Vortex MK2 - Light SSTO

[Cupcake...]

IMPORTANT: READ LANDING GEAR FIX AT BOTTOM OF PAGE!

 

UPDATES:

2/6/18 2.5 Version added to archive. Front landing gear now acts as heat shield reducing drag and increasing fuel capacity. DV now 2.1k (LKO), 2.8k (max).

7/2/18 - LF Version Added. Cosmetic improvements, reaction wheel raised to provide better horizontal balance, solar panels moved to centre of materials bay for improved performance.

20/7/17 - Long range version added to archive.

16/9/17 - Landing gear moved forwards for easier rotation, reaction wheel position tweaked for better balance, drop tank design improved and consolodated into single craft file, landing gear friction set to 2.5 to prevent runway skid offs.

 

CRAFT FILE:

https://goo.gl/XdUFLZ

Presenting the Vortex Mk2, a plucky, light weight spaceplane that squeezes plenty of performance into a very compact frame!

The Mk2 version brings in a whole raft of improvements including: better efficiency, vastly improved handling, increased lift and sexier styling.

It can fly pure SSTO missions to Minmus as well as return missions to the Mun & Duna using surface re-fueling.

This is my first design that puts the center of mass behind the center of lift resulting in exceptionally agile handling at all fuel loads.  

The craft puts out 1.8k of Delta V in LKO with a maximum vacuum output of 2.4k fully fueled.

Grab your copy today!

CONTROLS:

1 - Toggle Main Engine

2 - Switch Engine Modes

0 - Toggle Cockpit Doors/Air Brake

 

SUGGESTED ASCENT PROFILE:

OWNERS MANUAL:

Due to the high maneuverability of the design a Joystick is highly recommended!

The engine gimbal/max control surface deflection can be reduced if the ride is a bit too wild for one's taste!

There isn't much gear clearance for the engine making tail strikes a danger if you pull up too hard on takeoff. Likewise avoid excessive angles of attack while landing.

Once safely out the atmosphere ensure the cockpit doors are open to allow the batteries to recharge and turn the aircraft lights off when not in use.

Deploy the landing gear to help slow the craft down at high speeds and use the cockpit doors as an airbrake at med/low speeds.

After separating from the command pod allow the craft to roll a few meters before applying the brake and quicksaving/loading. The idea is to ensure the plane is properly strutted which you can see if the air intake is evenly placed in relation to the rear fuel tank.

 

LANDING GEAR FIX:

The one big drawback of the Vortex design is that the landing gear can become mangled while quick saving/loading due to a bug in KSP.  

Fortunately there is a fix, as well as measures you can take to prevent the issue occurring in the first place.

The bug only rears its ugly head when the Vortex is saved in flight with a Kerbal at the controls. For this reason always EVA your Kerbal before saving. Having your Kerbal outside the craft and quick saving/loading will also fix any issues with an affected craft.

This bug only affects vessels in flight so quick saving/loading while parked up on the ground will not result in any issues.

 

Phew, well I hope you enjoy the design. As always please let me know if you have an Qs/Issues. Ta!  

 

Cupcake...

Edited June 1, 2018 by Cupcake...

[BeeGeenie]

Huh... that's a weird bug.
Kerbals must have a strong magnetic field that only affects the rare element Wheelium. 

[MacLeod-Industries]

Where did you put all the fuel?

Oh...

You dirty part clipper!

[Jigglebone]

man i wish i could fly this thing . i cant considering i have the aerospace capabilities of a slab of concrete. but seeing the craft dissected moved me to dissect your other crafts and who knows maybe it'l help me become a better aerospace engineer? 

[Cupcake...]

On 19/07/2017 at 1:07 AM, MacLeod-Industries said:

Where did you put all the fuel?

Oh...

You dirty part clipper!

I like to think of it as er... higher octane fuel.

29 minutes ago, Jigglebone said:

man i wish i could fly this thing . i cant considering i have the aerospace capabilities of a slab of concrete. but seeing the craft dissected moved me to dissect your other crafts and who knows maybe it'l help me become a better aerospace engineer? 

Certainly couldn't hurt.

 

Cupcake...

[VeryShyProxy]

2 hours ago, Cupcake... said:

I like to think of it as er... higher octane fuel.

Why did you elect to use an Oscar-B instead of a mk0 fuselage behind the nose cone?  Is there an unseen advantage to doing that or did you just need the oxidizer more? 

[MacLeod-Industries]

6 hours ago, VeryShyProxy said:

Why did you elect to use an Oscar-B instead of a mk0 fuselage behind the nose cone?  Is there an unseen advantage to doing that or did you just need the oxidizer more? 

Probably just needed oxidizer for the rapiers...

 

[Cupcake...]

6 hours ago, VeryShyProxy said:

Why did you elect to use an Oscar-B instead of a mk0 fuselage behind the nose cone?  Is there an unseen advantage to doing that or did you just need the oxidizer more? 

I think you just answered your own question there!

BTW I've also added a long range (Laythe) version to the archive featuring 4 detachable drop tanks. The extra weight was a wee bit much for the small landing gear so I've come up with a launch system of sorts. I'm flying overseas in a few days so don't think I'll have time to upload another ascent video, but I wanted to let you guys have the craft file all the same.

 

Cupcake...

 

 

[Casualnaut]

I don't know what this even is, but is 99% better than what I have built.

[Cupcake...]

Heh folks, I've just released an update for the Vortex Mk2 which fixes a few issues and offers up some improvements. The drop tank design has been re-worked to sit closer to the wings meaning it's possible to land (carefully) with the drop-tanks still attached.

Setting the gear friction to 2.5 has resulted in the craft tracking much better along the runway and allowed me to do away with the cumbersome launch device that was used with the long range version. The two models have now been consolidated into a single craft file where the drop tanks can be deleted in the editor if they're not needed.

In addition the landing gears been bought forward for better aesthetics and easier rotation on take-off.

Enjoy!

 

Cupcake...

 

[Cupcake...]

Heh all,

            I'm planning on doing an in depth tutorial about this design so I thought it best to give it a wee tune up and make sure everything's humming before I start filming.  To this end I've moved the reaction wheel up, improved the solar panel placement, re-tuned the balance and fixed a very minor aesthetic flaw that was annoying me.

You see how the black from the intake now blends seamlessly into the advanced canards? In fact check out those lines aren't they just divine? (I admit it I have no life) .  In other news I've also added a Liquid Fuelled variant of the Vortex for anyone out there that wants to go fast, really fast, I'm taking close to Mach 6 fast!

 The LF version is in fact so fast it can go beyond the maximum speed of the Rapier (at this altitude Mach 5.7), and actually needs to be speed limited to stop the jet flaming out! It can also operate right up to the engines maximum altitude of 28k. So yeah, if you wanna test the limits of the engine this is probably the craft for you. Enjoy!

 

Cupcake...

Edited February 7, 2018 by Cupcake...

[MoonstreamInSpace]

I may have gotten the Vortex to work in 1.9. I don't know if it works better or worse, as I don't have a joystick/controller on hand to test with, so my attempted launch profile lost lost of speed.