[Stock] Archer Mk2 Spaceplane - Single stage to the Munar surface and back

[geb]

First, pictures!

The full album of the proving flight can be seen here: http://imgur.com/a/blPET#0

Otherwise the highlights are spoilered below

A smooth takeoff

Orbit with an immense amount of fuel to spare

Touchdown on the Mun

Descending for landing

Safe!

If you want to try flying this thing, be aware that it is a tricky beast that will destroy itself at every opportunity unless you handle it well.

Tips:

• 
  [li]Use the ASAS while gaining speed on the runway to avoid flipping sideways.[/li]
  [li]There\'s plenty of thrust to spare, so ascent very steeply. Activate rockets at about 10k.[/li]
  [li]Do not retract the landing gear until you\'re in orbit! The landing gear can collapse the wing structure if you retract it in atmosphere.[/li]
  [li]Land on the Mun with your long axis pointing along the gradient, so you don\'t tip over.[/li]
  [li]Save before re-entering atmosphere! This thing glides like a brick and you are almost certain to crash more often than you land.[/li]
  [li]Consider aerobraking into a low Kerbin orbit to let you choose your landing site, because this thing can\'t handle diverting around an ocean.[/li]
  [li]Use ASAS to avoid flipping in a glide. Keep your nose pointed very close to the velocity vector.[/li]
  [li]Do not try to turn while in a gliding descent.[/li]
  [li]Be very careful flaring up before landing, making sure not to max out the pitch controls.[/li]
  [li]Re-enable the jet engines and give a brief burst of thrust just before wheels hit the ground, to raise your velocity vector.[/li]
  

[Gojira]

how

how did you do this with only jets

HOW

[geb]

how

how did you do this with only jets

HOW

It has a pair of aerospike rockets too. They do most of the work.

[samstarman5]

I couldn\'t help but notice you have a close mock-up of an X-wing. You can admit if it was by accident.

[geb]

I couldn\'t help but notice you have a close mock-up of an X-wing. You can admit if it was by accident.

It\'s a mix of both practicality and style. I needed a wide base for mounting the landing legs, so that it wouldn\'t fall over on the Mun. Wings are the easiest way to do that. Looking awesome is a welcome side effect.

[HOC]

Looks awesome, yet probably handles like a... yeah. I\'ll check it out at some point

[Feasting]

Your fuel tanks seem to have refilled themselves in those last 2 pictures. Otherwise, nice work landing a plane on the moon!

[RedDwarfIV]

Your fuel tanks seem to have refilled themselves in those last 2 pictures. Otherwise, nice work landing a plane on the moon!

Likelyhood is he just used pictures he had taken whilst flying around and landing rather than screen captures of actually returning from the Mun.

[geb]

If you pause a flight and return to the tracking station, then resume, the state of the fuel tanks doesn\'t display properly.

The amount of fuel in an empty tank stays at zero when the game resumes, but it displays as being full in the staging info.

[Apotheosist]

I\'ve noticed the same with fuel tanks displaying full when they\'re actually empty. Nice looking ship! I\'ll give it a go when I get home in a few days.