Thuds Are Beautiful

[Moesly_Armlis]

The Mk-55 Thud liquid fueled engine now has my full attention. This is a complete turn around from my previous experiences in engineering rockets. The Thud engine was ignored and I used to design around the LV-T45 Swivel. The restrictions of 18 tonne and 30 parts has made the idea of lifting a payload of fuel into LKO a challenge. Using twin Thuds has offered the best design.

Compared with the LV-T45 the twin Mk-55 offer improved TWR and stability assist from the engine gimbal. If using a non pilot such as the Stayputnik Mk. 1 the extra stability is welcomed. Many booster designs were tried and no other performed as well. The average cost is around 40000 m/s Delta-V for circular orbit at 200 km and then the remainder is used for rendezvous.

Another vessel will dock with the fuel and use it for a kerbal Mun landing and return. Returning experiments from Mun under theses designs limitations was also challenging. The ability to lift a payload of a FL-T400 into LKO using limitations of 18t / 30 parts has now been accomplished and using twin Thuds was the right choice.

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Anyone else ignored or underestimated the Mk-55 Thud liquid fuel engine?

[KSACheese]

I have, and unfortunately still do. Should I use these for orbit burn or orbital maneuvers?

[zxczxczbfg]

I must admit that I don't use it as often as I should. I prefer inline engines for my rocket designs. I'll have to experiment a bit with the Thud now.

[Feradose]

Bro.. If you need 40000 ∆v to get into orbit, you need to seriously check if you launch with chutes dragging.

[nothingSpecial]

The average cost is around 40000 m/s Delta-V

I see.

[Rainbowtrout]

I really like the look of them; I don't see why they aren't used much. (probably because in my mind style > functionality)

[Hotaru]

Personally I use them pretty frequently as vernier motors on larger rockets, to improve control authority and get a bit of extra TWR. I generally use 24-77's for the same purpose on smaller rockets. I've never tried using Thuds as main engines.

[nigelvn]

Bro.. If you need 40000 ∆v to get into orbit, you need to seriously check if you launch with chutes dragging.

The 40000 m/s delta V is probably a typ0 (ooooh, i'm sorry)

[Slam_Jones]

To be honest, I thought the thread title was "Thugs are beautiful", and expected some amusing pics of gangsters wearing sundresses or something.

But this works too.

[Bev7787]

Oh no...

Yes I have seen them and used them due to their gimbal range in my 18t rockets

[TheSaint]

To be honest, I thought the thread title was "Thugs are beautiful", and expected some amusing pics of gangsters wearing sundresses or something.

But this works too.

And I was thinking Thuds are beautiful:

(They are. Especially when you need close air support. But I might be dating myself. )

As for the rocket engine, I've tried using them a couple of times on landers, but I always seem to get better results with a radially-attached FL-T200 and a Terrier. Never tried them as a launch engine.

[Pax Kerbana]

They are pretty much the exclusive engine for landing base modules as I design the lander to decouple and shoot off to a fiery oblivion.

[lost_in_space]

I don't use them. I don't associate the word "thud" with anything good.

[Just Jim]

Early on in my career I found they are quite maneuverable and work great for landing on buildings to collect science.

[cantab]

Obviously that design works well. Two T45s would offer even more thrust, but it might well be more than you need. That was the situation with my Serran lander - one T45 would have made the lander too tall, and two T45's would have been massive overkill, a pair of Thuds was still overkill but worked well. (Serran is a mod planet with atmosphere, between Duna and Laythe in size.)

[Tourist]

To be honest, I thought the thread title was "Thugs are beautiful", and expected some amusing pics of gangsters wearing sundresses or something.

But this works too.

I hear Big Al used to rock a cocktail dress.

[Frybert]

To be honest, I thought the thread title was "Thugs are beautiful", and expected some amusing pics of gangsters wearing sundresses or something.

But this works too.

There ya go!

[Coyote27]

I've used them pretty often as lander engines, and a couple times added a dorsal/ventral pair for extra thrust aside a Mainsail on a first stage (with liquid boosters on the sides) - they turned out to not be necessary for anything that was light enough to not use a Mammoth core for though.

And I was thinking Thuds are beautiful:

#allthudsarebeautiful

I totally agree.

[GoSlash27]

I don't overlook them because "math".

I use whatever engine the math tells me I should use

Best,

-Slashy

[Raptor9]

I use these sometimes on atmo landers/ascent vehicles, and as my OMS engines on my Space Shuttle.

But I agree with GoSlash27 (Slashy) about the math, sometimes the numbers tell me to use something else. But on the other hand, sometimes I'll make a concession on the engine's stats if other considerations are in play; such as engine dimensions, required mounting locations, compactness, gimbal range, etc. While an engine's performance on my landers are a huge consideration, it does need to be balanced with other contributing factors.

[Alshain]

We didn't use them in the past because they were unbalanced. Their TWR and ISP wasn't worth it. I haven't seen them recently though, perhaps they warrant another look.

[Dman979]

I use them if my core stage needs a bit of a thrust kick, but I don't want to build boosters.

[Foxster]

Yes, they were tweaked to be a useful engine now.

They have good TWR, the same as a Swivel. Their surface TWR is closer to their vacuum TWR, making them good for lifting at any altitude. PLUS they have lower drag that any other radial-mounted engine solution, whilst keeping the part-count low.

[CalculusWarrior]

They definitely are a better engine now, and very useful for landers/base construction vehicles, their gimbal is among the highest in the game, I believe.

[RA3236]

Don't use the Thud because when I made something with it, I blew up the whole space centre. IN CAREER!!!