the first and second stages of the rocket. This cuts down the dry mass of the rocket, improving efficiency and letting us carry more propellant into space.

10.4 km/s. See press release for more info: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/807-Press-release-Minthos-Heavy-Industries-(MHI)-unveils-new-rocket-Battlespire I made a new test flight and took a screenshot for you:

Some numbers in this thread: http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/index.php?topic=407.0 It's a bit outdated though, I consider myself the current record holder with this ship: http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/index.php?topic=962.0

For immediate release July 21, 2011 The brand new rocket, 'Battlespire rev. 3', has successfully completed final flight testing and will now be made available to the public. Its performance speaks for itself: 10481 m/s escape trajectory was achieved during recent flight testing. MHI expects the rocket to be capable of even higher velocities with more optimal trajectory. MHI encourages experienced pilots to try this rocket for themselves to discover its limits. Piloting instructions * Before launch, ensure SAS is active and throttle is set to maximum. * After the first stage solid rocket boosters burn out, jettison them. * The second stage solid rocket boosters cannot be jettisoned. Do not attempt to do so until the second stage liquid fuel is expended. * SAS is an absolute requirement for safe atmospheric flight. * For optimum performance and safety, it is recommended to apply manual attitude corrections during atmospheric flight. * During exoatmospheric flight we recommend liberal use of SAS in combination with manual control. * The explosion before liftoff is normal. Do not be alarmed. WARNING: DO NOT activate solid rocket boosters without SAS activated and course set. The rocket has very little control authority due to its great length, and the immense thrust provided by the SRBs can easily launch the rocket off course if they are activated prematurely. Known issues * When separating the first stage, it may collide with the second stage engines and damage them. If this happens, activating the second stage solid rocket boosters will cause the rocket to spin out of control. Mission abort is recommended. http://files.minthos.com/KSP/Battlespire-003.craft edit: New revision with more intuitive stage activation: http://files.minthos.com/KSP/Battlespire-004.craft

Bump for edit. New speed record, now with video of the event

9.6 km/s = 9600 m/s

9830 m/s

I named it so because the top stage is long and thin and has 5 sections just like the original iteron 5. And yes, it's made with only standard parts.

edit 4: took the speedster out for a spin and set a new record: 9830 m/s. also frapsed parts of the flight: http://files.minthos.com/KSP/i6-001.9830mps.x264.avi edit 3: Enlarged the final stage and set new record at 9793 m/s. New ship designation: i6-001 edit 2: New and improved design gets 9.6 km/s but may need some manual correction around 15 km altitude. edit: Tweaking and better piloting has now resulted in 9363 m/s velocity. Link and pics updated (screenshot only shows 9315 m/s because I was slow). pre-edit: 4 stages, I have gotten it to 8858 m/s velocity. I suppose more is possible with tweaking and flawless piloting. http://files.minthos.com/KSP/i6-001.craft http://files.minthos.com/KSP/i5-005.craft Rocket requires 0.8.5 otherwise it explodes above 5 km altitude. Separation of stage 1 and 2 trigger SRBs located in stage 3 to ensure reliable separation.