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

[boolybooly]

@lapis it would help if you described what you did in the way of completing the K-Prize mission 

@TheFlyingKerman looking good, congratulations on another Utilitarian Commendation with APPA for HKA-6B. Thanks for your report.

@TheProfessor2112 Great craft and nice mission but I would like to draw your attention to the rules on the first page, specifically rule #1 provisos B and C as I am sorry to say refuelling is not within the K-Prize rules. So you can choose to have a gatecrasher listing or complete the K-Prize mission as a successful mission, which supercedes a gatecrasher and grants you the right to expunge your record. I will wait on your decision. The minimal K-Prize mission is to take off to orbit and land safely.

[TheProfessor2112]

@boolybooly Thought I read the rules pretty thoroughly but I guess I missed one crucial part .  I’ll definitely give it another go. This is actually a good thing because I was able to buy a good gaming PC and so I have much better tools for a better mission. One question. Is there any time limit to submitting a new mission? I work full time so it may be a few days to a week or so until I figure out a new design from scratch. I know I could recreate Intrepid but I’d rather try and build a better design. 

[boolybooly]

 

@TheProfessor2112 OK, I can see why you might have missed it as it is only in the small print, I will revise the rules to make the no refuelling bit clearer. If completing the mission is how you want to play it then that is just fine, thanks for saying, please take all the time you need, np. 

[Lapis]

18 hours ago, boolybooly said:

@lapis it would help if you described what you did in the way of completing the K-Prize mission 

Yeah sorry I am working on a new. one more screenshots are coming!

 

Edited January 27, 2019 by lapis

[TheFlyingKerman]

 

On 1/27/2019 at 6:37 AM, boolybooly said:

@TheFlyingKerman looking good, congratulations on another Utilitarian Commendation with APPA for HKA-6B. Thanks for your report.

err... Docking with the payload and then move it to dock with the station core should be consider as orbital docking?

Meanwhile the same SSTO delivered a rover to Minmus orbit.

Spoiler

Takeoff

Used the Mun to slingshot to Minmus

Mun Flyby

Just to check no fuel is used before releasing payload

Another gravity assist to go home, followed by a retro burn to return to LKO

Approaching

Profit!

 

Edited January 31, 2019 by TheFlyingKerman

[boolybooly]

@TheFlyingKerman re: first mission (Jan 26 mission ) sorry if I missed a 1st class there. In my defence tbh the screenshots you are using are so small and blurry they are difficult to decipher and I could not see what was going on clearly and the text did not mention docking. Are you saying that the "installation complete" screeny is of ship and payload all docked with an existing station core which was already in orbit?

If I might make a suggestion, such fine vessels and elegant piloting deserve slightly more detailed screenies. Have you tried IMGUR  ?

So to today's mission erm... I am hoping that was a Utilitarial Commendation to Minmus with APPA  please let me know if I am wrong. Congratulations anyway and sincerely thanks for you mission report and for participating in the K-Prize.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 31, 2019 by boolybooly

[TheFlyingKerman]

OK I try another image hosting service, the Captcha thing on Imgur doesn't work. For the 26 Jan mission:

Spoiler

HKA-6B first rendezvoused with the station core (note the other craft 93m away)

Then released the payload - a science module

To move the science module HKA-6B had to dock with it first

Then used the verniers to dock with the core

 

 

[HeroBrian_333]

*looks at teeeeeny tiny spaceplanes*

*looks at monstrosity that barely makes it into space, much less back*

*smashes PC*

 

[boolybooly]

Do not despair @HeroBrian_333 for here with some piloting tips is Calman Kerman, rescuing Tanlin in a career game working search and rescue spaceplane called Gogitem.

https://imgur.com/a/j2tGD1i

Took a while of R&D to work out how to use the RAPIER with new atmosphere physics as I have been playing this career a while on hard and so only recently acquired RAPIER technology. I am awarding myself an APPA for making orbit and landing on the runway.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 2, 2019 by boolybooly

[Tallinu]

I have a question about a couple of the rules.

Rule 3 suggests you don't have to use a completely stock KSP install. More specifically, would I be correct to assume that if you're flying a stock craft in a save with mods installed (I have a station I want to dock with that has mod parts, for example), but none of the installed mods change stock parts or affect how it flies (like FAR does for example), then the mission can qualify?

I could switch to my clean install and spend the time to sandbox up a demo station to run the mission there, but I'd rather just use my existing career game.

And am I right to assume that even Atmosphere Autopilot's fly-by-wire mode, which is basically what SAS wishes it could be when it grows up, is not allowed for the stock challenge? Or is that actually okay to use?

Also, just to clarify, while rule 1.B says "Crew transfers are permitted," does bringing passengers or tourists to a space station counts as payload delivery for the "Utilitarial Commendation?" The mass of those comfy cabins is basically payload after all!  (I could probably squeeze in a fairing with a tiny relay satellite on the tail though...)

Here's what I'm planning to use, by the way (Edit: updated the screenshot to show current version, click for a few more. Also, craft file).

Spoiler

For years now I've been occasionally trying to build working passenger transport SSTOs, without needing to unlock the whole dang tech tree first. It never worked out well. But now, I've FINALLY come up with one that I can actually fly and land intact on the runway! It has a "payload" capacity of 11 13 Kerbals (counting the pilot) and makes it into orbit with an average of about 800 delta-V to spare for rendezvous, rescues, docking, crew transfers, returning science experiments to Kerbin, etc. On top of that it doesn't use any tech over 160, and only two aviation-specific tech nodes! So I didn't have to sink a lot of science into aircraft tech just to easily shuffle crew and bring science home.

Updated: I just rearranged a bunch of parts, removed 400 units of fuel, and added another cabin, bringing the passenger count up to an even dozen... and still made orbit with 740m/s despite a decidedly non-excellent job of manual flying (to make sure it was still stable enough, etc). Made it home just fine too -- quicksaved and deorbited twice, hit the runway (gently) each time. I want to do a proper job of video recording on an actual mission though, not just test flights, to demo what it's really good for.

I think the ship looks even cooler now, and I updated the screenshot and added a few more to the imgur album if you click on it. Also, here's the craft file. (Update: Scroll down to my next post, open the video on youtube, and look in the description for up-to-date craft file posts on KerbalX!)

 

Edited February 8, 2019 by Tallinu
Craft updated

[boolybooly]

@Tallinu yes, you are right, as long as the mods dont alter craft physics from stock then its fine. The purpose being to enable comparison between missions and permit meaningful competition for some of the kudos titles.

I havent tried Atmosphere Autopilot, but if it simply stabilizes and guides the craft as it appears to then its fine, MechJeb is OK too.

You have a striking craft design which from the sound of it has already completed the K-Prize. I will wait for the promised video in the hope you will supply a name.

I am afraid Kerbal transfer doesnt count unless you leave their cabin at the station... The problem is a pilot swap would be a zero mass Kerbal transfer achievement and it would require complex rules to make sense of passengers which I am not going to get into. So payload delivery is what counts for utilitarial kudos. Hope that makes sense

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 8, 2019 by boolybooly

[Tallinu]

On 2/6/2019 at 12:50 PM, boolybooly said:

@Tallinu yes, you are right, as long as the mods dont alter craft physics from stock then its fine. The purpose being to enable comparison between missions and permit meaningful competition for some of the kudos titles.

I havent tried Atmosphere Autopilot, but if it simply stabilizes and guides the craft as it appears to then its fine, MechJeb is OK too.

You have a striking craft design which from the sound of it has already completed the K-Prize. I will wait for the promised video in the hope you will supply a name.

I am afraid Kerbal transfer doesnt count unless you leave their cabin at the station... The problem is a pilot swap would be a zero mass Kerbal transfer achievement and it would require complex rules to make sense of passengers which I am not going to get into. So payload delivery is what counts for utilitarial kudos. Hope that makes sense

Even the basic fly-by-wire system in AA is amazing, it's like SAS on steroids. The craft goes exactly where I tell it to and stays rock-steady in other respects.

I finally got the kinks worked out of the OBS I installed (mainly an irritating hiss in my microphone input line) and got the mission recorded last night, along with a bit of description and commentary. I didn't expect the resulting video to be basically an hour long, although part of that is that KSP ran noticeably slower while recording, but it's done and the latest minor revision of the craft landed intact once again, despite a mishap at the end which nearly led to a crash for the utterly silly (silly, I say!) reason that my velocity readout never switched back to Surface mode automatically, so I thought I was going far faster than I actually was and kept trying to slow down unnecessarily!

Here's a link to the video: 

 

Which apparently the forum automatically embeds! Alrighty then.

It's unfortunate that you can't simply count passenger cabins, particularly those which are required to allow the vessel to contain the number of Kerbals occupying it during the ascent or descent phase, as payload mass -- it uses more delta-V to keep such dead-weight attached for the return trip than it would to drop it off in orbit, after all! And detaching components that make up more than a third of the main body of the vehicle isn't exactly something you can do with a spaceplane, and have it remain stable... or even intact. 

But I believe this qualifies for utilitarian credit despite that ruling, thanks to the relay satellite "payload" (which weighs less than 10% of what those passenger cabins weigh, LOL ). And it turns out that little thing could actually prove quite useful, since despite its size the satellite actually has enough delta-V to transfer itself to either moon and take up a decent high orbit, and the RA-2 antenna can provide 100% signal strength even from Minmus to a level 1 tracking station.

There are links in the description of the video to KerbalX pages with both craft files, for the basic version and the one with the relay payload. I actually rebalanced the RCS thruster positions on the latter in order to compensate for the slightly heavier fairing base left behind after dropping off the satellite. It probably wouldn't make a significant difference, but it's there if anyone cares about the difference.

 

[boolybooly]

Congratulations @Tallinu on completing the K-Prize mission achieving a satellite launch and station rendezvous with a safe landing at KSC runway which unquestionably deserves a Utilitarial Commendation and the Advanced Pilot Precision Award 1st Class for the flight of the Prometheus Low Tech SSTO.

[purpleivan]

Here's my entry for the K prize.

I think it earns Pilot 1st class, as well as Utilitarial Commendation.

Here's the edited highlights.

[boolybooly]

Congratulations to @purpleivan on completing the K-Prize mission successfully with Space Plane K earning a Utilitarial Commendation for the innovative personal reentry vehicle launch and an Advanced Pilot Precision Award 1st Class for docking in orbit and navigating back to KSC runway to land safely. 

The well framed and sized screenshots are worthy of a special mention because they present a commendably clear, readily understood record of the mission, involving photogenic craft designs, no doubt helped by the EVE mod but owing much to the eye of the mission director. Many thanks for your mission report and welcome to the K-Prize party guest list aka the Roll of Honour.

[GRS]

Not sure what is the target of this challenge, but here's a little gift for ya.

Just call it "Proto Taxis Mk II" for comfort, don't ask why "FAT airplane tail fin" for the wings.

Ascent.

Max speed @ 1200 m/s.

RAPIERs are engaging closed cycle mode.

Stable orbit reached, i was low on Ox, not LF.

Landed safely, just some usual forgetful issues that made me forget the re-entry screenshots, this really is thrilling for someone whose been garbage at SSTO Spaceplanes (yet i played like 2 years or so), The Taxis SSTO Serial is officially announced here.

Spoiler

Well, i heard you said something like "snatch victory from the jaws of doom" to The Condor Mk VII (i guess) flight, that reminds me to the TTGL quote "we snatch victory from the jaws of defeat", something madlads (or at least emerging madlads) do.

 

Edited February 12, 2019 by GRS

[boolybooly]

Congratulations to @GRS for completing the K-Prize mission by the skin of your teeth with ProtoTaxis 2, earning a well deserved Advanced Pilot Precision Award for a drogue assisted landing at KSC runway and a place at the table among the honoured guests of the K Prize party at the Dog and Booster.  Thanks for your mission report and welcome to the roll of honour. 

Edited February 14, 2019 by boolybooly

[GRS]

31 minutes ago, boolybooly said:

Congratulations to @GRS for completing the K-Prize mission by the skin of your teeth with ProtoTaxis 2, earning a well deserved Advanced Pilot Precision Award for a drogue assisted landing at KSC runway and a place at the table among the honoured guests of the K Prize party at the Dog and Booster.  Thanks for your mission report and welcome to the roll of honour. 

Thanks, that's all for now, i got something BIGG to do, In the future i'll be visiting The Kerbin-2 with one SSTO, no refuel (Planned Name : Ares).

[GRS]

Take your planes for a forum game here, and rate some people's creation here.

 

[A Random Kerbonaut]

https://imgur.com/ Odyssey is ready! I added a few more wings after I took this picture, so it looks like this now: 

https://imgur.com/a/2bAIHo6

https://imgur.com/a/2Lfa9hm

[A Random Kerbonaut]

the design sucked so I'm trying another plane

[boolybooly]

13 hours ago, A Random Kerbonaut said:

the design sucked so I'm trying another plane

OK @A Random Kerbonaut , thanks for sharing, good luck with your R&D  

 

 

[A Random Kerbonaut]

https://imgur.com/a/hCN1zgQ The Kerbinator 1 is ready!, it doesn't exactly have a flashy name, but it seems cool and I will attempt to orbit!

I got to space, but not orbit

[KerbalRocket]

Here is my one

1

2

3

I did a drogue assisted landing (nose first xD) and made sure a orbited around Kerbin at least once

my ship weighed 17.849t

Edited March 31, 2019 by KerbalRocket
weight

[KerbalRocket]

On 3/30/2019 at 3:04 AM, A Random Kerbonaut said:

https://imgur.com/a/hCN1zgQ The Kerbinator 1 is ready!, it doesn't exactly have a flashy name, but it seems cool and I will attempt to orbit!

I got to space, but not orbit

INCREDIBLE, It looks amazing btw