Seaplane to Orbit 1.0.5

[Evanitis]

Lovely challenge, enjoyed every minute of SUBSSSTO building.

So let me present a Recreational Deaeronautics product... the Leapfish!

On the documented mission it went to orbit from the depth of only 200 meters, but earlier flights shown that it can withstand the pressure even a kilometer under the sea. We were bored to test any further. We theorize that it could latch onto the ocean floor with it's klaw, and stay indefinately. But we were too excited to see it's orbital capability, so we have yet to master the anchoring manuver.

Sadly, during the delicate process of adding moar boosters, the craft lost it's ability to take off from the very surface of the sea. But since it can launch to orbit from underwater, we at the company believe that it functionally fulfills the challenge requirement. Hope the Seaplane Comitee will share our opinion, and judge our application by the spirit and not the letter of the rules. Ahh, we also used a klaw instead of a docking port, so the vessel can be used for piracy.

 

[Mikki]

@Evanitis and @MARINEav8r,

Hello there, i have some lots of different stuff to do and in any free time i look into this:

You both have made viable entrys in my serious fun challenge, congratulations!!!

MARINEav8r`s vessel isn`t crappy at all, it is a semi Mk2/ Mk3 plane, i placed you to the latter one, i hope you are okay with that.
The design is very unique, and i was wondering about the graphic issues of some parts, but anyhow, you had lots of oxidizer left in orbit which mean that it is very likely that it performs much better than in your post shown, nevermind! 

Evanitis, your craft just buyed the farm, first i couldn`t believe it does submerge!!! But How????  
And for you i opened the Mk1 category, you are the first Seaman in this section, much respect for your engineering skills!!!

If you like both of you can copy and paste the challenge badge from the challenge partyboat partyboard into your signature, you can make it tinyer with the forumsoftware...

Okay, thanks for participating!    AHOY SEAMANS!! 
Your entrys are revised and added to the challenge board of honour!

Edited January 23, 2016 by Mikki

[Evanitis]

Thanks!

So... while I was waiting for your judgement, our engineers decided to push the limits of the design as far as they could... by adding an ISRU and suitable mining equipment. That's some serious extra weight, and keeping the Mk 1 profile didn't really allow us to use the universal solution to every problem known to the Kerbalkind (as in adding moar boosters).

Thus the resulting Leapfish Mk II is a pretty borderline case in multiple aspects. I had to use more... liberal clipping guidelines, especially concerning the drill. The smaller one broke every time it touched water if it was placed low enough to be able to actually mine. The big one is... big, heavy and not the least bit more resistant than it's little brother. But we welded it on anyways. (no KJR used)

The craft is a lot less graceful than it's predecessor. The two whiplashes struggle while lifting the plane from underwater to the high atmo. We could only squeeze ~1000 m/s out of it before firing the weasley. And it didn't get easier at that point - our final orbit was a bit more inclined and less circular than we like it, but it was definately an orbit. We also had to use all of it's RCS for deorbiting. It won't got to Minmus without refueling, but with a perfect LF/O balance and ascent profile it will be able to latch on to a station and steal the fuel when no one's looking.

Than it'll be able to go to anywhere.

 

 

(yup, those are MechJeb panels. Though the most cheaty function I used was creating a perfect circularization node on my AP with one click. Not that it helped. MJ module was removed from the uploaded .craft file)

Edited January 24, 2016 by Evanitis

[Mikki]

@Evanitis

This is a new aera in KSP gameplay. SQUAD! Give this SEAMAN an golden anchor and a beer! 

You are free to make anytime another entry, but if it looks too suspicious or contains obviously contraband, you must submit the craftfile to have it checked by the harbourauthoritys...  Good thing the that`s me . I suffer frequently on temporary blindness mixed with the deaf dumb sometimes .

Have a good time and Ahoy!

EDIT. Your custom badges are pretty cool!

Edited January 24, 2016 by Mikki

[Evanitis]

8 hours ago, Mikki said:

if it looks too suspicious or contains obviously contraband, you must submit the craftfile to have it checked by the harbourauthoritys...

11 hours ago, Mikki said:

first i couldn`t believe it does submerge!!! But How????  

At first I thought it's a rhetorical question, but better be safe than sorry, I'll point out that both the Leapfish and the Leapfish Mk II craft files were linked in their respective posts, just as in this one. Or did I botch the links?

Edited January 24, 2016 by Evanitis

[Mikki]

1 hour ago, Evanitis said:

At first I thought it's a rhetorical question, but better be safe than sorry, I'll point out that both the Leapfish and the Leapfish Mk II craft files were linked in their respective posts, just as in this one. Or did I botch the links?

Oh look, i did`nt notice the links sorry, i blame my monitor temperature settings for now... *ahem*....

[Castille7]

Incredible design! Makes me want to take on the challenge of making one!

[WhiteKnuckle]

I do hope this landing gets a special mention...

 

Album link:

http://imgur.com/a/ysAs6

Craft file:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fxn2elltes9iyav/Nomad%20III%20S.craft?dl=0

[Mikki]

@WhiteKnuckle

1. Your landing style was not mentioned until now. 
2. I can`t see any docking device, even @Evanitis slapped a KLAAAAW to his subsstwtfomgoshseaplane. 
3. I can`t see a somewhat storing device, like a cargobay or a ... the other thing. 
4. You have made a viable entry with watered wet booty serious poolguest 
5. You have invented a new and much awsum style, congrats! 
Edited: you`re not serious, no...
Your partyboat update is in work and you can paste the batch into your signature despite being a crazy whirlygig
pilot, AHOY SEAMAN ! You are a poolnaught too! 

Edited January 27, 2016 by Mikki

[WhiteKnuckle]

37 minutes ago, Mikki said:

@WhiteKnuckle

1. Your landing style was not mentioned until now. 
2. I can`t see any docking device, even @Evanitis slapped a KLAAAAW to his subsstwtfomgoshseaplane. 
3. I can`t see a somewhat storing device, like a cargobay or a ... the other thing. 
4. You have made a viable entry with watered wet booty serious poolguest 
5. You have invented a new and much awsum style, congrats! 
Edited: you`re not serious, no...
Your partyboat update is in work and you can paste the batch into your signature despite being a crazy whirlygig
pilot, AHOY SEAMAN ! You are a poolnaught too! 

2 & 3: Sorry I didn't take a pic of the underside (will when I get home tonight) but there are actually three short Mk2 cargo bays onboard. The rear two hold the vertical engines so I assumed they didn't really count, but the front one works just fine, and has a jr. docking port in it (it's even slightly offset to clear the front pontoon). Everything should be in the craft file, but I'll add a pic as well.

Happy with the "poolnaught" title! Thanks.

 

 

 

[Mikki]

@WhiteKnuckle

Oh well... again 

Since you made a proper and straight Imguralbum i didn`t download your craftfile for further inspection, so you are offduty to apply further evidence of making a viable plane! Your word is in my eyes, no ears!

AHOY there! 

[spacemandude10]

After my SSTO is finished, I should be able to make a seaplane variant, if the normal variant doesn't end up a seaplane itself. By the way, the name I've given it is "The Flaming Comet"^TM. Based off something I made from Lego when I was 11 I think. And it shows lots of promise too, surprisingly. I might be able to go for ultimate wet watered.

[spacemandude10]

I have a question though. Is refueling:

1. Not allowed at all by any means
2. Limited to mining ore from a body (Mun, Minmus, an asteroid, etc.) and converting it to fuel
3. Limited to docking with another craft and transferring fuel (I know, probably not, but just in case)
4. Other means

please let me know

[Mikki]

20 hours ago, spacemandude10 said:

I have a question though. Is refueling:

1. Not allowed at all by any means
2. Limited to mining ore from a body (Mun, Minmus, an asteroid, etc.) and converting it to fuel
3. Limited to docking with another craft and transferring fuel (I know, probably not, but just in case)
4. Other means

please let me know

@spacemandude10

Hi there, according your questions:

1. Nope
2. No ISRU in this challenge, no
3. you can unload fuel, but refueling ... no
4. fuelexchange is limited to unload, if any.

I hope your questions have been answered properly.
Good luck and have a good time!

[spacemandude10]

On 2/7/2016 at 5:27 AM, Mikki said:

@spacemandude10

Hi there, according your questions:

1. Nope
2. No ISRU in this challenge, no
3. you can unload fuel, but refueling ... no
4. fuelexchange is limited to unload, if any.

I hope your questions have been answered properly.
Good luck and have a good time!

Ok, thanks!

[Lego8_bit]

i might just do this little challenge  unfortunately jeb wont be able to attend this fine and dandy thing as hes currently on a mission to go around the world and a land speeder and cannot be interrupted by this mission XD