bsalis

No trick, just practice and experience. Try doing your re-entry burn always at the same place and take mental note of how far east of KSC the orbit line intersects the ocean. Adjust until you get the result you want. It's also easier doing the re-entry burn later. Try 90 degrees west of KSC.

Lakes of Kerbin. To the Stars!

Yes - I love my plush rug. Can't recommend a vendor since I think I live in a different country to you. Everything in my country is expensive anyhow, lol

As thereaverofdarkness explained, RAPIERs are a hybrid engine that operate as a Jet engine or a Rocket engine. Automatic or Manual switching If set to Automatic the game will automatically switch between Jet and Rocket mode, based upon availability of IntakeAir (ie. if starved of air, they switch to rocket mode). Use auto for convenience, or use manual with action group to switch in order to squeeze the most out of Jet mode. Toggle mode, on or off Sets if you want craft to spawn with the engines in Jet mode (AirBreathing) or Rocket mode (ClosedCycle). Gimbals Like other engines, controls if you want the engines to use directional thrust. Typically you always leave this on. I find about 100 units per jet engine to be a good guide. If you run with more you can always burn it up in flight before switching to rocket ascent.

I think it is that. IIRC it is on by default.

For this style of staging, all stacks should have enough TWR to lift themselves, including the core.

2 turbojets, 2 RAPIERs, 1 LT-N. I think that engine combo would be a good mix. Add as much fuel+oxy as they can lift to high altitude and ample air intakes and you should do fine.

I just use single piece stations. Much easier, and more robust.

Yeah - they are ok. Just kidding, more than ok, they are awesome. (opinion subject to rapid change in event of personal thread being locked or moved)

Not sure it's planning, more of a style or approach for me. For Rockets I will build the payload I want first. Nowadays, it's typically single stage with ports to dock with other crafts in orbit. Main consideration for the lifting stages is having adequate TWR for various phases of ascent, and not undershooting the dV. I will typically build for a target of LKO or Jool (in the case of LKO, I tow it to Jool after docking). Never got around to building standard lifter subassemblies. Since i can put a rocket together for modest payloads quickly, and often the payload needs more of a bespoke rocket built around it. I have some very odd payloads that are basically encased in the lifting stages. SSTO Spaceplanes Oh gee - could write an article as long as this thread so far. Especially on ones with VTOL capability. In summary though, main considerations when planning an SSTO Spaceplane is around balance, forces, and proportions. Anything you change will impact something else. It's a design puzzle that keeps me coming back and pushing the envelope even further.

Yes, as amazing as it was, it was a bad idea. It was meant to be safe like all manned craft, and cheap as well from being re-usable. It turned out to be neither.

You don't want to be bitten by those. It can turn out really really bad.

Oh boy, I don't know where to begin. Large SSTO Spaceplanes are just a pain. The game really needs to have big plane parts for big planes. Anyhow, my only advice is you may want to look into using what I call a Boxkite style design (see old pic below). I think the design could scale up well. Note that there are two tank & engine clusters, one at the front and one at the back. This allows you to balance out the wet and dry mass. It's length means that the control surfaces are far from the CoM so you have good pitch authority.

Adapters, adapters everywhere...

It's not just you. These weapons are shocking in power, beyond comprehension of our day-by-day experiences. A highly recommended documentary to see if you have not already is Trinity and Beyond, narrated by William Shatner. One standout test for me is Shot Baker. An underwater test of about 21Kt yield. That dark patch on the right side of the shaft is an upturned navy ship. All those ships are just toys compared to that explosion. At only 21Kt, that is a firecracker compared to the island destroying megaton yield bombs tested in the Pacific later years. Operation Crossroads - Shot Baker Another shocker is Shot Grable. Yes, that was fired out of that cannon. This among other tests, like the Structural Effects testing, paints a picture of the times that they were really expecting to use these things in conflicts. It's crazy, like watching kids working out how to use real guns for the next round of Cowboy and Indians. What the heck were they thinking?! Operation Upshot-Knothole - Shot Grable During the Cold War years, the threat of a nuclear war (ie. World War 3) with the Soviets weighed down on the collective psyche of people in the Western world (Soviets too i'm sure). As someone who grew up in the tail end of those years, it left an impression on me and shaped more than one generation of people. Since the end of the Cold War, I believe people have become complacent about the risks while the actual chance of these weapons being used has increased. More countries than ever possess these weapons, many not as politically/economically stable as the USA and USSR (Pakistan in particular is worrying). Security around these weapons and fissile material is also worse. Many "non-government entities" are also keen to gain access as well. I look at the current issues between USA-Japan-China in the South China Sea and wonder about how bad it could turn out. It's like people have forgotten what these countries have in their arsenal, and what measures are taken in war when pushed to the wall. No one seems to be talking about this --- it's all just what's on TV recently or other smalltalk.

I think it was about 140 excruciating Km on Duna or thereabouts, 70Km each way for a rescue pickup. Did it over three sessions. I usually just F9 such incidences, but thought i'd do a rescue instead for a change. Had no chance of landing that plane in one piece anyhow. That would be Brotoro. Patient that man be.

Refueled and ready for adventure! Captain Jerbal kerman addresses the crew of 8 on Minmus.

Cliffs somewhere on Kerbin. Scenic spot on Laythe.

Close but not quite right. You need to move them back to give you better Pitch authority (to help get off the runway). Moving them outward will give you better Roll authority. You get more torque the further the control surface is from the CoM because it increases the moment arm (Force x Moment arm = Torque) Simply more control surfaces give you more force, so more torque (again, Force x Moment arm = Torque). Another way of thinking about this is that the control surfaces shift your center of lift (CoL). So from my experience, I found that the more lifting surfaces you have, the more control surfaces you need to have to be able to shift the CoL. The higher the control surfaces to lifting surfaces ratio, the further the CoL moves. Essentially, you pitch up off the runway when control surfaces shift the CoL in front of the CoM. ... oh which reminds me of another tip to get off the runway. * Move the CoM and CoL closer to each other.

IntakeAir is now properly pooled. Such that engines flameout only when that pool is empty, rather than when any intake becomes empty. So basically any SSTO Spaceplane built in older versions should be able to fly a little higher and faster before flameout. Another upshot of this change, is that the IntakeAir listed in the Resources tab is now actually useful as a flameout indicator.

Some options to get off the runway, which you can try some or all of... * Move the rear landing gear forward, closer to the CoM * Move the control surfaces further from the CoM * Raise the rear landing gear to have the craft pitched up when landed (as Pursuedtank suggested) * More control surfaces to lifting surface ratio

Anyone landed and returned to orbit with a single stage? I seem to be the only one so far. I'm sure others have done it though.

Damn, this exam is hard!!! Ok - so I re-uploaded the craft file with the ascent profile. I'm not using FAR. Not a fan of it actually.

Ok - i updated my original post with the craft file link. Also added in additional stats.

I landed on Tylo a couple of times many versions ago... but only landed, never returned to orbit. More recently I have done a landing and return to orbit. I attempted it once I realised I could do it in a single stage. Since I make everything reusable around the Jool system.