Auk Shuttle (A Huge X-37 Style Shuttle)

[Exothermos]

Need something in space? Just put it on top of a rocket, man! Is that something really big? Put it on a really big rocket!

This is the Auk Shuttle, a big drone shuttle on top of a big rocket. It can deliver big, heavy things to any Kerbin orbit, and slightly lighter things to Munar and Minmus orbit. Like its avian namesake it is a tubby vehicle with dubiously short wings.

It has a standard rocket ascent. Lets pretend that those boosters are reusable.

When lifting station modules, the main stage is usually sufficient to get the orbiter in a stable LKO.

This allows you to take things places! The .craft file comes with a simple Assembly Tug for Orbital Maneuvers (ATOM), as well as a docking port in the bay. Here the ATOM is wrestling a habitation node on to my Minmus station.

Heavy stuff like this simple gas station can be taken to stable orbits of a few hundred kilometers. Here the cargo bay is stripped of equipment in order to lift the over-sized part.

Now the exciting part! How good are you at getting KSC glide slope landings? Well, after a few reentrys with the Auk you will either be a pro or you will hate me. Maybe both. The Auk glides with around a 3 to 1 ratio. Basically that is really just controlled falling. And that is when it is mostly empty; Make sure to use all your fuel before returning or you will show a lawn dart how to do its job. Hey, space is for those with grit, character, and all the Right Stuff! Come in high and hot then dive down to the runway, a 30 degree dive is ideal. Keep your speed above 120 m/s until you are within reach of the runway.

Oh god... FLARE... uuuunggggghhhhh.

Aw yeah.

The ship is responsive and maneuvering is easy, but speed scrubs off surprisingly fast. Ideally you want to scrub speed over the threshold of the runway. Of course you can just land anywhere in the field too.

I guess.

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[bakanando]

Very nice, is the lifter stage recoverable?

Amazing that a MK3 with so little wing can land safely. My shuttle-like has more with parasitic drag and it's still stressful to land. I really can't wait for porkjets new landing gear, those look like kiddie wheels compared to the ship on top.

[Exothermos]

I played with recoverable lifter stages, and it was a success, but since KSP doesn't handle recoverable stages well, and this craft was a bit of a stunt / challenge rather than a "serious business" craft, I left the capability out. I don't think very many people use huge mark3 rockets and planes in career mode where recovery really counts anyway.

If there is interest, however, I can polish these up a bit for release.

Edit: Yes the new pork-product gear are going to be a God send!

Edited March 7, 2015 by Exothermos

[Rune]

Haha, I like the descent. It's really cool when the landing takes skill! If you want to check out another challenge, I dare you to land my K-33 with the full payload. FUN!

Rune. Flight Manager for reusable stages might be worth a look for this.