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

[sturmhauke]

I have a couple of entries, originally used for contests on r/KerbalSpaceProgram.

"Flying Vee" SSTO, docks with an unoccupied cruiser in LKO and lands on the KSC runway

Flying Vee album

Unnamed prank UFO, VTOL capable, gets to LKO and lands on KSC runway

UFO album

 

Edited July 24, 2018 by sturmhauke
fixed links for reals this time

[Xd the great]

www.kerbalx.com/xdthegreat/x33

Edited July 20, 2018 by Xd the great

[HeroBrian_333]

What the heck... I'll try it! (I need badges )

[HeroBrian_333]

Ok, would going to the Mun count as a different SOI?

[boolybooly]

12 hours ago, HeroBrian_333 said:

Ok, would going to the Mun count as a different SOI?

Yes absolutely, tip - if you ctrl-F the OP roll of honour post you will find five exemplary Kosmokerbal Commendations, four of which specify the Mün as one of the SOIs visited. Only missions outside Kerbin's SOI get Exploratory or Expeditionary kudos though, so since the Mün and Minmus are not outside the Kerbin SOI the missions to these SOIs receive the appropriate highly regarded kudos awards but to receive the exceptional kudos signified by the ex- prefixes the mission has to be further afield like Duna / Ike for example or Eve / Gilly. See the prefixes notice just below rule 9 on the front page. Its pretty straightforward.

@sturmhauke FYI the links you posted don't link to a K-Prize mission.

@Xd the great likewise, I found a couple of X33 ships but no mission, to explain, the K-Prize award is intended reflect a report of a mission you actually flew.

 

 

Congratulations to...

@SpaceAdmiral Advanced Pilot Precision Award with SSTO Prototype 2.

@Scarecrow Advanced Pilot Precision Award with X-Wing (video).

... on completing the K-Prize mission and returning to the KSC runway both, demonstrating piloting precision to earn the coveted Advanced Pilot Precision Award. Thankyou for your mission reports and welcome to the K-Prize roll of honour aka the K-Prize party guest list, see you at the Dog and Booster. 

 

[Xd the great]

@boolybooly flies like a rocket, lands like a plane.

[sturmhauke]

16 minutes ago, boolybooly said:

 

@sturmhauke FYI the links you posted don't link to a K-Prize mission.

Sorry, fixed the links.

[boolybooly]

20 hours ago, Xd the great said:

@boolybooly flies like a rocket, lands like a plane.

no mission, no kudos  also pls consider rule #2

 

20 hours ago, sturmhauke said:

Sorry, fixed the links.

Thanks and congratulations on earning an Advanced Pilot Precision Award 1st Class with the Flying Vee. Thanks for your mission report and welcome to the roll of honour aka the K-Prize party guest list.

FYI re: the UFO mission, was very interesting, looked like fun, an effective VTOL which clearly made orbit and landing OK eventually but unfortunately the mission appears to show a vertical takeoff which breaks rule #2 so is a technical gatecrasher. Since you have a successful mission you are immune from the ignominy of gatecrasher infamy. Rule #2 is intended to exclude rocket SSTOs and while not perfect it defines the challenge. So to explain the workaround set in precedents like Cupcake's creative video adventures, a mission with UFO could count as a K-Prize if the mission report showed horizontal velocity >0.0 m/s prior to lift off i.e. a rolling VTOL, even if that is, technically, an oxymoron! 

 

[sturmhauke]

Woo, thanks! The UFO is capable of a rolling STOL takeoff too, but I understand if it doesn't qualify as-is.

[BigFatStupidHead]

 

 

It's been a while since I made a submission. But here is the suggestively named "The Bump and Grind."

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

Sorta went a little off the runway on the landing, but got it back into place with no damage done.

Edited August 5, 2018 by BigFatStupidHead

[boolybooly]

Congratulations to @BigFatStupidHead on completing the K-Prize mission with The Bump and Grind with an Advanced Pilot Precision Award for taxiing skills!  

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

(I am assuming none of those mods alter physics at all, correct me if I am wrong e.g. is that just a cosmetic upgrade to the nose cone or is it a new part with different attributes to the stock nose cone?)

Edited August 14, 2018 by boolybooly

[BigFatStupidHead]

9 hours ago, boolybooly said:

Congratulations to @BigFatStupidHead on completing the K-Prize mission with The Bump and Grind with an Advanced Pilot Precision Award for taxiing skills!  

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

(I am assuming none of those mods alter physics at all, correct me if I am wrong e.g. is that just a cosmetic upgrade to the nose cone or is it a new part with different attributes to the stock nose cone?)

It's the stock NCS adapter capped with a stock Small nose cone. Extra shiny thanks to Textures Unlimited!

Spoiler

Thanks for the award, @boolybooly, it'll really help get my SSTO program off the ground!

[ValCab33]

My first and last submission to the K-Prize was way back in 0.90, so I thought I'd give it a retry !

Aircraft: Pegasus VI, a medium-sized, nuclear-powered SSTO.

Payload: four (4) kerbonauts to crew space station RS-300, plus one (1) 'Delta 1' autonomous relay satellite.

As you can see inside the cargo bay, two mod parts were used: the Shuttle Airlock and Sunshade from Cormorant Aeronology, they are merely just utility parts and do not alter the behavior of the craft in any way. The rest is fully stock.

Imgur Album

Edited August 19, 2018 by ValCab33

[Laie]

I like the wing layout...

[Hummingbird Aerospace]

May one reach orbit with an SSTO and visit another planet with a payload?

[boolybooly]

On 8/23/2018 at 8:47 PM, Hummingbird Aerospace said:

May one reach orbit with an SSTO and visit another planet with a payload?

Of course, if you look at the first post rules you will see there is kudos specifically for delivering payloads to distant orbits or planet surfaces. If you mean picking up a payload there are kudos examples worked out for ore transport so we will have to see if a mission is comparable. If you could be more specific and I could give you a more specific answer.

 

Congratulations are in order to @ValCab33 for a highly professional mission of mercy, utility & precision with Pegasus VI. Thankyou for your mission report and welcome to the K-Prize roll of honour aka the K-Prize party guest list, well flown 

Edited September 3, 2018 by boolybooly

[Aquaticfantastic]

Long time lurker here.

I've recently started playing KSP again (on PS4) as my desktop is kahput.

I'd really like to give this a go but I am unsure as to how and what I need to upload the where?

I cant see anything on the thread, although I may just be blind!

[sturmhauke]

You need to upload screenshots or a video, showing your SSTO in action. PS4s can upload to various hosts, which you can then link here.

[boolybooly]

@Aquaticfantastic If you read the first post of the thread it gives you a few pointers.

Quote

The K Prize challenge is to make the obvious craft, a spaceplane, and make it work. All those who succeed will be included on the roll of honour and get a free back stage pass to hang with Kay Kool and the Kerbettes after their next live performance at the Dog and Booster (where free beer will be available). To enter report relevant accomplishments on a mission which actually flew, your word is good enough but images and videos are welcome.

Which means you make a mission report in this thread, looking at the other mission reports should give you an idea, which can be text or image or video. To publish videos or images here you need to host them elsewhere and add a link by the appropriate means. I dont know how you do that with a PS4 as I dont have one. Imgur has its own button on the toolbar. I think a YouTube link is recognised automatically. Anyway its your call and I hope you can find a way but if you need to make a text only report that is good enough as above. We are on the honour system.  

[Aquaticfantastic]

On ‎10‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 2:09 PM, boolybooly said:

@Aquaticfantastic If you read the first post of the thread it gives you a few pointers.

Which means you make a mission report in this thread, looking at the other mission reports should give you an idea, which can be text or image or video. To publish videos or images here you need to host them elsewhere and add a link by the appropriate means. I dont know how you do that with a PS4 as I dont have one. Imgur has its own button on the toolbar. I think a YouTube link is recognised automatically. Anyway its your call and I hope you can find a way but if you need to make a text only report that is good enough as above. We are on the honour system.  

@boolybooly thanks for the reply! I'm rolling on imgur so will provide my report once done (picked up rdrd2 over the weekend so KSP is on the backburner at the moment). I'm not great with planes if im honest, but a challenge like this should help me improve!

[boolybooly]

Red Dead Redemption 2, another fine game from the Take Two stables, well reputed 'round these parts... yip.

 

[PrvDancer85]

I've a little Mk1 lfo only SSTO wich i really like. Nothing fancy but my favorite so far, it has the creative name LfoOnly3. 

It can carry 3 kerbals and has a little siencekit in the servicebay. 

I took it to Ike for this challenge

Dont know if that matters but i was a little to fast on final touchdown and havent set the brakesetting right so i came from the runway and pulled up again for another try.

[boolybooly]

Thanks for your video report of an awesome far reaching flight to Ike there @PrvDancer85 going around is perfectly acceptable, its where the mission ends which counts and the KSC runway is ... simply the best ... !

So congratulations on earning the kudos of an Exploratory Astrokerbal Distinction (Ike) and an Advanced Pilot Precision Award with LfoOnly3. Welcome to the K-Prize party guest list, aka the role of honour, fancy dress optional. 

[Hydrothermalventclam]

Does this count?

This is the OV-01 Kestrel, my crew transport to LKO vehicle.

Here it is docked to my LKO station.  The SSTO should be all stock, though my station is not.

And here is the end of that mission.  

[AVeryNiceSpacePenguin]

Does this count?

 

X-20 Dynasoar SSTO

Dynasoars in space!

 

So, I made this in 1.4.2, and it is the plane portion of the X-20 Dynasoar with a R.A.P.I.E.R. engine on the back

 

Payload: None

Crew: 1

Weight: 13 Tons

---------------------------------------------------

Take off:

 

 

Cruising:

 

 

Orbital Insertion:

 

Reentry and Landing:

 

 

 

 

 

And Some Beauty Shots:

Spoiler