Matt Lowne

Why am I obligated to reply to every thread I like? And the unrelated footage is a joke.

I liked the topic, I ain't obliged to reply to anything..

I'm Matt flipping Lowne, son.

Damn, why didn't I think of this?

No, not really a reference to anything, I do have a plan for how this will pan out though! I don't expect there to be more than 2-4 more episodes of Expedition Eve

I haven't flown the Engadine for a long time so not sure what ascent profile I used when I filmed it. Have a look at my Odyssey/Archangel videos for a good ascent profile for large SSTOs though!

It was, but I thought it more appropriate to have it in a standalone video

Thanks <3 The "Big S Wings" (the delta and strake wings that can hold fuel) have better heat tolerance than the other wings, so they're usually a good bet for SSTOs and shuttles

I refuse to participate in a challenge that uses "your" instead of "you're" for its hardest tier

I'm glad you liked it! I actually experimented with flat panels on top, but I preferred the realism of having them retract, given that the aircraft goes hypersonic when on Laythe

Hello! Please see Mun Phantom and Duna Phantom for mk2 Mun SSTOs! The Laythe Phantom can do the Mun as well, but since it's MUCH harder to fly and can't carry additional crew or a cargo bay (not to mention ludicrously overkill for the Mun) I wouldn't recommend it.

In general, yes, MK3 ships have more fuel, and so are more forgiving when in space since you have plenty deltaV to work around any mistakes. But Mk2 planes are much easier to fly and get into orbit initially, which is the hardest part of any mission imo

Mk2 is the most forgiving. With SSTOs, the best learning steps are: 1. Minmus 2. Mun/Gilly 3. Duna 4. Pol or Bop 5. Laythe/Eeloo I'm very sceptical if Tylo and Eve SSTOs are possible. Moho probably isn't possible without ion engines.

The Argus uses 6 parachutes to land on Duna and it has 2 airbrakes as well! You don't need additional engines on the nose to do a horizontal landing, just keep trying over and over. Make sure you use the right landing gear too, the Argus, Engadine and Argus II all use the small gear, which is pretty useless in 1.1. The Odyssey fixes this issue (see my forum post for more info if you're interested). The Argus 2 was designed to land on Laythe (much more forgiving than Duna for landings) and that still needed 3 parachutes! Note that both crafts (especially Argus 2) have huge front canards, see below for a good shot of this. Other than that, it's like you say. Lots and lots (and lots and lots and lots) of trial and error. Mostly error. My "Argus Class" consists of 5 ships: Argus, Argus 2, Odyssey and Engadine (there's also Engadine 2, but Odyssey renders it obsolete so it has never been filmed). What you don't see are the ones that didn't make the cut. Ambition 1, Ambition 2, Resurgence, Resurgence v2, Uprising, Undulator, Raven, Raven 2, Raven 3, Oscillator, Scythe are all craft files that never made it. Below is the Raven 2, probably the "best of the worst" when it comes to failed prototypes. Eventually it was beaten out by the Cutlass H, which would then be renamed to Argus 2.

It does fly, but not very well. Try not to change pitch or do any sharp turns on re-entry, otherwise it spins out of control. It will work if you have enough patience though!

Step 1: read the video description

Fraps and Nvidia Shadowplay

Hey thanks for the mention! Super shameless plug, but if you're interested in learning I made a tutorial for building (practical) Minmus SSTOs

Hi! Just got the notification and don't really know what this thread is. But thank you anyway haha

Still a "newbie" on KSP forums though haha. Though I only made an account like 2 days ago...

They flame out at a much higher altitude, making them far better suited for SSTOs. Not to mention that nukes cannot provide the thrust to make it into orbit alone, and so the closed-cycle function of the Rapiers is essential. If turbojets were used, then I'd need some additional chemical rocket engines, vastly increasing the dry mass of the ship.

Welcome to Spaceplane Innovations, the online leader in executive Spaceplane sales. Dropping tanks is so yesterday, earn back some self-respect by going fully-reusable today! We have Interplanetary leviathans and nimble Mun Hoppers, Single-stage-to-anywheres and Cargo-carrying brutes. All capable of high crew capacity and total galactic dominance. Shop now, the SSTO of your dreams is just a click away. We also make rockets. View the full catalogue! Click to view the full catalogue! Artemis Class These spaceplanes are the biggest of the bunch (so far), consisting of 3 Mk3 fuselages side-by-side, with the ability to carry an enormous amount of cargo/crew to many different interplanetary destinations. The Archangel is the first of the Artemis line, and has the ability to easily go to Duna or Mun with 60 Kerbals, and pilots who have a good grasp of gravity assists will find further destinations, such as Eeloo, very possible as well! Video - Mun mission Video - Eeloo mission The Artemis is a monstrous spaceplane capable of carrying 124 kerbals to LKO with just over 4,000 m/s of DeltaV to spare. It can't fly quite as far as the Archangel, but it is quite capable of going to Laythe and back without refuelling. Video - Laythe mission Archangel Download Archangel Download Archangel v2 Download Artemis Download Argus Class These spaceplanes are big, brutal, and capable of interplanetary missions without breaking a sweat, independent of mining or refuelling. WARNING: You will need to replace the landing gear on the Argus II and Engadine with larger ones if you're playing in 1.1 or later. The Odyssey will work fine though. The Argus was built as a Bop SSTO, but in the end was mainly used for Duna cargo missions and Eeloo voyages. It doesn't work so great in 1.05, and so is no longer sold by Spaceplane Innovations. Video - Eeloo mission Video - Duna mission The Engadine was the hugely popular successor to the Argus, packing more DeltaV and a massive 20 Kerbal capacity. So far it has only been used for Mun landings, but we at Spaceplane Innovations believe it could easily be used for Duna returns too. Video The Argus II was built following the success of the Engadine as an ultra-long-range SSTO. It has more m/s of DeltaV in LKO than any other SSTO produced by Spaceplane Innovations. Video The Odyssey was built to replace the legendary Engadine. doubling its crew capacity while retaining its high range. Duna and Gilly missions are well within its capabilities, as well as Eeloo and Jool for those who have mastered the fine art of gravity assists. Video - Mun mission Make no mistake: these planes are unruly, bulky, unbalanced and difficult to tame. They are therefore best suited to more adept pilots who understand gravity assists and how to efficiently ascend from Kerbin. They're hard to master, but for those with the patience to learn their functions the pay-off is huge. Argus II Download Engadine Download Odyssey Download Acacius Class Acacius ships have an IRSU on board and are capable of refuelling themselves using mining equipment. These are at the forefront of exploration, and are the best "single-stage-to-anywhere" planes we offer! Only one model is currently available for consumers: The Acacius 2 is the first SSTO produced by Spaceplane Innovations to feature the "Single Stage to Everywhere" guarantee. Doesn't do Tylo. Or Eve. Or Jool. These craft are ideal for beginners who want to get to grips with gravity assists or the Jool system, without having to worry about fuel. WARNING: You may need to replace the landing gear with larger ones if you're playing in 1.1 or later. Video Acacius 2 Download Dune Class Before the Argus class, there was the Dune class. The second oldest class of spaceplane made by Spaceplane innovations (after the discontinued Revenge class), these are lightweight, agile, and pack enough DeltaV for Duna, Minmus, Mun and Gilly. Flybys of planets further out are also possible. Dune 3 is the latest and greatest in this class, sporting 3 seats and a cosy interior. These are moderately difficult to use, but experienced pilots shouldn't have too much trouble. WARNING: You may need to replace the landing gear with larger ones if you're playing in 1.1 or later. Video Dune 3 Download Phantom Class These SSTOs are the little-brothers of the Argus Class, and are slightly larger than the Dune class. WARNING: You may need to replace the landing gear with larger ones if you're playing in 1.1 or later. With room for 6 kerbals, the Phantom class is currently offers 3 models: The Minmus Trainer is the easiest-to-use SSTO sold by Spaceplane Innovations, and was specifically designed to train budding kerbalnauts in the fine art of Minmus SSTO-ing. Only the instructions are available for purchase, so that pilots can also learn how to build an SSTO too! Video (SSTO Tutorial) The Mun Phantom was the first Phantom Class SSTO packing enough DeltaV for Mun and Gilly landings, in addition to being able to do Duna flybys. Video The Mun Phantom 2 is a modified version of the Duna Phantom, packing a spacious cargo bay for all your rover carrying needs! Video The Duna Phantom is able to carry 6 kerbals to Duna and back, all in a sleek Mk2 fuselage! Video Video (SSTO Tutorial) The Laythe Phantom is capable of taking 2 kerbals to Laythe and back without refuelling! Craft file has been altered so that it won't enter a flat spin when the fuel tanks are empty now Video Mun Phantom Download Mun Phantom 2 Download Duna Phantom Download Laythe Phantom Download Vulture Class These SSTOs are designed purely for LKO missions. Vulture 1 is the first publicly available model in the Vulture class, capable of carrying 6 Kerbals comfortably to either a polar or equatorial orbit. Vulture 1 download Matlon Laboratories Matlon Laboratories is a new company, designing cutting-edge rockets, shuttles, stations, bases, rovers, and much more! SSTOs are still very-much exclusive to Spaceplane Innovations, but for anything else, Matlon has you covered! Brutus is a high-capacity Space Shuttle, and uses Solid Fuel boosters and 3 Vectoring engines to lift the orbiter into space. Played a key-role in the construction of the SkyBase Space Station, which was commissioned following the destruction of SpaceLab during the Duna Attacks strikes Video Sparrow is a seaplane packing every science experiment unit in the game, in addition to communications tech and a deployable mini-sub! Video Monolith Station aims to bring stations to the masses, being a space station capable of being fully assembled in 1 Launch Brutus Download Sparrow Download Monolith Station Download