Real Solar System SSTO ?

[Gaarst]

So, I recently started to play with RSS and seeing the rocket needed to orbit a single command pod (260t at launch for me), I was wondering if SSTOs would be even possible with this mod. I'm not talking for me here considering I can't even make a SSTO in stock KSP.

I guess using part mods you could make something that works pretty good, but is it possible using only stock parts ? And if yes would it be profitable to orbit satellites with it over other rockets ?

If you do have a RSS SSTO, I would enjoy seeing screenshots or videos of it.

Thinking about it, that might make a good challenge for SSTO-maniacs... (probably already exists though)

[Yukon0009]

I think there was a guy who made a Single stage to Mars, but I'm not sure..

[NathanKell]

SSTO is fairly easy if you use an SSME and are willing to accept a tiny amount of payload. If you mean an SSTO spaceplane, that's a fish of a different water. I built one using RL10B2s and SABREs, but it couldn't make it off KSP's runway (hyperediting into flight worked tho). Not that it could survive reentry of course.

[Gaarst]

SSTO is fairly easy if you use an SSME and are willing to accept a tiny amount of payload. If you mean an SSTO spaceplane, that's a fish of a different water. I built one using RL10B2s and SABREs, but it couldn't make it off KSP's runway (hyperediting into flight worked tho). Not that it could survive reentry of course.

Yeah, I guess that non-spaceplane SSTOs are possible, fairly easily, but I doubt the payload fraction would be big enough for the thing to be worth the trouble. IMO, I think you're better off with a regular rocket, even though that might be more expensive in the end.

And about spaceplanes... Well, that would indeed be quite a challenge ! Making a plane with >9k m/s dV in vacuum, able to orbit at 130+ km and withstand a >7 km/s reentry and capable of taking some payload seems quite not very possible, IMO... Anyway, for this kind of SSTO, you're definitely better off with a rocket.

Still, waiting for challengers...

[cantab]

I very much doubt it's possible with stock parts. They're heavy and inefficient compared to Realism Overhaul parts.

[Guest]

So, I recently started to play with RSS and seeing the rocket needed to orbit a single command pod (260t at launch for me), I was wondering if SSTOs would be even possible with this mod.

With Realism Overhaul? Sure. You just really have to work at it. Look at Skylon, for instance; it's pretty much the most advanced SSTO proposal out there.

Real life SSTOs don't exist, and if they do they don't look anything like the fantastic "spaceplanes" you can build under the toy-like conditions of Kerbin. They may exist at some point but there are some serious challenges to making one work.

[01010101lzy]

In our local forum, someone made a stock part RSS SSTO with the help of RealFuels' methane NTR rocket. In older versions of KSP(0.23 or 0.24) with FAR, DRE, RF and AJE (and other realistic mods, but without RO, all coming from a mod pack he made called RKSP) installed, using the SABRE engine and extremely large wings, he made a couple of huge SSTOs.

Well in my opionion, SSTOs in RSS is possible, but stock part spaceplanes are a bit difficult withoit RF.

[TeeGee]

I made one using realism overhaul a while ago. It was a SSTO rocket using a RS68 engine with a small command pod payload on top. It should be in the RO spacecraft thread.