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

[Tarsus]

K

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

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

I believe the first post is still 6 months out of date, I'm almost certain the updated rules stopped you using it. It also added loads of rules concerning docking and transporting cargo.

[Maxed-Rockets]

K

I believe the first post is still 6 months out of date, I'm almost certain the updated rules stopped you using it. It also added loads of rules concerning docking and transporting cargo.

I know that it is out of date but I am almost entirely sure that the new rules only concerned not taking on fuel at space stations and not dropping off empty fuel tanks as satellites.

[pa1983]

Went to Laythe with my Falcon X Jumbo transport and delivered my new Mobil Base. 12 wheels and 6 kerbals inhabiting it and space for 4 more. Its 10.98 tons.

Returned safely to Kerbin and landed at the small strip on the island out side of KSC due to bugs with the KSC runway.

Didnt take that many pictures but I made a video of the howl flight.

http://youtu.be/fMOzbtZAfWM

[Zanis]

pa1983 that is the coolest Spaceplane I've seen in KSP!

How long did it take to design that?

[pa1983]

1 day to build, 2-4 days testing and refining. Took 4 prototypes.

Took 6 months of learning to build spaceplanes to get there tough. I am figthing the limits of both ksp and hardware. The video runs 2x the time i have . Its about 0.5x realtime but im use to it an I usually have smooth frame rates even with 800 parts so cpu is the only limit and the lack of multi threading. Even with 80 parts i usually get that problem around kerbin unless i look strait down in to the ground. Probebly wines fault under linux.

SO i speed the video up 2x to about realtime.

ITs the first 1000+ part ssto where it runs at speeds one can play at. With more optimization of ksp I think stuff like this will run just fine.

[Tw1]

It is a terribly awesome craft that. Nasa's probably jealous.

I love the way the plane is a fancy shape, with just the regular old command pod sticking out the front.

Edited April 26, 2013 by Tw1

[Rosarium]

Nettuno SSTO-

Mission report:

Mun and Back.

notes:

"epic win in launch from kerbin, mun intercept and mun land".

"epic fail in re-entry maneuver missing the KSC for 2 times".

"Geofgan Kerman has been employed as KSP Forum administrator".

here the datas:

the launch. "Geofgan has been sent alone because all the other kerbals were trying to recover all the past post in KSP forum".

the Kerbin orbit. "easy as losing data in a forum".

Mun intercept. "Geofgan aim is really impressive".

Mun deorbit. "Routine job".

Mun Land. "Geofgan believed the Mun dust was too hot for his feet".

Mun leave. "Geofgan is really proud and honored to fly such a cool craft".

Kerbin return maneuver. "Geofgan Kerman feel himself cool".

Kerbin land. "Geofgan realize he will be really late for his return party".

The NETTUNO (and Geofgan Kerman):

the NETTUNO is 1 of the 7 SSTOs built by A.S.A.A.A.A. and the .craft file cannot be shared due to the TOP[stock] engineering tech used.

Edited April 28, 2013 by Rosarium

[SirJodelstein]

Woohooo behold my first successfull space plane: the "Space Dragonfly"

Daring pilot Bob Kerman earned himself a memorial:

* Liftoff to 100km orbit

* Surviving reentry (Deadly Reentry mod yeah)

* Sailing back to the Space Center

* not dying during the unpowered landing 20 meters next to the runway

Craft

[pinolallo]

Mün is an hard thing,

well done Rosarium.

Amazing monster pa1983

[pa1983]

Seems like boolybooly is back as we speak so lets hope the thread gets updated now

[zekes]

oh good, just reflying my Debulist to Duna!

[RawChicken]

Awesome pa1983! how did you manage the jets to work at such altitud?

[zekes]

The second ever Debulist flight broke some more records... we managed to travel to Duna and Ike! (The first flight went to Eve and landed on Gilly)

Literally the only thing changed was a Jr Docking Port was installed. That's it, the thing's been working since 18.0. Uses Jet fuel, Liquid fuel, Oxidizer, Electricity, and Xenon. It's quite complex. Panels are group 1, Jet engine 2, LFEs group 3, Ions group 4.

Buy a Debulist Today! Over 425 downloads to date!

http://www./?7004cfkmxiu098f

Takeoff:

Ascent:

Ion Engines working just fine!

Slingshot around Ike in prep of Duna Aerobrake

Beauty Shot

Philbus EVAing (this ship is actually pretty big if you look at it)

Aerobraking

Managed to put the craft in an elliptical orbit, a week later the ship left Duna's SOI.

Two long transfer burns later, we have reached Kerbin, 200km from KSC

Guidance computers hiccuped, put the ship in a retrograde position, Philbus managed to save the ship

With the pilot flying blind, the navigators at KSC decided to land the Debulist as soon as possible (although it had plenty of fuel to get to KSC).

Landing was a breeze, the lightened ship touched down at 25.8 m/s

All stop, all well.

Stats for the long mission. Nope as the stats were messed up by the guidance computer's failing just before reentry.

Edited April 30, 2013 by zekes

[Hooligan Labs]

The second ever Debulist flight broke some more records... we managed to travel to Duna and Ike! (The first flight went to Eve and landed on Gilly)

I really like this design! Can you put it on kerbalspaceprogram.com?

[zekes]

I sure will! Im glad people like it so much!

Ok its here:

http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/zopl-debulist-mk-iv-5/

Edited April 30, 2013 by zekes

[pa1983]

oh good, just reflying my Debulist to Duna!

Lots of intakes.

[pinolallo]

zekes, just a question: when do you published that ship in kerbalspaceport? I'm still waiting for a ship I submitted sunday. I don't want that is starting a 2 weigth for 2 measures (operate double standards) policy....

Any case good ship (ugly as usual but effective )) )

p.s. I wrote this if you are interested

Edited May 2, 2013 by pinolallo

[zekes]

zekes, just a question: when do you published that ship in kerbalspaceport? I'm still waiting for a ship I submitted sunday. I don't want that is starting a 2 weigth for 2 measures (operate double standards) policy....

Any case good ship (ugly as usual but effective )) )

p.s. I wrote this if you are interested

Well i posted it as private but then edited it back to public. that seemed to work.

Also i agree with the amish way.... except i believe in intakism. (lol)

[boolybooly]

Well the server roll back was a bit unexpected... I may try to update the OP when I feel secure that there arent going to be any more screw ups and spoilers are working again. Until then I hope everyone is enjoying the K Prize anyway. So on that score here is my latest mission, a six engine ion ship which can make it to minmus. Had to pick a very long crater floor to land it and take off again without rockets or RCS but it happened.

Gnat.

Edited May 3, 2013 by boolybooly

[bsalis]

Welcome back boolybooly!

Congrats on the lithobraking. Impressive.

[SecondGuessing]

Just a quick question: what's the current minimalist record? Because have a 9.99 ton SSTO that can get comfortably into orbit, and it still has a fair few redundant systems. On its maiden voyage I forgot to take enough pictures to prove that it is an SSTO, so I'll do another run later and take some pictures.

Edit: Wow! I'd never even thought of running lots of intakes and a ion engines rather than a few intakes and standard engines. Very very cool.

Edit2:

Finished the maiden voyage of a finalised SSTO, the Almalgest I 'Swift'. 9.99 tons, all stock. To orbit, to Munar fly-by, out to nearly the path of Minmus, another Munar fly-by, and finally a safe landing on the runway (though she's not a fan of landing, I think she gets homesick). I don't think I've ever felt that I've accomplished more in a video game than in the last hour and a half.

Pre-flight photo (actually an image from the test-flight before this one, as you can tell from the presence of the dorsal airscoops. I forgot to put Sherny back in when restarting with the modified plane Probably for the best given how unlikely returning looked on more than one occasion)

The thin line on which we live

Circularised

Visiting a friend

A Little Perspective (my favourite experience in KSP ever, I think I spent about fifteen minutes just staring at the screen as we fell away from Kerbin)

Coming home

Flight Results

Link to full flight log.

Edited May 3, 2013 by SecondGuessing

[tavert]

Minimalist record for 0.19 was 1.88 tons before the forum rollback: http://imgur.com/a/yY9Ht#0

I could maybe cut another tenth: one fewer fuel tank, 2 fewer wings, 2 or 4 fewer intakes. It's not a very fun plane to fly, especially not on re-entry, since it's so light and the engine is the vast majority of the mass.

[SecondGuessing]

Minimalist record for 0.19 was 1.88 tons before the forum rollback: http://imgur.com/a/yY9Ht#0

I could maybe cut another tenth: one fewer fuel tank, 2 fewer wings, 2 or 4 fewer intakes. It's not a very fun plane to fly, especially not on re-entry, since it's so light and the engine is the vast majority of the mass.

1.88? Wow.

Yeah, I can't imagine it's be very fun to fly: mine's a whole 8 tons heavier but it still has a tendency to handle like a plastic bag if you aren't careful on re-entry. It behaves perfectly on exit, but on return it just doesn't want to get its feet muddy.

[pinolallo]

Welcome Back BollyBolly.

In a flight test I do the 3 k prize (with full KSC landing) with a 7 kerbals stock SSTO that weight about just 30 tons and 160 parts. I need to make another flight mission to properly report, the scope of this SpaceCraft is mainly do rescue missions.

enjoy

Edited May 4, 2013 by pinolallo

[pinolallo]

Here My FastTrack SSTO.

3 K-Prices on a row.

90%+ efficiency

And a what I guess are records:

I do get in stable 100km orbit with 152.5 fuel and 39 of oxidizer ((201-48.50 111-71.09)) on the THIRD orbit run

The max efficiency ratio was of 92.103% (weight in orbit/weight ground*100) on the third orbit run

here the album

Beside that craft is modded B9 Cabin and wings, engines and fuel tanks are stock.

Edited May 6, 2013 by pinolallo