Spaceplane it to KSC2

[bsalis]

I have a challenge here that I have recently done myself and thought I should put it up too see if anyone else is interested. It wasn't easy, for me at least.

Objectives

1. Build or pick a spaceplane of your choosing

2. Get your spaceplane into orbit

3. De-orbit and land at KSC 2

4. Take a picture to prove your awesomeness

KSC 2 is the second space center that can be found where your purple markers on your Nav Ball point to. This isn't a race, the challenge is just to complete this successfully. However, I will keep a leaderboard to list the successes, and include the MET.

Rules

* The spaceplane must be your own design

* Spaceplane can be from the VAB or Spaceplane Hanger

* Must land on wheel landing gear (VTOL designs are allowed but you can't land vertically)

* Stock parts only (with the exception of MechJeb, since it's so common and it won't really help you much)

* Orbit for this challenge is considered as having the Pe > 70Km. Does not need to be circular. Do not need to do a full loop before landing.

* Picture needs to show some of the KSC 2 facilities, and include the MET if you want to be on the leaderboard. Also get a pic of your Pe showing >70Km (yes yes, I know I don't have a pic of that myself, please see post #9)

I completed this on the forth attempt. All the others arrived at KSC2 without a problem, but they crash landed. It's a bit tricky since the terrain is not ideal.

Overflying.

On final.

Landed! Note VAB and Tracking Station in the distance.

Incident during taxiing. No matter - It was landed in one piece.

Leaderboard

Player      Spaceplane        MET
=======================================
Suzaku      K-15              0:13:52
echris1     Sherbert II       0:41:52
bsalis      Sprite            0:42:14
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Edited September 24, 2012 by bsalis

[tom2018]

what mod is for the fancy trees?

I cant slow any of my planes down enough to land are parachutes allowed?

[bsalis]

Hmmm, those are regular trees, you may not see them due to graphics settings. They don't have a collision mesh, so you can pass through them anyhow.

You can slow down by (gently) using the brakes. For me it's the 'B' key, but check your key mappings. You might want to practice landing around KSC1 before making the long journey to KSC2. It's harder to land there.

No parachutes allowed. You won't need them if you use the brakes.

[Suzaku]

Video of my Spaceplane the K-15 recordbreaker to KSC2, time to complete stop was 13:40, 100% stock, botched re-entry, perfect landing, and no mechjeb. Edited August 22, 2012 by Suzaku

[bsalis]

Great work Suzaku. You seem to know your way around a spaceplane.

However to qualify for this challenge you need to do an orbit as per one of the rules...

* Orbit for this challenge is considered as having the Pe > 70Km. Does not need to be circular. Do not need to do a full loop before landing.

[Suzaku]

Wait, just get the spaceplane into orbit or orbit around the planet once?

Crap, let me make you another video of this lol.

[bsalis]

... into orbit or orbit around the planet once?

Only requirement is that the Periapsis needs to be more than 70Km. Apart from that it does not matter if it is circular, or what the inclination is, or how long you are in orbit (ie. no need for a full loop).

I did an easterly orbit, changed inclination, and landed at KSC2. So not a full loop. You could go directly to KSC2 as you have, but just need to get that Pe to 70Km+ before re-entry. That way the challenge proves that the craft you have is orbit capable (ie. a real spaceplane), as well as other neat things such as...

* you can build such a craft

* and be able to fly it to orbit

* and re-enter and fly to a specific location

* then land it in the rough in one piece, at a less than ideal landing site (uneven ground, in a bowl)

[Suzaku]

Only requirement is that the Periapsis needs to be more than 70Km. Apart from that it does not matter if it is circular, or what the inclination is, or how long you are in orbit (ie. no need for a full loop).

I did an easterly orbit, changed inclination, and landed at KSC2. So not a full loop. You could go directly to KSC2 as you have, but just need to get that Pe to 70Km+ before re-entry. That way the challenge proves that the craft you have is orbit capable (ie. a real spaceplane), as well as other neat things such as...

* you can build such a craft

* and be able to fly it to orbit

* and re-enter and fly to a specific location

* then land it in the rough in one piece, at a less than ideal landing site (uneven ground, in a bowl)

Heh, good thing I designed the K-15 as a fully functional SSTO.

So here's the video of the new attempt. Completion time was 13:52 to a complete stop. Fuel bug was patched a long time ago.

People also need to post a picture of their orbital trajectory too methinks.

Edited August 23, 2012 by Suzaku

[bsalis]

I updated the leadboard Suzaku. That was a pretty impressive flight.

I didn't know you could build a SSTO so small. That glide landing was also brazen.

Never thought of doing a direct flight myself. Thinking that after getting to orbit that KSC2 would be too close (or past already) to de-orbit and land.

edit...

People also need to post a picture of their orbital trajectory too methinks.

Yeah you are correct. Will edit my original post. I forgot to get a pic myself. However, it's kind of obvious my craft is orbit capable (see pic). Heck, it gets to the Mun and back!

Edited August 23, 2012 by bsalis

[echris1]

Hey guys, decided to give this a go with my old spaceplane design (rebuilt from memory from 0.16). It isn't quite SSTO, since it does drop a pair of fuel tanks, but other than that, it achieves orbit >70km, enough fuel for a bit of tilt correction and a deorbit. I haven't quite figured out the optimal launch path for this design, so you could end up with more or less. For this attempt I launched directly into a tilted orbit, as there isn't enough fuel to do it once you circularize and deorbit. Glides down very smoothly, can use a bit of left over fuel to correct or just glide, handles very well in glide.

Plane is a bit odd, it needs about 1.5 runways to get off the ground, but 85% of the time survives the drop off the end, and then finally starts heading up when the ground drops off to the sea =)

Good challenge, gave me a good reason to rebuild my spaceplane, and looking at the other designs, I may have figured out my lack of getting off the ground (lift farther forward).

Thanks bsalis, and I may give it another go with something smaller, but it seems if you are going to go around the planet it will almost always take ~40 minutes, unless you launched clockwise, but you would have to circularize and deorbit almost immediately to get the required Pe and still make it back down in time. Guess that is what I will try next.

So I typed all that out and then realized it is basically what bsalis said just above, anyway, worth a try.

[bsalis]

Great work echris1. Here I was thinking every Kerbal and the Ker-dog were off to the planets! I have added you to the leaderboard.

No issue with it not being a full SSTO. This challenge is for any spaceplane, even my VAB based plane-on-a-rocket (i didn't have an SSTO at the time). There's already an SSTO thread. This challenge is about precision re-entry at a non-equatorial location, and landing on rough terrain. Which I can see you have done well... Sherbert II doesn't look easy to land there in one piece either. That's the largest plane so far.

As for getting there quicker using a direct path, Suzaku did it that way (watch his video). So it's certainly possible to get into the qualifying orbit and back down in time. If you get the heading right, you don't need to do an inclination change.