Zamolxes77

The launchpad got destroyed since your vehicle was too heavy. Is normal. You have to build them on the lawn, grass is tougher than concrete

Here's a caveman SSTO. Unfortunately the requirements to build it don't apply to this challenge, since you need upgraded SPH (88 parts) and runway (30.5 tons craft). But maybe someone can draw some inspiration to make a suborbital plane, to get to those darn contracts ! https://kerbalx.com/Zamolxes77/T3-SSTO-Minerva This challenge seems like a lot of fun, I think I'll try it too !

While tinkering with Junky, trying it to put it on a diet and shed some engines, as an accident, I fell upon a solution I previously discarded as being ridiculous ! Here it is, Minerva, a truly caveman SSTO, using 12 Juno engines and a reliant to take a pilot and 2 passengers in LKO ! Craft file on KerbalX : https://kerbalx.com/Zamolxes77/T3-SSTO-Minerva Is amazing but is faster, lighter and cheaper than Junky, with a slight hit in deltaV in orbit, but more than enough to perform 2 rescues. An additional science bay can be added with Goo canister, thermometer and barometer. Caveman says <ooooraaaah> "Me crush space with club !"

Careful with that. I prefer a worse take off experience than a harrowing landing. My aim was a smooth, balanced and easy aero breaking, so you can pick your landing location extremely easy :).

Nope. I tend to build my crafts as idiot proof as possible, as easy to fly as possible, with as little clipping of parts as possible. I'm curious how you will go about optimizing the wheels. I have a smaller plane SSTO into works, same tier, same parts, but aprox. half the size and cost. Unfortunately, that means also half the dV in orbit. Is closer to classic plane SSTO, having lots of air breathing engines to get it past the thicker part of the athmosphere: If flown correctly, you should have about 300m/s dV left in orbit, which is enough for 2 careful rescues and a deorbit: Cost and weight: Craft file: soon.

I finally added to KerbalX the craft file for tier 3 SSTO, called Junky. https://kerbalx.com/Zamolxes77/Junky Please let me know what you think about it and if it can be further tweaked.

Is finally done, I manage to create a synthesis of the different designs, looks sleek and flies very well. It can be flown very easily to remain with 600+ m/s dV in orbit, about 100 is needed to de-orbit, so you have 500dV left for orbital operations, including docking. Don't forget to shed the "hat" once you enter space ! As promised, here is the craft file, have fun https://kerbalx.com/Zamolxes77/T4-SSTO-mk7 If anyone needs other craft files from the planes I posted, let me know !

Mainsail is Tier 5 technology, is unlocked after Skipper.

I continued to refine my attempt at building a Tier 4 SSTO, first making it bigger: Then finally dumping the 1.825m parts and going straight to 2.50 metrs. Despite my sincerest efforts, I couldn't squeeze more dV out of the 1.825 m version, which in my opinion looks best. I also had to switch the cockpit, as a docking port on plane part looks weird: The 2.5m version has about 400-500 dV for orbit operations however it doesn't look as good. I tried to build a rocket only version, but the Skipper doesn't have enough TWR to push wings, wheels and all that into orbit and have enough dV. Gonna add the craft files to Kerbal X if anyone is interested to tweak them some more.

Off course, any suggestion where to host it ?

I continue my trend, exploring plane SSTO's on the lower end. This is my attempt for a T4 plane SSTO. Wanted to use some air breathing engines, and surprisingly, Wesley work pretty well. I also wanted to use the Skipper which is unlocked at tier 4 (5 on wiki, not counting the tier you start with, tier 0). Weighs little more than 2 reliants, but has nearly triple the thrust and more efficient, ASl and VAC. This is the first crude attempt, the thing looks mostrous, but flies like a dream, up down, atmo breaking ! Size of the Skipper makes it stick out like a sore thumb and using 2.5m fuel tanks makes it look extremely ...ODD. Naturally, I will try to tweak it some more. Ascent profile is easy: take off on Weasely's, AoA 20, at 2,000 meters try to level off, maintaining speed. At around 5,500 meters and 280 m/s, engage Skipper, go up to AoA 45-50, then fly it like a rocket into orbit. Takes 4 passengers and a set of science into LKO. Going to try to add a docking port, RCS and some solar panels, as well as increasing its range in orbit a little bit. Naturally, a chemical SSTO that takes off as a rocket and land as a plane is probably more feasible at this point, Skipper is very powerful.

Thanks, looks like prntscr is not that good anymore. i hosted on imgur, hope it works

Please try again, I inserted pics into post using insert image tool, let me know if you can't see them.

After many hours of tinkering and testing, I finally achieved my goal. A true plane SSTO that uses ONLY tier 3 parts or bellow. Is ugly as sin, requires moderate flying skills, takes a pilot and 2 passengers in LKO. Takes off the runway on 4 Juno, but you have to wait for end of runway and Reliants have to be engaged right at the end. Junos get turned off around 14km and Terriers get engaged. Reliants get turned off once you reached a 40 km Ap, and thing flies into orbit the rest of the way using only terriers. Reliants can be used for short bursts of speed when necessary. Entries on its back, to protect the basic wheels Is stable during reentry, maybe a bit too stable, has a problem keeping an AoA, so you have to bob up and down to make it break. I might have to tweak CoL more for an extremely smooth reentry, or add more reaction wheels. Has a service bay which can contain more batteries or experiments, as needed. Uses Junos to land fairly easy, just make sure is very horizontal, as there isn't much clearance, due to wheels being close to the body to minimize drag. Edit: After some refining, here is final form, with 700 m/s dV remaining in orbit ! I ditched atmospherics completely, not worth it to lug them around for the benefit they provide, just added few seconds of fuel. Moved stuff around, simplified, now is a pure rocket plane. Starts on runway, as it needs the lift generated by wings to offset TWR < 1.

Incorrect. That only matters on Kerbin or other planets that have atmosphere. Or you might want to explain how people are landing and taking off Mun with nuclear engines and TWR of 0.25 ?