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

[boolybooly]

Making History is definitely stock and doesnt change physics so we are good.

Only mods which change the physics are a problem so BetterTimeWarp sounds fine.

Congratulations to... 

@dvader  Altitudinalist Record Holder 4753 Gm, Advanced Pilot Precision Award with SSTO Nuclear. (Discretionary Slingshot Supremo award.)

@The Moose In Your House with Sepia Siren.

Thanks for your mission reports and welcome to the K-Prize party guest list aka the roll of honour.

Great work with the slingshots there dvader, to claim the coveted Altitudinalist Record, which has also earned a discretionary Slingshot Supremo award mostly because it took multiple millenia which shows unusual tenacity, even for a Kerbal.

Nice looking craft Moose, if only it had a name, so I made one up for it (but will edit if you wish to supply the real name) to reflect artistic use of sepia tinted screenshots which definitely lend an historic air to the proceedings 

Well played all, see you at the Dog and Booster!

Edited March 15, 2018 by boolybooly

[JacobJHC]

On 3/14/2018 at 10:07 PM, The Moose In Your House said:

Made my first SSTO in Making History (Probably the first one on this thread), since Making History is a DLC its not a mod, right? (The images where edited with imigur)

I had a little trouble with Imigur so i gave you the link. The album can be found here: https://imgur.com/a/VxPJs

It is amazing in every way possible, the colors, the engines, the streamlined fuel tanks, the capsule cockpit. It's flawless.

[JacobJHC]

On 3/13/2018 at 6:20 AM, dvader said:

I guess Kerbals aren't the progressive types..

They invented rockets before wheels, maybe they are arcprogressive... 

[Freshmeat]

I would like to submit mission OIV-003, using the Sparrowhawk spaceplane for crew transfer to interplanetary vessel Freya, bound for Eve in a few days. As I read the rules you are allowed to use non-part mods, and the Sparrowhawk is indeed a stock craft. However, I fly IVA and use quite some informational mods, as well as an external control panel for additional information.

Two notable incidents during the trip: A solar panel is lost to overheating, and touchdown happens a few meters before the runway, coming to a halt on the runway. Still, I would like to apply for an advanced precision reward, first class. Below is the edited video of a roughly 30 minute flight.

An additional shots of the Sparrowhawk, showing off how beautiful KSP get with enough eye candy mods: EVE, Textures Unlimited, KS3P and Scatterer:

[boolybooly]

@Freshmeat Nice looking craft, like the metallic texture. You are absolutely right about the mods which are fine as long as they dont alter the physics of the craft or the environment. Also, as long as you end up on the runway it counts for kudos, even if the Kerbal has to get out and push.  Also thanks for preparing a video of the mission for people to watch.

However, considering the solar panel explosion (at 0:46s) I thought I had better clarify it definitely breaks rule #1 which states...

"1. The craft may not lose any parts in flight, no decoupling allowed."

...  because parts are lost. Which means your report can either have a gatecrasher link on the OP, with suitable quip, like many before, or if you prefer to complete the K-Prize mission you can have the gatecrasher listing expunged.

So the choice is yours and I will wait to see what you want before linking your mission on the gatecrasher list and alerting the  bouncers! If you intend to fly the mission I will wait for your report. FYI a minimal report need only be a text statement of what was accomplished but screens and vids are always welcome. You can also add a link in a successful report if you want people to see your explodey video. Otherwise it will be linked as a gatecrasher.

Hope that makes sense. Thanks for participating and sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

 

 

Edited March 20, 2018 by boolybooly

[Freshmeat]

@boolybooly Cool, hold the entry. I'll do a proper mission soonish.

[KingDominoIII]

Part clipping is allowed, right?

[boolybooly]

@KingDominoIIIsure, whatever is possible in the stock game is OK. Since the game has widgets specifically to enable clipping its fine.

[Freshmeat]

Here we go again, mission OCV-001. Given that I needed a new reason to fly, I set out to make an SSTO capable of carrying one orange tank to orbit. It took quite some tries, but after looking for inspiration on the forum I came up with the Grey Goose. She is rather difficult to fly at maximum payload, dipping some 20m after take off. Further, a poorly executed ascent required a 100 m/s correction of inclination, and I landed with 16 units of LF left out of roughly 6000. No IVA this time, but I delivered my cargo and came back to the runway, this time in one piece:

 

[boolybooly]

Congratulations @Freshmeat on the award of the highly regarded Advanced Pilot Precision Award 1st Class, for docking Grey Goose in orbit as well as landing on the runway along with the impressive Utilitarial Commendation for carrying a full orange tank to orbit. Well played in overcoming adversity and achieving the mission. 

Thanks for your mission video and welcome to the K-Prize party guest list aka Roll of honour.  

 

Considering the space station using non stock parts such as the jumbo dome hemispherical tanks, that is OK as long as the spaceplane is stock and the physics unaltered. Since we are on the honour system and I dont want to play the martinet and the video skipped the transfer, it is taken on trust that the unfamiliar fuel transfer method was compliant with the challenge rules i.e. that the payload tank was as full prior to the transfer as at lift off and no fuel from the tank was used in the ascent. Please advise if this assumption is mistaken. 

 

[Freshmeat]

@boolybooly Thank you for the acceptance. I apologize for the poor documentation of the fuel transfer, I used Ship Manifest to ensure that both recipient tanks got equal amounts of fuel, and the numbers are blurred in the resampling of the capture. Below is a screenshot from the footage just before transfer, as confirmed by mission time:

The part holds only LF, but the mass is the same as the standard orange.

[boolybooly]

Thanks @Freshmeat for your transparency. I would comment that the payload appears to be modified since the stock Rockomax Jumbo64 tank holds 6400 units split between liquid fuel and oxidizer and I know of no way to switch to all liquid fuel in stock. However because it is the payload and is enclosed and is not used in flight in apart from its mass, I think it stands to reason that this is not a just cause to disqualify the mission.

That said I ought to check that the same is not true of any of the other tanks used in the lifter section of the craft i.e. that they are stock and not modified. I am assuming they are stock, please advise if this is not the case.

At this juncture, for the information of readers, there is a sister thread to this one for modified K-Prize missions run by JacobJHC.

 

[Andetch]

So I got this - my cave SSTO

Most of us can put together a SSTO, so I wanted to challenge myself. I've made a caveman SSTO.

So here it is, my cavman ssto entry!

https://kerbalx.com/Andetch/Cave-SSTO

https://imgur.com/a/RYxwn

Edited March 27, 2018 by Andetch

[boolybooly]

@Andetch did you land Cave SSTO safely on Kerbin with all parts intact? Without a landing report, either text or visual, its hard to tell.

 

[Andetch]

Not exactly... More like spin out then hit the ground in a controlled way flying backwards at 40m/s - I got some issues somewhere, that I think I have resolved. Will make a video later

19 hours ago, boolybooly said:

@Andetch did you land Cave SSTO safely on Kerbin with all parts intact? Without a landing report, either text or visual, its hard to tell.

 

I just had to reconfigure the original SSTO I posted, and yeah I landed that! Nearly on the runway too! Just doing a quick edit on the video now

EDIT: Here is the video....

Hope this is worthy of a K-Prize @boolybooly!

https://kerbalx.com/Andetch/Cave-SSTO

 

Edited March 28, 2018 by Andetch

[alex50caliber]

I've been reading the forum lately and I got myself wondering if a noob like myself would be able to complete the K-Prize challende. I designed a quick SSTO (the Ampsk-1S) and tried to get into orbit and land on the runway. I ended up landing at night and overshooting the target for a couple of kilometers. Here is the video of the mission:

And the uncut version, 20 min long:

 

[Andetch]

@alex50caliber I like your mission! I'm sure you could squeeze a bit more delta-v from it if the ascent was more efficient! It seems (although hard to tell as you've sped the video up) that after you ignite the closed cycle mode you have to pitch up quite a lot to raise the orbit AP, no?

Try burning closer to prograde and using horizontal speed to lift the AP, after 35km you won't loose so much speed to drag - the wings will provide a little bit of lift also, leaving more oxidizer for orbit

Edited March 28, 2018 by Andetch

[boolybooly]

Congratulations to @Andetch and @alex50caliber ...

Andetch Pilot Proficiency Medal with Cave SSTO.

alex50caliber Advanced Pilot Precision Award with Ampsk-1S.

... on completing the K-Prize mission successfully and overcoming technical flight control issues to land safely at KSC and making it back to the runway respectively. Thanks for your mission reports, hope you enjoyed the challenge, welcome to the K-Prize party guest list aka the roll of honour.

[Andetch]

1 hour ago, boolybooly said:

Congratulations to @Andetch and @alex50caliber ...

Andetch Pilot Proficiency Medal with Cave SSTO.

alex50caliber Advanced Pilot Precision Award with Ampsk-1S.

... on completing the K-Prize mission successfully and overcoming technical flight control issues to land safely at KSC and making it back to the runway respectively. Thanks for your mission reports, hope you enjoyed the challenge, welcome to the K-Prize party guest list aka the roll of honour.

Yay, so I can put the badge down in my signature now?

Also, was there any prize for lowest tech SSTO?

[boolybooly]

Be glad for you have earned the right to wear the K-Prize badge @Andetch ... o7 ...  if you have a vuvuzela now is the time to bring it out, else a kazoo, party blower or failing that comb and paper will do, let the fanfare sound.

I suggest copying from the thread linked below and hosting it somewhere like imgur to be sure of keeping it.

I have just repaired the links in the OP since I didnt realise the BB transfer a while back broke them and all is well.

 

[alex50caliber]

10 hours ago, Andetch said:

@alex50caliber I like your mission! I'm sure you could squeeze a bit more delta-v from it if the ascent was more efficient! It seems (although hard to tell as you've sped the video up) that after you ignite the closed cycle mode you have to pitch up quite a lot to raise the orbit AP, no?

Try burning closer to prograde and using horizontal speed to lift the AP, after 35km you won't loose so much speed to drag - the wings will provide a little bit of lift also, leaving more oxidizer for orbit

Thanks! Yes I am still learning how to do the most efficient ascent profile. I will try to squeeze in more deltaV (maybe switching the configuration to have less liquid fuel and more oxidizer) and to try to have a high AP before making the closed cycle burn. I am planning on using it as crew transfer from a LKO space station below, and work on an M model that can reach the Mun.

[Andetch]

24 minutes ago, alex50caliber said:

Thanks! Yes I am still learning how to do the most efficient ascent profile. I will try to squeeze in more deltaV (maybe switching the configuration to have less liquid fuel and more oxidizer) and to try to have a high AP before making the closed cycle burn. I am planning on using it as crew transfer from a LKO space station below, and work on an M model that can reach the Mun.

Not trying to be completely vain, but my caveman SSTO video can give you an idea, not all of it, just the last bit of ascent you will see how the AP goes higher on a prograde burn, and then the speed is kept over the peak for the orbital burn

2 hours ago, boolybooly said:

Be glad for you have earned the right to wear the K-Prize badge @Andetch ... o7 ...  if you have a vuvuzela now is the time to bring it out, else a kazoo, party blower or failing that comb and paper will do, let the fanfare sound.

I suggest copying from the thread linked below and hosting it somewhere like imgur to be sure of keeping it.

I have just repaired the links in the OP since I didnt realise the BB transfer a while back broke them and all is well.

 

Yay! Badges!!! Gonna have to remember how to add them! lol

[RedPandaz]

Kosmokerbal Commendation.? Don't you mean Kosmokerbal Kommendation.?

[boolybooly]

Oh no RedPandaz, that would have too many K's in it 

[XLjedi]

On a recent spy mission with the Krakonian Skunkworks SR-13 Venom.

There is one notable omission from this spy plane (the name perhaps gives a clue).  Can you tell what it is?

Oh and our most glorious and wise leader forbids that we mention what we were doing at 100km altitude.

...but rest assured, it was naughty. 

HAIL KRAKEN!

https://kerbalx.com/XLjedi/SR-13-Venom