Fly like a brick

[sevenperforce]

A recent trade dispute (arising from an unfortunate misunderstanding wherein pinecones were mislabeled as pineapples and shipped to the Kerbalhouse Correspondents Dinner) has led to a ban on importing numerous products, including critical aerospace hardware. Among those items no longer available are parachutes, circular heat shields, and wheels. 

But the Kerbonauts still need to service the Space Station. To do so, they'll need to build an upper stage capable of re-entering and landing on its own. Jeb has decided he is tired of suicide burns, so he insists on a dual-thrust-axis lander.

Your mission is to build a manned reusable integrated upper stage vehicle that can re-enter and land on auxiliary thrusters in a horizontal attitude (example here) at the KSC. The vehicle must reach orbit (presumably being launched by an initial stage of your own design), performing its own final circularization, then re-enter and land (on land) without losing any parts.

All entries must be stock. Scoring is based on part count; the fewer parts you have in your vehicle, the better.

EDIT: After a dizzyingly successful entry by @qzgy, it was pointed out by @MaxL_1023 that reaction wheels make this challenge all too easy. So, reworking the scoring table to make this more interesting.

Scoring is based on payload into orbit and back down (pretend you're taking crew and/or cargo up to a space station and then returning). A kerbal counts as 0.1 tonnes; cargo mass counts as, well, cargo mass. You cannot count unburned fuel as cargo.

Multipliers:

• No reaction wheels: x2
• No reaction wheels or RCS (use only control surfaces and gimbaling): x3

Good luck!

Edited May 11, 2017 by sevenperforce

[Tidus Klein]

O-o? So in other words a VTOL upper stage

[sevenperforce]

1 hour ago, Tidus Klein said:

O-o? So in other words a VTOL upper stage

A dual-thrust-axis, atmospheric VTOL upper stage.

It's a rather complicated problem, because you need to be balanced for ascent, but you also have to be aerodynamically balanced for entry, descent, and landing along an alternate axis. Getting center of mass and center of pressure correct is a big challenge.

[qzgy]

Done! Also super easy. Not part efficient, but meh. 21 parts.

Didn't land at the KSC, but could have. Just a matter of correct burn placement.

Pictures not shown, but did get into orbit. Also had some deltaV, so could have been used for a station docking or so.

Spoiler

Launch, on what amounts to an TSTO

Circularization or something. Not sure.

Separated upper stage

Decelerating through atmosphere. SAS is great!

Almost like a bullet. Heat shield not required.

Service bays open, revealing thrusters for landing.

Burning kinda carefully.

Landed, with fuel to spare.

Val is happy.

 

Edited May 11, 2017 by qzgy

[MaxL_1023]

Reaction wheels make this easier than it could be - I suggest adding a difficulty category for "RCS only" attitude control. 

[qzgy]

So now I have to rework it.

I was to good.

[MaxL_1023]

@qzgy, to be fair you did have enough torque on that thing to probably do front flips after landing. 

[qzgy]

Just now, MaxL_1023 said:

@qzgy, to be fair you did have enough torque on that thing to probably do front flips after landing. 

I could technically use the craft as a rover. So yes. Also backflips.