Slew

Just confirmed it here. Holy shit did I confirm it. I actually crashed my game by landing upside down. So yeah, that happened. I did some experiments and figured out the problem: When the plane lands upside down, the RCS blocks hit first and explode. The explosion throws the rest of the plane across the ground. I\'ve confirmed that the same thing will happen to Nova\'s Vanguard if you attach some fragile components.

I was preoccupied with the release of Down Under 0.4. The textures from this thread will be included in an 'Ausplane HD Texture Pack', to be released soon. In the meantime, you\'re quite welcome to enter more submissions.

I\'m thinking about it.

I know exactly what you guys are talking about. It\'s actually intended. Ausplane\'s main engine is only for orbital insertion and re-entry, like the Space Shuttle. Stable flight is only possible when: 1. The main engine is switched off 2. The fuel tank is empty

Ausplane is out.

Yeah, once I figure out the best design.

This weekend.

Submissions can be in any format.

No landing gear, unfortunately. Thanks, Nova. Glad you like it.

I actually plan on having such a parachute, but semininja is right, it can only apply drag. In the absence of aerodynamic lift, this is probably going to be the main function of the parachute. It might also be useful for water landings. All the parts have extremely high crashTolerance for testing. I may lower the values later, but I don\'t want to make the plane too difficult to land.

As soon as I can finish it. In the meantime, you\'ll have to make do with some videos: http://youtu.be/JFZRtOGFXQo http://youtu.be/T58G_wZ3TIM

Maybe I\'ll add more detail later, but I\'m happy with how the plane performs right now.

No, I cheated. The rudders don\'t do anything, they\'re just for show.

The engine isn\'t big; the plane is small. The body is only 1 metre in diameter. --- As for the heat shield: I\'m leaving it orange. If you don\'t like it, then you\'ll just have to... Alright... I guess I can make an optional texture pack with a black heat shield. I suppose. Keep in mind that all the images show the heat shield in direct sunlight. It\'s not always that bright. --- In other news, I was able to make my first smooth landing in the Ausplane just a few minutes ago. It\'s really starting to feel like a solid piece of hardware.

Images from the latest test flight: Note the eight (fully functional) RCS nozzles on the nose, the gigantic aerospike engine and the signature orange heat shield.

I\'ll upload some new shots when I get home.

Surface attach for fuel tanks will be in the next update. In other news: the space plane is now fully textured. My next task is to create some RCS blocks that will attach to the back.

Sorry, I should have labelled everything. The rectangle at the top is the ship name. The two rectangles at the bottom are the vertical stabilisers. Squares, circles and rectangles on the left and right are the logos. Grey rectangles represent black surface tiles.

I went back and remodelled the nose. It looks a lot better now, and I\'ve learned some new tricks with edit poly. It can bank, pitch and survive an impact, but it\'s not a smooth ride. I\'m going to add a special parachute for safer landings. An improved lander is something I\'ve considered. It\'s not a priority at the moment, but ask me again when the space plane is done. Thank you for the positive feedback. It\'s what keeps me going. I\'ve adjusted the model so the windows are on a (slightly) steeper slope. As for the line painting: http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/index.php?topic=6237.0 Go forth and design the best pattern you can!

A fleet of space planes is being built at Down Under HQ (a secret base under the ocean). Clearly, each one of those planes needs a unique name and stylish pattern. My challenge to you: fire up your favourite image editing program and design the most stylish pattern you can! Don\'t forget to give your pattern a cool name, like Enterprise or Discovery. Here is the submission template: Here is an example pattern: This pattern uses the official Down Under colour: 0x990000 And here is the ship that will sport your pattern:

It\'s top-launched. It doesn\'t currently have a payload bay. I referenced the X-37, as well as the Shuttle (especially in the textures) and Kliper. I also looked at early Shuttle concepts for ideas. The model is a bit blocky because I\'m not as good at modelling as you. The RCS jets are fully functional. Alright, I\'ve moved the bottom jets to the sides. Thanks.

A spy satellite has captured new images of the space plane:

Thanks, Sid. I appreciate that. Ha ha. I wish I could release it now! The screenshots are blurry so you don\'t see how unfinished it is. Don\'t worry, it\'s got an emergency beer hatch.

I know it\'s been a while since the last update, but Down Under isn\'t finished yet... Needless to say, these documents are classified. :-X

Thanks, Nova. Sure enough, as the CoG of the plane changes (fuel being used up), the ailerons start going in the right direction.