SSTOs! Post your pictures here~

[TeeGee]

[Cruzan]

The new parts are pretty powerful! here's a LFB SSTO

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Only 8 parts if you don't count the launch clamps! Not efficient by any means, but it's cool these new parts can be standalone SSTOs lol

[KissSh0t]

One seat right at the front xD

It's like the end of the Space Cowboys movie..

[KissSh0t]

I've managed to land my two SSTO's while being docked together. Took me about 5 attempts because I didnt realize in the beginning that the docked crafts landing gears are making the whole thing fall apart.

http://imgur.com/a/4IyTs

Don't forget you can add you're images into the thread for viewing.

[Torxhead]

Hey all, heres my second attempt at an SSTO, and my first forum post.

She doesn't have a name yet, but has successfully made it into orbit and returned to the same continent as the space center, only to kill her pilot with excessive deceleration.

If anyone can help me tame/optimize this thing I'd be happy to hear your opinions.

[KissSh0t]

Hey all, heres my second attempt at an SSTO, and my first forum post.

She doesn't have a name yet, but has successfully made it into orbit and returned to the same continent as the space center, only to kill her pilot with excessive deceleration.

If anyone can help me tame/optimize this thing I'd be happy to hear your opinions.

http://i.imgur.com/IHrokdR.png

If you take some screenshots of the craft in the build screen showing the center of weight and lift we might be able too.

With the 1 screenshot you have posted I don't think we will be able to give you any good pointers on how to optimize it.

[Hodo]

Hey all, heres my second attempt at an SSTO, and my first forum post.

She doesn't have a name yet, but has successfully made it into orbit and returned to the same continent as the space center, only to kill her pilot with excessive deceleration.

If anyone can help me tame/optimize this thing I'd be happy to hear your opinions.

Ok what mods are you running?

I am seeing Infernal Robotics and B9 plus two others on the tool bar, but I can assume there is more.

Are you running DRE? And FAR?

If you are running DRE you are killing your pilot by coming in to steep and not bleeding off enough speed before trying to decelerate to landing speeds. There is a reason why the space shuttle does giant "S" maneuvers after re-entry.

But more information on the craft would be helpful, pictures of it in the SPH with the CoM and CoL turned on and possibly the CoT. And a list of the mods you are currently running.

[Torxhead]

Ok what mods are you running?

I am seeing Infernal Robotics and B9 plus two others on the tool bar, but I can assume there is more.

Are you running DRE? And FAR?

If you are running DRE you are killing your pilot by coming in to steep and not bleeding off enough speed before trying to decelerate to landing speeds. There is a reason why the space shuttle does giant "S" maneuvers after re-entry.

Yup you got it, B9, FAR, DRE, Procedural Wings, KER, among others, but those are the relevant mods.

Using IR in the cargo bay to mount a couple batteries and some generators. Theres not really any point to it, but they stay stationary while the plane rolls around it.

It doesn't like to re-enter the atmosphere with the nose pitched up, I haven't added any RCS which could be part of the problem. When it killed Jeb the nose wobbled, then pitched straight up so the wings were perpendicular to the velocity marker going probably 1,000 - 1,500 m/s.

Here are some grabs from the SPH. Spaceport was being unfriendly with the .craft file so I'll have to try that again in a bit.

[KissSh0t]

One tip could be to empty all fuel tanks, then move rear landing gear closer to the center of mass, not on the center of mass, just slightly behind, and then fill tanks again and see where the center of mass is, if the center of mass moves back move landing gear slightly back again until it is just slightly behind the center of mass.. if when filling the tanks back up the weight moves forward instead of back then you are all good.

As for the mods perhaps someone else can give some pointers as I know absolutely squat about mods.

[Overfloater]

That was really good.. I was most impressed by you grabbing that thing from Kerbin orbit before landing with it on the back of the craft...

How cool~ In the second one landing on Duna~!

Thanks, glad you liked it... xD

My original plan was to make a Jool-5 mission... making my entry special by returning the crew and the science by a plane...

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So I made the plane, then thought, Lets add another crew canister for balance, now some more fuel, now some more engines, MOAR wings... lets make it a space airliner!!! screw Jool-5 xD

(I no longer have to do these sketches, I have my fine laptop with me now...)

FAST CLAP!!!

You have become one of the elite. I only know 1 other person who has build a payload carrying SSTO to Duna and Laythe and he had a 1000 part vessel to do so.

The only question I have is, how heavy was the payload that went to Duna?

I've given up trying to build a legitimate craft that can carry payloads without resorting to intake clipping/stacking AND no engine nacelles that feed oxygen from directly ported intakes. That's my ultimate goal is to build an SSTO that can carry payloads, and are built plausibly.

Ex: Fuel tanks = fuel tanks and nothing else is inside them.

No intake clipping (obviously) and no intake stacking

No airbreathing engines without nacelles.

No nacelle is without air intakes.

All air intakes must feed directly into the engine.

That's what I am trying to do right now..

Oh stop it you... ÃÆ’ u ÃÆ’

That payload weighted 7 tons. The plane can lift 36 tons into orbit. That mission was actually quite a stunt, the plane is not as good for long range as it IS for heavy lifting...

However THIS one should be well suited for long-range small-cargo, but as you can see, there's a tiny problem:

It's kinda ugly.

Also, my crafts break only 5 of your challenge's rules... can they still qualify?? lol xD

A legitimate cargo SSTO sounds insane! U're gonna need drop tanks, AND drop-engines. Like some sort of insignificant little boosters just to help you achieve orbit, then dropped off. What would be your opinion about RAPIERs for that project? and aerospikes? and what about all those real life planes that have a jet motor on their butt(many fighter jets for example)?

I just like to think of my crafts as wacky sci-fi stuff, that WORKS lol xD

I was going to say the same thing, so I'll piggyback on your comment. Awesome Job, Overfloater! Your Craft's tiny size (and i would assume lower part count) is the most impressive aspect.

Thank u :>

It's made of 433 parts right now... lots of work still needs to be done to it.

-------

Now that I've finally got my hands on that update...(much later than everyone else has >:-[ )

I had some de-strutting to do and stability tests to conduct:

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I'm totally taking Mega-Comet for a 2nd trip

I'm a bit ashamed of Venera's test resaults... absolutely no de-strutting for that one!

In the meantime, I've ROCK HUNTING to do...

It's a Venera converted to a super tanker...

[Raven.]

Yup you got it, B9, FAR, DRE, Procedural Wings, KER, among others, but those are the relevant mods.

Using IR in the cargo bay to mount a couple batteries and some generators. Theres not really any point to it, but they stay stationary while the plane rolls around it.

http://i.imgur.com/VxRRR4Q.png

It doesn't like to re-enter the atmosphere with the nose pitched up, I haven't added any RCS which could be part of the problem. When it killed Jeb the nose wobbled, then pitched straight up so the wings were perpendicular to the velocity marker going probably 1,000 - 1,500 m/s.

Here are some grabs from the SPH. Spaceport was being unfriendly with the .craft file so I'll have to try that again in a bit.

http://i.imgur.com/d4nchTg.png

http://i.imgur.com/bNyPgRP.png

http://i.imgur.com/3JYrzn9.png

I run B9 with FAR and procedural wings, but not DRE. The thing about B9 with FAR is that spaceplanes built with B9 have almost no drag. My B9 planes will glide for quite a substantial amount of time. However, FAR should add to control surfaces the option to trigger flaps, which help when controlling air speed, and you can increase/decrease the amount of deflection a little bit at a time. Avoid the B9 air brakes unless you know absolutely what you are doing in FAR, they introduce way too much drag.

The other to keep in mind is also not to re-enter at a steep angle, no more than a five to ten degree pitch. When you re-enter, your spaces plane will be traveling at hypersonic speeds, and any kind of control will be next to impossible; you will notice that you can't do more than fly in a straight line. If the nose is pitched up too high, the plane will stall. If the nose is pitched too low, then you will re-enter at way too fast of speed (which is asking for a sudden deceleration). In fact, do the FAR analysis from Mach 0 to Mach 2 in the SPH, and notice the curves. FAR will give you an idea of how much control you will have at what mach number. Also perform the analysis at mach 5 to mach 8, these are your re-entry speeds, and your craft needs to be able to handle these speeds. FAR also has a AoA (Angle of Attack) analysis that will give you an idea of what's going on during a stall at different mach numbers.

The key to re-entries is to glide the thing in until you're back at subsonic speeds. Remember, very small angle of attack. Yes, you will likely end up traveling about a quarter to half the circumference of Kerbin, but it's a nice, soft re-entry. Typically when I reenter, I place my periapsis at about 25 km and then glide the thing to the runway.

For mine, I also use a mod called Real Chutes. Real Chutes introduce actual drag and drogue chutes that do not suddenly jerk the craft or slow the craft too quickly. In fact, you can control in the SPH how much drag they introduce to the mix when deployed. I typically will use a drag chute that "pre-deploys" at 20 km altitude and then fully deploys on touchdown. These are a must have if you run FAR.

[KissSh0t]

I am remaking my SSTO Space Shuttle completely from scratch and I'm going to try capturing an Asteroid using it... hohohohohoh~

I'm thinking of having it carry little probes that can attach themselves to asteroids with parachutes, and then landing asteroids on Kerbin.

And then making a new Aircraft that wont be an SSTO that will be used to pick up Asteroids and fly them to the VAB and cover the VAB in asteroids.

Gotta catch em all Pokemans.. I mean....... Asteroids.

[Hodo]

http://i.imgur.com/bNyPgRP.png

Ok this pic right here pretty much shows me most of the problems you are having.

As KissSh0t said, move your landing gear closer to your center of mass. They dont have to be narrower, but just slightly behind the CoM. I usually line mine up with my CoL.

Then your intakes mounted on top of the wings, as cool as they are are going to create a fair bit of drag high above your CoM, which is going to want to pitch the nose up, QUITE a bit.

Basically when you re-enter the atmosphere your craft turns into a drag wall. The massive intakes mounted high on the wings act as giant airbrakes which are creating ALL sorts of drag when you hit the atmosphere around 30-45km alt. It is like having someone grab your hair on your head while you are running full speed. The lower half will keep going but the top will stop.

I would fix this by moving the intakes down inline with the CoM of the aircraft to bring the drag more inline with the aircraft. And I would also remove the front canard setup you have and use the P-Wing movable wings which can be perfectly shaped canards for exactly what you need them for.

[Voculus]

B9, KW Rocketry, and Procedural Wings are the lifeblood of all my spaceplanes.

[Fellow314]

Had to be done

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https://www.dropbox.com/s/990zdskd0zi9q7e/B1G%20Cargo%20NMJ.craft

1 - jets

2 - turbojets

3 - nukes

Pull up all the way down the runway, she gets a little twitchy at high altitudes.

[Overfloater]

Had to be done

http://imgur.com/a/1ktWx

https://www.dropbox.com/s/990zdskd0zi9q7e/B1G%20Cargo%20NMJ.craft

1 - jets

2 - turbojets

3 - nukes

Pull up all the way down the runway, she gets a little twitchy at high altitudes.

LOL!!!! NICE! Totally had to be done!!! Hey I got to use the big tank too you know!!!

Well... ahumm... not that I did anything productive with it...

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I also concluded that my Venera is certified for 45 ton paylod to LKO.

(after converting one to a supertanker )

With a minor modification, I can make it carry even 54 tons to LKO (removing one fuel tank...)

My business is going well so far, I can no longer accept any other form of cargo transport!

I will upload craft files shortly... x-b

Edit!!!

Knock urselves out...

Crafts in the zip file:

- Regular Venera with aerospike, the one that went to Duna.

- Long range Venera (with aerospike), untested...

- Supertanker tug (no aerospike)

- 2 Regular Veneras (no aerospike) with example lightweight payloads)

- 3 trucks 5~8 tons in weight

- A ramp

Don't be afraid to put 45 tons in your regular Venera,

Just be sure to leave some of the oxidizer out.

Action groups:

1. 2 jets

2. 2 jets

3. 2 jets

4. 2 jets

5. 4 Atomics

6. Bottom Aerospike (If equipped!) ALSO activated by hitting the BRAKES!!!

7. Toggle front intakes (not necessary)

8.

9. Cut chutes

0. Toggle landing gear (in case your cargo also has gear & u don't want THAT toggled along)

Brakes: Toggle Aerospike, shut down atomics

Action groups for the trucks:

7.

8. Toggle rear axle steering

9. Toggle motors

0.

Edited April 7, 2014 by Overfloater

[Cinocal]

[Spartwo]

I should start listening to that little idiot in the corner of my mind.

Ok admittedly it only works in theory because I can't launch it.But 4.7km/s is enough,right?

[Fellow314]

This doesn't count as it doesn't work. Just doesn't land. Is currently stuck in orbit after several failed, erm, simulations. Bob, Jeb and Bill await rescue.

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[KissSh0t]

@ Fellow314

What happens? does it tumble?

- - - Updated - - -

http://i.imgur.com/LR0WZdq.png

I should start listening to that little idiot in the corner of my mind.

Ok admittedly it only works in theory because I can't launch it.But 4.7km/s is enough,right?

Is it an SSTO?

[Fellow314]

@ Fellow314

What happens? does it tumble?

Was just too heavy. Burnt off some fuel and oxidiser and got it down.

(Who would have thought it would be asier to land when it wasn't as heavy... )

Had some Kraken related disintegration on the way down.

[KissSh0t]

Landing Test of the rebuilt SSTO Space Shuttle, It was a sort of iffy landing.... but no one dies so SUCCESS!

*Edit*

I had my first try at capturing a small asteroid... but ended up failing, losing kerbin completely, wasting way too much fuel trying to get back to kerbin, using the moon to sling shot myself around closer to kerbin, then entering kerbin over the ocean over 3,000m/s, then getting over solid ground to land and.... landing with pretty much no fuel left.

So... sort of a failure, but sort of a success, I can see this craft easily getting to Duna, I got pretty close to it when I shot myself out of kerbin orbit.

xD

ohh my goodness trying to get to an asteroid is hard.

Edited April 7, 2014 by KissSh0t
adding images.

[Fellow314]

Less than extensive testing has led me to conclude that this is airworthy

I just wanted to build one around the really, really big tank so I'm not sure what it's for. It does reach LKO with about 6K Delta V if you want to take it, er, practically anywhere, however, I'm going to call it a Supertanker. On that basis, it probably needs a docking port. Which it doesn't have. There's space for one at the front if you really want one

You cold probably put balanced cargo in the spaces in the wings. Not that I'm sure why you'd want to.

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https://www.dropbox.com/s/5je05avctuwd3xv/SuperTanker%20NMJ.craft

1 - Jets

2 - Turbojets

3 - Nukes

If you wish to fly this 461 part behemoth, there are a couple of things you need to know.

Touch nothing down the runway. Maybe a touch of rudder if she wanders, but she should be good. On no account pull up before you're very close to the end of the runway.

However...

When you do actually leave the end of the runway pull up. Lots. After that, you're on you're own, if you want a launch profile ask and I'll write one.

Oh, and on no account try and land it when it weighs more than about 95 75 ish tons. Ish.

Edited April 7, 2014 by Fellow314

[Spartwo]

Is it an SSTO?

In theory.The minimum TWR is 1.04 and d/v is 4300m/s,which if you limit the main engines thrust to keep the TWR low and raise the mean ISP you should get above 5km/s,The only thing which would stop it from making orbit would be crashes due to the above 600 part count.

[SofusRud]

In an effort to see what could be done with the new ARM parts, which in my opinion are unbalanced, i went and did this:

Got it into orbit, but thats hardly surprising. you could do the same thing with six stacks of Jumbos and Mainsails. So I took it for a little longer spin

Yes that is Laythe

Unfortunately I misjudged my parachute to mass ratio and I hit ocean instead of ground, so it didn't manage landing on Laythe as well as I had hoped. Had I been a little better at piloting then it would have ended better. But that hardly matters as it was an unmanned test and I think I made my point.

The point of this hastily thrown together mission (30 minutes total) was to test the limits of the new ARM engines, and I have yet to see a singel case of a Single-stage-to-Laythe Mission using only one (pre-ARM) engine type.