Saberus

Looks like the votes will need a hand count. Already there's 11 votes and 9 entrants, since the entrants are the ones that are supposed to vote... A quick look shows that of the entrant-only votes: SlyReaper, m1sz, zorque, myself, and blaster are all tied at one vote each at the time of this posting. Also as of this post, we are missing votes from zorque, inigma, Fengist, and Blaster. PS Totally jazzed that someone voted for me.

I placed my vote for zorque. Of all the available designs, his is the most appealing to me.

Time's almost up. Any last-minute entries want to join in?

I have a few questions about voting: 1: How many votes will each participant receive? 2: If each participant gets more than one vote, can multiple votes be applied to the same craft by a single person? 3: If each participant gets more than one vote, can they choose not to apply all votes? 4: Will participants be allowed to vote for their own entry, or be barred from doing so? I only ask, because if each participant gets one vote and chooses their own craft, we'll have an n-way tie. I also know voting is still a ways off, but having these points to ponder might help improve the vote system. Personally, in the name of sportsmanship, I won't use a vote for my own entry, I'll choose who among my competitors has the best design.

As of right now, the rule reads as follows: 5) No Alt-F12 part clipping. (Normal means part clipping allow). The clipped parts on my craft are from the normal SPH allowances for clipping. Saying "everything's clipped" doesn't mean they cheated, or are ignoring the rules. And the only reason I have two engines clipped into each other is so the damn thing takes off before the end of the runway, and I don't hide that they're clipped because the second engine is rotated 45 degrees.

I wish to enter my EGRET into this challenge. All info is in the linked thread, but to satisfy the requirements I will include a new .CRAFT file on this post to add in the flight instructions to the description. .CRAFT file EGRET means Electronically Guided RAPIER Engined Taxi. The EGRET is a lean 82 parts, including two RAPIER engines and four intakes. All parts were positioned with time and patience, only standard SPH clipping was used. The EGRET also has an emergency fuel reserve for insuring there is enough fuel to return from standard orbital range. This fuel is in the T-100s between the intake pairs, and must be transferred to the T-800s to be used. This was by design, so that the fuel would always be there for returns. There is more than enough liquid fuel to return to the KSC runway from at least a quarter of the globe away, even with my sloppy flying. Additionally, the EGRET can be flown to space unmanned, and has a docking port. This craft flies and gets to orbit in vanilla KSP, it is incompatible with FAR.

I don't have DRE or FAR, but the stacked RAPIERs on my EGRET SSTO both have wings mounted on them. I had to split the wings up otherwise one engine explodes shortly after going closed cycle. So even in stock, you have to give them heat sinks if you stack them.

What's the range on this thing, or have you stacked in enough RTG's that it can run forever? Impressive build!

Sorry, I don't have FAR so there's no way I can balance the craft for that mod, hence it's stock status. I have nothing against mods, just prefer not to use them. Feel free to tinker with the design to see if you can get it FAR friendly.

I proudly present the first craft offered by the soon coming Blackball Jet Propulsion and Snack Cake Bureau. Introducing the Electronically Guided RAPIER Engined Taxi, or EGRET: This craft is an SSTO spaceplane capable of transporting a kerbal to space, and return a kerbal back to Kerbin. This craft includes a probe core so it can be flown unmanned! The EGRET comes with an inline docking port and lights to make docking in the dark a breeze. There is also a strategic fuel reserve in the form of two FL-T100s, each wedged between the intakes. These are not connected to the main fuel supply by design, requiring manual intervention to move the reserve to the FL-T800s. The cockpit also serves as an escape pod, and comes equipped with an independent RTG power supply, four landing softeners (parachutes), and a CB radio with AM/FM and 8-track player (Communotron 16). Also includes ambidextrous escape ladders and a flotation device. Leather seats and cassette/CD/MP3 player optional. Try one today! You won't regret the EGRET! Maximum payload is unknown, adding a payload or additional crew capacity will void the warranty. .CRAFT file Getting to space is easy, climb to 10000m at about 35 degrees, then level out and build speed at a climb rate of ~15-35 m/s. When the first RAPIER switches to closed cycle (both should be automatic), press 2 to close the intakes and burn to an AP of 70-100km. Cut engines and circularize. Pressing 1 will open the docking port and turn on the docking lights.

Why not in the Mohole?

Black Sabbath - Crazy Train Either that or THIS

WIth as big as that rocket is, you may be wasting fuel fighting drag on the way up. try to keep it under 200m/s while in the lower atmo, the lightest blue part of the meter. Any more than that and the drag will just sap the excess thrust. Once you're starting your gravity turn at about 10,000 meters, the atmosphere starts to thin out and the drag becomes more reasonable. If you need more than one SRB per ton of payload, you're too big, and you're wasting delta-v fighting lower-atmospheric drag.

As an advocate of stock jet boosters in KSP, I find this relevant to my interests. These designs aren't from mods, they are stock. http://imgur.com/a/5nSTZ <--This is a link to an old gallery from back before the Great April Forum Kraken Attack. I have built and used these designs in .23, and they still work. The single play is/was lighter than a BACC, and produced 2/3rds the thrust of a BACC, with about 6 times the burn time. A pair of Triple Play boosters were used on my MEP MK2 and MEP MK3, back before career mode. http://imgur.com/a/uVbiV <-- Here you can see the math was done on the Triple Play ER vs. BACC's, and the kind of performance you can get from them before even trying to fire up a rocket. Here you can watch a fellow KSPer take the MEP MK3 to the mun, even with a sub-optimal ascent, and hanging onto dead weight during transfer burns.If anyone has interest in these designs, I will build them up as sub-assemblies and post them. Fair warning, MechJeb needs serious coaxing and close monitoring in order to make these things work.

I can't wait to see what Whackjob comes up with. My room is currently 8C, I think this will give me enough thermal overhead to fly it myself.