SSTO Space Plane [Stock]

[Aelipse]

Being an aficionado of SSTO space planes, I took a lot of time designing my perfect space-roaming jet plane. After months of refinements, I think Phoenix Lambda might just be the one. 

Pros:
-> Very stable in flight with tanks both full and empty. Easy to maneuver and simply fun to fly. No unnecessary drag generated by the SAS having to keep pitching up.

-> Given its size and mass, its drag is minimal. Everything that can be put into a cargo bay has been put into a cargo bay. On Kerbin, this puppy can glide at an angle of just 10° to 15° without losing speed.

-> Gets easily into orbit with some 2800 m/s delta v left. Just pitch up to 10°, activate the Nervs at around 15,000 meters and press 1 to switch rapiers to their closed cycle mode when they hit thrust of 100 kN and lower. Wait till your apoapsis reaches 70,000, then hit 1 again to kill the rapiers. Done. You're in orbit.

-> No parachutes, no air brakes, no ladders. Due to the design of the craft, it doesn't need any. Phoenix can land on Duna using just its wings and the Vernor engines mounted from the bottom. If you need to get back to the cabin from an EVA and cannot use your jet pack, simply retract your front wheel and the craft will kneel for you to climb onto its nose.

-> High stability on the ground. The craft is equipped with one landing gear in the front for steering and four rear landing gears ensuring it will survive even some of the most violent landings. It is also equipped with small side gears for extra stability. Phoenix can drive on a difficult terrain at speeds up to 80 m/s on Kerbin, 30 m/s on Duna and 20 m/s on Mun. Who needs rovers anymore?

-> The rear forked wings, other than looking cool and enhancing in flight stability, also serve as landing struts for bodies without atmosphere. Due to their position, the craft will always end up on its wheels with no assistance from the pilot. No more space planes stuck on their backs.

-> Two drills and a small ISRU on board. Mining is lame, I know, but the freedom of choice where to go next is addictive. Phoenix landed on Mun, Minmus, Duna, Ike, Dres, Laythe, Val and Pol in a single mission, before safely returning to Kerbin. With full tanks, it boasts some 4,000 m/s of delta v in vacuum.

-> Seats for 6 kerbals and a wide spectrum of science collecting devices. Nothing like ferrying tourists around while gathering science.  

-> Docking port included for easy interaction with other vessels.

-> Phoenix Lambda can even carry some smaller, aerodynamically friendly load mounted on its back (preferably just above its CoM) into orbit.

Cons:

-> Fairly long burns due to low thrust / weight ratio. Those Nervs are no Mainsails...

-> No landing on Tylo and no getting back from Eve. Moho is also pretty much out of reach due to the limited delta v of the craft.

 

Download Craft

 

Edited May 17, 2019 by Aelipse

[Speed_Kerman]

No pics, no clicks.

[Aelipse]

Are those three screenshots not enough?

[Scarecrow]

I'm not seeing any screenshots.  If you want to imbed images in your posts, you need to upload them to a picture hosting site, and link to them.  What you have posted above appears to be the id of the images on your PC, which no one else has access to and therefore won't be able to see.

Edited May 19, 2019 by Scarecrow