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

[British_Rover]

@boolybooly I didn't drop or add any engines on this flight. I tried doing the flight with a Nuke engine first but all that mass hanging off the back made landing impossible.

I used the a tri-48-7S powerplant attachment from takeoff to landing.

[Cupcake...]

Yep, back again!

Cupcake...

[pinolallo]

BoolyBooly,

" This is a K-Prize mission with "Milligan Jet K-Prize" a stripped own Milligan jet which went to 4x lift off, full orbit and safe landing with the same craft without refuelling. "

Cupcake, amazing result for a VTOL.

Congratulations.

[drewscriver]

I would like to share with you all my newest creation - nimble, flexible and forgiving, a petite little monster (clocking in at almost 300 parts) of a SSTO that I call Dragonshy.

In a nutshell: two pictures from one flight

And for more detail, the imgur album

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Thanks to Cupcake for the initial inspiration - his Scythe Mk2 is superb, but I'm a sucker for wings, and can't resist a challenge. VTOL is definitely one such challenge, and despite stealing a few, choice ideas, there was still plenty of issues to tackle. For Dragonshy, perhaps the biggest problem was having to balance thrust on both the horizontal and vertical axis. I owe a huge thanks to m4v for creating RCS Build Aid - the task would probably have been hopeless without it.

So, in addition to being an all-stock VTOL-capable SSTO with a LVN that can take it to minimus, Dragonshy has a dead center COG that doesn't budge as fuel burns, leading to stable and consistent flight characteristics throughout the flight regime. Also, in order to shift weight to the front, it sports three reaction wheels, and is quite nimble and fun to fly as a result.

As a relatively new builder, I had to get creative to get it all to work; in particular, getting the fuel logic to behave while using a ton of decorative intakes gave me fits. Still, I'm very happy with the end result, and I hope you all enjoy it as well.

Download Link (dropbox, right click to save)

Edited September 27, 2013 by drewscriver

[zekes]

Get ready for my new cargo hauler...

[Cupcake...]

Cupcake, amazing result for a VTOL.

Congratulations.

Wait, I think I can go one better.

Cupcake...

[boolybooly]

Cupcake, thanks once again for two excellent videos demonstrating the adept piloting of your unique designs. Magpie is duly logged on the honour roll though I am going to have to go with a gatecrasher listing for the Barracuda due to the indubitably vertical lift off but nevertheless an intriguing mission and amazing music!

Show us watcha got zekes!

drewscriver thanks for your mission report while I recognise the influence of cupcake which you acknowledged and observed an homage in the rooftop landing with VTOL catamaran in the distance, there is no doubt you developed Dragonshy with painstaking attention to the flight characteristics and made it your own and fully deserve your Advanced Pilot Precision Award and Astrokerbal Distinction (Minmus).

[Radiokopf]

@drewscriver: i love it! I will replace my selfbuild standart SSTO with yours. Good Work

[Cupcake...]

Cupcake, thanks once again for two excellent videos demonstrating the adept piloting of your unique designs. Magpie is duly logged on the honour roll though I am going to have to go with a gatecrasher listing for the Barracuda due to the indubitably vertical lift off but nevertheless an intriguing mission and amazing music!

Bit of a shame about the barracuda, it has got wheels but I guess they're in the wrong place . With the Magpie I'm a bit confused, it touched down on Minmus and the Mun, does that mean you only get an award for the first moon you land on?

Cupcake...

[Gravaar]

When you need to get it into space

And you REALLY need UGLY

Get a SPIDER Mk V

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=181633802

[drewscriver]

boolybooly, thanks for adding my latest flight, and glad you appreciate the Dragonshy's engineering.

Radiokopf, I'm flattered to hear that you'll be including 'shy into your roster - I hope it serves you well! I have a post in "The Spacecraft Exchange", with additional information, in case you find it useful.

[boolybooly]

I do drewscriver, I have tried a little VTOLing and it was pretty tricky.

Cupcake sorry, I viewed your Magpie video in full a while ago, 18th I think, then the forums went down before I did the update and when they went back up I watched again but skipped to the landing and forgot the Mun bit. So you have a Mun in brackets as well now and the Astrokerbal Distinction honours both landings!

Thanks for sharing your ship screenshot with the K-Prize challenge thread Gravaar, I hope you will consider doing the challenge and making a report, if it is appropriate for your craft.

[Cupcake...]

I do drewscriver, I have tried a little VTOLing and it was pretty tricky.

Cupcake sorry, I viewed your Magpie video in full a while ago, 18th I think, then the forums went down before I did the update and when they went back up I watched again but skipped to the landing and forgot the Mun bit. So you have a Mun in brackets as well now and the Astrokerbal Distinction honours both landings!

Thanks for sharing your ship screenshot with the K-Prize challenge thread Gravaar, I hope you will consider doing the challenge and making a report, if it is appropriate for your craft.

Brilliant, cheers for that, and thanks again for running such a great competition.

drewscriver - I know I've said this already but well done on a great design, it's a pleasure to share the podium with you!

Cupcake...

[Gravaar]

Thanks for sharing your ship screenshot with the K-Prize challenge thread Gravaar, I hope you will consider doing the challenge and making a report, if it is appropriate for your craft.

So what info do you need

[boolybooly]

So what info do you need

The challenge honour roll acts as a directory of mission reports. The OP sets out the rules, for addition to the roll of honour the minimum evidence is that you report in the thread that you successfully completed the challenge within the rules with any detail you might like to provide. The main purpose is to encourage people to do the challenge for themselves and enjoy the accomplishment of achieving the goals and enable demonstrating the method used to those interested.

To show proof positive to the K-Prize readership you can show a map screenshot of the orbit PE > 70km or a flight screenshot with sufficient altitude and velocity on the instruments to establish that the craft reached orbit successfully and another of an intact landed ship showing resources and MET, also demonstrating safe landing and landing location and structure of the craft. If there is any doubt about the lift off then a screeny to show a horizontal initial vector will put the matter beyond doubt.

Some use imgur to provide a sequence of screenshots documenting the mission and others use video capture, occasionally set to music! The choice is yours, but the rules are specific and we are on the honour system to abide by them (below) if any are confessedly broken the mission is linked to the gatecrashers list instead of the roll of honour, since if people go to the trouble of making a report I feel its only right that it is listed so that others can view it. It is sometimes necessary to make a lighthearted quip though! It is a challenge after all...

Rules

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

2. The craft must lift off horizontally, reach orbit (PE > 70,000m) and land intact ready for 'refuelling'.

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

Provisos to rule 1.

A. Payloads may decouple from the craft providing all payload tanks are full on decoupling and any thrust generators on the payload were not used prior to decoupling.

B. Docking is permitted providing no fuel is transferred (net per fuel type) into the K-Prize craft (it can be transferred out). Crew transfers are permitted.

[drewscriver]

Thanks - it means a lot to hear that from an accomplished designer such as yourself

Fortunately, when it comes to podiums, landing on the VAB is good practice...

[Gravaar]

"Mission control we are green across the board ready for take off"....5...4...3.."JEB !! What are you doing....Ahh stuff it ignore the red danger light flashing.... just go will you"

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=181633649

"Looking good climbing through 1500 meters All systems green.......(whispers" except we had to disable the override button as Jeb kept trying to fly it himself")

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=181633669

Punching Upwards 2 of 3 jet engines off. All rockets firing. Jeb grinning like a maniac......All systems normal

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=181633700

Stable orbit achieved 500,000 meters

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=181633717

JEB!!! GET BACK TO THE SHIP!!!

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=181633763

Doing a MUN Flyby "JEB your are not REPEAT NOT permitted to attempt any landing on MUN.......Unless you want a reeealllly long stay there......your choice......"

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=181633813

"This is mission control....Jeb? Umm where are you?" "Hello BIG MC I seem to have come down on the wrong side of the planet......and its dark here...Hello?...MC?....Hello?"

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=181633850

"Hi MC Landed the bird intact (for once) Umm anyone have a road map to tell me how to get back to base?"

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=181633862

Left them as links so as to not clutter up your thread to much

As a side note I can recouple the "car" to the plane and I forgot to take a screenshot of the F3 info up

Edited September 29, 2013 by Gravaar
Typo

[Scarecrow88]

I know this is an old challenge, but I don't build SSTOs very often, and this gave me an excuse to have another go. I named the craft I created Diablo, and it's capable of reaching orbit and returning without dropping anything anywhere.

Images of flight to orbit and return to KSC.

[boolybooly]

Gravaar thanks for your entertaining and innovative mission report. I have not seen a detachable pod for quite a while and never one which was both space and ground capable. I take it you have a bit of RCS tucked in there somewhere. Congratulations on accomplishing your K-Prize mission with Spider MkV and for acquiring an additional Kosmokerbal Commendation for entering the Mün SOI.

Scarecrow88 thanks for the clear record of your successful K-Prize orbital mission with Diablo. Congratulations on completing the K-Prize mission and for making such a precise landing which qualifies the pilot for an Advanced Pilot Precision Award.

[Moar Boosters]

I've built a new version of my Ventura SSTO.

It gets to orbit with loads of fuel. She's 100% stock, weighs 210t. I think I'm going to try and land it on Eeloo.

[thescientist]

Hi everyone, I've a question:

I use modular fuel systems (that changes the fuels properties) and FAR, can I post a valid entry?

Edited September 30, 2013 by thescientist

[Technical Ben]

This one has "wings" and is STTO and return... does it count?

I called it the "Kracken" for obvious reasons. Ok ok, it's not a space "plane", but I could not find the STTO rocket thread and am rubbish as STTO planes.

[WafflesToo]

I know I've already done this challenge, but I thought I'd give it another go and see just how small I can push a spaceplane.

[WafflesToo]

This one has "wings" and is STTO and return... does it count?

I called it the "Kracken" for obvious reasons. Ok ok, it's not a space "plane", but I could not find the STTO rocket thread and am rubbish as STTO planes.

OP probably won't count it (if I remember right horizontal take-off and landings are specified in the mission briefing) but I think it's a really cool SSTO anyway. GJ

[Technical Ben]

Wish I could make a STTO plane like yours WafflesToo, especially the mini one.