The K Prize - 100% reusable spaceplane to orbit and back

[Mastodon]

I don't know. before the forums went down, I submitted my SSTO and so did a few others and he never updated the thread for about a week or so. then the forums went down.

[zekes]

yeah same... i guess il just have to repost it.

[bsalis]

Hmmmm, well the K-prize is practically a KSP institution.

If boolybooly does not show soon mebe i'll see if i can pester a mod to create and run a sub-forum for it.

[Tarsus]

or someone else could just create a new thread as this one has lost almost 6 months worth of entries anyway

[GusTurbo]

A new thread would make sense, since most of this one is very outdated.

[AmpsterMan]

I would like that. Though I just FINALLY made one after being around for close to a year now XD

[pa1983]

Video is up!

http://youtu.be/05WxvokQITc

Craft file is here

http://1701-enterprise.no-ip.org/patrik/SSTOs.zip

This is my forth and final prototype of a none stop SSTO spaceplane capable of interplanetary travel with landing and take off at the target body and returning to Kerbin with out refueling at all and all this while delivering a 37.82 ton payload . The take off weight is 205.43 tons with a 37.82 ton payload. The first prototype had to few and to narrow wheel base to be able to land, second one had to little Delta V and the 3:e had drag problems causing instability when reentering Kerbins atmosphere at 4000m/s+.

This is the last prototype and the only slight problem that I had expected was center of gravity moved backwards enough for it to go nose gear up when coming to a stop on Kerbin but that was easily fixed by moving the landing gears backwards and had no effect on the take off speed.

The game runs at about 0.5x real time with 1200+ parts on an overclocked i7 processor so I have speed the video up to 2x to make it more pleasant to watch but its perfectly flyable and I usually have 0.5x rendering time any way even with 80 parts probably due to bugs with planet renderings.

Its important to keep the number of engines down to reduce lag. They are a big source of lag on crafts with many parts when the smoke is rendered so a lot of wings is actually faster and more efficient and also lots of intakes to. Hopefully intakes will be remade by the devs so we don't need to resort to intake abuse sens real high speed crafts don't have problems with air intake amount but rather the velocity of the flow and how hot the intake air gets at high Mach numbers causing engine damaged but a heat exchanger would solve that and they have been developed IRL and are under testing for the Skylon SSTO spaceplane.

The craft uses Two Jumbo tanks and two small 360L oxidizer tanks (plus fuel) and 16x 150L Fuel tanks for the jets. 14x jet engines and 8x NV-1 Nervas supply's the thrust.

Drag parachutes helps reducing speed to avoid overshooting good landing sites sens the craft has so much mass and high lift it can glide very fare with out thrust at high speeds.

A payload can also be loaded on to the craft even on Kerbin. I have tested with the 37.82T benchmark payload and it docked fine after some maneuvering so its perfectly possible to retrieve cargo in theory at least from other planets.

It might be able to go to Laythe at least I hope but I have not have time to test yet. The oxygen atmosphere and low gravity should make that possible if theres enough fuel in the Jumbo tanks that can be transfered to the jet engines fuel tanks. Alternatively the small oxygen/fuel fuel tanks can be replaced with pure fuel tanks to increase the fuel to oxygen ratio. Finding a big and flat landing site is a problem tough.

Edited April 22, 2013 by pa1983

[zekes]

You... are amazing....

Here's my 19.0 design....Called the Belle I

It is mun capable, I did however miss KSC and landed somewhere close...

Edited April 22, 2013 by zekes

[admiralducksauce]

After many (many, many) attempts, I finally got an SSTO, the Hot Dog II, into orbit, docked with my space station, then back down to Kerbin. I kept f'ing the chicken around 2km up trying to align myself for the KSC runway, so I just settled for landing anywhere. The vehicle loses too much weight when the fuel's gone and it gets flippy.

Takeoff was fine, though.

Circularizing my orbit.

On approach to the station.

Stay on target...

Docking success. No refueling happened this trip, check the Resources display.

Deorbiting like Ghost Rider.

Jeb survives! This is about 20km shy of KSC. I might make it back to the runway one of these days.

[Tarsus]

looking at your resource tab, you have more than enough fuel left to just fire up your jets and fly over there

[AmpsterMan]

A quick question, do I need to return to KSC? Or can I just eject over the general area, proving that my plane can make it but my skills cannot.

[evilC]

Can I suggest a rule to allow non-stock parts with the following proviso:

The only thing allowed is to edit a fuel tank and alter the amount of fuel in it DOWN only.

eg it is permitted to take a rockomax x200-32 and change it's contents from 1440 fuel / 1760 oxidizer to say 750 fuel only.

Dry weight (The weight of the container) must NOT be changed.

Here is my ship using just this change only. Delivers ~30 tons of fuel to a 75Km+ orbit and lands:

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/25772-SSTO-Spaceplane-Fuel-Lifter-%28Almost-stock-part-included%29

The ship does work with a stock fuel tank, but there is lots of wasted oxidizer.

[Tarsus]

A quick question, do I need to return to KSC? Or can I just eject over the general area, proving that my plane can make it but my skills cannot.

If you eject then your plane isn't reusable, so you wouldn't get a K prize

[evilC]

A quick question, do I need to return to KSC? Or can I just eject over the general area, proving that my plane can make it but my skills cannot.

IMHO if it cannot land with mechjeb "spaceplane assistance", it does not count.

eg you may think you have a spaceplane, but it may in fact be a rocket with wing assistance - ie it cannot fly per se, more uses wings for SAS.

My first designs were like that - I thought I was flying to orbit, but I was not - I was merely using the power of the engines to keep it climbing. Once I tried to re-enter and land, it would not glide properly.

[pa1983]

I would suggest changing the load out to match the mission. Second option is to burn off fuel/xoidizer before take off. Use the brakes. Cant see any rule saying how you can or cant fly your craft as long as its an SSTO spaceplane and can safely return.

[Climberfx]

So, i have 3 Space Planes, 1 "Rocket" that i think classify as Space Plane (3 models, in real), and 2 more Rocket SSTO.

Here goes the links for there own threads, and let me know if they can classify.

They are all SSTO, some Hybrid Jet/Rocket and others only Rocket.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/25478-0-19-1-Pavão-SSTO-X-Wing-Like-Space-Jet-KSPX-Parts

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/25619-0-19-1-Flexa-SSTO-Jedi-StartFighter-inspired-Space-Jet-KSPX-Parts

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/25679-0-19-1-STAR-STAR-Junior-STAR-Baby-Rocket-SSTO (these are 3, not one...)

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/25839-0-19-1-Dragon-Rocket-SSTO

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/25849-0-19-1-Falcon-Rocket-SSTO

I forgot, i have this one to, is a Space Plane SSTO, but only Rocket, no jet...

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/24884-0-19-1-Albatroz-Rocket-Plane-SSTO-image-heavy

Edited April 24, 2013 by Climberfx

[Tarsus]

Unfortunately those ships use kspx and mechjeb mods so none of them qualify for this challenge

[Tarsus]

Here is my old entry, the X-4. The video is from version .18 but the craft remains unchanged and still works in .19

I'm currently working on a new version capable of reaching other planets, but the extra fuel and engines are causing a lot of balance issues.

[Climberfx]

Unfortunately those ships use kspx and mechjeb mods so none of them qualify for this challenge

Not really. KSPX Parts on the 2 first, the other have a version with MechJet, and without to download. But if you are talking about the videos, you are right, i use MJ.

But this don't remove the capability of doing the same manual. i just don't did it.

So, for the K PRize, you mean the ship need to have a set pics or a movie showing what it do, without the Mods, and not the capability of doing it.

I understand,

[Tarsus]

The first post is very out of date because of the forum roll back, but I think it used to say to post a video or screenshots at set points of the flight, I think it was during takeoff, in orbit and then landed again.

I never checked every one of your ships, I just saw all the mechjeb windows and the titles said kspx. I imagine some of them would be capable of doing it mod free.

[Climberfx]

The first post is very out of date because of the forum roll back, but I think it used to say to post a video or screenshots at set points of the flight, I think it was during takeoff, in orbit and then landed again.

I never checked every one of your ships, I just saw all the mechjeb windows and the titles said kspx. I imagine some of them would be capable of doing it mod free.

Dont' worry, if i have time i do all mod free and post here again. Some of i only use a remote control from KSPX, but i can take off that and do again without Mj.

Cheers...

[AmpsterMan]

I DID IT!

Here is my craft, the "Daedelus"

:D:D:D:D:D:D

I was able to glide it all the way to the Runway

Edited April 24, 2013 by AmpsterMan

[pa1983]

Congratulations! Now try it with a NV-1. Build the craft around the engine, that way it wont stick out and hit the runway.

[Maxed-Rockets]

Unfortunately those ships use mechjeb mods so none of them qualify for this challenge

The rules never state that you can't use mechjeb. The only rule dealing with mods says:

3. All fuel tanks, wings (lift generators) and engine parts must be stock, for fairness.

Under those rules Mechjeb (or Romfarer Lazers or Telemachus or whatever else you kids are using these days) is perfectly fine.

[pa1983]

I went to Laythe and landed with my Jumbo Transport and unloaded a 11.98 Ton Mobile Base/Rover. Got back to Kerbin and landed at the small strip outside of KSC on the island.

Will edit the footage and up a video in a a day or so.