I finally pulled off and SSTO!

[Asmosdeus]

Just posting my latest video here, since I thought you guys might be interested!

Going to play about with the concept and hopefully be able to do a How-to video on SSTO's sometime in the near future.

Hope you guys enjoy it!

Here's a picture of it, if you don't want to watch a 10 minute video!

Edited April 22, 2013 by Asmosdeus

[ROFLCopter64bit]

Yes, I would benifit greatly from a how-to-SSTO video.

[M5000]

My first SSTO looked like this:

Your SSTO is quite more impressive as far as "actually reusable" goes...

[wooaa]

good job. ssto is arguably one of the tougher millstones in the game.

[Tiron]

good job. ssto is arguably one of the tougher millstones in the game.

I just managed one myself a little over a week ago... It's a (VERY heavily modified) variation on my Ravenspeark Mk3-D, which I've dubbed the Ravenspear Mk3-F (the E was a twin-cockpit version of the D that I never uploaded), using some tricks I'd used on the C and some experimental variants of it.

It'll make orbit with enough fuel left to transfer to the mun (though not enough to pull into a mun orbit when it gets there, so far anyway.) It's even possible to actually land it, though it does get a bit unstable at high speeds with the rocket fuel gone (I suspect because it's got too much lift for that amount of weight), Once you drop below 200 m/s it's fine though. Debating on uploading it (I mostly uploaded the -D to prove a point in a...discussion...about flat spin characteristics and recoverability).

Edit: Err, the screenshot's a tiny bit outdated...this was the first 'full featured' version I got to orbit, before I started messing with it to improve the efficiency... the current version looks mostly the same though.

Edited April 20, 2013 by Tiron

[SkipSpikowski]

As, I said it on Reddit and I will say it here, that is one sexy ship.

[Torham234]

I like to start simple. This is my automated SSTO designed for satellite delivery to LKO.

[Spatzimaus]

SSTOs are fun. Here's my own design, the Sleazy Weasel (version 3a):

and here's a side view, to better illustrate the two-layer "thick wing" design. This lets me get away with a relatively small wing cross-section, to avoid the massive "flying pancake" appearance of many spaceplanes in this game. (Also, I've hidden some fiddly bits inside the wings.)

It's really easy to get to orbit, because it actually has three sets of engines: two turbojets for atmospheric flight, an LV-N for orbital cruising, and two radial "afterburner" engines for boosting to orbit. Those boosters make it really easy to transition at the point where the turbines start running out of air. You can see them here:

The boosters are hidden just outboard of the turbojets. I've used the HOME radial rockets for this, but the stock 120kN radials work just as well; they can actually overlap with the turbines without any clipping issues.

Best of all, it's got a lot of fuel for its weight; if it refuels in Kerbin orbit, it has enough delta-V to get to Laythe easily. So far I've only landed it on Mun and Minmus; it's got landing legs and ladders to allow for a vertical landing on low-gravity bodies. I'm waiting for Jeb to return from his Grand Tour before sending him to Laythe, but it should have no problems landing there. And it handles beautifully; it's got a lot of control surfaces, and the compact design means it's very stable when landing. I've managed to land it on all sorts of terrain without any issues.

I think I've spent more time fine-tuning that spaceplane design than all of my other rockets combined. But it's so much FUN!

[Zephram Kerman]

Congrats, Asmosdeus! I agree, SSTO space planes are a demanding challenge. Most of mine are butt-ugly, but yours actually looks cool. (The other respondents are also lovely!)

Just before the forum incident, Glacierre posted a wordless screenshot of a very tiny SSTO. I was so impressed, I copied it from the image. Somehow it's not quite as pretty as the original, but it still performs well. It can achieve orbit with fuel to spare, and it does so without 'airhogging'. (Just one intake for the single turbojet.) I've nicknamed it Papillon.

Of course, I immediately started adding stuff to make it heavier and less efficient. But, Papillon mk 2 can dock with my station. So it can be used as a very cheap crew rotation vessel.

[Asmosdeus]

That's an impressive collecting of SSTO's!

Thanks, guys. Glad you like it and it's cool to see all your designs!

[sgtscuba]

cool ships

[Scotius]

Very cool indeed. I love the Papillion. Simple, elegant and well thought out. Anyone have a project of VSTOL SSTO? I remember one being shown couple of days before The Crash, but i did not thought to copy it in any way

[nats]

SSTOs are fun. Here's my own design, the Sleazy Weasel (version 3a):

I love this design!

[Mode7]

Really love the Sleazy Weasel. That booster placement is awesome.

[RoboRay]

My favorite SSTO spaceplane:

My new clone of the Delta Clipper (still in testing):

[Inertia]

My first SSTO was very much based on one i saw over at the spaceport. Nevertheless it makes it to a stable orbit and if you're good at steering it can land too!

[Zephram Kerman]

Very cool indeed. I love the Papillion. Simple, elegant and well thought out.

Thanks, credit goes to Glacierre; I just reverse-engineered it.

Anyone have a project of VSTOL SSTO? I remember one being shown couple of days before The Crash, but i did not thought to copy it in any way

Most SSTO spaceplanes have enough thrust to launch vertically if you rotate them in the SPH and attach clamps. They always have enough thrust to land vertically, if they still have fuel. I realize this is probably not what you meant, but technically it works.

[M5000]

Most SSTO spaceplanes have enough thrust to launch vertically if you rotate them in the SPH and attach clamps. They always have enough thrust to land vertically, if they still have fuel. I realize this is probably not what you meant, but technically it works.

That would be called a "tailsitter" methinks..

I love how everyone has all these light and efficient and pretty looking SSTOs while mine's pretty much a single-purpose behemoth...

Also, RoboRay, I REALLY like that second SSTO you posted. It's different, but it can still carry three Kerbals. Love love love it.

Edited April 20, 2013 by M5000

[Spatzimaus]

I love how everyone has all these light and efficient and pretty looking SSTOs while mine's pretty much a single-purpose behemoth...

The small, efficient spaceplanes are a challenge to design because you can't just use the "bigger is better" philosophy, and you really have to worry about things like center-of-mass balancing. The huge behemoths are a challenge to design because they're hard to steer, hard to keep from shearing apart, and so on. One's not automatically better than the other.

For instance, here's my OTHER SSTO, the Bucket:

It's a 4000-ton booster, carrying a 450-ton payload. While it looks similar to the usual asparagus stacks, it's actually a rigid SSTO, albeit one that can't come back down safely. Its bucket shape (hence the name) allows me to strut awkward payloads inside it, without worrying about stability; the payload pictured there is a fuel refinery ship, with the attached lander peeking out the top. So it flies to orbit, detaches the payload (which flies out under its own power), and then safely de-orbits itself to prevent debris.

So yeah. 20-ton spaceplanes, or 4000-ton rockets; both count as SSTOs, and both have uses. This is why I love KSP.

[joppiesaus]

is it just me or is this thread transforming into a "show off your awsome SSTO MEGATRHEAD"?

[M5000]

is it just me or is this thread transforming into a "show off your awsome SSTO MEGATRHEAD"?

Might as well rename it. Hahaha

[Spatzimaus]

is it just me or is this thread transforming into a "show off your awsome SSTO MEGATRHEAD"?

You say that like it's a bad thing.

SSTOs are inherently awesome, because we all know that the EASY way to launch is to just stack more and more rockets on, and asparagus your way to orbit. Getting your entire ship up is HARD, and doing it with a 100% reusable spaceplane just requires a lot more work. So it makes sense that we'd want to show off our designs, because they're the culmination of a lot of trial and error.

Plus, they usually look cool.

[Nao]

is it just me or is this thread transforming into a "show off your awsome SSTO MEGATRHEAD"?

Let's do eet.

And lets add some BOOSTERS as well

My smallest SSTO with them (14t)

You always need more BOOSTERS!

[ROFLCopter64bit]

Let's do eet.

And lets add some BOOSTERS as well

-snip- My smallest SSTO with them (14t)

You always need more BOOSTERS!

That is the strangest SSTO I have ever seen. What is the total delta-v?

[SkipSpikowski]

Those are some nice SSTO's, but can they dock?