The weekly spaceplanes

[CaptainTurbomuffin]

You may ask me to build spaceplanes for you here. I'll post the planes I made here, so others might be able to access it. I will try to finish a plane per week, as the title suggests. Feel free to request anything you need in the replies.

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Currently, I am not working on a project, so If you request something, I can get to that.

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Week 1:

Requested by:

Veeltch

Requiements:

-SSTO

-Can carry the crew of 4 kerbals to Laythe

-Use turbojets. No RAPIERS.

-Sleek&Stylish

Extras:

-Lighting

-Docking-capable (+RCS)

-Proper maneuverability

Description:

Because firstly, only turbojet-nerva combination was allowed, I had quite a few attempts to build a such craft. After the requiements were optimalized, the 8th setup did make it to Laythe, but quite hardly. So if you don't manage to have a perfectly efficient orbiting, a perfect launch window, perfect aerobraking, you might not get to the destination, or even to the planet. Feel free to use the docking ability to refuel the craft, or remove it to improve the performance. Altough I consider it finished, I'll be still adjusting it, and it might get updated. WARNING! The vehicle is NOT compatible with the current version, due to the "engine stowed" bug. I tried the fix, but id doesn't seem to work. So if this hasn't been fixed, remove the cargo bay from the back. Beware that the ladder is nonnected to that, so that might get removed too. I am making a video of a flight, including further details.

Action groups:

1.: Jet mode (toggle jet engines and the intakes. To avoid closing the intakes before flight, activate the turbojets through the staging)

2.:Main rockets (the conventional ones)

3.:Nuclear engine

4.:Docking mode (docking port and assistance lights)

5.:Solar panels

6.:Ladder (at the very back)

Image(video soon):

Download:

here

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Week 2:

Requested by:

nothingSpecial

Requiements:

-Space shuttle

-Return-oriented

-Mk.3

-Very very small and stout

-STS-like alignment

-Orbital rendzevous

-Docking

-Cargo bay can be easily replaced with fuel tanks

-Template:

Extras:

-Lighting

-Good maneuverability

-Expensive vernors only on the shuttle; cheap 1-way RCS on the fuel tank (which cannot be recovered)

-Removing the boosters won't break the balance (if you need less performance, for example for a light cargo, or no cargo)

-Great stability, comparing to the alingnment

-Airbrakes

Description:

Because I wanted to have minimal size, but witouth an open cargo bay at the back, I had to add a fuel tank between the engine and the cargo bay. The normal fuel tanks were too large, so instead I used an RCS-tank, wich is shorter. As a result, orbital maneuvering is done with clusters of Puff engines. Because the Rhino engine at the back is unexpectedly heavy, in order to have a proper CoM-CoL alignment, my wings had to be placed further back. Because of the heavily angled wings, the stability is so high that the plane couldn't turn. I managed to counter this with BRUTE FORCE, by adding large control surfaces. This was a tricky part, and I tried EVERY possible alignment of the control surfaces. The best was BIG-S elevons at the ends, medium elevons at the middle, with both pitch and roll enabled, and nothing at the joint. Altough this provides great controll power, at low speeds the shuttle still can't fly. The solution is a very very steep descend path. This works until landing, where the large speed won't let us to land safely. To counter this, an array of airbrakes is clipped into the wings. Use them to slow down after you pull up the nose from the descend. RCS might be necessary right after leaving the pad, and when the large tank is low on fuel.

Action groups:

1.:Main engine

2.:Docking mode

3.:Cargo bay

4.:Relase cargo

5.:Solar panels

6.:Ladder

Images:

Can carry about 6 tons of cargo (That's what you can put in there). Depending on your gravity turn, you can have 600 DV left after reaching LKO.

Download:

here

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Awaiting further requests.

Edited August 31, 2015 by CaptainTurbomuffin

[Wjolcz]

4-man, Turbojet+LV-N SSTO. Make it look sleek and stylish. GO!

I need that for my Laythe polar base project.

EDIT: Make it look similar to this one:

Edited August 9, 2015 by Veeltch

[CaptainTurbomuffin]

4-man, Turbojet+LV-N SSTO. Make it look sleek and stylish. GO!

I need that for my Laythe polar base project.

EDIT: Make it look similar to this one:

http://i.imgur.com/ocpJdWJ.png

I have been working a LOT on it, and I didn't manage to build a 4-man Laythe-capable plane, using Mk.2 parts, wich is sleek, and it only uses Turbojets and Nervas. I gave it up at type "H" (my 8th desgin) If it had enough DV, it wasn't able to reach orbit, due to the low TWR. Nervas are heavy, and if I tried to clip (have to be sleek) as much that I can orbit with them, I didn't have enough DV than.

[Wjolcz]

I have been working a LOT on it, and I didn't manage to build a 4-man Laythe-capable plane, using Mk.2 parts, wich is sleek, and it only uses Turbojets and Nervas. I gave it up at type "H" (my 8th desgin) If it had enough DV, it wasn't able to reach orbit, due to the low TWR. Nervas are heavy, and if I tried to clip (have to be sleek) as much that I can orbit with them, I didn't have enough DV than.

Yeah, it's ok. I kinda overestimated the LV-N. Sorry for that. Instead I figured a Ramjet+Swivel combo that makes for a nice SSTO.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Edited August 11, 2015 by Veeltch

[nothingSpecial]

Oh, wow!

This thread is really a gem!

If it's not difficult, can you please make a small (really small!) return-oriented (not an SSTO, I'm going to launch it on shuttle-alike stack) Mk3 plane? 4-man (only crew part is Mk3 cockpit), capable of reentry and landing on it's own, and not very difficult doing this, and with two sets of engines: balanced for CoM orbital ones and a launch engine that is slightly rotated.

Something like this: https://i.gyazo.com/3e7f8e15199ef74a6bc5d4a7da5ee070.png

Docking would be nice, smallest cargo bay would be nice, if I can replace cargo with fuel to fly-by Mun and safely return to Kerbin - it would be nice, but neither of these is necessary.

[CaptainTurbomuffin]

Oh, wow!

This thread is really a gem!

If it's not difficult, can you please make a small (really small!) return-oriented (not an SSTO, I'm going to launch it on shuttle-alike stack) Mk3 plane? 4-man (only crew part is Mk3 cockpit), capable of reentry and landing on it's own, and not very difficult doing this, and with two sets of engines: balanced for CoM orbital ones and a launch engine that is slightly rotated.

Something like this: https://i.gyazo.com/3e7f8e15199ef74a6bc5d4a7da5ee070.png

Docking would be nice, smallest cargo bay would be nice, if I can replace cargo with fuel to fly-by Mun and safely return to Kerbin - it would be nice, but neither of these is necessary.

I'm on it! Also, thank you for your compliments. One more thing: When building STS-like shuttles, I always find it VERY useful if I have enough fuel in the shuttle for most of the orbiting. The real STS just did a final circulization with the shuttle only, but I found out that having a larger fuel tank in the shuttle, for orbiting, improves the performance A LOT. Would you like somethink like that? or no. Also, would you like to have the rocket with it? Or just the pure shuttle.

Edited August 29, 2015 by CaptainTurbomuffin

[nothingSpecial]

Well, if it can be still small chubby funny shuttle - sure, why not!

Considering rocket... I thought from the thread you prefer planes. But if you okay, well, I managed to launch only a couple of STS-alikes, I would be glad to learn something from you! Thank you very much!

Edited August 29, 2015 by nothingSpecial

[nothingSpecial]

Oh, I missed the update.

Thank you very much! I have no possibility to fly it right now, but I will test it this week.

But at least I can already say it looks exactly as I need.

Thank you again, I have a very difficult time designing spaceplanes myself, so you really rescued me.