Single RAPIER efficiency challenge

[Wanderfound]

This is very basic:

1) Fly an SSTO to LKO (a 70 x 70 or higher orbit)  and then back to a safe horizontal landing at the KSC runway.

2) Engine is limited to one RAPIER only. All stock, no physics or part altering mods.

3) Must be crewed, with a cockpit. No drones, no command chairs.

4) Highest ΔV in LKO wins.

It's a test of building and piloting efficiency. How much fuel can you hoik into LKO on a single RAPIER?

 

LEADERBOARD

Rosvall 2,792m/s

Zolotiyeruki 2,766m/s

Foobar 2,570m/s

ManEatingApe 2,463m/s

Wanderfound 1,983m/s

Edited June 26, 2017 by Wanderfound

[Skylon]

Has to be SSTO?

[CairoJack]

11 minutes ago, Skylon said:

Has to be SSTO?

 

15 minutes ago, Wanderfound said:

Fly an SSTO

 

[Wanderfound]

One RAPIER up, one RAPIER down. No staging, no other engines.

Just try to figure out the most efficient load-carrying combination of wings and tanks that you can get to orbit and back down again.

Edited June 18, 2017 by Wanderfound

[ManEatingApe]

@Wanderfound Neat challenge, I look forward to seeing what devious designs people can come up with!

To get the ball rolling, I'm going to be a little cheeky and re-use a craft I made earlier for this challenge.

Simple design, but not the most efficient as there's a little extra mass used for some science experiments in the service bay and some excess LF.

2,463 m/s dV in LKO (Sorry, don't have a photo of the ship's mass, you'll have to extrapolate )

Back at KSC (by way of Laythe)

[Wanderfound]

 

Only 1,983m/s, but I'm claiming style points for aesthetics.

[foobar]

My entry:

2,570 dV in LKO. Sorry for the lack of ascent pics ... this was more of a test flight, but it was a pain to get into orbit with a TWR of .4 and I don't want to do it again.

[zolotiyeruki]

Are mods like Pilot Assistant and KER allowed, since they don't affect parts?

Here's my entry:  2725m/s dV in orbit, and a nice and simple design.  Probably could have squeezed a bit more if I had put a bit more fuel in the wings. (had some extra oxidizer in orbit)

That picture at the KSC is just before touchdown.  "Floaty" doesn't begin to describe this thing when dry.  I think it touched down at about 25m/s.  Because of the pitch of the wings, anything faster meant that any sort of flare (so the main gear would touch first) would send this thing back up.

EDIT:  another attempt, and I got 2766m/s left.  And that's with a 100km x 70km orbit. I coulda saved another 25m/s with a better ascent.

Edited June 23, 2017 by zolotiyeruki

[Joseph Kerman]

I challenge myself to get a Laythe return with only one RAPIER

[zolotiyeruki]

On 6/24/2017 at 4:29 AM, Joseph Kerman said:

I challenge myself to get a Laythe return with only one RAPIER

The typical Kerbin-Eve-Kerbin-Kerbin-Jool path to get there, and Laythe-Tylo-Tylo(with a burn)-Kerbin-Kerbin-Eve-Kerbin return might just barely fit in there.

[Rosvall]

Here's my try. I hope I didn't break any rules (first time posting here).

2792 m/s dv in a very LKO 

Edited June 25, 2017 by Rosvall