1.0.2 Can anyone get a Mk3 SSTO spaceplane in orbit?

[Xyphos]

as of version 1.0.2, all of my attempts to SSTO a Mk3 spaceplane have failed. I was wondering if anyone else has had success?

[panfish5]

Took me about an hour.

Can make it to 120km orbit with my bad piloting.

[Xyphos]

and yours didn't fall apart mid-flight above 1100 m/s?

good job. I guess I'll have to keep trying. this new atmosphere really needs getting used to.

[GoSlash27]

Sure thing.

Mk3 spaceplanes follow the same rules as Mk2 spaceplanes. They're just scaled up.

Best,

-Slashy

[dr_jt]

and yours didn't fall apart mid-flight above 1100 m/s?

good job. I guess I'll have to keep trying. this new atmosphere really needs getting used to.

I have never built any kind of plane, but I have found that the new atmo is making it like starting from scratch with my rockets. I have not had a single one of my old designs work well or in a lot of cases work at all.

[BrainiacBlue]

Those look very non-aircraft like. More like a hot dog with sticks poked through it.

[Roflcopterkklol]

as of version 1.0.2, all of my attempts to SSTO a Mk3 spaceplane have failed. I was wondering if anyone else has had success?

Just slap more engines on it and clip some more fuel into it if you have to, and if doing that means you need more engines again, do that.

The game has never been more happy to let you get things to orbit by clipping on more engines lol

[Tarheel1999]

as of version 1.0.2, all of my attempts to SSTO a Mk3 spaceplane have failed. I was wondering if anyone else has had success?

Look at the Stock Bug Fixes sticky in Add-On Releases. There is a fix to increase the joint strength between the MK3 parts.

[Roflcopterkklol]

Look at the Stock Bug Fixes sticky in Add-On Releases. There is a fix to increase the joint strength between the MK3 parts.

I always just used space tape inside the craft to stick parts together better, makes everything more rigid, all you have to do is place 2 cubic struts down and you can connect parts internally.

[cybersol]

Here is my delta wing SSTO for 1.0.2. It is capable of lifting 40t to LKO and easily returning.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

General tips are at least 1 rapier per 13t, and .016 intake air per rapier.

[Radam]

And minimise drag!

[T-Bouw]

Hmm, I think I'm seeing double?!

Double wings, double the amount of engines, double canards...

Is that the only trick that works?

[cybersol]

Hmm, I think I'm seeing double?!

Double wings, double the amount of engines, double canards...

Is that the only trick that works?

More engines are definitely required. My old 0.90 SSTO had 6 canards hidden inside the cockpit, so this is actually a little better. As for wings, honestly you don't need much -- this design has only 1 lift per 5 metric tons. Plus it probably has too much wing because I generally suck at landing.

[KerikBalm]

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/117535-No-more-SSTO-s?p=1881501&viewfull=1#post1881501

Those were 1.0, but minimal changes were needed to get them to work

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/118470-1-0-2-Any-hope-left-for-SSTOs?p=1893171&viewfull=1#post1893171

Its pretty easy actually... but the easy way has many designs looking very similar.

A single mk3 fusalage, maybe a cargo bay, some of the fat-455 wings, rapiers or turboramjets, some secondary control/lifting surfaces.

I seem to be the only one doing the twin fusalage with the cargo held between.

No part clipping is required.

Ignore the haters on this thread. They're frustrated at their lack of creativity, and that they can't just randomly throw things together, and get them to fly as long as the wing section and jet per unit mass is at a certain ratio.

[John FX]

Those look very non-aircraft like. More like a hot dog with sticks poked through it.

Um... Not sure how many planes designed for real air you have seen but a lot of them look like a hotdog with sticks poking through it.

Some are weirder than the ones shown here too

[T-Bouw]

Ah yes, Burt Rutan can design craft that defies beliefs!

You wouldn't think his planes can fly by just looking at them.

[GoSlash27]

I've been working all day to find the most mass-efficient ratio of parts for Mk.3 spaceplanes. So far, this is what I've got:

25 tonnes of payload will require 6 RAPIER engines and 6 shuttle wings. The shuttle wings carry just enough jet fuel (1,800 units) to cover the air- breathing portion of the flight.

Each engine requires 1 ram air intake.

The 6 engines will need a total of 3,510 units of rocket fuel and 4,290 units of oxidizer.

This is a working ratio of parts. It's up to you to decide how to put them together and you can scale as desired.

All together, this is a 105 tonne spaceplane to deliver 25 tonnes of cargo; a 23% payload fraction.

Of course, you can reduce payload capacity as necessary to increase DV on orbit.

Being so close to the limit, it is important to fly it as efficiently as possible during the ascent.

-Engage SAS and full throttle

-Climb to 12km altitude at 200m/sec airspeed.

-Let the nose settle to 5* pitch, which will place you in a very shallow dive

-Let the nose drift up on it's own as speed builds

-At 450 m/sec, gently raise the nose to 20* pitch

-at 19 km altitude, lower the nose to 5* pitch and build speed

-Let the nose drift up on it's own as speed builds

-Once acceleration has stopped, switch to closed cycle and pitch carefully to 20*

-Once prograde is 10* up, reduce pitch as necessary to hold 10* climb

-at 30km altitude, engage SAS hold prograde and throttle as necessary to establish apoapsis

Best,

-Slashy

Edited May 9, 2015 by GoSlash27

[Brotoro]

I would subscribe to Slashy's newsletter.

But will his new designs go well with mustard?

[Xyphos]

Look at the Stock Bug Fixes sticky in Add-On Releases. There is a fix to increase the joint strength between the MK3 parts.

huh, thanks for that, I didn't know it was a stock bug and just thought that I was going too fast.

[katateochi]

I've just made my first mk3 based spaceplane, using 6 TurboJets and a skipper (I've not unlocked rapiers in career yet). It's OP and ugly but it worked and can take 20 Kerbals to 100km orbit, returned with about 300l of liquid fuel and 600l of oxidizer so it could reach a higher orbit. Descent took a couple attempts, if any of the passengers sneeze the craft falls apart (I need to add Claw's stock bug fixes).

I really don't like how it looks, need to work on the most important aspect of KSP craft; aesthetics.

[FlyingPete]

I've just made my first mk3 based spaceplane, using 6 TurboJets and a skipper (I've not unlocked rapiers in career yet). It's OP and ugly but it worked and can take 20 Kerbals to 100km orbit, returned with about 300l of liquid fuel and 600l of oxidizer so it could reach a higher orbit. Descent took a couple attempts, if any of the passengers sneeze the craft falls apart (I need to add Claw's stock bug fixes).

http://i.imgur.com/u2TzTNUl.jpg

I really don't like how it looks, need to work on the most important aspect of KSP craft; aesthetics.

I think it looks pretty good actually A nice simple design that's built to do a job. I guess you could swap the passenger cabin for a cargo bay to lift reasonable payloads too.

[Hotel26]

On 5/9/2015 at 5:41 PM, GoSlash27 said:

Sure thing.

Mk3 spaceplanes follow the same rules as Mk2 spaceplanes. They're just scaled up.

Best,

-Slashy

Very helpful.  Mk3 and 6 Rapiers.  Just docking my new "Falcon" with my Kerbin space station now.  Thanks Slashy.

[GoSlash27]

You're quite welcome.

 That's a pretty old design now. Spaceplanes don't require as much intake area as they used to. The Mk.3's low form drag-to-mass also means that you can get by with a lot less engine as well.
 I haven't posted any 1.1.3 Mk.3 designs yet. I think I oughtta.

Best,
-Slashy

[sal_vager]

This is a rather old thread guys...

[foamyesque]

24 minutes ago, GoSlash27 said:

You're quite welcome.

 That's a pretty old design now. Spaceplanes don't require as much intake area as they used to. The Mk.3's low form drag-to-mass also means that you can get by with a lot less engine as well.
 I haven't posted any 1.1.3 Mk.3 designs yet. I think I oughtta.

Best,
-Slashy

 

One thing I have noticed -- and keep forgetting to make a post in Tech support about -- is that the conventional test payload for Mk 3 spaceplanes is an orange tank... but the Mk 3 cargo bays don't shield it. They'll happily shield 2x -32s, though. This results in many Mk3 spaceplanes being much draggier than they ought to be.