Yet another mk3 SSTO - UPDATE

[Chris_2]

Edit: Update with 10t cargo capability below!

There's a nuke engine (with radiators) in the cargo bay, and you'll need to perform a suborbital docking! Action key 0 will trigger the launch escape system and eject the cockpit!

Download

Action keys:

0 Eject the cockpit

1 Toggle rapier's

2 Toggle jet engines

3 Swich rapiers to rocket mode

Edited May 10, 2015 by Chris_2

[Josh Harris]

Novel idea, don't think I've seen that done that way.

Unless it can't achieve orbit without it, the Nuke could be left in orbit as a space tug while a payload could ride in your cargo bay.

+ rep.

[Roflcopterkklol]

Haha awesome thats cute, i love the idea of installing the engine once in orbit

[Rune]

This reminds me I've got to test my Drive Pods in 1.0!

Rune. Will they blow themselves up, or radiate like bosses?

[Chris_2]

Novel idea, don't think I've seen that done that way.

Unless it can't achieve orbit without it, the Nuke could be left in orbit as a space tug while a payload could ride in your cargo bay.

+ rep.

Nope, I didn't manage orbit without the Nuke. Dock that thing fast or you'll reenter the atmosphere! Unless somebody can fly it more efficient than me, but I don't think it's possible. The original purpose of the nuke stage was indeed an orbital tug, but then I was messing around with spaceplanes and put it in the cargobay Putting the engine in the cargobay does help with the aerodynamics...

But since there's no more oxidizer left the spaceplane can't perform the reentry burn without the tug. So you'll need to save some oxidizer if you want to leave the tug.

Edited May 5, 2015 by Chris_2

[Chris_2]

UPDATE: I've now 'perfectionized' the craft so it has a 10t payload capability without using a nuclear tug. Weight without cargo is 60t so the payload fraction is 16%. Not bad! It also has ion engines which are very useful for circularisation, orbital maneuvering, inclination changes, deorbiting, etc, and 2 build in 'bomb bays' in the wings, with solar panels, xenon and VTOL (mun/minmus) landing engines!

An extra fuel tank, canards and wing strakes compared to the previous version. Very smooth lines!

Can launch a fully loaded nuclear-thermal tug.

A full 9t fuel tank for the tug:

Launching space station modules.

Goes through the sound-barrier easily without diving, and over 1200m/s at 20km on air-breathing engines!

When all else fails, eject!

Launching a VTOL ISRU assembly (11t) is really pushing the limits and also eating into some of the fuel of the payload.

Now I have a fully reusable Minmus mining architecture tough. I've not wasted a single thing since launching my new sandbox game! Going to Laythe with this craft is next!

Download

Action keys:

0 Eject the cockpit

1 Toggle rapier's

2 Toggle jet engines

3 Swich rapiers to rocket mode

4 Toggle VTOL engines

5 Toggle 'bomb bays'

6 Toggle 2 of 4 rapiers

7 Decouple payload (all the docking ports at the same time)

8 Extend flaps

9 Retract flaps

Edited May 10, 2015 by Chris_2

[Kagame]

Very. Very. Nice. I think all the rest of us spaceplane enthusiasts are caught up in making something with the biggest cargo bay (mine all fit an orange tank at least, but don't reliably make it to orbit.) You, however, recognize that the biggest thing anybody's going to bother lifting with a SSTO is a science lab or IRSU reactor, and that orange tanks are better left to specialist systems. Economy of cargo space, well stinkin' done! Now I'm gonna go try one. =3

And is it just me, or does that IRSU thing look like it's a pegasus donkey? With the drill, and the wingy solar sails...

Update: Done. This kind of layout is suprisingly capable.

Mine lacks VTOL and can really only deploy either two satellites or one module so I think you've kind of got me edged. Excellent idea, though- it works even with RAPIERS only.

Edited May 10, 2015 by Kagame

[Whippler]

That miner and refinary lander is a thing of beauty, love it!

[nfpinto]

Hey man, what about a flight profile? Seems impossible to take off with a 4.1t cargo, but everytime near 16k my air intake stop getting air or i lose control. Thanks

[SHiftER2O]

Engine mounting in orbit...... GENUIS!!! Have some rep! (if the forums allows me to give)

[Chris_2]

That miner and refinary lander is a thing of beauty, love it!

Thanks. Had a hard time to make all of it fit in the cargo bay. Used only a little bit of clipping on the structural parts (girders, bulkheads) but thats allowed in my opinion. I'll post the craft file.

Hey man, what about a flight profile? Seems impossible to take off with a 4.1t cargo, but everytime near 16k my air intake stop getting air or i lose control. Thanks

Thanks for trying out the craft! It's basically a 'standard' efficient SSTO profile:

Takeoff, start pitching up slowly gaining speed. At 8km the pitch should be 45° and speed 300m/s. Then start pitching down gradually until level at 12km gaining speed, continue accelerate to 600m/s, and then pitch up to 5 to 10°. Accelerate all the way to 20km and 1200m/s. If the engines are about to flame out you should pitch down. Any (thrust) instabilities you can just have handled by SAS (If it starts to wobble a bit that's a clear sign you should level off your pitch to gain more speed). Don't worry about the thermal heating, I have never lost any parts during ascent.

Then at 20km, switch over to rocket power, pitch up a little bit more (say, to 20°) until you are at 32km. Then pitch back down to 10°, switch to map view and watch the time until apogee. Regulate the throttle (throttle back) so it is never further away than 1 minute but always in front of you. A long burn at low throttle is most efficient. Burn all the way to 70km apogee. Then the perigee should also have appeared and only a small boost is required to circularize, which can be done by ion engine or rcs.

Engine mounting in orbit...... GENUIS!!! Have some rep! (if the forums allows me to give)

No no, engine mounting while not (yet) in orbit! :D Thanks for the rep!

Edited May 13, 2015 by Chris_2

[nfpinto]

Thanks for trying out the craft! It's basically a 'standard' efficient SSTO profile:

Takeoff, start pitching up slowly gaining speed. At 8km the pitch should be 45° and speed 300m/s. Then start pitching down gradually until level at 12km gaining speed, continue accelerate to 600m/s, and then pitch up to 5 to 10°. Accelerate all the way to 20km and 1200m/s. If the engines are about to flame out you should pitch down. Any (thrust) instabilities you can just have handled by SAS (If it starts to wobble a bit that's a clear sign you should level off your pitch to gain more speed). Don't worry about the thermal heating, I have never lost any parts during ascent.

Then at 20km, switch over to rocket power, pitch up a little bit more (say, to 20°) until you are at 32km. Then pitch back down to 10°, switch to map view and watch the time until apogee. Regulate the throttle (throttle back) so it is never further away than 1 minute but always in front of you. A long burn at low throttle is most efficient. Burn all the way to 70km apogee. Then the perigee should also have appeared and only a small boost is required to circularize, which can be done by ion engine or rcs.

Got it to the orbit! whas hard as .... man, im still newb at spaceplanes. had to make a lot of attempts until i get the right way, now i can fly anywhere

first, refueled at kerbin space station, then headed to dock at a moon space station. i got a rover inside, made a few adjustments and i can drop the rover at the moon and profit

the ion engine... at first made my head ache, cause i whas using hand and auto control, and the power is so slow, my nodes was useless. but im getting the way, using it just to small maneuvers to save fuel. nice touch!

Congratz, Space plane approved!

[Chris_2]

Cool! I see what you did there, turned the cargobay around to bomb bay style to drop the rover on the mun. Nice!

[Wjolcz]

Is that a radiator made out of I-beams that I see? Looks amazing!

Also nice idea with in-flight engine changing! Was thinking about something like this, but never really tried.

[Chris_2]

Is that a radiator made out of I-beams that I see? Looks amazing!

Also nice idea with in-flight engine changing! Was thinking about something like this, but never really tried.

They are quite heavy though, and wing parts might work better as radiator:

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/116993-Helpful-1-0-observations?p=1870791&viewfull=1#post1870791

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/118938-The-infinite-full-throttle-LV-N-cluster-Temperature-curve-flattens

It's also not really necessary anymore in 1.0.2, but it sure looks nice indeed!

[rtxoff]

Very nice +rep

[Distjubo]

Wow, your spaceplane is really good! I could not get into orbit in one piece yet (i am a noob), but I splashed down hard enough to send a chunk of debris into an interplanetary trajectory! (It glitched out and continuously flew up without loosing speed)

Edited August 10, 2015 by Distjubo
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[valens]

A very nice design; I like especially the ion drive to make small orbit corrections. Tried a clone of this and the 1-minute rule is quite useful...

[Edit:] Made it to 100 km LKO with a 10 t package. The ion drives are quite useful for changing orbit, though they pack about as much power as a radial RCS port. Of course the advantage is that Xenon takes less place and weight than monoprop.

Edited June 11, 2016 by valens