torus

Yea, not a big deal, looks like the mechjeb parts dont really affect the construction at all, so I\'m fine with keeping them there for the stats

Another action shot of the orbiter separating from the launch vehicle.

Launch vehicle + orbiter is 52.7 tons, orbiter is 16.3 tons.

18 downloads and 2 comments? Has anyone actually tried it?

How do I find out weight? It can achieve a stable circular orbit easily. I don\'t think it can make it out of orbit (well, it can probably escape Kerbin, but not with enough fuel to do anything). I just added a final stage with a parachute attached to the rear vertical stabilizer, which lets the orbiter make it safely back to Kerbin.

Thanks for the reply. I love feedback, but I think my insistence on using stock parts makes people uninterested. Custom parts can be cool, but I feel that they can sometimes eliminate the constraints that make the game challenging and fun.

Probably one of the more interesting challenges for me has been to build the ultimate carrier/space plane. A plane that carries a smaller spaceplane into the upper atmosphere, where it launches into orbit. My previous attempt was fairly similar to this one, but I\'ve made improvements. The carrier is still large, but it is more streamlined, and now uses atmospheric jets to conserve fuel. The carrier jet is far more fuel efficient, and now can stay in the upper atmosphere for quite a long time. It is also very stable, with no wobble due to support struts. (unless SAS is enabled- SAS causes vibration, but the craft stays together just fine, even at 2x). The launch vehicle will no longer tip backwards uncontrollably, it can fly almost vertically without tipping, or fly horizontally. The orbiter vehicle now includes RCS thrusters which push it away from the launch vehicle. The orbiter can get to a high orbit with fuel remaining in the last tank. It is also a stable plane on it\'s own to glide to re-entry. How to fly Liftoff is very straightforward, maximum throttle on the runway, pulling up. The plane takes off before the end of the runway. Make sure not to pull up too hard, or you can shear off the rear engine. Fly to 14000 feet, then level off. Cut engines, enable RCS, trigger stage decoupling. Then pull up to boost away from the launch vehicle. Throttle up rocket engine, fly to orbit.

No comments? Maybe I had better try again then

Here you go ;D I\'m open to suggestions on how to improve it.

I finally succeeded in my goal of getting a spaceplane into high orbit (>150000). The massive carrier plane lifts the small space-capable rocket out of the light blue, decouples, and falls into the ocean . Then the rocket pushes to approx 2000m/s, into orbit. Not the most elegant, and definitely not perfectly balanced (fairly front-heavy, will stall and tip back if tilted over 40 degrees at the carrier stage) but it\'s fairly solid and still has about half a tank once in high orbit. It lifts off beautifully Unfortunately it can\'t escape to Mun, maybe in my next design.