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Post your heavy lifters!


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that craft file looks incomplete to me (or ksp .20 fails to load it)

I laugh at your puny baby-man rockets.

270 tons into orbit, 100% stock, with 1200dV left to return to Kerbin, or crash it on the Mun if you want. She picks up a bit of a spin, but it actually helps eject the stages, and she's rock solid again by the last 2 stages. Part count starts ~500, but quickly drops to 100 or so by the final stages, this is very manageable in the .20 version era.

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  • 2 months later...

Sorry to resurrect an ancient post, but how in the world does that even hit orbit, let alone with a tank strapped to the top? I've been trying to reverse engineer this lifter with no success.

Are the surrounding jets all jet fuel pods, or just structural fuselage sections?

What's in the center?

The closest I came was with a Rockomax x200-16 tank in the center, with a central Skipper engine. I had structural fuselages to hold the jets and ran fuel lines out from the center tank. Cut the jets at about 21km, engage the rocket, and I end up with a parabolic path to 70km but only about 150m/s dV to do a 600m/s orbital insertion burn -- with no payload.

I have tried jet fuel canisters for each jet, structural fuselages with fuel lines from a central tank, various engines in the center, and clipping and stacking up to 4 air intakes without success. So what's the secret sauce?

My closest rebuild so far:

zW1faqm.jpg

My SSTO lifter that can lift a Rockomax tanker into orbit and return safely at KSC to be re-used.

M08OePB.jpg

7wM2f6x.jpg

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Here is my Lifter for my LKO gas stations.

wUiveNo.png

It is a center drop tank design. It definitely isn't as efficient as a Asparagus lifter, but it is over the top and fun. By 4000m both center tanks have been dropped.

ImaItJ0.png

Gravity turn and burning for apoapsis is done with the main stage.

Hxocq6k.png

Orbital insertion and maneuvering with the upper stage.

Edited by Exothermos
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A typical "heavy" launch for me. I use this asparagus setup on most all of my launches and it has been 100% reliable.

539qzzk.jpg

A little bigger than normal launch. Core of a new space station.

t7Fa6sS.jpg

Putting an Interplanetary drive module up.

MURi1TG.jpg

Another IP drive module.

lLyZ8XE.jpg

Launching an entire interplanetary ship at once. Looks like the Mk.4 BEAGLE.

XWGm22h.jpg

And what happens when struts snap!

DGQJS9S.png

Edited by Turd
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my first rocket i decided to use the new quad adapter for two meter tanks as that i could use four nuclear engines for the ip stage this led me to the issue that i could not build the lifter directly underneath it so i came up with this

XeJw94t.jpg

xm8A2hc.jpg

and then the two side pods detach

6QekmBw.png

my next design was for a maned mission to jool which i put in orbit in two separate parts then docked and sent to jool

8O59RMV.jpg

iXTwH59.png

EhupZza.jpg

uMP5lI6.jpg

and while looking at all my heaviest lifters and then you're lifters i realized just how minimalistic all my designs are, which is something i strive for so, thanks guys

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It been a while since I tried a stock heavy lifter...

This was one of my early attempts at a jet powered 36km stage

8DownGothic-Portrate.jpg

From http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/35743-200-kerbal-tons-to-LKO-worth-it?p=451799&viewfull=1#post451799

Development continued until I could no longer live with the lag. This updated version carried 11 jumbos resulting in over 300t of the payload reaching 100km orbit iirc.

8xGoth-OnPad.jpg

From http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/35743-200-kerbal-tons-to-LKO-worth-it?p=463563&viewfull=1#post463563

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Welcome

This is my first post on this forum so hello everyone.

Here are my launchers with a series SpaceWeb.

I am of Polish and translated into English has google. :D

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SpaceWeb progenitor rocket.

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Sng.png

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SpaceWeb 5 - payload 244 T

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xrbc.png

srbc.png

qrbc.png

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SpaceWeb 7 - payload 505 T

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KLcc.png

GLcc.png

zLcc.png

xLcc.png

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SpaceWeb 10 - payload 801 T

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tQJc.png

yPJc.png

xPJc.png

sPJc.png

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Welcome

This is my first post on this forum so hello everyone.

Here are my launchers with a series SpaceWeb.

I am of Polish and translated into English has google. :D

----------

SpaceWeb progenitor rocket.

----------

----------

SpaceWeb 5 - payload 244 T

----------

----------

SpaceWeb 7 - payload 505 T

----------

----------

SpaceWeb 10 - payload 801 T

----------

Welcome!

Those are some amazingly heavy lifters you've put together.

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Karmacoma,

Can you share details on how you lob that thing into orbit?

I see some intake spamming, but how high do jets take you? And what rocket do you have hidden in the center for the insertion burn?

And finally, how is fuel arranged? Jet tanks or empty fuselages on the outside? and what's in the center?

Edit: organized a bit.

Edited by toaste
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An iteration of my Nova I lifter. Previously, the Nova I was just an orbiter, the Nova II was for docking and rendezvous, and the Nova III was set up with an interplanetary stage. I can orbit well over 50 tons with this thing. Actual max capacity unknown.

5fs.png

A recent modification of the Nova series has consolidated it to one lifter with a more integrated secondary stage to reduce the massive surplus of fuel the Nova had leftover. The Nova series is now more compact and currently under review by SSI to avoid carrying more fuel than necesary. Most stuff I orbit is around or under 40 tons, though being able to orbit something over 60 has it's advantages.

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