Orbit with only Rocket with Stock Xenon Engine

[MichelDrummer]

Try to make it into orbit with the PE and AP at 100 km with only a Stock Xenon Engine. If you're up for the challenge post it on Utube. 

[sal_vager]

Hi @MichelDrummer, I suggest you take a look at the Challenge Guidelines, this guide exists to help prevent people from embarrassing themselves by posting impossible, untested challenges.

The stock xenon engine will barely get the lightest of planes off the ground of Kerbin.

But if you think it's possible please show us your entry.

[Ultimate Steve]

1 hour ago, sal_vager said:

The stock xenon engine will barely get the lightest of planes off the ground of Kerbin.

Slight correction:

The stock xenon engine will not lift any planes off the ground of Kerbin from runway level, no matter how light.

 

Actually, there was a challenge a while back, the Ion Plane Research Challenge. It is practically impossible to get an ion powered plane off of the runway. The lowest anyone managed to get was around 4000m or 1500m, I forget. I had one of the most promising designs for higher altitude takeoff - taking off from 6000m and I think I managed to get to 22km on one flight.

There are a few simple reasons why this is not possible from sea level:

1. Ion engines already generate low thrust in a vacuum. They generate <0.1kn at sea level and have an isp of around 70.

2. Wings generate lots of drag and add more mass. Someone from the IPRC calculated he could get his plane off the runway if he got it to 18m/s. He turned on infinite electricity, not worrying about the mass of power generation systems, and managed to get to 14m/s before the end of the runway with a nearly ideal plane.

3. Power. I launched from a tall mountain at a high latitude, so solar panels would have to be angled, and therefore would produce drag. So I used bulky, draggy fuel cells.

All of these problems are multiplied if you want to get to space or orbit.

1. Lifting any orbit capable ship would require hundreds of low thrust engines, melting your computer.

2. It would be heavy, which means more wings, which means it's heavier and draggier, needing more engines and wings... If you want to get to orbit from sea level, this is probably a positive feedback loop.

3. Solar panels are (I think) the most mass efficient power generator on Kerbin. If you managed to take off so they don't need to be angled, you still have to have the sun out. My flight to 22Km took half an hour. A day on Kerbin is 6 hours, 3 of that being sunlight. You'd need the movable solar panels to get any kind of power throughout the day, and those tend to break.

 

That being said, it might* be possible of you took off from the mountains just west of the KSC.