Upgraded arrowhead SSTO! now with less parts, less drag, less weight and higher top speed in atmo!

[Screeno]

this is a much more refined version of my original N4K arrowhead, the RP6-N3 Arrowhead! i found that using rapiers instead saved weight and delta v. Also I cut the crap from it and made it more streamlined, which allows it to get almost 1500 m/s in atmo using airbreathing mode!

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After that mission it still had something 800m/s Dv left. a landing and return from duna could be done!

Stats:

Parts: 94

Wet/dry mass in metric tons: 63.2/34.5

Length: 19.7m

Width: 8.9m

Height: 3.9m

Max recorded speed in airbreathing mode: Mach 4.4

Delta V in orbit after being fully refueled with liquid fuel: 3700+

Actiongroups: 1. turn on/off rapiers 2. rapier mode 3. turn on/off nukes 4. ladder

Ascent profile:

take off at 45 degrees and remain here until 5km up, then pitch down to 30, then at 10km pitch down to 20, then the cooking phase begins! nothing explodes at all though. and finallly at 15km pitch down to 10. dont pitch now you can just let it accelerate to max speed. you will get approximatley 1490 ish m/s at 24km up, then you can switch rapier mode and turn on nukes. there's enough oxidiser to get the apoapsis almost to space then the nukes will do the rest. set desired apoapsis, coast, circularise and then do your thing i reccomend refueling it in a low kerbin orbit and then taking it for a trip to wherever you think it could go. (confirmed mun and minmus capable but with that amount of Dv im sure it could do more)

have fun!

Craft file: http://kerbal.curseforge.com/shareables/230948-rp6-n3-arrow-head-ssto

[SHiftER2O]

Awesome!

[Kagame]

I thoroughly approve of these drag reductions. I'm partial to minimizing my Mk. 2s down to just a Type A Structural and Elevon 3 for main lift, but that strake probably really helps with a setup like this that has lower thrust. Nice aesthetic, too- it just looks fast without even trying to go to Mach 4.

*reads post again*

OK, wow. If you're ever looking for a challenging SSTO job, we'd be glad to have you at Rockomax Heavy Industries. You did better than lift a Mun lander into LKO (as with one of my concepts)- you just said "screw K-Prize specs", refuelled, and did it yourself. That is some serious piloting and building skills, there. Especially the hours of tweaking and polishing that thing must have took. Well done.

Edited June 13, 2015 by Kagame

[Screeno]

I'm gonna send it to duna, as a prrof of concept that it can be a shuttle to a duna base, is 3700 Dv enough to depart from LKO, aerocapture at duna, land, takeoff and get to low duna orbit, then return home? This is of course with optimal transfer window

[Kagame]

Should be. I'd bring a parachute just in case something goes wrong with the aerocapture and you find yourself needing a whole lot of drag in a hurry.

[Captain Sierra]

I'm gonna send it to duna, as a prrof of concept that it can be a shuttle to a duna base, is 3700 Dv enough to depart from LKO, aerocapture at duna, land, takeoff and get to low duna orbit, then return home? This is of course with optimal transfer window

With optimal windows, that should be enough to go to Duna and come back without aerocapture, but I don't know about landing. Where is that dV coming from, nukes, RAPIERs? It really depends on how badly Duna's (albeit thin) atmosphere hurts your thrust output.

[Screeno]

Oh once away from kerbin and fueled up it only uses the 3 nukes, for max 180 Kn of thrust, I'm sure duna atmosphere won't reduce that to much right? Also I'm hoping the 4 airbrakes will be enough to slow me down to landing speed on duna

[SHiftER2O]

Oh once away from kerbin and fueled up it only uses the 3 nukes, for max 180 Kn of thrust, I'm sure duna atmosphere won't reduce that to much right?

Correct

Your SSTO is now featured in PRoject Raven as well

[Screeno]

Epicness thanks man

[SHiftER2O]

Epicness thanks man

If there are things in the thread you want to change (I.e. descriptions and stuff) Just let me know

[Screeno]

Actually I just noticed that you referred to me as whippler for one sentamce XD it says "whippler found that using rapiers saved weight and delta v" top kek

[SHiftER2O]

Actually I just noticed that you referred to me as whippler for one sentamce XD it says "whippler found that using rapiers saved weight and delta v" top kek

Whoops, wait.

[Screeno]

Toppus kekkus

[soulreaver1981]

thats not a arrohead!!!

this is

(0.90 i mis you) lol