Strider - Small SSTO inpired by the Ranger from Interstellar

[Zwolff]

I needed a rather small craft for mainly personal transport to use as shuttles for my Laythe mission. As I just watched Interstellar, I was inspired to build this little ship to fill the role.

If launched as an SSTO to an orbit of 75km, the Strider has around 700 m/s of ∆v left for orbital manoeuvres, and around 200 ∆v of RCS. It can reach around 2000 m/s at around 35 km altitude before rocket engine boost into orbit.

Just like in the movie, the Strider also comes with a 2-stage launcher to get to orbit. However it is rather unstable to fly because of all the lifting surfaces an the top, so some extra wings and SAS-modules were required to fly it as a rocket to space. It can do an engineless glide back to KSC, both with full tanks if launched as a rocket, or with empty tanks if flown to space as an SSTO.

Craft file

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Edited April 17, 2015 by Zwolff

[Himynameisjake]

That's a cute little efficient craft, nicely done

[Guest]

I just suck at making SSTOs! I can´t get anything to orbit in a single stage and you and all the other forum guys come along and build such things!

Well done, mate! +rep

[Hobbes Novakoff]

This is sweet. Rep for you!

[DMSP]

Downloading.

+Rep

[panzer1b]

Nice, this kinda reminds me of most of my compact SSTOs, that happen to all be laythe roundtrip capable. Considering the part count limitation for capital ships (as much as id love to make something as large as the hangar, with current performance above 500 parts its more or less a dream and never going to happen until possibly unity 5), almost all my capital ships have been smallish in scale, and i cant exactly have interceptors/shuttles that are as big as half the capital ship itself.

I dont know how much dV that puny thing gets, as it doesnt quite look like it could take off from a ship, land at KSC, and then go back to orbit, but perhaps i dont see some clipped fuel ect.

[HoloYolo]

If Interstellar was in KSP

"Strider 1 detach in 3"

"Wait, Koop what are you doing?!?!?"

"Newton's Third Law, forgot the line 2"

"Please don't...1"

"Detach"

Amazing! Downloading and using!

[Zwolff]

Nice, this kinda reminds me of most of my compact SSTOs, that happen to all be laythe roundtrip capable. Considering the part count limitation for capital ships (as much as id love to make something as large as the hangar, with current performance above 500 parts its more or less a dream and never going to happen until possibly unity 5), almost all my capital ships have been smallish in scale, and i cant exactly have interceptors/shuttles that are as big as half the capital ship itself.

I dont know how much dV that puny thing gets, as it doesnt quite look like it could take off from a ship, land at KSC, and then go back to orbit, but perhaps i dont see some clipped fuel ect.

My interplanetary craft, the Von Kerman Jool explorer, that will use the Striders is not a super large ship compared to what I see other people post on the forums, but it has a stock rotating artificial gravity section that eats part count because of the bearings. It will probably be a slow ride as my computer is not the fastest one.

You are right that some fuel is clipped. The Strider has a FL-T100 and a FL-T400. The FL-T400 is clipped about half way into the Mk2 crew cabin, and the FL-T100 if clipped about half way into the Mk2 drone core. This gives it enough fuel to reach orbit with plenty to spare for orbital manoeuvres and rendezvous with a ship or station.