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[STOCK] Binary - VTOL SSTO

Bubbadevlin

By Bubbadevlin
in KSP1 The Spacecraft Exchange

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Bubbadevlin

Bubbadevlin

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Bubbadevlin Presents

The Binary SSTO

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This is a very unique design, and one of the few like it out there. The first thing is it is a VTOL SSTO, something fairly hard to do considering how high the TWR needs to be to VTOL all of that fuel. The main reason it is unique however, is the fact that the engines are able to rotate 90 degrees, similar to a V-22 Osprey. As for general stats, the craft only seats 1 kerbal. It comes with docking equipment (RCS and a docking port), but can really only make LKO. It is 222 parts, and weighs ~30 tons.

The mechanical mechanism is one of a kind. While it does work based on the ant engine hinges (so that you can throttle the engines) There are no clumsy docking ports, and it is VERY stable. Instead, the mechanism uses what i call a "shell" design. It works on the basis that the ant engines are in a spiral pattern, and in the center there is a central axle. Attached to this axle are the main engines. Around this axle is the "shell", in this case a structural fuselage. This shell has wheels which support the central axle in a traditional bearing (if not modified somewhat to fit into the plane space) The shell is then decoupled, and fits into another bearing outside of it which holds the shell in place. The shell is like a skin which allows one craft to interact with itself. In this case, the shell is kept in the same rotation as the central axle, and to turn the engines I use air breaks that push on cubic-octagons and turn the entire engine assembly.

Flight in the Binary is actually quite simple. Press 1 to toggle the inclination of the engines (forward or down). 2 toggles the main engines, and 3 toggles rocket/jet mode. To be honest, this craft is not a true VTOL when prepared for SSTO orbit. That is because it has a minimum stall speed, which is 50 m/s. This is not a glide speed, however since the rapiers rapidly gain thrust as speed goes up, you need to maintain a certain speed to have a TWR of more than one. This can be easily fixed for easier VTOL fun by emptying the engine tanks. The SSTO flight path is that of any SSTO that has very high TWR, climb to 10km, then level out, and when you reach ~25 km, turn on the rockets and point up.

There are some problems with this design however (like anything in KSP that is mechanical). Number one is that when you are on the ground, always time warp with the engines in the default position, forwards. Another is the fact that you can not really time warp in space. This is because the Binary is technically two crafts,  however it is perfectly save to x4 physics warp when not firing your engines. Very short bursts are fine, but as soon as the "skin" starts drifting, the craft will not work anymore.  It is also suggested that you command from the docking port, as the command module is facing downwards. And yes, this craft is REALLY clippy, but, hey, there is a lot of space taken up by things that would not be there, if not for the transformation. 

 

 

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Bubbadevlin

Bubbadevlin

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6 hours ago, Evanitis said:

Totally awesome... and that was my opinion before I knew it's also an SSTO. Guess it'll be the first KSP craft that I actually download.

I am honored! :)

6 hours ago, selfish_meme said:

That is really cool, I also will download it to exploit it's secrets!

Ha ha, I want to see what you make if you do!

2 hours ago, Majorjim said:

I see exactly how it is made and yet, it has never been done before! You are on a roll man, keep the awesome craft coming.

Thanks! Yea, I felt like this was one thing I could actually explain without writing a entire page, so I did. It also helps that it really is just a simple bearing, but changed to allow one craft rotation

1 hour ago, castille7 said:

And this weeks Kerbal Engineering Genius Award goes toooooooo!!!!......Bubbadevlin!!!! :D   I've been wanting to do this for a long time, congratulations on the Rotarycraft Design, this is an amazing build.

Wow, thank you! I have long wanted to do something like this as well, way back when i could barley get to another planet.. :P. Back then I had actually made something that almost worked, using docking ports and engines. I was reminded of that WIP (long deleted :/) by the Z-50 the other week. I had run into the same problem with my design, how the docking ports would not undock from action groups. Back then I had thought this was a glitch, and let the entire thing go, hoping that it would be fixed in an upcoming patch. It obviously hasn't yet. With more experience to the game, i decided to try the concept again, and this is what came of it!

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Majorjim!

Majorjim!

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Just now, Bubbadevlin said:

 

Thanks! Yea, I felt like this was one thing I could actually explain without writing a entire page, so I did. It also helps that it really is just a simple bearing, but changed to allow one craft rotation

 

I didn't actually read it! :D I know a standard bearing when I see one. I can imagine how it is made, and yet, as I stated, nobody has done it before, I am surprised by that! Very well done indeed for getting a working heavy VTOL.

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Bubbadevlin

Bubbadevlin

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6 minutes ago, Majorjim said:

I didn't actually read it! :D I know a standard bearing when I see one. I can imagine how it is made, and yet, as I stated, nobody has done it before, I am surprised by that! Very well done indeed for getting a working heavy VTOL.

Ha ha! thanks! :)

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Bubbadevlin

Bubbadevlin

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3 minutes ago, Mad Rocket Scientist said:

Amazing!  I don't understand how you can throttle the engines if they're separate crafts though.

They are not! :)

The engines turn based on Ant hinges, meaning that they are the same craft! The part that is decoupled is the "shell"

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Majorjim!

Majorjim!

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Just now, Bubbadevlin said:

They are not! :)

The engines turn based on Ant hinges, meaning that they are the same craft! The part that is decoupled is the "shell"

Hmm curiouser and curiouser!

 I assumed the same, It would be possible if they are separate craft, just very tricky indeed. To the SPH!

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Bubbadevlin

Bubbadevlin

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4 hours ago, FlipNascar said:

This is nice. I will rip this apart... So fugly tho.. ;) 

:( I worked hard on those stylish looks! :P

Ha ha no, ik it looks ugly, but really there was not much more i could do :/

8 hours ago, Majorjim said:

Hmm curiouser and curiouser!

 I assumed the same, It would be possible if they are separate craft, just very tricky indeed. To the SPH!

So has anyone actually figured out how this works?!?! :P

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Giggleplex777

Giggleplex777

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2 hours ago, Bubbadevlin said:

So has anyone actually figured out how this works?!?! :P

I haven't had a chance to check out the craft ingame but I think I understand how it works. Since parts that are part of the same vessel can't interact with itself (except for landing legs), the "traditional" way of moving and locking a part would require engines/landing struts and docking ports-- which can't undock via action groups. Your ingenious solution to this is to have a second, structural vessel that allows the main spacecraft to interact with itself by giving it something to push on while in turn the "shell" interacts with the engine assembly that's attached to the hinge, causing the entire assembly to move. Absolutely brilliant!

 

BTW the Z-50 (now the Z-51) is still available here: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/36708-zepto-eagleworks-z-51-cobra-vstol/#comment-505173

Edited by Giggleplex777
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Bubbadevlin

Bubbadevlin

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16 hours ago, Giggleplex777 said:

I haven't had a chance to check out the craft ingame but I think I understand how it works. Since parts that are part of the same vessel can't interact with itself (except for landing legs), the "traditional" way of moving and locking a part would require engines/landing struts and docking ports-- which can't undock via action groups. Your ingenious solution to this is to have a second, structural vessel that allows the main spacecraft to interact with itself by giving it something to push on while in turn the "shell" interacts with the engine assembly that's attached to the hinge, causing the entire assembly to move. Absolutely brilliant!

 

BTW the Z-50 (now the Z-51) is still available here: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/36708-zepto-eagleworks-z-51-cobra-vstol/#comment-505173

Yup, that is the mechanism in a nutshell! 

Also thanks, as the Z-50/51 was basically my inspiration for building this thing :)

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Majorjim!

Majorjim!

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1 minute ago, Bubbadevlin said:

Yup, that is the mechanism in a nutshell! 

Also thanks, as the Z-50/51 was basically my inspiration for building this thing :)

Yeah a bearing but restrained by an ant engine flexible 'limb'. Docking and undocking to itself.

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Bubbadevlin

Bubbadevlin

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2 minutes ago, Majorjim said:

Right so the part that would push it just holds it in place?

Yup, the air breaks just hold it in place. The problem with docking, as giggleplex described, is that docking ports do not like to undock based on action groups :/

 

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Majorjim!

Majorjim!

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Just now, The Optimist said:

A remarkable feat of engineering. I do have one question: Are both engines a single craft, of do I have to throttle both seperately? I suspect it is just a single craft, but I would like some clarification.

It is always one craft. No separation events I believe.

Edited by Majorjim
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