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Smallest SSTO Challenge


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I've recently been working on my first SSTO.  Now, it's not your everyday SSTO.  This one is tiny.  And, it's an open-cockpit SSTO, not something you see everyday.

yB3pSqf.png

So this got me to thinking, what's the smallest SSTO that you can make which takes off from the runway, horizontaly, with wings, which can get to orbit, and then return safely.

So here is the challenge:

Make the smallest winged, wheeled, SSTO that you can, get it to orbit and then return.

Rules:

  1. Stock engines must be used
  2. Tweakscale can be used to make parts SMALLER, not bigger, except for crewed parts. Crewed parts cannot be made smaller
  3. Stockalike mods are allowed (ie:  the open cockpit is from the MK-1 Stockalike Open Cockpit mod).
  4. No parts can be jettisoned. 
  5. No solid fuel rockets.
  6. At least one kerbal MUST be on the vessel.  More if you like
  7. The craft may not lose any parts in flight, no decoupling allowed.
  8. The craft must lift off horizontally, reach orbit (PE > 70,000m) and land intact (on Kerbin) ready for 'refuelling'.
  9. All fuel tanks, wings (ie lift generators & aerodynamic environments) and engine parts must be stock, for fairness.
  10. Autopilot mods are allowed
  11. No cheats, such as increasing the amount of fuel in a part using a MM script, etc. If you have a question as to whether something is a "cheat", then it probably is, but feel free to ask.

Scoring

  • Smallest ship (by weight, weight info required). Minimalist record.
  • Largest ship (by weight, weight info required). Maximalist record.

Score = PassengerModifier * (cost / (wetMass^2) * ScoreModifier

wetMass is the mass of the vessel with a full fuel load in ktons

Score Modifiers

The landing modifiers are exclusive of each other

PassengerModifier = 1 if only one crew, if more than one crew, then the PassengerModifier = (#passengers - 1)*5

ScoreModifier

  • +1 for each minute of full-powered flight after reentry.  Note that powered flight does not mean straight and level, the powered flight can be used to extend a glide
  • If you use 1/2 power, then +0.5 for each minute of 1/2 powered flight
  • +10 if you land it back at KSP under power
  • +5 if you land it back at KSP under power, but damage the plane on landing
  • +5 if you land it back at KSP with parachutes

So, if you reenter too far from the space center, but still have fuel, turn on the engines and fly for as long as possible.


For example, the ship that I show above has the following:

Cost: 24082
Mass: 13937
Crew: 1
Flew for 12 minutes under power after reentry
Landed at KSP with parachutes

So, plugging in the numbers:

Final score:  1 * 24082 / (13.937^2) * (12 + 5) = 2107


The entries must have:

  • A craft name (Untitled Space Craft is not allowed) and a brief description.
  • Craft file uploaded to KerbalX (or shared via link)
  • Images of all relevants phases of the flight
  • Calculated score (to 4 decimal places, please)

 

Edited by linuxgurugamer
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7 minutes ago, linuxgurugamer said:

PassengerModifier = 1 if only one crew, if more than one crew, then the PassengerModifier = (#passengers - 1)*5

I see some serious potential for exploits here. By that I mean building a giant SSTO with hundrets of passengers will get you a rediculous score.

You may want to choose a function that approaches a certain limit for the passenger modifyer, or at least a logarithm.

Edited by Physics Student
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4 minutes ago, Physics Student said:

I see some serious potential for exploits here. By that I mean building a giant SSTO with hundrets of passengers will get you a rediculous score.

You may want to choose a function that approaches a certain limit for the passenger modifyer, or at least a logarithm.

Your correct, and I just fixed it.  Now the cost is linear, but the mass is exponential (ie:  squared)

 

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Here's my submission with Sirkka I ("Mini SSTO" in the video):

  • 16 parts
  • single rapier engine
  • 2 ramp intakes
  • mk1 inline cockpit

mass:    5.04t
cost:    14,116
crew:    1

Landed at KSC from orbit without using engines, although had a tiny bit of liquid fuel left

Score: I don't which landing modifier I should use. If its 10 (land it back at KSP under power), the score would be 5557.1307 = 1 * 14116 / (5.04^2) * 10 

I hope video submissions are ok. There is a small discontinuity when landing (at ~11 km), because I couldn't nail the landing on the first try , so I had to quick save + load.

 

Edited by McBalsam
fixed broken video link, added score formula
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12 hours ago, Numerlor said:

Boredom got me to land Jerry

Mass: 8,57t
Capacity: 2
Cost: 24780

Score

5*24780/8,572*10= 16869,789
Hope it is calculated properly

Small cut somewhere in the video because I forgot to record.

  Reveal hidden contents

20170908215458_1.jpg

201f6c78f91943b531b5180c777374f5.png

 

 

Calculated properly.  You had power available.

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Here's my submission. It's by no means the smallest SSTO, but I think the aesthetics look rather nice in my humble opinion.

The Knat Ranger - Small SSTO Challenge Submission. (link to imgur gallery)

Details are in the gallery itself, but I will post the screenies here as well.

 

OauV2E5.png

 

ZeXwxYJ.jpg

 

I started off building smaller SSTOs with the advice of CruzanAK's Youtube videos. From there, I just scaled up.

Knat Ranger SSTO on KerbalX

 

Score Calculation: 1*(52,916/12.77)*10 = 41,437.7447  (I have successfully landed this plane back at KSC numerous times.)

Edited by Speed_Kerman
Added Download link.
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not sure about decoupling of crew cabin before start... but here is my version

5,48 tonn (6,79 with rover), capacity 1,  cost 25334 (with rover), i dont use power to fly after reentry (miss click and use 1 point of fuel not even at 1/10 of full power)

 Score =1* (25334 / (5,477^2) =25334/29,921=846,69 if i get it right way.... or i must *0 and my score is 0 =)))))))))))))))))))))))

i really dont know why i take extra fuel... 200 m/s.... but ok i really don't want to decrease it and fly again... and i dont know why i build this kind  of very expensive  and heavy rover 

ps:i cut video because its deep night ...time to rest  and i only have adsl modem to load it

pps: sorry for my poor english.. i really dont understand powered flight after reentry its good or bad? as for me it is not good to take extra fuel to space and back... it is looks like waste of money. what if i have power but not use it because of precision landing?

Edited by *MajorTom*
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  • 2 weeks later...

Knat Delta
mass: 8.980
cost: 23,225
crew: 1
minutes of full power flight after reentry: 3
landing sight: KSC
dV remaining at stable 100km orbit: 580m/s

1 * 23225 / (8.980^2) * (3+10) = 3744

Craft Downloadhttps://kerbalx.com/katateochi/Knat-Delta

nnJ4TOP.jpg

 

I didn't build this specifically for this challenge, I've had it in my fleet for ages. It's a fun and reliable craft for reaching a 100km orbit and is very stable on reentry. 

I was a bit puzzled about the powered flight after reentry part of this requirement, this craft was designed to glide all the way back to KSC, so I did that and then flew around in circles (at full throttle) until the fuel ran out and then landed.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here's one I built a while ago for the K-prize.  There was a bit of competition for the smallest and this is about as small as you can go and still carry a kerbal.  There's a few optimizations I could make but you won't get lower than 4.5t on the runway with a kerbal onboard.

H7qE790.png

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  • 1 month later...
6 hours ago, Kergarin said:

Sadly it only has the name "super short shuttle" until now. But suggestions are welcome :D

Gee Bee. Its a famous overpowered rotor-engine aircraft for acrobatics.

gee_bee_model_r_super_sportster_by_emige

This one is just art, not a real aircraft model... but happens to bare same name.

lee-madison-geebee2271-da-edition.jpg?14

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