Orbit Portal Showroom [Show me your OPT Spaceplanes!]

[JadeOfMaar]

6 minutes ago, Apelsin said:

Whoa, that's georgeous 

I'm glad you think so. I might get comfortable pretty fast with making PWing subassemblies.

[JadeOfMaar]

I was challeneged to make something resembling the B-1B Lancer fighter plane. The wings aren't quite swept back as to bee too speciaized in hypersonic range (this doesn't matter in stock aero of course). Design to run on Hydrolox, not LFO. The Oxidizer load fraction hasn't been quite determined yet. The CoM should also be fixed in or near the center of the cargo space.

Edited October 18, 2021 by JadeOfMaar

[Andrew2070]

On 10/18/2021 at 12:42 AM, JadeOfMaar said:

I was challeneged to make something resembling the B-1B Lancer fighter plane. The wings aren't quite swept back as to bee too speciaized in hypersonic range (this doesn't matter in stock aero of course). Design to run on Hydrolox, not LFO. The Oxidizer load fraction hasn't been quite determined yet. The CoM should also be fixed in or near the center of the cargo space.

I like where you're going with the B-1B. I made a similar version myself, but just couldn't stop "adding to it". Regardless the B-1B is a beautiful aircraft and I'm sure you can do it justice. I don't know if my spaceplane counts as its a mix of OPT and other mod parts, but the older "longsword" Mk12 variant had been posted on this thread (many many years ago). So here's the new one. It's twice everything the original was, in lethality, speed, size, evasion, and fuel capacity. Basically if the longsword from Halo and the SU 57 had a baby, it would look something like this. Complete sensor fusion, packs AESA and TWS radars. Loaded with 16 AMRAAMS and Nuclear gravity bombs. Uses LH2 for fuel in vacuum, and nuclear atm breathing engines can function in any atmosphere. 

[JadeOfMaar]

Leaning a bit on the minimal side but still pretty large (using Hydrolox all the time provokes this) is an SR-71-esque SSTO. Just 2x J-60D for engines abut able to lift 15 tons to LKO in JNSQ. It can carry 30 but it may struggle for dV for the RDZV phase or struggle for powered flight time after deorbit.

It's been tested since, to have enough battery to perform without a Power Sphere taking up cargo space, and should recharge fast enough on 12x OX-STAT long solar panel (the large one that produces 2.8EC/s). But I have not tested whether those panels will be protected from reentry heat. It needs to have a cabin switched out for a docking port, or to keep the 2 cabins + docking port to be useful.

[gilflo]

Here are my last Spaceplanes:

The Mars Stratolauncher is 3000T stratolauncher equipped with 9 Tweakscaled J61 to launch my OPT  VTOL TSTO Mars Shuttle à mach 9 between 48 and 50 kms.

Once in 400 kms orbit the TSTO has got 17000DV available, then the stratolauncher can't fly back to its base, but is able to fly back at the nearest place to land.

The Stratolauncher is as long as the Antonov A 225 (The one that has been destroyed during Ukraine war and with was carrying the Bourane Shuttle), 85M, but is less wide, only 55m.

Edited June 8, 2022 by gilflo

[gilflo]

 

[gilflo]

Stratolaunch view from the shuttle (below and back)

 

[gilflo]

RSS Orbital Raptor

Edited June 15, 2022 by gilflo

[Nori]

Love this parts pack so thank you for keeping it alive and providing the updated configs!

[Nori]

Didn't realize this was the showcase thread when I posted that. So without further ado..

KARE Nuclear engines, so it has infinite range. The Stail fuselage is pretty lightweight if you don't need fuel, so this whole thing is only 28,147kg. Mobile processing lab and plenty of Kerbalism supplies for the long Kerbin flights.

And at the end of the day, it's purpose is to drop these six rovers in 6 different biomes for Grav and Seismic testing.

Well that and run those atmo experiments.

This one is far more boring. Just a J series meant to putter around the Kerbin system. Using 2x LoX engines it gets 4400DV, which on JNSQ can see me land on the moon and come back.

I made it for tourism so it can take 16 Kerbals total and has supplies to last for half a year.

 

Edited May 25, 2023 by Nori

[RedDwarfIV]

This is my Warrior SSTO, which went through a few iterations before I got the most utility out of it. It can carry a 6 ton payload to orbit with 300 d/v to spare. Costs 143k VF, of which 137k VF is returned on recovery. I may make a crew transport version.

It does have some odd characteristics, such as a tendency to yaw left (especially on the runway) and the fuel needs to be moved forward before re-entry to avoid going into a flat spin.

Using fairly low-tech engines, it can reliably reach orbit. Very pleased with the performance of the linear aerospike. Whiplash is underwhelming at altitude, but needed to reach Mach 1.

 

 

[RedDwarfIV]

This is the Atlatl autonomous cargo SSTO. It should also be capable of lifting 6-ton payloads, though I haven't tested that yet. Its party trick, however, is that it carries around 500 d/v worth of oxidiser for the SWORD engines to use on ascent, while the LV-Ns have a cool 2,000 d/v to play with after pushing to orbit and circularisation. Heaven knows what I'd use that for, but it's there. Pod retrieval missions, perhaps?

EDIT:  Just carried out a mission to refuel a craft in LKO heading for Minmus. This SSTO lifted an 18 ton fuel tank. I am very pleased with its performance, though I have no idea why activating the brakes on the runway caused it to flip up into the air, stall, crash and lose one wing and its nuclear engines. Kraken attack , I guess. Still recovered 2/3rds of its value!

 

Edited November 1, 2023 by RedDwarfIV

[RedDwarfIV]

The Lionheart passenger SSTO can ferry a large number of Kerbals to anywhere in the Kerbin system (or slightly outside of it). With twin nuclear lightbulbs for orbital propulsion, this vessel still has 3.6k d/v after reaching LKO. I used it to carry ten tourists, plus three kerbonauts, on a mission to solar orbit then down to the Mun, where two tourists switched to a lander for a visit to the surface.

It had some issues on re-entry, with the centre of mass having moved behind the centre of lift, but I got it down safely on my second try. I've since redesigned it so the wings are further back and it has additional horizontal stabilisers to increase pitch control.

Edited November 14, 2023 by RedDwarfIV

[RedDwarfIV]

After switching the OPT-J/2.5m adaptor from structural to a Liquid Fuel tank, the Lionheart's delta-V in LKO went up to an astounding 5.8k.

EDIT: While this is a fully functional variant of the Lionheart, it should not be given missions that will not make use of its full delta-V capacity. It's too nose-heavy on landing and will sustain serious damage if the adaptor tank cannot be emptied. I lost a nuclear lightbulb and a 2.5m jet engine on the runway last time I tried.

It does take a little longer to get it into orbit to begin with, now. It has to take advantage of the velocity gain from descent in order to accelerate fast enough to put the apoapsis into space, so it spends quite a while at 35,000 meters.

Edited November 16, 2023 by RedDwarfIV