Search the Community

http:// (CHALLNGE IS NOW CLSOED) Welcome everyone to another 'Quest for Hypersonic' challenge. This is a reboot of a challenge I did in September while already planning to try to make it bigger and better. Well now that challenge is pretty much dead and after some thought I decided to start a new one with some major changes. The original thread can be found HERE. Like in the previous challenge the goal is to build the fastest possible stock aircraft in either one of the two classes. Waverider, and Hermes. There are separate rules for both classes. (Details below.) If your design goes fast enough, you will receive a badge for either going faster than 3000 m/s, 3500 m/s or 4000 m/s. You will be able to put it in your signature. After you have submitted your entry, your result will be added to the top 5 leaderboard if you have beaten the record! So first, a bit of background on hypersonic travel. The term 'hypersonic' means anything traveling faster than Mach 5, or 5 times the speed of sound. Note: The speed of an aircraft is only counted as hypersonic if it is in the atmosphere and under 90 km. The first hypersonic aircraft was built by the US and was a two-stage completaly kerbal rocket that reached the speed of mach 6.7. Nothing but ash and dust remained of the rocket when it 'landed'. The first human to exceed the hypersonic barrier was Yuri Gagarin, (I am looking at you, Jebediah), and after that came Alan Shepard from the US. After that a series of developments led to the X-15 aircraft, which, to date is the fastest manned airplane capable of flight. CLASSES: Note: The rules apply only to the seperate classes WAVERIDER HERMES BADGES: These are the badges you get for building a craft that goes especially fast. You can either get one for flying faster than 3000 m/s, one for flying faster than 3500 m/s and one for flying faster than 4000 m/s http:// This is the badge you will receive if you build a craft capable of over 3000 m/s. http:// You will receive this badge if you build a craft capable of over 3500 m/s http:// Easily the hardest badge to get! This is the grand prize of this challenge! The 4000 m/s badge. WAVERIDER CLASS LEADERBOARD 1. @QuarkyGirl 5653M/S 2. @Pds314 5035M/S 3.@I troll children online. 4482M/S 4. @JorgeCS 4408M/S 5. @Vinhero100 4045M/S HERMES CLASS LEADERBOARD: 1. @QuarkyGirl:4806 M/S 2.@ralanboyle 4067M/S 3.@*MajorTom* 3107M/S 4. 5. HOW TO SUBMIT: To submit a craft, first take a pic of your craft and another picture of your record as proof. Then you can post it in this thread with the name of your craft and you record speed under 50 km. If you have passed the 3000 m/s barrier, then you will get a badge! GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN EVERYONE! AND REMEMBER, DON'T OBEY THE LAWS OF PHYSICS!

I am in the process of making functional recreations of all the Thunderbirds and am currently working on Thunderbird 1. I have made a rough replica of the design that is able to do a vertical takeoff and turn horizontally. I had the idea of using robotics from the breaking ground dlc to make the extendable wings using hinges, however they don't seem to be stable. When going at highspeeds the wings just flail around making them useless, I am wondering if anyone has any idea on how to make extendable wings that work at high speeds

I've been trying to make SSTOs for quite the while, some successful, the vast majority not. What I have discovered however, is how easy it can be to make stock planes go excruciatingly fast at low altitudes. Iirc, my fastest plane @10km was a near-orbital bomber project that had been partly, maybe halfway, drained of fuel that went 2104m/s or something like that. It burned to a crisp soon after doing so (at least it was unmanned!) but it was cool to see that it would at least go over 2km/s after dropping payload. I made it to 2km/s again in another similar craft but the cargo bay housed 2 small TCS systems and I was at 15km this time. Lasted slightly longer before I pulled the airbrakes and ripped the plane back into subsonic speeds once again. Anyways, the main challenge is to make a plane with jet engines (my 2 planes used rapiers only, of which there were 10) go 2km/s, hopefully even 2.3km/s, and keep it in Kerbin's atmosphere. Sub-orbital hops don't count unless you're just burning of fuel to get TWR up. CATEGORIES: 1. Jets only, low altitude. Air breathing engines only, <15km 2. Jets only, medium altitude. Same as 1, but between 15 and 21km. 3. Jets only, high altitude. Above 21km on airbreathers only. 4. Hybrid, low alt. Jets + one aerospike (or any allowed LFO engine) at or below 15km. 5. Hybrid, medium alt. Same as 4 but between 15 and 19km. 6. Hybrid, high altitude. Jets + aerospike (or any allowed LFO engine) between 19 and 21km. 7. Hybrid, very high altitude. Above 21km. 8. Rocket only aircraft at low altitude. LFO engines only at or below 13km. 9. Rocket only, medium alt. Same as 8, but between 13 and 18km. 10. Rocket only at high altitude. Between 18km and 23km. 11. Rocket only at extreme altitude. LFO only between 23 and 27km. 12. Jet-Ion hybrid. I just want to see someone do this, surprise me! 13. Limbo. Go +2km/s as low as you can, no cheating, and keep thrust below 1000kn. RULES: 0. MINIMUM QUALIFIER SPEED IS 2000M/S SUSTAINED FOR 3 SECONDS FOR ALL CATEGORIES 1. Must be a plane, as in it uses primarily aerodynamic controls and wings. Mk 2 parts are preferred for fuselage in my experience. 2. RAPIERS, for jets only submissions, these engines are not allowed to go into closed cycle at any point. If they do, they are classed as rocket engines rather than airbreathers. This means your run will be counted as a HYBRID category run. 3. Apoapsis height when at top speed should not exceed 30km unless you are doing a power-dive, in which case I ask it be below 40km. 4. Submissions are to be classed by the altitude they are at when they reach top speed, if you reach top speed twice in the same flight, use the lower altitude. 5. Proof of completion is to be in the form of screenshots. If you are not aware, it is possible to have your navball open on the map screen by clicking the arrow at the bottom of the game window. You should also right-click your apoapsis to have it "bookmarked" while setting up your screenshots. 6. For all categories, speed is to be determined with the surface reference on navball only. 7. TCS systems are frowned upon but allowed, it would be hypocritical of me to ban them as one of my designs used them. 8. Bonus: Survival with a manned aircraft at these speeds and altitudes (MUST use stock cockpits, no chairs in service modules!) is likely to be challenging, I encourage you to try it. Detachable cabins are allowed for this subsect of the challenge, although airbrakes are more likely to help. 9. Engines should be of the Small size, or 1.25 meters like the rapiers. Vector is not allowed for this competition for the sake of pushing designs as far as possible, the vector would arguably make this challenge extremely easy at the extreme or high altitude categories. 10. The only mod allowed to be used is Kerbal Engineer Redux for gathering proof of apoapsis height and surface velocity in screenshots. All altered or modded engines or parts are disqualified as are autopilot mods. If I can do it with standard SAS, so can you. 10b. If you have a question about a modded part i.e. cabin, then ask me. Don't use insanely powerful modded engines or scramjets, that would remove the true challenge from this if you did. 11. Ablative heat shields are allowed, but only one, and it must be at the tiny, or 0.625m size, the same as the small circular air intake. It can not be jettisoned after the material is burnt off. 12. No part clipping of engines. You may put fuel tanks inside the wings and attach engines there, but this will mostly add stress to the wings. 13. Have fun, make any suggestions you feel warranted and I will think about altering the challenge. Thanks for reading this book of a challenge.

https://kerbalx.com/Skeletor2/200G-STOCK-Hypersonic-Plane Hey, I've been playing KSP since March 2013 and I pretty much only build planes. After 500 hours and hundreds of different designs, I've finally decided to upload one. It isn't my favorite plane I've made so far but it's the only one that can consistently pull more than 200G's (Though I have a few others that come close). I figured I'd share it and see how people feel. Please leave feedback if you like the plane/want to see more, maybe even share some of your own high-G designs! Not entirely sure how to make the pictures appear here without having to click a link but you can see them all on KerbalX. Let me know if I should change anything! https://imgur.com/a/YaeNk https://imgur.com/a/mlSvq https://imgur.com/a/LBhUS https://imgur.com/a/V7cYG https://imgur.com/a/40i3c https://imgur.com/a/6sGfB

After a long time I'm finally able to update Mk3 Hypersonic Systems! This new version includes re-textured and re-modeled parts, plus four brand new parts. It also includes a somewhat functional IVA with RPM, it's still not exactly pretty, and I'll keep working on it, but for now I think it works. As the name implies, this mod is geared toward expading the possibilities for making sleeker spaceplanes using the Mk3 fuselage system DOWNLOAD FROM SPACEDOCK The mod includes the following parts: Old ones: Mk3 Hypersonic Cockpit - A stylish command pod that fits five kerbals with a much pointier shape for less drag Mk3 radial attachment fuselage extensions - This essentially turns the Mk3 fuselage into a lifting body, much like the Mk2. Three parts fall into this category: A wing edge root extension, a lifting body extension and a RAM intake. Hybrid high-bypass turbofan/ramjet 2.5m engine - Much like Mk2 spaceplanes use the 1.25 jet-engines, it seems only natural that Mk3 spaceplanes could rely on proportionally large jet engines. This engine is just that. A 2.5m shock cone intake. Following the same logic, 2.5m intakes are needed for larger spaceplanes. A 2.5 switchable LF/LFO 10m long tank - There's plenty of 2.5m tanks, but this one allows for fuel selection, very useful for spaceplanes. Radial attachment scramjet engine - This is a rather large scramjet with its own intake. Like real life scramjets it will not produce thrust until it's going at high speeds. New ones: Mk3 Hypersonic Drone Core. A sleek drone core designed for super high speeds Mk3 Hybrid high-bypass turbofan/ramjet. A larger version of the size 2 engine with moar thrust. Mk3 Ram Intake. A big jet engine is gooing to need lots of air. Mk3 Aerospike rocket. Because this parts pack is geared toward making spaceplanes, it makes sense to have a rocket engine suitable for the purpose. Promo video: Included Plugins: Module Manager v2.6.21 by Sarbian - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/55219-Module-Manager-2-1-0-%28May-04%29-please-read-the-orange-text-in-first-post Firespitter v7.1 by Snjo http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/24551-Firespitter-propeller-plane-and-helicopter-parts-v7-1-%28May-5th%29-for-KSP-1-0 CrossFeedEnabler v3.3 by NathanKell http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/76499-1-0-CrossFeedEnabler-v3-3-May-11 RasterPropMonitor v0.25 by MOARdv http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/105821-110-rasterpropmonitor-still-putting-the-a-in-iva-v0250-19-april-2016/ Also, if you like this one you might also want to look at Mk3 Expansion from Suicidal Insanity. It also adds a lot of new Mk3 parts. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/109401-mk2mk3-expansion-dev-thread-m3x-108-update-11715-m2x-17-prerelease/ There are two other aerospikes over there, but they're different in terms of performance, so there's room for all!

Background: A while back I remember a fun challenge I picked up that involved BD Armory and delivering a bomb to a target about a third of the way around Kerbin in the fastest possible time, it was fun and all but I really wanted to break a barrier I saw in Kerbin speed possibilities. I wanted Jeb to go faster, farther, and more efficiently, then any Kerbal before him and thats when I began looking up real world hypersonic craft and became really interested in this subject area. What I have discovered already: There doesn't seem to be a lot of info regarding people who are building craft meant to travel in excess of 1300 m/s and above 20 kilometers, most of this is due to where the stock Whiplash engines cut out around 1300 m/s and 20,000 m, you might as well just use rocket engines and insert yourself in orbit at that point anyway. To go above and beyond this I picked up the X43 Hyperblast Scramjet Engine from the wonderful MK2 expansion pack (aptly named after its real world vehicle). It's kinda hard to use as it wont start until you are close to 1250 m/s at 20,000 so the whiplash acts as a good stepping stone to using it on your vehicle. Also, while looking for a design to start from, the real world X43 fills exactly what im trying to. A successful knockoff of its design produced a craft capable of breaking 2000 m/s at 33,000 meters in game. I fully realize that once you start getting into using modded engines, tweakscale and other mods that asking about game mechanics regarding them becomes magnitudes more difficult. So im just curious about general design, and if anyone else has tried to tackle this or something similar before Actual Question: Are there any tips/tricks or for building vehicles that travel in atmosphere at speeds between 13-2000 m/s? Why is the real world X43 designed the way it is; flat front vs pointy, smaller control surfaces vs larger, and flat topped body vs circular fuselage? Also would it be helpful to add a pic of the craft I already have so it can be critiqued, etc?

A shadow company that's been developing spaceplanes that run the razor's edge, and the edge of the presence of IntakeAir and possibly give even Jebediah the heebie keebies has finally shown its face. Its philosophy is to stretch the usability of IntakeAir like no one else ever can and spare every feasible design from carrying the unsavory bulk weight of Oxidizer, therefore NOX means No Oxidizer. To qualify to wear the Fort NOX flag, if you so desire (I'm not trying to make this a challenge thread but it's just turning out that way. The firm does have its rules.) :: The firm is quite intimate with the parts from, and has a very healthy partnership with the pre-existing brands, Orbit Portal Technologies, Insanity Aerospace, and N5 Aerodynamics and Space. The associated mods are known to possess true scramjet engines: OPT Spaceplane Parts, Mk2 Stockalike Expansion, Mk3 Stockalike Expansion, Mk3 Hypersonic Systems. The craft must have adequate thermal protection at the front-most part(s) and its pilot must be prepared to avoid asymmetric flameouts which can mean insta-death for the crew. A craft must be able to effectively blow holes in Kerbin's sky and reach high orbit to complete its mission. Not every craft actually needs to be hypersonic or to contain mods. Any stock craft that can get into space, preferably fast, and with the use of fuels other than Oxidizer are eligible. Now if only I had an example for a SolidFuel Hypersonic... That'd be great for Vanilla design. Craft Gallery.

Since supersonic commercial aircraft are clearly possible (see: Concorde) what would be the obstacles to the construction and operation of a new one? Obstacles I see: Noise pollution Dubious economy of operation Low public interest Lack of obvious use in which they would significantly outperform existing subsonic aircraft Additionally, how impractical are theoretical hypersonic large aircraft that "skip" across the thicker layer of the atmosphere?

Currently working on updating my mod Mk3 Hypersonic Systems for the release of KSP 1.1. I'm doing some work on retexturing a lot of the parts to give them more detail and better match stock textures, and also adding brand-new parts. For now I'm working on this Mk3 size Aerospike engine. It's supposed to be a kind of what the T-1 is to the Swivel, but in this case to the Rhino. In that sense, it has somewhat similar performance, but geared toward spaceplanes rather than rockets. It has somewhat reduced thrust and better Isp, both in the atmosphere and in vacuum. Here's a little video of the progress so far, mainly a showcase of the effects

Welcome to Alex J Derpert's Kerbal Space Program Ship Pack!!! NOTICE: Some of the ships are not shown in the video. SHIPS INCLUDED: 1st Spaceplane (My first spaceplane(Supersonic)) Albatross 72 Heavy Troop Dropper (Heavy Troop Dropper) Cargo Jet Plane (Cargo Plane) Falcon 25 Troop Dropper (Light Troop Dropper) Hypersonic Plane (Hypersonic) Kart Racer Mark I (Miscellaneous) Ravenspear Mk5 (Hypersonic) Stearwing A300 with Rocket (Manned Rocket(Manned) Dropper) Stearwing SRB Dropper A750 (Missile(Unmanned) Launcher) Supersonic Spy Jet (Supersonic) DOWNLOAD: http://www.mediafire.com/download/ssvwas7qe87hiop/AJD%27s+KSP+Ship+Pack.rar https://www.dropbox.com/s/9y0z3c1k1i7ily4/AJD%27s%20KSP%20Ship%20Pack.rar?dl=0 Some of the planes have bay doors. These can be toggled using the Light button near the altitude meter. BE WARNED!!! Some of the planes(Ravenspear Mk5 for example) can go up to 1500m/s! Be careful and use low speed when landing. Please let me know if anything faulty with the ships happen and i will solve it. See you in the skies!

I present to you my newest mod, an SR-71 cockpit that fits MK2 and has an IVA! ATM the IVA still doesen't have props but i'l fix that as soon as I can! In my opinion the model is still a bit rough both inside and outside so expect improvements and TOTAL remodelling in the future! Enjoy! Kerbalstuff DOWNLOAD

SpaceX prefers vertical powered landing to horizontal winged landings for their booster to do RTLS since it requires little modification to the booster and because it would also work on airless bodies. However, using wings may offer an advantage. Based on the lengths of the burns for the return portion of the boosters flight on the Orbcomm-2 mission, I estimate the amount of propellant that must be reserved for the booster RTLS as ca. 46 metric tons (mT). This results in a large performance hit of a 30% loss of payload according to Musk. However, estimates of wing weight are about 10% of the landed weight, which probably could be reduced to 5% with carbon composites. So for a F9 booster with an estimated dry mass of 20 mT to 25 mT, you would only need an additional 2 to 2.5 mT, and likely half that with composites. This would results in large reduction of the payload loss. But the question is could we use wings to allow a RTLS when the booster flies at hypersonic speeds, say, at ca. Mach 7? I think it might be possible, or with minimal propellant burn, if your airfoil has high hypersonic lift-drag ratio. To be sure this would be very different from the Space Shuttle's delta-wing shape. The shuttle has been described as akin to a flying brick with a hypersonic L/D ratio of only 1, though its subsonic L/D is better at about 4.5 However, airfoils of high hypersonic L/D are known: Waverider Design. http://www.aerospaceweb.org/design/waverider/waverider.shtml So my challenge to Kerbal-mavens is if you have a Mach 7 L/D of about 7, could your first stage booster at a max speed of Mach 7 do a return to launch site? Bob Clark