[0.16.0] Challenge: Build an SSTO Craft in .16!

[RayneCloud]

Challenge: Build an SSTO Craft in 0.16.0

Rules:

Stock Parts Only

Capable of 100km * 100km Orbit

Can use any stock parts/configurations

Post Pics and Craft Files

[RayneCloud]

Two notes,

Needs to be a space-plane capable of in-atmo flight as well, *grin*

Capable of De-orbit and return to KSC

[ChronicSilence]

I will attempt this now. Any tips on landing at KSC from orbit? I\'ve never really figured out what the best strategy for that is.

[Thobewill10]

Did this three days ago: can get into an ~100 km circular orbit with oodles of propellant to spare. Pretty simple design with a bunch of ladders for Jeb to climb all over.

Images

On the pad:

In orbit.

It uses the new launch clamps. It can take off from the runway, but the launch clamps are so f\'ing cool. 8)

[RayneCloud]

???

Thobewill, that is amazing!

EDIT 1: I just flew this thing, and it worked like a dream!

[ChronicSilence]

Did this three days ago: can get into an ~100 km circular orbit with oodles of propellant to spare. Pretty simple design with a bunch of ladders for Jeb to climb all over.

This is very neat. There must be something I\'m missing though in the flight instructions; I can\'t get it to pitch up once I ignite the Toroidal rocket. At best it stays level, but still loses altitude. When I launch this thing, am I supposed to keep it completely vertical the whole time or something?

[UmbralRaptor]

Define 'in-atmo' flight? Does it require jet engines, or just enough wings to glide around, or zip around on rocket engines for a minute or two if you don\'t feel like going to orbit?

If the latter, I\'ve been working on a minimal spaceplane:

Here it is in the hanger. Given the very low mass and lack of ASAS, not mounting a vertical stabilizer makes sense. GLOW is 6.62 tonnes. (8.12 if you count the landing gear, but since the physics engine seems to ignore their mass...)

In the required 100 km x 100 km orbit:

This feels wrong. I have no idea how I\'m getting to orbit on only 3081 m/s of ?V. (Total craft ?V is 3546 m/s)

Deorbit burn done. It turned out to be overkill, but this thing glides like a brick.

Looking west over the mountains. That dot in the background is Minmus.

KSC: So close and yet so far. (The distance is from another craft on the launchpad)

Out of altitude -- gear down.

Whee?

Enjoying the scenery.

By waiting and doing a silly-long rolling stop, I got much closer to KSC. Deorbit burns are still somewhat unforgiving, though.

[nerdyastronaut]

This is REALLY COOL, except I am not a good pilot. By the time I get out to about 30 km from the runway, I lose altitude, even with the main engine engaged. Can somebody tell me how to correct this?

[Apotheosist]

Just so everyone knows, there is a bug in this version that would make SSTO easy http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/index.php?topic=17006.0;topicseen

[Thobewill10]

I think mine is free from that, as I almost never had occasion to use low throttle.

As for flight instructions...

1. Switch on the jet engines

2. Wait until they are at full power

3. Release the Hawk!

4. Pitch up until you are vertical. This is one of the reasons it has only minimal wings--so it doesn\'t flip.

5. Start pitchover at ~10000 m.

6. At around 15 km, ignite the aerospike engine

7. At 20 km, turn off the jet engines

8. keep pitching over until apoapsis is at ~100 km.

9. circularize, deorbit, whatever.

A few pics of deorbit and reentry, since i missed taking pics before. I mistimed the deorbit and had to use my jet engines to keep going, but i had plenty of fuel to compensate for errors. This could glide back if you wanted it to.

On a deorbit trajectory:

In upper atmo

Falling short, so engines ignited

Gliding once more

Aerospike burns out; only jet engines remain:

Front view

Gear deployed: coming in for a landing

Gliding in

Any landing you can walk away from...

I came in with a bit of roll and knocked off a wing. Still, it came to a stop on the runway and Jeb lived.

[nerdyastronaut]

Fitting, I think, for Jeb to pilot this thing. I think it would be cool to have a \'crew chooser\' mod, so you can pick Bill, Jeb and Bob for important missions or just Jeb for craxy ones

[Cravitus]

...Shouldn\'t this be in the \'Challenges\' section?

[nerdyastronaut]

How do you turn off only the jets? The stage after launch is pod separation.

[Klopchuck]

@nerdyastronaut - you can toggle engines on and off like the ladders, by right-clicking.

[fowlplaychiken]

There is a bug currently that screws with fuel consumption at lower than max throttle. Almost anything is single stage to anywhere right now.

[Androsynth]

I give you: The USS Awesome.

It combines the most efficient and lightest weight engines, with the lightest capsule in terms of crew-to-weight ratio, to achieve SSTO status with 3 crew, while also landing back at the space center with fuel to spare. Deploy the chutes to stay upright during landing, and use SAS to keep yourself from rocking in the wind. Apply rockets liberally to slow the final ascent.

[nerdyastronaut]

Thanks to both of you!