1MTon Rocket

[MTd2]

I was thinking of building one, the most efficient in achieving the highest V as possible. But all using known technology. 1MT mean 300 Saturn V. So, I'd use sets of saturn V and modules to build up. What are your suggestions?

[Streetwind]

One megaton what? Launch weight or payload? And, "the most efficient" in what sense? Did you mean "dV" when you wrote "V"? If so, "the most dV" achieving what exactly? dV is specific to the mission objective you are attempting to achieve. The same rocket can have vastly different dV values depending on the payload to the same destination, or it can have vastly different dV values depending on the destination for the same payload.

Also, welcome to the forums

[1greywind]

Use open cycle nuclear thermal rockets - with 1MT rocket you any way do so much environmental damage, that few petabecquerels of radioactive exhaust is insignificant.

[MTd2]

No nuclear part! I want to only use existing stuff, except for struts. I'd also not to use no ion drive.

By most efficient, I mean, with 1MTon of stuff, achieving the biggest delta V for that given structure using the less fuel. The last part non propelled is only the default reentry capusule.

[Red Iron Crown]

Is this for KSP or real life?

[MTd2]

Real Solar System mod

[More Boosters]

This is simpler than you think if you're ignoring all the practical problems. Just take the highest ISP engines available to us (cryogenic LH2/LOX), and then have multiple stages of that.

[Red Iron Crown]

Since this is for KSP, moving to Gameplay Questions.

[MTd2]

I am indeed thinking about the feasibility. It seems there is a slowdown already with Saturn V alone.

[A_name]

Once I decided to build a rocket capable of traveling at the speed of light. This was probably in 0.25. If I remember right, the whole thing weighed around 10,000 tons and had many, many stages. The last stage was a Mk1 capsule with a donut tank and the ant engine; the first was made of a bunch (maybe 30 or so) of 3 meter tanks + mammoths. Don’t remember how much Dv it had though.

Sadly, I was unable to reach the speed of light.

[MTd2]

My first parameter is the weight and then using this weight, 1MT, set the best speed. It is like giving you a lot of sand and make you build a sand castle. Saturn V weighted 3k tons, it is the heaviest. So, I take it as a basis for construction. So, I have to use at least 334 of these.

Apollos space craft weighted around 50 tons: http://www.braeunig.us/space/specs/apollo.htm. So you'd need 60 apollo rockets to push another Apollo rocket. If we use a first layer of 300 of these, we would have a second layer of 5 rockets. That's short of 29 of the minimum for 1MT. So, it's better than to surpass 1MT slightly, using a further 60 in the first layer, so we have 6 apollo rockets in the second layer. In the end, that's 300tons of spare cargo in the end.

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Now, that is a massive slow down. Is there a way to turn off effects, like the rocket fire and smoke?