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

[GeorgeG]

Here's a Heavyweight entry. Named the Buh Hee Moth.

Mass of the ship, 226.407 on the runway, according to MechJeb.

It flew to Minmus, landed on it, and did some other mission things while it was there.

Went thru a number of versions, the original at about 150 ton. It ended up growing. I gave it some payload capacity, more for carrying some interesting payloads rather than a lot of payload mass. However, this would be one "heck" of a tanker to refuel a ship in LKO, could fill up more than four Jumbo 64 tanks. But not very practical to do that, due to the lag, and ships would need to fly to and dock with IT. Oh yeah, lag, it has over 500 parts, nearly 600 with payloads.

So, it involved a lot of tedious flying to do maneuvers.. Or sitting back and waiting. The lag was so bad (1/4 speed or slower) that 4X warp when thrusting was more like normal speed

The album has most of the info.

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Here is a direct link to see the album in larger size on IMGUR:

http://imgur.com/a/JJY11#0

It was a struggle to get it into orbit. Along the way, there was a need for engine management, shutting down various groups of engines as they neared flameout,. It used 21 jet engines in all for takeoff and climb.

When it made orbit, it had 5991 dV left if only the LV-N's were used, and plenty of extra fuel left for jet power.

It got to Minmus, dropped off some satellites, then did a vertical landing with the fuselage horizontal.

Dropped off equipment for a base, including a crew of two. Then left.

Also flew to the Mun, went into orbit, dropped off a 4th satellite, and…..

You'll have to check the album to see what happened.

After a hairy moment during re-entry, and long long approach, finally, THIS

Safely landed.

The Buh Hee Moth next to my MicroJet 1.2 light Space Plane.

- GeorgeG

Edited January 22, 2015 by GeorgeG

[Foxster]

Just so its a level playing field, here's a minimalist entry with them modern fangled wing things:

An acknowledgement to Astrobond, whose wing layout I shamelessly stole. Hope you don't mind! I'm not very experienced with aircraft.

Comes in at 2.012t before takeoff.

Flies pretty good but the landing was a tad wibbly wobbly, it kept trying to pitch up, but nothing the intrepid Kerner Kerbal (and his trusty SASsy sidekick) couldn't handle.

----

Update - I had more oxy than needed and so the weight can be cut down to 2.002t and it still made the same orbit and landed OK.

Kerner's friend Errick wanted to try but he's a little fussier about what he'll ride in, so I had to tart up his aircraft...

-----

Last and final effort.

I've been reading up on KSP aircraft (thanks to the excellent guide: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/52080-Basic-Aircraft-Design-Explained-Simply-With-Pictures) and I've made it more flighable by tweaking the wing angles and gear. It now skips off the tarmac once up to speed and handles much nicer. The tailfin went (didn't seem to add much to the handling) and this allowed for a little more fuel while dropping the overall mass more.

So, final and last ever, I mean this, I'm not messing with this anymore, no definitely not, can't see it happening at all...1.999t:

Craft file: https://www.dropbox.com/s/xp4dnky6623jgve/Mun%20SSTO%209.craft?dl=0

Edited January 23, 2015 by Foxster

[astrobond]

An acknowledgement to Astrobond, whose wing layout I shamelessly stole. Hope you don't mind! I'm not very experienced with aircraft.

No problem, I'm here to share my experiences

[Right]

Here's a Heavyweight entry. Named the Buh Hee Moth.

Mass of the ship, 226.407 on the runway, according to MechJeb.

I just finished this for myself... but here you go! Haha XD

Well at least I still got you on length and width..

[GeorgeG]

Foxter - Congratulations on no doubt taking the minimalist record with your redesign that added wings for an aerodynamic takeoff (and an aerodynamic winged landing).

I just finished this for myself... but here you go! Haha XD

http://i.imgur.com/evb67QS.gif

Well at least I still got you on length and width..

How do you know? Oh, you meant dimensions of the Space Plane!

Anyway, thanks for the icon. I definitely have incentive now to update my signature.

- GeorgeG

[Merandix]

GeorgeG... I barely manage to get the bloody thing into space, and you merrily fly to Minmus and Mun with it... <.<

That Maximalist thingy sure didn't last long Congrats on an amazing plane!

[GeorgeG]

Thanks for the comments. I barely got the Buh Hee Moth into space. The lag and problems, I think it traveled at least halfway around the planet before I finally got an apoapsis out of the atmosphere (it took me at least two hours, about 30 minutes in "Game time"). If I do another space plane to travel to another SOI, it's going to be smaller, less parts, and more maneuverable when in space (and more aerodynamically stable in yaw!).

Anyway, here's another minimalist entry. Hoping I can have the largest and smallest at the same time.... till someone beats one.

MicroJet 2.0. Mass on runway, ready for takeoff, 1.960 ton.

In orbit, 70.059 x 78.887 km.

After a nice re-entry and mostly a glide, with a bit of jet use at the end, almost on the runway.

After a safe landing.

There is room for tweaking the fuel load to make it a bit lighter.

After the tedious, laggy, long flying of the Buh Hee Moth, this was quite a refreshing change.

- GeorgeG

Edited January 23, 2015 by GeorgeG

[Foxster]

Really nice GeorgeG on the Microjet. Shows off your piloting skills. I couldn't make the trip on so little fuel.

Mind sharing what kind of flight plan you used?

[boolybooly]

Congratulations to Foxster, astrobond and GeorgeG on completing the K-Prize successfully. Welcome (back in some cases) to the K-Prize party guest list and thanks for your mission reports.

Well the minimalist and maximalist records have been swapping hands fairly regularly but at the time of posting this they both reside with GeorgeG so congratulations, I particularly like the image of Buh Hee Moth landing on Minmus. Well played astrobond and Foxster for your respective minimalist missions which each held the minimalist record for a time.

[astrobond]

Congratulations to Foxster, astrobond and GeorgeG on completing the K-Prize successfully. Welcome (back in some cases) to the K-Prize party guest list and thanks for your mission reports.

Well the minimalist and maximalist records have been swapping hands fairly regularly but at the time of posting this they both reside with GeorgeG so congratulations, I particularly like the image of Buh Hee Moth landing on Minmus. Well played astrobond and Foxster for your respective minimalist missions which each held the minimalist record for a time.

Thank's a lot for this really fun Challenge Boolybooly

[Foxster]

A little more tweaking and we have 1.956t...

Gotta luv that orbit shot, uh?

Edited January 23, 2015 by Foxster

[boolybooly]

Congratulations on another successful mission Foxster and on acquiring the minimalist record, I have updated the guest list accordingly but didnt have a name, so I improvised!

[bdito]

Here's mine.

[Mesklin]

Super low mass SSTO "Brynhildr" - only 1.708t on runway

Video from flight recorder

Edited January 25, 2015 by Mesklin

[raygundan]

I humbly present the Cormorant (0.90) family of heavy-lift reusable SSTO spaceplanes as my "big" entry, all three under 100t but capable of delivering at least 36t of cargo to LKO. Further down, you can find the Loon III (0.25) as my "small" entry-- a ten-ton SSTOMdjLtPB.

Available in three option packages:

Standard: (263 parts, 93.5t, $241,770, 6 passengers, 36t of cargo to LKO, max cargo length the same as an orange tank)

Heavy: (265 parts, 94.02t, $240,822, 1 passenger, 40t+ of cargo to LKO, 33% longer cargo bay than standard)

Crew Cab: (269 parts, 98.01t, $267,718, 18 passengers, same cargo weight/size as standard)

*all weights include a full 36t orange tank as test cargo.

I believe the Cormorant is eligible for Utilateral Commendation and the Advanced Pilot Precision award

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And not to be forgotten, the Loon III: a ten-ton, two-kerbal reusable SSTO with a full science package capable of (in a single flight) landing on Minmus, Laythe, Pol, and Bop with flybys of Duna, Jool, and Tylo before returning to land on Kerbin with all the parts it started with. It might be prodigiously ugly, and sure... it spends a lot of time flying backwards. But it's truly a big thing in a small package.

I believe the Loon is eligible for Expeditionary, Utilateral Distinction, Astrokerbal Distinction, Kosmokerbal Commendation, and the Advanced pilot precision award (1stClass).

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I humbly await the judges' verdict.

Edited January 25, 2015 by raygundan

[whiterafter]

I have a SSTO but it's a VTOL would that count?

[kahlzun]

Alright, so i'm back again.

What can I say, the Dog & Booster serves good beer.

This one is a little different in design, i wanted to have some heavily (swept? canted? bent?) wings.

For no reason, i called the design shape "starscream mk2".

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[GeorgeG]

Have a question about the basic SSTO rules.

Can an SSTO in orbit, dock with another payload in orbit that another ship had put there, and then bring that payload back for landing? Of course it would NOT use any resources from the payload - the payload would not provide any DV, RCS, electricity, or lifting surfaces. It would be inert.

I know I sort of did that with my Corvette R6, coming back with a payload it had docked with, but it was the same satellite that it had taken up, not something new.

My take on the rules is that it would be OK, but I want to be sure before I do the mission.

- GeorgeG

Edited January 25, 2015 by GeorgeG

[hoioh]

you should just do the mission for fun george! if you get cred for it, that's a totally cool bonus, but I hope it's not a requirement for you to do it?

Your other mission(s) was/were totally awesome by the way, almost forget to say that.

[GeorgeG]

you should just do the mission for fun george! if you get cred for it, that's a totally cool bonus, but I hope it's not a requirement for you to do it?

Your other mission(s) was/were totally awesome by the way, almost forget to say that.

Thanks. But I don't want to be a Gate Crasher!

Indeed I often add fun aspects. Although the orbiting payload I'm thinking of docking with and bringing back is actually not inspired for that reason, there is another reason (which if it is allowed, I'll explain once I do it).

The main reason for doing this new mission is to achieve another objective in this challenge. If I was doing it "for fun" and not as a legal entry, I would be using some non-stock parts like Adjustable Landing Gear (It is great. Man is the stock finicky landing gear way overdue for an upgrade), and using "Tweakscale" (fantastic mod) to use a 400% size Delta wing instead of assembling a big wing out of dozens of stock sized parts that add to the lag factor.

- GeorgeG

Edited January 25, 2015 by GeorgeG

[Camaron]

Have a question about the basic SSTO rules.

Can an SSTO in orbit, dock with another payload in orbit that another ship had put there, and then bring that payload back for landing? Of course it would NOT use any resources from the payload - the payload would not provide any DV, RCS, electricity, or lifting surfaces. It would be inert.

I know I sort of did that with my Corvette R6, coming back with a payload it had docked with, but it was the same satellite that it had taken up, not something new.

My take on the rules is that it would be OK, but I want to be sure before I do the mission.

- GeorgeG

Currently, I don't think that would help you, but wouldn't hurt you either. It isn't one of the Kudos.

...BUT IT SHOULD BE!!!

@boolybooly: That's an absolutely awesome idea, imo! Would you be interested in officially adding a tenth kudos type based on grabbing something in space and safely returning it? (Of course the plane would have to follow all other K-Prize rules). Could be a satellite we want back, or just some space junk interfering with valuable orbit paths, or an asteroid that needs to be studied on the ground, up close and personal by the KSC scientists, or, even a damaged or dead ship that needs to be helped home. Maybe even some distinction based on just how large is the object returned, similar to the minimalist/maximalist marks.

[GeorgeG]

Here is a teaser pic of my latest SSTO. It's doing a slow climb as I type, so I took a screenshot to post.

It's a test flight to find out how much fuel it uses, and if it can even make orbit of course. Hopefully I can swap out a fuel-only tank for a rocket fuel/oxidizer tank. If it works, I'll start the mission Monday. If the mission succeeds, I wont be posting it till Tuesday night at the earliest.

UPDATE: Arrgh! It pitched up out of control at 30 km. Quicksaves only delayed (and replayed) and confirmed the inevitable. Have to make some changes Monday.

Another update (Thursday Jan 29th). FINALLY got it to fly stably into orbit. Made lots of changes, but none solved it. Then out of necessity I learned a new way to get extra pitch-down force which allowed me to keep it from pitching up out of control. Ship's burn to intercept Duna underway as I type (.06 TWR). I'll describe the new anti-pitch-up method after the mission is completed, useful for many types of bigger spaceplanes (Won't be surprised if someone has done this before). Will post the report sometime Friday.

- GeorgeG

Edited January 30, 2015 by GeorgeG

[WhiteKnuckle]

I can't believe I still have never entered this, but I guess better late than never...

My entry, the Nomad SX1:

Takeoff

Climb out

Orbit

De-orbit burn

Re-entry heating

If there was any doubt Jeb was at the controls...

Bill: "Hey Jeb, the runway's over there... Jeb?"

Bill: "$#@%!"

Jeb: "Sorry, forgot to mention we're flying a VTOL"

[Death Engineering]

The "Just a Space Plane" submission

I've been kicking around the solar system for awhile now but just finally getting into planes. Good timing, since Squad is revamping the aero model and I get to learn things again...

At 27 parts and 5.6t, it's not going to break any records, but has come in handy for delivering small satellites to orbit and rescuing hapless Kerbals from LKO, but mostly it's been very handy for doing Munar flybys to train Kerbals before they get launched into deep space missions.

The craft can either carry a 1.4t payload to 100km orbit or some extra fuel and RCS for a Munar free-return trajectory flight. With no payload, it has about 450 m/s ÃŽâ€v from LKO or 850 m/s ÃŽâ€v with the fuel/RSC payload.

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Edited January 27, 2015 by Death Engineering

[drewscriver]

Well, here you go, have another K-prize entry, the Alaflux, with a light payload to duna orbit, plus a quick stop to plant the flag.

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Bouncers are kindly requested to ignore the bits with the undocked wings - that was on a different flight.