Frank_G

Well... not going to space today. While i was intending to "balance" the engines, the result is äh err not what i wanted... But hey, i have PERFECTLY BALANCED engines... all the time! What the kell is going on here ???

Considering the new aerodynamic model, i would hardly recommend to go for lift instead of higher fuel mass... Lift brings you up there with far less fuel needed when done right.

Well... its Tweakendâ„¢ again (ok first official one)... Returning to work on the new Moray Delta Mk. I Cargo SSTO spaceplane (yeah, i know its head looks like a platypus, but it really deserves a cooler name), it was time to add some cargo space. The new cargo bay is now 5 segments long (4+1). The current design is also two engines short of the original with a third being marked for deconstruction, if the tests today will say so. Following the deleted engines, two pre-coolers were taken from the underside of the wing, as the new engine setup requires far less intake air. Sadly, due to the intake loss it now has less drag on the underside, resulting in the plane wanting to raise its nose, which is not wanted at all... but a little wing tweaking should do the job... I also added a compact RCS tug for orbital construction and cargo delivery, featuring a standard and a senior clamp-o-tron docking port. 1: Going with 2 less engines seems to have no critical impact on the flight profile so far. 2: Reaching 80 km circular orbit with a hell of a load of fuel left. Finally i have a spaceplane with real use. 3: The new Orbital Service Unit (OSU) deploying the cargo 4: Preparing for re-entry (i love this screenshot... threw in a little contrast and color saturation to make it look more beefy) 5: Overshot KSC for quite some kilometers... too good there was loads of liquid fuel left to return. The glide capabilities are really impressive. Next de-orbit will start decent much earlier (one-third orbit instead of one-quarter ahead of the target) 6: Ok... panicked a little and missed the runway... but hey... crew, craft and base are in one piece Updates will follow. - just noticed it lacks a docking port...

@Red Dwarf - Thanks a lot! It hasnt a name yet - that is usually the last thing i do, before a worthy and useful concept enters its final optimization phase. So this will get its name very soon. @YargJay9991 - Many thanks! I was asked to launch a company several times, but i prefer to just play the game and share craft and mission progress now and then. But feel free to ask for craftfiles or mission details whenever you like . Maybe this will change, when we get stock Multiplayer. By the way, you have some pretty interesting designs yourself!

Put them in front of R.A.P.I.E.R.s and speeds above 1.5 km/s is no magic anymore. And yes, they dont provide much intake air... But they store a LOT of it, keeping your engines alive at high altitudes for much longer. In numbers... 100 - 150 m/s more acceleration in atmosphere and 2 - 3000 m more altitude before you need to switch to the closed cycle.

The new spaceplane is just awesome... put an orange tank into the cargo bay and it still reaches 1.5 km/s and an altitude of far above 20.000m in airbreathing mode. Then deliver the tank to a 110 km circular orbit in closed cycle mode with ease. This weekend it will see some detailed tweaks and optimizations. The craftfile will be released soon afterwards. Getting into spaceplanes is so much fun...

Make sure to check for crashed KSP instances with your activity monitor... it nearly made my hardware shut down due to heat a few days ago, because 3 crashed instances were still generating a whole lot of cpu usage in the background... and yes, i agree... 1.0.x is a real pain on OSX. That does not make KSP a bad game though, so i really hope that 1.1 gets a whole lot of care before going public.

Today i tweaked my new spaceplane prototype, i quickly threw together yesterday... actually it is the best SSTO spaceplane i have ever built so far. It easily breaks 1.5 km/s on jet engines and delivers 12 tons of cargo to a 90 km circular orbit, with one quarter of fuel left in the tanks. I bet, it can take its cargo to the Mün... and there is still much room for optimization... Too good, that weekend is approaching. There is testing to be done

I use this 5-way RCS block technique mostly on spaceplanes as it allows to place RCS on the wingtips only. And it looks good too.

A detailed mission report with a load of pictures would be epic... Godspeed!

Since 1.0.x i am experiencing constant crashes to desktop with KSP on my Mac... A few days ago i woke from my comps coolers running at maximum... After checking, i recognized, that 3 crashed instances of KSP were still active in the background, each producing a load of cpu usage... Well i was early enough to avoid damage to the hardware, that was already chilling at a cosey 82 degrees C. Since that incident, i check every time... And i have high expectations towards 1.1... Really.

Small small small... today i needed to build something big. Performs like a charm. Reached 1.540 m/s on jet engines before switching to the closed engine cycle. Fun to fly when it is empty. Cargo tests will be made this weekend.

Nice and clean design. Not the usual clip-o-doom stuff that goes on with ring stations. And i like the relatively slim ring in relation to the station diameter. Sometimes i miss shiny bolted silver rocket parts in KSP for a nice fifties style rocketplane... [edit] I´d still like to see a station like that, constructed out of docked modules... need to think... [/edit]

Incredible performance, that R.A.P.I.E.R. engine can deliver, when it is handled appropriate... 1.3 km/s on a single engine with only one radial intake on a 16 ton craft... I love it. And 80 km circular orbit achieved, with a puff of oxidizer left for de-orbit and a full load of RCS monopropellant. On re-entry the remaining liquid fuel can help to land this thing nice and easy. Oh, and it is an excellent glider, regardless of fuel level. Actually the spaceplane keeps the prograde marker only 1 degree (or less) below the planes nose, so it has a very efficient low drag profile. But still... no room for orbital acrobatics. That needs to change.

Oh man... the first time i saw this Saturbo beauty. Wonderful replica! And yes, the stock fairings really deserve a load of care and love. Starts with the bases (no radial attachment?... why?) and ends with everything above them... I really hope, our Devs will take a close look at them in the future.

Nope, only liquid fuel.

Aha... slowly climbing above 11.000 m and then entering a shallow dive to bring the engine beyond Mach 1 and up again you go while keeping a steady acceleration. No problem to reach speeds beyond 1km/s now... Piloting a spaceplane really needs some experience to be done right. And here is a picture, of what i am trying to get into orbit.

To the drawing board then! And thanks for the insight.

Thanks for the hint! I am already fiddling with a single engine configuration, trying to get it light enough, so a single R.A.P.I.E.R can deliver the needed acceleration. Getting above 10.000m as fast as possible, is a key requirement for very small SSTO craft. A craft that small with a TWR below 1.0 is simply not practical as you don´t have the fuel for long ascends. Or tell me i am wrong... that would make things a lot easier .

I started to work on a new SSTO spaceplane today. It made the insertion burn and then ran out of fuel. But hey... first testflight.

While the design is somewhat alien to me, i really like the unique construction technique. I am pretty curious, what will be seen here in the future. Well done

Welcome to the forums primal! Congratulations on your big achievement. Rescue-missions are so much fun To ensure, that you always have some juice left in the batteries, you could add another battery, right-click it right in the VAB or SPH and block the usage by clicking on the small green triangle. It will change into a red crossed out circle. The battery now needs to be reactivated before it spends its energy. That saves your vessels from unpleasant power drop outs.

Here it is

Thank you for the summary . Oh, and i totally agree with MajorJim here... please Squad, make it run good, than concentrate on new features.

I usually don´t like military replicas in KSP but the interleaved "Laufrollen" arrangement like used on the Panzerkampfwagen VI - Tiger I in the OP video is awesome... I bet, it performs very smooth on rough terrain. I have to try that for a base construction vehicle...