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Work-in-Progress [WIP] Design Thread


GusTurbo

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While I'll probably get back to dinosaurs sometime soon, for now I've been working on an upgrade to my old space shuttle.

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I am laughing (albeit a bit ruefully) at my own stupidity.  I spent a bunch of time writing (well rewriting and integrating with a launch script) kOS code to control vernier actuated, claw-gimbaled Mainsails on the back of the shuttle...

(see prototype here)

Spoiler

 

and I just realized it was all pointless because they don't even fit with enough room to gimbal around.  

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(Note the decouplers would not be there when it went to space.)

I might be able to get away with lower-thrust vector engines on the orbiter though now that it has more powerful boosters.

 

Edited by EpicSpaceTroll139
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On 1/13/2019 at 5:17 PM, Mad Rocket Scientist said:

If you have Making History, the Mastodon with one of the small mounts might work.

I do have Making History, but I figured out that I don't need as much thrust from the SMEs with the new boosters.  The older shuttle used the-integrated-fuel-tank-engine-booster-things-I-don't-remember-the-name, and needed mainsail SMEs (it once had 3 actually) to lift its full 50 ton payload, but the new boosters allow it to do the same with vectors.

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(There are 3 Vectors on the main orbiter there)

I guess this is actually good.  The vectors are lighter than the original mainsails, which will help when taking the shuttle on the beyond-LKO missions which I have planned.  I may need to make some tweaks to the aerodynamic surfaces though to account for the COM having shifted forward.

Edit: Actually the new boosters don't have more thrust, they just stick with the shuttle longer and thus give it more oomph.

Edited by EpicSpaceTroll139
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A615F751426D91C0805A303F16EE0AA269047C184A8A93835BDBE50A69AF4F3149B70E2FABECAAD8

I would like to call this one the Kerbatros Dash-4C. A fully stock propeller-powered airline. Unlike other planes others and I have made, this uses two AeroFuel M2-100 engines that are powered by fuel cells that consume liquid fuel and oxidizer rather than thermoelectric generators. This feels like a slightly more realistic compromise to infinite range engines, and are slightly less weight despite lugging extra fuel around. At full power they have an endurance of around 2 hours. They are much more fuel efficient than regular jet engines. Each engine contains just 50 units of liquid fuel each and the plane has a range well beyond 1500km. In testing when I replaced these engines with stock jets, I struggled to get 800km range out of the plane with the same fuel load. No speed records will be broken, but this plane's cruise speed of 145 m/s at sea level is still impressive. 

https://kerbalx.com/Jon144/Kerbatros-Dash-4C

Update: I also have a new smaller engine thats more powerful and aerodynamic, able to propel basic planes up to 180 m/s.

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Edited by Jon144
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Sorry to double post but...

But I got a corsair inspired plane up to 200 m/s+ at sea level that's also rather maneuverable and pleasant on the eyes, without breaking a part count of 110. 

 

Edited by Jon144
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Hiho Guys

Any solutions against the hard bouncings after dock/undock stuff? I´m not really want to add many ugly Landing Legs, besides they works not well...

 

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undock (and all tires broken)

 

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dock (Rover jumps)

 

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Example (just a small and simple crane wagon, builded in carreer to pick up some landed sience container and similar stuff)

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I am working on a fully reusable shuttle concept.

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In practice, this particular vehicle is entirely unable to reach orbit around 3.2x scale Kerbin, or to do anything practical, but it demonstrates the concept. When I actually make a usable one, it will launch from the desert airfield so that the shuttle can circularize and the carrier can land at the KSC. I will probably use a rocket plane (possibly vertically-launched, but perhaps not) for any actual applications of this system, since rapier engines are not particularly practical for 3.2x scale Kerbin - especially because I will probably want a shuttle that can transport reasonably-sized payloads.

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4 hours ago, septemberWaves said:

It is inspired vaguely by a real concept I saw a while ago; I cannot remember the context but I recall that it involved a shuttle with a winged launch system.

About a year ago I sent you a craft file for a two stage to orbit vehicle for your upscaled Kerbin system,  though at the time i think it was only 2x  stock and now you're at 3.2.        The orbiter stage had 3 NERV engines, kept most of its fuel in the big S wing parts,  and had a droppable Whiplash engine on each wingtip.    TWR was only 0.5 to 1 so it relied on the lift from its large wing area,  because it skimmed the atmo all the way up,  there was also a lot of heat so it needed inline cockpits.

Perhaps similar techniques could increase performance of your orbiter.      Could the RAPIER stage of yours carry the orbiter stage of my Scream Chaser design ?  It's got about 6000dv,  though even that isn't quite enough for a RSS scale i fear..

https://kerbalx.com/AeroGav/Scream-Chaser

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4 hours ago, AeroGav said:

Could the RAPIER stage of yours carry the orbiter stage of my Scream Chaser design ?

The lifting plane which I posted earlier in this thread almost definitely can't carry that plane in the picture; it can manage the small one I designed, but with heavier wings and a nuclear engine I think your plane is too heavy (at least, too heavy without me doing significant optimizations on that rapier plane); my design was only a proof-of-concept though, so it was non-optimal and is certainly not practical for use. Your SRB-launched design is probably closer to what I will eventually end up using for shuttles, only the lifter will be able to fly like a plane.

Also I would test out that vehicle but I am using Kerbalism, and I do not know if nuclear engines irradiate kerbals but I would not like to take that risk with one so close to a command pod. I can confirm though that 6km/s is sufficient to reach orbit around 3.2x scale Kerbin; for a conventional rocket launch it takes 6 to 6.2km/s (vacuum), and orbital velocity is something in the range of 4.5km/s; an efficient spaceplane that is lifted past the lower atmosphere by a launch vehicle can certainly manage orbit and beyond with 6km/s. It would not be sufficient for RSS though, since orbital velocity there is around 8km/s.

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On 1/18/2019 at 1:54 AM, septemberWaves said:

I can confirm though that 6km/s is sufficient to reach orbit around 3.2x scale Kerbin

I tested this in 1.0x, and it should almost make it to orbit in 3.2x: https://www.dropbox.com/s/db4y368y0nl0d7x/September Carrier.craft?dl=0

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  • Startup: Stage, hit AG3 to turn off the vac engines.Caps lock for fine mode will make it easier to fly.
  • Climb out at 5 deg, run 0 deg at the equivalent of 18-20km for the speedrun. I managed to get it up to 1600+m/s.
  • Hit AG3 to light the vac engines.
  • I recall the centripetal force is not nearly as good in 3.2x, but hit SAS Prograde when the prograde marker gets above zero.
  • When the carrier plane runs out of fuel, the aerospike will shut down by itself. Then stage.  (I have it asparagus staged, so it will use up all the LFO on the carrier first.)
  • The shuttle will clear the carrier on its own, just let it fly prograde.

It'll probably end up short of orbit, but there's plenty of room for improvement. Not my best plane, but it works. Maybe Gav can use my no-drag asparagus stage trickery to do something better.

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@FleshJeb That is an interesting design. It is worth noting though that my rescale settings have not simply changed the planetary and orbital radii; I have also increased atmosphere heights by a factor of 1.4x, and doubled day lengths (except for tidally-locked bodies, whose day lengths are determined by the relevant orbits). The first of those changes means that a higher orbit is necessary (my standard currently is 125km, though it varies by launch vehicle; Kerbin's atmosphere is 98km high so there is room for lower orbits than my standard). Whether your plane works or not in 3.2x scale I cannot be sure without testing it; the biggest issue I encountered is that airbreathing engines cannot reach a sufficient fraction of orbital velocity, or achieve a sufficient height before switching to rocket mode, which is why for shuttles I will essentially be forced into using rocket engines.

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