Andetch

Estes pro series.... Sort of thing that 9 year olds are allowed to have an afternoon playing with at some sort of fun camp? Coz then yeah, that's what I am talking about! In terms of getting things there..... Well I wouldn't bother. I would build it there..... There are many people here who can build anything out of nothing, I am sure I could find a way! (Now don't show me evidence that I can't, because I enjoy living in my ignorant fantasy land - screw reality anyway, that's why we're all playing games, right?)

I tend to have a waste management system. So things either burn up or stay in a very low orbit, which brings on the issue for recovery in that it takes quite a lot of fuel to get an orbital rv in a low orbit (like around 70 - 100 km) so I just leave lots of debris there that doesn't get burned up! I have built stages that lift and fall down as in spaceX style, however this brings the issue of controlling two things in the atmosphere (more than 20kms apart and it disappears), so my launch stage landed fine, just the payload vanished.

The country is The Philippines, and I can't really find any laws on launching.... Only that the occasional plane flies nearby (within a few ground miles (like how the worm goes)) depending on which direction they are landing at the airport 30 miles away. Also, I have contacts in local government that can assist with getting any clearance that may be needed. When I was a kid I launched a few model rockets, nothing that went more than 1km though.... With regards to the balloon idea, I figured if a balloon can take you up 50km ish (which is around the current record), it could drag a rocket engine up there by the nose, detach and then you have a fairly easy first stage, and the added bonus of at that altitude you need less aerodynamics/pointy shape. I swear I read something about some university students that put some random object into space (a sandwich maybe?) but can't seem to find the article.....

This whole subject is something KSP is inspiring me to do also..... Put something into space! I have a launch site that is pretty much on the equator (just a few degrees north) in a country with very loose regulations..... My launch site is a few hundred metres above sea level. However, knowing how much easier (but less effective) the straight up and turn approach is I figured maybe using a balloon as the first stage and then an engine would be a good way to do it as an amateur. Please, please, please post results of any of your real life tests!

Firstly, thank you for having a go in what I have now affectionately named The Widowmaker. Your input is most appreciated. I now have developed several version of this craft, including a passenger capable design, and one that doesn't flip quite so much - but that one is no fun. The reason the LF was turned off in one tank was so that the Whiplash engines can not drain any LF from the tank on the way up, saving the LF for use on the Vector. Takeoff. The wings produce enough lift at around 350 m/s. I tend to go full throttle, and as soon as you leave the end of the runway (travelling at around 300 m/s) pull the wheels up and gently lift the nose. Usually I end up around 20 metres from the sea before establishing a climb angle of around 10 degrees. I keep the SAS on and the nose just ever so slightly above prograde. at 20,000 - 25,000 metres high switch the navball to orbital mode, point prograde and fire the vector. Do not fire it on full throttle. Gently nurse the speed up to around 2,500 m/s, any higher and you will burn up, switch to map mode and put the AP at 75,000. Also watch the vehicle height as you will need to get her above 40,000 metres to stop loosing the AP from air resistance. It should be noted that the craft is capable of showing both an AP and PP of below 70,000 metres. As you cross the AP at above 70,000 metres you can fire the vector again (GENTLY!) to raise the PP. Orbit! Getting back is the hard part, as if you keep pointing prograde you go too fast into the lower atmosphere, but if you swing the nose around to slow down you can easily spin. The wheels don't do much for slowing down, but they do something.... Once again, thank you for taking the time to have a go in my ship, I hope you enjoyed the flight!

New from Andetch Spaceplanes - The Wingless Wonder - because wings are over rated! Caution, may result in crashing into the runway on takeoff. Okay, there are little tiny wings, so isn't 100% wingless, but I think you will have trouble making an SSTO with less wing! I dare thee to try and get a horzontal launch with less wing into orbit!

Andetch has always believed wings are only an optional extra on a Spaceplane, as the Widowmaker series demonstrates quite well! It must be said we like the weight/wing ratio on Kerbotruck! Due to someone in the R&D department taking the dangerous line of thought that maybe a plane that is easier to fly and land might be a good seller we are proud to give you the Widowmaker 2. However, it must be said that the consensus here is it has too much wing! Ship file at: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxP5XMEnEjPiQjVXLUo5NnV6NnM http://imgur.com/a/EtKii

No, I think that is probably it.....

Ahh yes, the Krakken drive..... I have a 300T mining rig that can flip itself 50 - 100 KM above Minimus using a Krakken drive.... hehe What I was seeing was that the period of 1 day as displayed in distance to next node was actually slightly less than the standard X hour Kerbin day at KSC.

I like small SSTO..... I am always inclined to build as small as possible, and these little things look right up my street! Time to build some copycats I think, hehe!

Maybe this is just me imagining things, but on my missions to the outer planets (Jool mainly) I think I have noticed some time dilation in that the days measured by the ships systems seem to have less minutes than days at the KSC. Anyone else noticed anything like this?

EDIT - To show vehicle in orbit. I did loose control on re-entry into thick air, but happily as over ocean I jumped out and survived. See in the gallery! The Widowmaker Series by Andetch Corp. This is the RAW SSTO experience! Does go into orbit, and once I even landed back as KSC!! However, not this time while the camera is ready, and I have to put KSP away now instead of trying to get it into orbit again. Bonus points for anyone who can hand fly this thing into orbit and back to KSC again first time! No mods, no auto pilot! http://imgur.com/a/ayp6T http://imgur.com/a/gxuvB https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxP5XMEnEjPiaEdfaGZ3N1g1OHM

Well your observations are correct. $50 to the person who can successfully get into orbit (or even establish flight) first time! Hehe And what a good reason to boot KSP up again then! My reasoning to build it (I know no one asked, but.... meh) was that everything I seem to see on the forums is always so big, so I reasoned that something small with a ridiculous TWR (like a missile) should go fast, and pointed the right way should go into orbit. I just built a passenger version (attached) and had it in an orbit of sorts (not stable, but showing PP and AP) at around 30km high https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxP5XMEnEjPicE5sY0VFQnVRZGs (The above ship will require you to move fuel around mid flight)

Firstly, YAY! Someone showing interest in something I built on KSP! Thank you for your comment. Did you download the ship file and have a go yourself? In regards to stability issues I have played around with trying to fix the control issues, and by moving the side engines forward, repositioning the LF tanks, remounting the canards (and on the jet version firing the central engine later in flight) you can take off really easy and recover from spins easier etc. although this does result in a less pretty and pointy looking shape of the air (you know what I mean, when you're moving fast and can see the air moving across the vehicle) and a slightly lower top speed. File attached. https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxP5XMEnEjPiV0JhSWpiQUNKN2c

And I appreciate your input. With some modifications, and better piloting I might be sending Kerbals to Eeloo soon! We can think about bringing them home later......Haha!

Yeah is a lot of kickbacks... I will try as you have said and see if it gets better, but already these probes have accomplished various flyby's in the Jool system and also got the manned version into orbit of one of the rocks around Jool. I do get what you're saying and will do more messing around with it

Righty hooo..... Thanks, I get it now. Slightly wrongly clicky button.... Clicky button righty and it worky. Derp.

Thanks, and YAY! Regarding my KSP activities, launch three which was with the pad 45 degrees into the night from Kerbin Prograde, and fairly straight up, catching orbital prograde at around 15k - 20k metres I have got there with almost double fuel leftover. Attached are more pics! http://imgur.com/zOGSJ3y http://imgur.com/xa3uUrE http://imgur.com/lqXt3qd Awww.... didn't work. Still doing something wrong on posting pictures.

Righty, so I have read and understood the grav turn thing.... Firstly, I think it is important to note that I feel that time of day (launch pad position) has a massive effect on what I am doing here. First launch I launched with the pad facing Kerbin prograde. Second launch was at approx 90 degree from Kerbin prograde into the night. Well usually I launch and follow the prograde so as to not fight gravity. With compensating launch pad direction (time of day/night) for a larger turn (first thing I did after igniting the engines was pitch over slightly as directed) I got a better intercept but less fuel left in the probe. My initial launch was pretty much straight up, allowing a slight grav turn as I follow the yellow. Also, as you will see I have wasted loads of delta V by going too far out (I need to adjust the launch pad position so that I get a more direct intercept without going further out than Jool I think). Leads me to now question the whole lot again?? Hehe.... I have attached a link to some screenshots (still unable to get the pictures to post directly into the forum, if you wanna help with that too?) and the vehicle file in case you're interested to have a go.... Me confusedio. https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxP5XMEnEjPiSDRFazFXRzNQTEk http://imgur.com/a/1SK11

The most logical explanation for Dres' colour and composition is obviously Pixie Dust.

Been a while since my last login. Life getting in the way of KSP. In regards to trying to get a capture of Laythe, well I get the idea now - not pulled it off yet. Mainly I have been burning ships up trying to return them to Kerbin, ha! (Who would have thought a ship can burn up above 60k? Not me evidently) Thanks for the response!

Yeah well how'd I make it show the pics? Never seems to work for me

The Widowmaker. My small and very hard to fly SSTO. It only takes 1 passenger into a LKO and does not have any docking ports. It is also capable of extremely atmospheric flight should you wish to visit other continents, and is surprisingly easy to land providing you have LF left in the tank. Can recover from 1 spin on ascent and make orbit, 2 spins and back to KSC. Usually it just crashes into the sea though... http://imgur.com/a/wDnZp

I think you have it with the rotational launch thingy.... As yeah it won't turn otherwise. As far as getting to Jool goes, I have only ever visited Duna in my career mode and put refuelling facilities there, and was just taking potshots at jool seeing as it was in alignment. Not advanced enough to start thinking of Laythe, and in my arrival I am not close to anything there! As far as transfers go I know I am pretty poor, still getting the hang of efficiently adjusting peri to arrive where I wanna be. Anyway, thanks for the food for thought!

Yeah, I have discovered they have reinforced helmets...... But at around 50m/s or under (straight down, if you have forward speed these figures can change) they can go into the sea feet first. This revelation could mean the end of needing parachutes on craft coming back to Kerbin!