Ja3k_Frost

Background: A while back I remember a fun challenge I picked up that involved BD Armory and delivering a bomb to a target about a third of the way around Kerbin in the fastest possible time, it was fun and all but I really wanted to break a barrier I saw in Kerbin speed possibilities. I wanted Jeb to go faster, farther, and more efficiently, then any Kerbal before him and thats when I began looking up real world hypersonic craft and became really interested in this subject area. What I have discovered already: There doesn't seem to be a lot of info regarding people who are building craft meant to travel in excess of 1300 m/s and above 20 kilometers, most of this is due to where the stock Whiplash engines cut out around 1300 m/s and 20,000 m, you might as well just use rocket engines and insert yourself in orbit at that point anyway. To go above and beyond this I picked up the X43 Hyperblast Scramjet Engine from the wonderful MK2 expansion pack (aptly named after its real world vehicle). It's kinda hard to use as it wont start until you are close to 1250 m/s at 20,000 so the whiplash acts as a good stepping stone to using it on your vehicle. Also, while looking for a design to start from, the real world X43 fills exactly what im trying to. A successful knockoff of its design produced a craft capable of breaking 2000 m/s at 33,000 meters in game. I fully realize that once you start getting into using modded engines, tweakscale and other mods that asking about game mechanics regarding them becomes magnitudes more difficult. So im just curious about general design, and if anyone else has tried to tackle this or something similar before Actual Question: Are there any tips/tricks or for building vehicles that travel in atmosphere at speeds between 13-2000 m/s? Why is the real world X43 designed the way it is; flat front vs pointy, smaller control surfaces vs larger, and flat topped body vs circular fuselage? Also would it be helpful to add a pic of the craft I already have so it can be critiqued, etc?

I greatly appreciate all the advice given, however there seems to be a simple misunderstanding in that I am the student. I am looking for ways to compete against other students my age, who are so inclined to hold similar passions to myself. If this is true, then I could get together a group of friends and a faculty member to maybe squeak in at the last moment. While I am the student in this (and all scenarios I guess) I can extrapolate out some of what applies to me here. 1) Event Scheduling- I am not sure, I would have to look at what each program brings in terms of deadlines, as for design, I have a pretty flexible schedule and could give around 10 hours a week. 2) Budget wise- Student level, think maybe $300. I suppose If I was involved with my school then they could cover the costs of anything necessary that goes over. 3) I like to think I have a fair amount of experience, comparatively to other Students at least. 4 years with Autodesk, Shop Skills, Time management and project planning. 4) I am not entirely sure how I can apply liability to my perspective. Overall, this has been incredibly helpful, even if aimed at a teacher.

Hello forum users, I very much enjoy the nature of engineering challenges and am interested in real world competitive rocketry for upper class high school to college student level challenges. However I do not know where to start. Some preliminary research done shows that the National Association of Rocketry has quite a few challenges in altitude, duration, and craftsmanship, but their site seems rather ambiguous on how their events are organized. The Team America Rocketry Challenge, which seems more high school oriented (Similar to FIRST robotics if you are familiar with that), however the deadline for that closed December 2nd. I would prefer something I can enter individually, as a senior in high school at this time in the year, the bureaucratic processes necessary to get the school linked with a challenge might take me past a potential signup deadline. So I am curious if anyone on these forums has experience with similar challenges and could point me in the right direction. Beyond that, what is a good scope for any of my attempts. Should I go all out and try to mathematically optimize any submission as much as possible? Or should I go for a blend of style and effect? Or even more, should I try to create some new innovative way of tackling a suggested challenge? Any input is helpful, -Thanks

I would like to point out some potentially nasty effects created by crossing some ideas thrown around earlier. These being the world population, mono-cultures, and GM super crops. The general consensus I see here is distaste for the shady business practices of some GM companies as well as that GM crops have the potential to increase the efficiency of farming all over the world, especially developing nations. So I ask, What is too high a price to pay for solving world hunger? If we use the argument that GM super crops could do this (as opposed to something else, like better global food distribution) I would refuse to support the current companies who are known for suing farmers neighbors who have had their patented seed blown into their field. These are not companies who I would want profiting from a potential super food, likely grown as a mono-culture in more extreme climate areas. What would these areas be? Developing countries who cannot support their population with the arable land they have. I guess I see a potential for GM companies to create a similar dynamic to the current military industrial complex. No pun intended but that is not a food chain I would want to see Monsanto at the top of. (ok the pun was intended) Of course, all this is hypothetical... So far.

OK, so this turned out to be in some ways less complicated and in others more than i though it would be. As it turns out, flying wing orientation is very stable at subsonic speeds. Unfortunately, there is a basic design pitfall. The core of the fuselage for a flying wing sits almost exactly in between the wings, which are swept back slightly and translated down in order to provide a center of lift behind and below the center of mass. By using an infernal robotics rotatron(?) and rotating the wings forwards the center of lift suddenly changes to way out in front of the center of mass. I figure this is because in game, all the wings provide the same lift regardless of orientation relative to their motion. So a wing upside down and backwards does the same job as one in the "correct" position (I might be totally misunderstanding a game mechanic, if so please correct me). I don't know how to overcome this, so any advice would be nice. As I am still rather new posting on the forums, I don't quite know how to get the pictures added yet, but they should be here in less than 48 hrs for anyone interested.

This is my first formal project, so bear with me if it isn't perfect. Some background: I like the flying wing aircraft concept a lot, planes like the Ho 229 and the B2 bomber are some of the coolest flying machines. I don't understand all the advantages of the flying wing design as apposed to conventional fuselages or other alternatives. Another concept I really enjoy messing around with is the lifting bodies that NASA was experimenting with slightly before they came up with the space shuttle. Things like the Martin Marietta x-24 and the similar Scramjet Drones that are more modern are my chief inspiration here. One big problem I have is that I don't totally understand the advantages of both designs, so some help here would be much appreciated. Both in reality and in game. I have some basic questions about the fundamentals of where each design is most effective (such as general altitude) and why. I usually end up relying on the fact that I appreciate well engineered machines and that if it looks really cool, then it probably works well too. So here is the actual idea I had: Using the idea of the swing wing, which briefly explained is that the wing changes angle to improve performance at different speeds, I want to create a flying wing aircraft where the wings would swivel forwards (Probably using a mod like infernal robotics) to create the profile of a lifting body aircraft. Lastly, Here are some conclusions I have come to: This is in no way practical in real life, I totally understand that, but this is Kerbal, and all things are at least attempt able. I don't understand the intricacies exactly of what I am suggesting, or even if it can be done, which is why I am leaving it here as a discussion point, for some peer review. I look forward to any advice or input given and will have some paper concept drawings added eventually. -Ja3k

Figured I would finally make an account and an introduction so I can start sharing my creations and wisdom. Some of my Favorites based in the real world are: Plane - Martin Marietta X-24B Rocket - McDonnell Douglas DC-X President - JFK I enjoy the problem solving nature and the rigorous math involved with engineering and would like to pursue a college + career path in aerospace. I will soon be posting my crafts in their relevant threads.