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My Space Shuttle (& Launcher)


Trios

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This shuttle is surprisingly easy to fly, and has plenty of Delta-V to lift just about anything you can fit in the cargo bay into a 120km orbit. Don't forget to jettison the external tank before your periapsis is above 70km; you'll probably have to drop it with some fuel left. Active management of fuel tanks is required not long after SRB separ, with SAS on keep an eye on the pitch control that the computer is using to maintain attitude and adjust the levels between the top and bottom tanks as needed to keep the pitch control near zero.

It doesn't have any RCS thrusters, solar panels, or docking adapters, so any mission requiring any of those will require modification of the shuttle. It's 'Mk1' for a reason.

I had to deviate from the actual shuttle in that the SRBs are actually LRBs. There just isn't enough oomph in any of the stock SRBs.

Included is a pic of the first part of a space station that I threw into a 102km orbit using this baby.

Craft File

screenshot33.png

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How much does one of those cost?

(Also looks sharp and stubby. Not normally traits I like together, but it seems right on this craft.)

Good job. :]

Thank you :)

One of them thar things costs 123,072. I play in sandbox mode though so if that's a 'high' price then I'm sorry. You could probably add some parachutes to the LRBs/EFT and recover them with appropriate mods to save on some $$. Cost with the station component ready for launch is 136,732.

I've been playing around with it and I created a less-stubby Mk2 version with RCS and a couple solar panels. The panels are problematic as they seem to want to explode on re-entry, but the booster still has plenty of delta-v and I'm sure you could get a pretty good orbit with a sizable payload. Cost is 129,422. Pic of the external tank below to show remaining fuel after boosting this thing to a 70x130km orbit. The Mk2 is significantly harder to fly, though. Not sure why, but it seems like the tail control surface causes all sorts of roll issues when enabled for yaw control, but without it you have no yaw control so hard to fly without it too.

Shuttle Mk2 Craft

screenshot36.png

screenshot37.png

screenshot38.png

Edited by Trios
Hard to fly...
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Thank you :)

One of them thar things costs 123,072. I play in sandbox mode though so if that's a 'high' price then I'm sorry. You could probably add some parachutes to the LRBs/EFT and recover them with appropriate mods to save on some $$. Cost with the station component ready for launch is 136,732.

I've been playing around with it and I created a less-stubby Mk2 version with RCS and a couple solar panels. The panels are problematic as they seem to want to explode on re-entry, but the booster still has plenty of delta-v and I'm sure you could get a pretty good orbit with a sizable payload. Cost is 129,422. Pic of the external tank below to show remaining fuel after boosting this thing to a 70x130km orbit. The Mk2 is significantly harder to fly, though. Not sure why, but it seems like the tail control surface causes all sorts of roll issues when enabled for yaw control, but without it you have no yaw control so hard to fly without it too.

Shuttle Mk2 Craft

http://www.mmudforums.com/images/ksp/screenshot36.png

http://www.mmudforums.com/images/ksp/screenshot37.png

http://www.mmudforums.com/images/ksp/screenshot38.png

You can use RTGs as a decent power source. It's what my Saturn Shuttle uses. I have two mounted internally within the cargo bay on the back. Sure, 32k a piece and with two that's 64k alone, but it works. Solar panels do have a bad tendency to break.

Ofc mine can- *covers mouth to prevent from criticizing your design and boasting my own*.

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Mark 2.1 version. Bigger EFT & a docking port. Costs 131,472. Able to lift some significant payloads:

Craft file

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A word from the now-wiser: You really need to put some sort of control on a station part even if it's just to keep it oriented upwards. Wasted a lot of RCS dealing with Station Part Two tumbling around while I tried to use Part 1's RCS to attach to it.

Edited by Trios
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Thank you :]

Any improvement suggestions?

Successful recovery of a Mk2 variant landing at KSC (a little hot!):

http://www.mmudforums.com/images/ksp/screenshot45.png

First I would suggest either airbrakes, or doubling up on the tail fins so you can have a mock-up split rudder like the real shuttle. This will help slow you down a bit it the upper atmosphere, however if you opt for airbrakes, be a bit sparing with them, otherwise they might disintegrate.

Something else I would do is place a wing under the skippers, which serves the purpose of both protecting them in re-entry (so you can pitch up more) and providing more lift. Picture for reference:

Endv.jpg

Whether or not you put a control surface there is up to you. (I personally don't do that, but if it helps, it helps)

Last thing is a tip for the re-entry itself, not so much the shuttle. You only need the periapsis around 25km, any steeper and you risk disintegrating (especially on 120% heating). However if, for whatever reason, you can't get it that low before re-entry, then turning upside down is still an option. Heck, more often than not (example of a rare undershoot for your pleasure) I end up nearly over-shooting KSC and go belly-up so I don't end up in the water.

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Thank you. I'll figure out how to add that wing under the Skips. I'm not really sure about the A.I.R.B.R.A.K.E.S. though. I know the shuttle used the split rudder as a speed brake, and it'd be awesome if the stock part could do that (since it shows the split), but adding another tail just for that seems silly, and I will have to look at the orbiter from a few different angles to decide where I might want to put airbrakes if I decide to use them.

I've been re-entering at 23km and still nearly overfly the runway (despite turning upside down, or sometimes even pointing nose down, to try and slow). I'll try 25km with the periaps a bit further west; I definitely would prefer if my solar panels don't explode on the way down. Every single time I come down, I'm trying to manage my speed and heading to make sure I hit KSC and suddenly, BAM, explosion. Scares the bejeezus out of me, even though it's just the tail surface solar panels. Every time.

Again, thank you. I'm enjoying building my space station this way, even though it's a lot 'simpler' to just lift whole large sections via a heavy rocket.

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Are you using FAR?

I am not.

First I would suggest either airbrakes....place a wing under the skippers...You only need the periapsis around 25km, any steeper and you risk disintegrating...

Done, done, and done. The 25km periaps made a huge difference, I really was coming in too steep. Much cooler shuttle on landing:

screenshot54.png

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The control surface on the skipper-protection wing is currently non-functional, I was trying to set it up to deploy downwards when the airbrakes deploy (similar to the actual shuttle) to counteract their aero effect, but I'm having trouble with that action group for some reason.

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Tried out the mk1. Just a FWI I make it to Mach 1.10 then BAM! Everything from the cargo bay back spontaneously falls of causing death. The only mods I have are MechJeb and KER so next attempt. I will add struts

The Mk1 is the easiest to fly, though I do remember having that issue myself if I didn't manage the throttle very well through Max Q. Watch your acceleration while in the thick atmosphere.

EDIT: Just tried the Mk1 again at full throttle all the way up, no problems at all. Are you pitching too quickly?

Edited by Trios
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  • 7 months later...

Updates!

In 1.0.5 I made a version with the new SSMEs which of course made ascent much simpler, and now in 1.1 I've tested that the craft is still, in fact, capable of sending a significant payload to orbit. So, without further adieu, The Mark 4!

Craft File Here!

 

mk4-1.jpg

mk4-2.jpg

mk4-3.jpg

 

Flying this pig is kind of difficult but certainly not impossible. 1.1-era SAS is retarded and cannot hold the orbiter vertical for the first segment of ascent (the, "get the hell out of this soupy air" phase), so you'll have to fly manually to hold a mostly-vertical ascent to about 8-10k meters. After that I've been letting the stupidity of SAS slowly pitch the craft over and thrusting 100% until I hit the apogee I want to load a payload into. Get yourself as close to circular as you can with the ET while still technically being suborbital and drop the ET, then fire off the OMS and continue to your planned orbit. 

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