Another Request for Help/Advice on 2 SSTO(s)

[Turk_WLF]

I’m looking for some Help/Advice on how to make 2 Types of SSTO(s) 1) Just a SR-71 Style (Mk II) SSTO & a 2) Cargo Version SSTO in KSP 1.0.4.

I can make an “Okay†copy of the SR-71 (using MK2 Parts & all Liquid Fuel with the 2 or 3 “Whiplash†Ram Jet Engines) & I can get her up to about 27,000 Meters since that’s on the edge of the Atmosphere.

I have tried making the very same aircraft but with Rocket Fuel & Rapier Engines & I can’t even get her off of the Ground.

I know that I can google “KSP & SSTO†but I haven’t found any tutorials that explains why you need to do this while they just show you how they build their SSTOs.

I haven’t seen Tutorials on what to do or how to make a Cargo SSTO; I want a SSTO with a small cargo bay that I can launch small Satellite and on both Planes I want be able to a Docking Port (dock to a Space Station).

Thank you,

[Sharpy]

Give your Whiplash-based plane one MK2 rocket fuel tank and two Aerospikes, or some similar engines of decent thrust. Activate when you can't squeeze any more out of the whiplashes then climb slowly as you get towards orbital speed.

Seriously, 80% fun is making this on your own, so I won't spoil it for you.

[legoclone09]

If you really need a craft design, here is my KR-71 cargo SSTO. It can get a full small Ore tank to LKO. Link is here:

Flight path is same I used, cargo bay can be replaced with crew cabin and docking port. RCS goes on front and on wingtips, also top and bottom above COM.

Edited July 13, 2015 by legoclone09
Quick fix

[satnet]

The "specific plane" tutorial complaint is something I can sympathize with both as a user and as a tutorial writer (it is really hard to keep it generic).

There are a few common reasons that you can't get off the ground. First the RAPIER is a great engine at high altitudes and speeds, but mediocre at idle on the ground. If your plane is heavy it might not have the thrust. The wiplash is much better at lower altitudes and speeds, and not bad at high speeds and altitudes. I'll often use one wiplash and an appropriate number of RAPIERs on my SSTOs since it gives the plane a good all around capability (it is completely possible to create an SSTO that uses only one or the other though). You may also need to adjust your landing gear placement because you need to have some leverage to pull up and take off. Generally you want your landing gear just behind your CoM and RAPIERs are heavy enough to shift it a little. You also may not have enough pitch authority to pull up, though it doesn't take much and you can take off with a different engine so it isn't as likely, still a canard or tail plane may help.

To build a cargo SSTO I usually build an SSTO that is a little overbuilt and add a cargo bay roughly at the CoM (this keeps flight characteristics roughly the same after you drop off your cargo). You might need to bump up the engines and fuel to compensate for the dead weight. The hardest part is often times building the payload in the bay. Usually I attach a docking port to the outside, build my cargo, and then move it into the cargo bay using the "node attach mode" (hold the "mod" key for your OS) so it snaps to the node instead of surface attaching.

For docking ports I usually use the protected docking port as a nose code, though it probably won't fit the style you're going for. The inline Mk2 or inline clamp-o-tron are usually pretty easy to add to your design and they give it a nice look and feel, but they are a little harder to dock with though that is just my opinion. Any of them are perfectly usable, just make sure the inline ones are placed far from any obstructions like tail fins that might prevent you from docking.

My overall advice is to keep your SSTO as light as possible. Reducing weight is often much easier than adding more engines or fuel. The "more engines"/"more fuel" cycle is a trap I often fell into when I starting making SSTOs. Don't be afraid to remove unneeded fuel, you can keep yourself from reaching orbit by carrying around a few extra tons of fuel. Try to find the right balance of LF and LF+O tanks, because it is a waste of fuel to send up oxidizer you can't burn because you used the corresponding fuel with air-breathing engines. Don't be afraid to go through some trial and error. SSTOs are a lot of fun, but they usually operate on thin margins because they don't have the luxury of dropping the extra weight of a stage once you're done with it.

While they are pre-1.0 the best generic aircraft guides I've run across are http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/52080 and

. This is a good guide for getting to orbit in 1.0.4

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