1000 ton cargo SSTO. (/w Primitive ballast system!)

[Arugela]

A few game versions and years behind, but finally got this new version of my favorite cargo plane done and cargo bug free! Installed new features. Albeit at a parts count cost. The new update resolves some of the stutter. Hopefully one day all of it. So, if you have an hour or two this can get you to orbit! 8) (Turn off engines if you get stutter to speed up time warps.)

This new version is more legitimate with no stacked engines. Just plane old rapiers!

Name: KB-52 (No good reason for the name.)

Parts: 750 (Inflated from 688 previously. Needed more air intakes.) Has expansion parts in the form of pistions!

Weight: Max: 2875t - 2905t; Empty 659t - 689t.

Fuel: 1440t fuel(with cargo); 1216t without cargo

LF: 70,000

RF: 173,200

Cargo: RF: 44,800 (locked); 66,000 ore (locked); 4 Ballast ore tanks. (2 empty, 2 full. locked)

Ballast instructions on the aircraft are for symmetrical cargo.

File: https://www.dropbox.com/s/5tpm292w2ppcjkv/KB-52 1_8_0_2686 x108 8_4.craft?dl=0

Mining equipment and ballast system installed.

Can go to orbit or minimus if using cargo for extra fuel.  Might not fit 1000 tons normal cargo well because of density. Also may be hard to land on 0 gravity bodies due to insufficient RCS. Needs bigger ones but they don't exist. And I didn't add more for parts count sanity.

Current setup has dummy cargo consisting of 44 full large holding tanks(17 tons each) and 14 fuel tanks weight 18 tons each.

Instructions:

Hold up going off the end of the runway and hold up until 10 degrees or it will hit the ground.

Rest of the flight is straight forward. Just don't run out of dedicated LF at 98k fuel.

Now what I need is the ability to automate ballast based on the COM! 8D

Edited October 23, 2019 by Arugela

[IkranMakto]

"Bigger" doesn't mean "better" 

[Arugela]

The point is to get 1000 tons to orbit. It's a for fun craft.

It has a cargo ratio of .3444. 8p

And this is KSP. LIES!!!!

Seriously. The ship is for fun and to try to do something. Harder to do with older parts and a spaceplane.

Edited October 23, 2019 by Arugela

[AeroGav]

You've done a decent job putting the engines amidships so it should stay balanced.  Like that you're using Big S wings as tailplanes to keep part count down.    The big key to making something so huge is coming up with a layout that doesn't cause it to break apart through an overstressed joint.

As for the "what's the point" ? Argument,  you could say the same about my largest creation.  It's pretty small compared with that thing (we could call its payload 120 tons if we allow 0.5 tons per kerbal) but still fairly ludicrous.   Why would you ever need to transport 225 Kerbals to orbit in one go ?

Coming back to the game after some time out,  the surprising thing is how nice it flies (compared to some of my recent experimental creations as i relearn the game).    Yeah you can snap the wings off pulling more than 4g (like an airliner) but it tracks really straight.https://kerbalx.com/AeroGav/Monstrosity-225L

Spoiler

 

 

[Mikki]

Your engines are firing through the fuselage?

[Arugela]

3 hours ago, Mikki said:

Your engines are firing through the fuselage?

Yea, It doesn't seem to care.

I looked at total thrust in the gui and it has the correct numbers everywhere. Unless it's invisibly cutting the total thrust.

It has 108 engines. I opened the aero gui and paused it to compare to a single engine. Didn't have problems until I put a hidden cargo bay in one of the fuel areas and it did cut off some air intakes. I had to move it to the center so it wasn't touching the individual parts. It was for the mining equipment. It seem everything except cargo bays have a lot of leaway when it comes to engines burning through them and air intakes and whatnot.

Edited October 25, 2019 by Arugela