Firerunner

I'd suggest either putting caps on the number of crew/experiment parts or dividing score by your spacecraft weight, as otherwise these completely dominate the other options. A quickly put together, not very optimized example of a SSTO using two attached pylons with 80 thermometers on each side: 160 x Much science: Has science expiriments. | +160pts Less boosters: Doesn't use radial stages. | +3pts Spaceplane: Use wings to land. (not parachutes or engines) | +3pts Rough landig: Land on uneaven (not polar or runway) terrain. (requires Spaceplane) | +3pts Why piggyback when you can take off: Take off horizontily. | +3pts Fully reusable: 100% recovered. (Doesn't stack with other reusabiltiy bonuses) | double score = 344pts

Thanks for the compliments about the Scarab, I like the tiny size quite a bit as well. I did indeed make it back to KSC intact - flew another flight and compiled an image album with some more details. The thrust-to-weight ratio of a turbojet is indeed absurd when you are building at these sizes. Happy to share the craft file if either of you want to take it for a flight.

Made a quick entry for the light category with a payload of 11.84t. The insights re: costs of solid boosters for career mode were interesting, though I think I'd go with two solid booster stages and a larger recoverable circularization stage in practice. It also had around 600m dV left in the circularization stage in a 100km orbit, so obviously things could be optimized more. Stats: Total cost: 36,198 Payload cost:15,460 Lifter cost: 20,738 Payload fraction: 6.0% Payload mass: 11.84t Cost per t: 1,751.52 The "Can o' boom" lifter:

I have made this one, the Scarab MkII. It is slightly larger and more expensive at 49 parts, 6.33t fueled or 3.72t empty and a price of 23.659, but it also goes to space On the runway: In space:

Decided to twiddle around and see how small a SSTO shuttlecraft I could build with the new intakes. This one was the result: The Scarab MkII 49 parts (mostly because of the LFO fuel setup), weighs in at 6.33t fueled or 3.72t empty. Has enough fuel to make it to a 100km orbit including the deorbit burn, but not much more than that.

This is my X-Wing replica working SSTO. It is stock except for using infernal robotics to operate the wing "flaps" Easily goes to orbit although the ~2k vacuum deltaV (if refueled) is a bit on the low side. Might look at some sort of Star-Wars lookalike fuel ring sometime, since the TWR with 4 rapiers in rocket mode is ridiculous.

Minor idea: If you set the turbojets as the first stage you can sync them with the intakes by staging once, freeing up an action group. That is what I have been doing for my SSTOs lately, anyway

Got inspired by Scott Manleys recent walker video and decided to make a miniaturized spider rover. Installed Infernal Robotics and after a couple of evenings of testing, operation MUN SPIDER entered it's final phase. All in all it wasn't the fastest rover at around 5m/s, but it could go up inclines of 50 degrees at close to speed and weights ~2t, so it is feasible to pack on landers. So I'd call it a success all in all Jeb is also pleased:

Hello, Here is my entry: Going to Laythe using 7 parts. Getting him back will be a rather harder task, though

This is my entry. Weight 1.986t, cost 3.630. Top speed around 205m/s before it got too close to the hills and I started braking, and it also handles hills well enough, especially if you run the engine at ~5% as a booster. I guess that makes 20 + 10 + 20 * 5 + 3 = 133 points. Top speed: Stopped at the top of a hill: