Single Fuel SSTO Challange

[PAL9000]

Single Fuel SSTO Challenge

As the name implies this is a challenge about building an SSTO capable vehicle

using only a single kind of fuel. There will be four categories: liquid fuel,

RCS, solid fuel and Xenon. The last one im not sure is possible but i will

keep it as an category if someone manages to build one.

What is an SSTO?

An SSTO is defined on this challenge as a Vehicle of any shape that does

not drop any parts. Therefore things exploding on hitting a cliff or

by burning in the athmosphere is allowed and not staging.

Rules:

No mods, alt f12 or other cheats.

You are not allowed to have any other resource on your plane

other then the resource of the category you are competing

for except electric charge and intake air.

You are not allowed to use resource mining or transfering under

your mission.

Provide picture of plane in SPH with engineers report open, on runway with resource tab open

in orbit with your highest kerbin apoapsis and pictures with the various planetary bodies you

have visited with your plane.

These rules are enforced trough honor and if people can provide

sufficient proof of someone breaking them.

Scoring:

Your score will be:

Highest Kerbin Periapsis+Highest Kerbin Apoapsis+Combined Sphere of influence of bodies visited

3

(Kerbol does not count since you are already in orbit of it)

Bonus Points and Penalties:

Calculated by multiplying final score by combined bonus points +1.

Horiontal takeoff: 0.1

Kerbaled: 0.1

No gravity assists: 0.3

Lost parts: -0.5

+0.1 per 10% reentry heating setting

Showing that it is possible:

(with liquid fuel)

Pictures here.

I did not try to reach my maximum apoapsis but its the same thing pretty much.

High Scores!

Liquid fuel:

LordFjord-35891080629

RCS:

Solid fuel:

Xenon:

Have fun, also this is my first challenge so im open to suggestions!

(mandatory kerbal)

Edited May 20, 2015 by PAL9000

[Pds314]

It might be possible to gyroplane up to altitude and then xenon...

- - - Updated - - -

It might be possible to gyroplane up to altitude and then xenon...

Solid fuel is probably impossible.

RCS should be doable if you get away from the ground quickly.

Nukes+turbos is probably best.

[Venusgate]

^ No points for Cap'n Naysay!

Might try this tonight.

In the meantime, i suggest you add to your rules: No physics altering mods, or provide different categories for mods like FAR and deadly re-entry.

Also, give us a single glamour shot of your SSTO; as they say, no pics, no clicks

[Quantumatt]

How are we to define an SSTO plane for this challenge?

1.) Only Stage once? (i.e. all engines activate at once) OR Just no decouple stages?

2.) Must all initial parts of the plane make it to orbit? (i.e. parts can't be destroyed via impact or thermal).

3.) Must the SSTO get into orbit (Single Stage To Orbit)? Just asking since the score is based on the Apoapsis.

4.) What is the definition of an SSTO plane? Anything that lifts off on the runway? Can it lift-off vertically or only horizontally?

I ran some solid fuel trial runs. I don't think it's possible to get into orbit if all initial parts of the craft must make it to orbit. ISP is too low, best case delta-v is ≈3060m/s vacuum (Stayputnik + many S1 SRBs).

I was able to get into orbit by losing parts due to thermal heating.

[Bobnova]

Thinking in new ways here. Not completely new, but what the hell.

Almost made it. Maybe 100dV short, ahh well.

Bit better angle/timing and it'd probably work.

Totally would be a Single Fuel SSTO, though not especially planelike per say.

Oh and FAR of course, clearly.

What that does to dV relative to stock is beyond me.

[PAL9000]

Updated the rules and made a definition of SSTO.

Also i would like to know what your score was Bobnova since the score is based on apoapsis and periapsis.

[cryogen]

I'm ignorant -- what are the ~optimal delta-v's to low Kerbin orbit, now that 1.0.2 rebalanced everything? Is there a thread or article calculating this?

[LordFjord]

Nice challenge!

I have a plane that would qualify for an entry, but I only have a single screenie of its testflight (and I forgot to drain the monoprop). Treat it like a gatecrasher entry for now.

I will try to do another mission with it, maybe a mun or minmus visit and document it appropriately.

Anyway, here is the pic. 4 RAPIERS in airbreather mode, 4 nukes (way too many for the size, do not ask - but it worked).

~2k dV remaining in LKO.

A suggestion for your challenge rules:

- do not score max apoapsis. Then its a matter of time until someone posts a "I left Kerbol's SOI" pic. Rather take dV from LKO or something like that.

edit: another idea/question:

is it allowed to start with only ore as a resource? Then process it into whatever we want and go from there? As long as its an SSTO, why not? Would be interesting to try for sure.

Edited May 20, 2015 by LordFjord

[rtxoff]

@LordFjord , i don't think this is by the rules. Your plane is using intakeair which also is an resource.

[PAL9000]

Intresting idea but i think that is a whole challenge in itself.

Problem with that is that you can not see your dv without mods. (what i know)

I forgot to change the rules so they accounted for that so its allowed.

Edited May 20, 2015 by PAL9000

[LordFjord]

@LordFjord , i don't think this is by the rules. Your plane is using intakeair which also is an resource.

PAL9000's plane also has turbojets, so I think it's fine.

I don't think that it would be mathematically possible to get to LKO on nukes alone. You can't orbit on jets alone.

ION will be very very hard as well.

Monoprop, I don't know, havent built much with them.

Solid fuel: well, depends how many you can strap together without the thing exploding, doable. Explosion-style staging seems to be allowed by the rules. "Therefore things exploding on hitting a cliff or by burning in the athmosphere is allowed and not staging."

@PAL9000: well, you can always calculate the vessel's dV by hand. KER just makes it a bit more comfortable

[Bobnova]

Updated the rules and made a definition of SSTO.

Also i would like to know what your score was Bobnova since the score is based on apoapsis and periapsis.

Please note that I'm not actually claiming this as a score as I didn't follow screenshot rules and am using FAR.

That said, the score calculates thusly:

73619.1 AP

-81891.8 PE

=

-8272.7

*0.3 for no gravity assists

=

-2481.81

Now amusingly had I staged and dropped something and acquired the -0.3 and not claimed the no-gravity-assists I'd have a multiplier of -0.3, for a grand total score of positive 2481.81.

I'll probably strip FAR out and take another whack at this tonight, I enjoyed it and am pretty sure this route is possible.

I like the challenge! I'd suggest a base multiplier of 1.0 though due to the negative multiplied by a negative issue. Staging a craft on the launchpad and calling it good would technically be a decent score (though not within the "in orbit with your highest kerbin apoapsis" rule as it's not exactly orbit).

Anyway, this is fun!

[LordFjord]

So I removed the monoprop and did another flight with the plane.

Here are some pics - sorry for teasing the rules, the flight didn't do as planned...

orbit with 125km periapsis, then a planned Mun flyby - then I noticed I forgot to put on some solar panels and ran outta electricity. Jeb got slingshotted outta Kerbin's SOI with a Kerbol Apoapsis of 16.313.307 km.

You do the score calculations now

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Anyway, nice challenge, I'd like to see some more longrange nuke-powered SSTOs. I miss the times of Duna/Laythe capable spaceplanes, maybe some can resurrect them.

[PAL9000]

I will wait for you too do it without FAR before i add you to the highscore list since you lack screenshots and your calculations where a bit confusion.

I think im done editing the score keeping system for now too, glad you enjoy the challenge!

[Foxster]

I need a ruling here:

How about a Xenon-powered craft that carries LF+O just to work a fuel cell?

[PAL9000]

Then yor craft would contain another resource wich is anginst the rules, intresting idea tough.

[ABalazs]

I found turbojet+NERVA LKO and back is absolute doable with just a small fighterish plane, 2x tj, 2xnuke and 900 fuel. I suffered a bit with the new aero model, but accelerating from 10km heading at least 25-30 deg angle up do the trick. High TWR with turbojets is a must here to reach 1000 m/s at 20km, and stay angled upwards. Sadly I did not documented the flight - maybe I will try it again later to produce the necessary proof.