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Shuttle Challenge v4 - The STS thread [Stock and Mod Friendly] [THREAD CLOSED 06.08.17]


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Challenger STS-1a and 1b complete! 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0eMT8zRijNmVWEtb190M3pMYXc

Challenger is based off of the Shuttle IIc concept that @Speeding Mullet had made a shuttle for. I designed my own eject system using the size 3 decoupler and some size 3-Mk3 adapters, which also allowed me to add some size 3 fuel tanks. This, along with the use of 4 LV-Ns for the OMS, gives the first version I designed as much delta v as the LR version of Columbia. Columbia is now in the process of redesign until further notice. 

Edit: mod list for Challenger is identical to the mod list for Columbia.

Edited by 53miner53
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Well finally I have video that follows the rules
Entry for STS-1a,b (cargo in ~9018,9km orbit)

Sorry for that "noise" video but I found that music with waterfall in background

Mods used : SpaceY Heavy Lifter and Fuel Tanks Plus

 

Spoiler

stiahnu_2.png

stiahnu_3.png

stiahnu.png

 

STS 2a,b here.

Hope you don't mind I that used around 25 monoprop from fuel tank because I didn't think it would drain throught disabled crosfeed

 

 

Edited by Numerlor
Added images for time saving purposes
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Hi everyone, RL getting in the way in the form of PC issues which I am sorting through, and also bosses back in town this week (either I'm doing something very wrong or very right haha).  It'll be a patchy couple of days in terms of me checking in, but I should be good to have a grand catch up similar to the last one by Wednesday, and also I will finally pick back through the last 5 pages and update the OP with record holders etc etc.

Have a good rest of weekend.  If you are in the future like me in Sydney, then it's almost over already :(

See you soon!

SM

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Completed STS-10 with a small manned base and without ISRU.  Unfortunately had some aerodynamic instability on the way home and couldn't land back at KSC.  It performs very well in the low atmosphere but apparently doesn't have the control authority to reenter well.  I'll be moving the wings back and doing more tests before the next mission.

http://imgur.com/a/1zuLI

CkcHDYb.png

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hello I just finished the STS-1b with the same design I used in my previous post called "Extension Mk.2". All stock parts, Mechjeb installed, and BDarmory installed but not used.

I built the fuel pod myself based on the pic on page 1 and it turned out around 40t (40.90t if I'm not mistaken).

please kindly find the album in this link:

http://imgur.com/a/eichK

I used a full fuel load this time and added a couple of Kickback SRBs to help with the launch (even that only gave me barely enough delta-V). I didn't really expect this design to work as I haven't tweaked the CoM or wing inclination or anything (which are planned for Mk.3 btw, as per suggestions from this forum), but I just gave it a go for fun.

GqgRzkT.png

Launch was OK, I used a steep angle. Turns out, at the very end of the booster stage burn the whole thing flipped backwards, and I basically detached the orbiter from an out-of control booster, so yeah we hit some small stuff. Orbiter is OK though, carry on.

So I aimed a bit above 1000km orbit. I cut the throttle as we got something like 1200km. Then we circularized, which took a painful 6-minute long burn (with 3 NERVS). Turns out the orbit tolerance was just 100 m, so I made a few  more adjustments. Settled at 1279km.

Deployed the fuel pod (contents remain untouched and full). Then I start descending. But not altogether, I first went down to a stable orbit at 130km to make sure the reentry speed is OK at first go. Then we made the reentry run. I told old Jeb to keep holding prograde. We had some "turbulence" due to my personal meddling at the end of the reentry run but all is good, we recovered, without it we would've overshot the KSP again.

So yeah, quite easy this time. I fired the engines a bit to add airspeed to make sure we reach the KSP. And we did. Landed on the old main runway.

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Whew, I *finally* finished the two Duna missions tonight.  I'll see if I can upload all the screencaps tomorrow morning.  I am really liking my current shuttle design--re-entry is really easy to adjust, and landing it is a breeze.  Jeb greased the landing on STS-10a without so much as lighting up the engines, taking a go-around, or even F5ing.

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I really need to stop making prototypes and fly some actual missions !   

But I wanted to explore this idea.  The STS was originally conceived as a two stage to orbit vessel,  but they couldn't make it big enough to lift military spy sats  and fit in the development budget.       In real life, we have RAMJETs, bypass turbojets (j-58) and pre-cooled turbojets (SABRE) that might give us 20% of orbital velocity (mach 5-6) at most.    Scramjets are a long way off, and even they may not get us much faster.   So , to reflect this reality, I built a two stage to orbit powered by Wheesley engines.       These are limited to about 20% of the orbital velocity of the Kerbal universe,  if you start allowing better jet engines, rocket and solid booster launched space shuttles don't make sense. 

The upper stage looks a bit like a flamingo, but when mated to the lower stage it looks like it's hitching a ride on the original series Enterprise.  Designing the jet stage was tricky due to centre of thrust issues.   Eventually came up with two jets mounted either side of the nose , and the two "warp nacelles" which give us some balancing thrust above CoM but still clear the upper stage's wings and tail.

On their own, these can only get us to mach 1 or so at 10km,  starting the nukes gets us through transonic, and i cancel out the thrust of the two nukes by starting one more low mounted Wheesley.     Climb to orbit was a bit slow so Bill and Val had a game of musical chairs, to see which seat gives the best view.  


Blooper reel -  I didn't realise the drone core must have got mounted rotated 90 degrees.  When I try to pitch up, it yaws instead.   When I try to yaw out of the dive,   the tail fins don't act because i disbaled Yaw control on these surfaces.  

Spoiler


,

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Checking in at work but cannot do a full review yet - PC still giving me issues, but nothing I can't sort through given a few hours.  Looks like it's going to be a super Saturday catch up for me again.  Luckily I'll have plenty of time and it'll be raining so I can tea up and get it done.  Keep going people!

 

SM

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So I really liked the look of the mk4 parts,  So I made a mk4 shuttle:

3loQLuZ.jpg

It uses a lot of mods,  mk4 system, SpaceY, TweakScale etc.

I followed the reusable space shuttle concept that only discards a pair of SRBs and a fuel tank, no of the expensive engines are lost.

It is powered by one Vector engine (3.75m), two secondary Aerospikes (2,5m), and two SRBs.   It weighs 2,4kt and has a payload capacity of about 550 t  to LKO.

STS1a album

 

Edit:

Second mission: STS2 album

Edited by Nefrums
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On ‎3‎/‎15‎/‎2017 at 1:00 PM, AeroGav said:

Blooper reel -  I didn't realise the drone core must have got mounted rotated 90 degrees.  When I try to pitch up, it yaws instead.   When I try to yaw out of the dive,   the tail fins don't act because i disbaled Yaw control on these surfaces.

Actually it seems some other part on the lifter is the root part other than the probe core you put on it. I checked all control points (the two probes and the cockpit) before takeoff, and all had correct orientations.

After separating the lifter from the Kondor and switching to the lifter, try changing the control point to the probe core ("Control from here"). After doing that I found controls worked as expected.

[Later] I managed to fly the thing to orbit. I cheated a bit and enabled fuel crossfeed through the structural hardpoint; it seemed like a waste to use fuel in the 'wings' until really necessary. Doing that plus a long ascent that took 20 minutes, I got the thing to a 106 km orbit with 1277 liquid fuel remaining. Does 2500 m/s dV sound about right for that much fuel?

Edited by Gordon Fecyk
Added dV results
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Well i'm back from my over-half-year hiatus. Looks like people are getting stuff done. I'll get on updating stuff if I have time. Really busy recently, broke my toe lol.

Edited by xoknight
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4 hours ago, Gordon Fecyk said:

Actually it seems some other part on the lifter is the root part other than the probe core you put on it. I checked all control points (the two probes and the cockpit) before takeoff, and all had correct orientations.

After separating the lifter from the Kondor and switching to the lifter, try changing the control point to the probe core ("Control from here"). After doing that I found controls worked as expected.

[Later] I managed to fly the thing to orbit. I cheated a bit and enabled fuel crossfeed through the structural hardpoint; it seemed like a waste to use fuel in the 'wings' until really necessary. Doing that plus a long ascent that took 20 minutes, I got the thing to a 106 km orbit with 1277 liquid fuel remaining. Does 2500 m/s dV sound about right for that much fuel?

Well spotted on the "enable crossfeed".  Something else that had to be fixed.   The root part of the lifter is the inline intake that the structural pylon attaches to.   I got to orbit with 1607 fuel and >3000dv, but maybe the crossfeed problem wasted some of your fuel?  PS.  Also it was starting to pitch up a little under power towards the end of the run due to engines being below CoM,  l/d ratio was dropping slightly, but i don't think that cost us much.    I tried to lower AOA from 2.3 to 1.9 or so by setting the navball to orbit instead of surface.

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My first attempt at building a proper shuttle

Passed the first mission after testing it... however it launches far better when the cargo bay is full.... Need to get that thrust balance better when it flies empty. Hoping it qualifies for the challenge, let me know your thoughts!

http://imgur.com/gallery/2wy6k

Here's an additional gallery on the dev of my shuttle and how I went from trying to build a shuttle that always resulted in a death spiral and ended up with a standardised design with spinoffs. Would using a mix of these count towards using a "core shuttle design for all missions" badge?

http://imgur.com/a/0ksvx

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Since I had 14 in-game days until the next maneuver for Columbia, and a new shuttle to fly, I would like to present STS-1a and 1b for my first modded shuttle, Discovery.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0eMT8zRijNmR05YTTBOa3ZER28

It adds Infernal Robotics and Shuttle Lifting Body to the list, though Columbia and Challenger will not use those mods.

Edit: I just realized that I probably launched half the leaderboard updates for @Speeding Mullet on STS-1b:P

Edited by 53miner53
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