SSTOs! Post your pictures here~

[Vanamonde]

Oh, hey. I guess this counts.

it's a docking practice ship I made for newbies. 

[JadeOfMaar]

@Vanamonde Yes, it counts. + for such a unique and purposeful design too. You're the banana man!

Edited December 19, 2016 by JadeOfMaar

[Arugela]

I made something following suite with the smaller craft being shown recently. Mine does nothing though. Unless I add mining equipment and a crew cabin or something. I called it SSTOO. Single Stage to Orbit Only. As in that is all it is designed to do.

The difference is I used my normal engine combo of nukes/rapier/whiplashes. It reaches orbit with about 1200DeltaV. Has a connecting part to refuel at a station if needed. But has nothing on it to be useful... It is a hybrid between space plane and rocket though. and is flown as such.

This will be the first small craft I've made in a while. I'm still working on how to make it land correctly though... Haven't done rear landings like this. Or it's been a while.. Not sure where to put the COL. Need to adjust the air control surface authority and stuff too.

Action Groups:

1: Toggle Nukes

2: Toggle Rapiers

3: Switch Mode Rapiers

4: Toggle Whiplashes + Intakes

 

Craft:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/lvtwxzbloyh3dn9/SSTOO.craft?dl=0

Pic:

 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2016 by Arugela

[Adelaar]

Well, I still have this lying around, but if truth be told; I haven't even played 1.2.2 yet. Seriously need to start playing KSP again :|

[Rune]

I did a thing for a person. I'd say it looks almost as good as what he sent me to fix, but the flames make it kinda difficult to figure out, because she took 3.01 minutes flat to get to a 75km high apoapsis.

 

Rune. The issue was how to get it to orbit. Now it's making orbit without burning up. Progress?

[ScriptKitt3h]

I'm said person from Rune's post above - can confirm, revised SSTO prototype can indeed do LKO in roughly 3 minutes flat.

It's actually quite agile once up to speed as well, I may very well see about releasing it once I judge how well it flies with a docking port and RCS added on.

[HvP]

I am not particularly skilled at building SSTOs, but over the past few days I've been attempting to refine this sexy little craft.

The Sloop Jeb K.

Easily makes 100 kilometer orbit with 360 delta-v to spare for orbital rendezvous.

Pilot plus crew compartment gives a compliment of three Kerbals. Includes RCS, probe core for remote operation, shielded docking port, and is reentry capable with 6,000dv worth of spare liquid fuel for landing approach.

High visibility design makes first person cockpit flying in IVA easy and fun, especially for landing.

Spoiler

 

Edited December 19, 2016 by HvP

[Exothermos]

I've got a real bad habit of overbuilding, so I challenged myself to K.I.S.S. and create a MK-3 lifter that can haul a Jumbo 64 orange tank to orbit on 4 rapiers.  This is something that many of you have already cracked, but it took me quite a while to unlearn old habits that were holding my designs back.  Anyway, the craft below, the Fusilid, is approaching that simplistic minimum that can still achieve the mission, I think.

It is a tapered tube with engines stuck on the wing.  The aero model loves it.  When one has pared-down the craft to the minimums, these designs start looking very similar to each other.  I tried to steer away from things I've seen in other's crafts, but some things are just the right way to do it. 

 

Low orbits are achieved without any drama.

Reentry is a snap, even steep ones.

 

Low speed approaches are easy enough to land in the field.

 

I'm pretty happy with it, even if it doesn't ooze character.

 

 

Edit: Here is the ship that the fusilid is designed from.  Yes, It mostly works fine. 

Spoiler

Something's awfully fishy about this one.

 

Edited December 26, 2016 by Exothermos

[SHiftER2O]

1 hour ago, Exothermos said:

- the Fusilid, -

Ooooh! Can't wait to download that one!

[quasarrgames]

I love all the wonderful designs there are here nowadays! Great job guys!

I have one to contribute too:

Still needs a bit more polish, as it has very low control authority on takeoff, but it also has a 48% payload fraction. Will release less mysterious pictures when it's ready for release.

Edited December 26, 2016 by quasarrgames

[gilflo]

Stellaris, giant cargo, Vulture Mark IV cockpit and fuselage - B9 wings, empty weight 1356T, Freight: AESV + satelitte, total weight 60T, 6500 DV in orbit, on course to Mun for flight test. AESV is an autonomous exploration and science vehicle designed with Vertical positioned engine that allow easy landing and regional flights on planets. Its 10000DV range allow interplanetary flight.

Climb to orbit

Spoiler

Overheat

Spoiler

Before Mun burn

Spoiler

AESV equipped with 4 mini drills, 1 converter, 1 lab and many science experiment stuff

Spoiler

 

Edited December 26, 2016 by gilflo

[Rune]

7 hours ago, Exothermos said:

I've got a real bad habit of overbuilding, so I challenged myself to K.I.S.S. and create a MK-3 lifter that can haul a Jumbo 64 orange tank to orbit on 4 rapiers.  This is something that many of you have already cracked, but it took me quite a while to unlearn old habits that were holding my designs back.  Anyway, the craft below, the Fusilid, is approaching that simplistic minimum that can still achieve the mission, I think.

 

It is a tapered tube with engines stuck on the wing.  The aero model loves it.  When one has pared-down the craft to the minimums, these designs start looking very similar to each other.  I tried to steer away from things I've seen in other's crafts, but some things are just the right way to do it. 

 

Low orbits are achieved without any drama.

 

Reentry is a snap, even steep ones.

 

 

Low speed approaches are easy enough to land in the field.

 

 

I'm pretty happy with it, even if it doesn't ooze character.

 

 

Edit: Here is the ship that the fusilid is designed from.  Yes, It mostly works fine. 

 

That is seriously sexy. And, you know, my own 4-RAPIER model is only rated for roughly half the cargo, so darned efficient too!

 

Rune. I would put a docking port on the back, tough.

Edited December 26, 2016 by Rune

[Thor Wotansen]

20 Kerbals and I don't know how much cargo, with a convenient cargo ramp, still has 1,700m/s in a 80x80km orbit.

[SpaceDirt]

This is my Lammergeier SSTO, capable of taking 6 kerbals to Minmus and back.

Here it is in the SPH.

My favorite thing about this is the wing shape.

[Wanderfound]

Kerbodyne Planet Hopper

Mk2 SSTA:

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kerbin -> Minmus -> Duna -> Dres -> Laythe -> Pol -> Eeloo albums at 

 

Craft file at  https://www.dropbox.com/s/juonygnm1lvcbn9/Kerbodyne Planet Hopper.craft?dl=0

Edited December 31, 2016 by Wanderfound

[Arugela]

Here is a partial update on my KT Cruiser. I have it up to almost 900 parts and almost 900 tons. Still carries 100 tons and 100 Kerbals. Still fine tuning aerodynamics. Trying to find a way to make the nose point up instead of down while not using SAS.

It can now carry up to 100,000 Units of fuel also(500 tons). This requires using the cargo to hold orange tanks though. It has full mining rigs and science equipment. Except for the M700 scanner. But it has forward cargo room for satelites. It also has an MK1 lander cockpit in the rear that can be entered from the back cargo ramp. This is my alternative to a ladder since they burn up in the atmosphere so easily. It works rather nice. You can load lots of kerbals up in the cargo area and transfer them to other parts of the vehicle one by one. Should be a bit faster than a ladder since you don't need to climb. I also added a science bay.

I'm waiting for FAR to work in 1.2(I'm assuming it doesn't atm.) in order to try this out in realistic aerodynamics. I want to see how it flies. I'm also still trying to figure the best way to get it into kerbin orbit in stock. And how much DeltaV I can get after orbit with the modifications.

Crew: 6 (2Pilots, 2Engineers, 2Scientists)

Action Groups:

In craft description.

Craft:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gry27t1xvcbswps/IDGAD 100 KT Cruiser 4.craft?dl=0

Pics:

 

Edited December 28, 2016 by Arugela

[TeeGee]

[Signo]

Hi all, it has been a while since I have last seen an "Infini-miner" around here. Even more uncommon, a LF only infini-miner.

Introducing "Ajax 122", 93.480t at take off - 73 pieces - 4 crew - 3 rapiers, 5 nukes - 4638m/s nuke propelled with full tank

 

 

It takes 30 days to refuel with no engineers onboard and an average ore concentration (3.8) - solar powered for inner system, fuel cells for outer system (220 Ox available at take off from Kerbin), RTGs for "ongoing duties" - crew in HH module in the tail bay, functional ladder. TWR is not exactly "top of the crop", but more than enough to land on almost any vacuum body (except for youknowwhere) and of course Laythe after a Minmus pit stop.

 

The extra Ox storage can be used for those "painful" high TWR burns with rapiers. 

No Ox needed to reach orbit. Craft file available on request.

Thank you for reading.

 

Cheers.

Edited December 30, 2016 by Signo

[Climberfx]

Here goes recently released Omicron in one of it's configurations. This one got into Mun. SSTO VTOL Space Flying Car (SFC)

 

[KidFury]

This is My SSTO Called Phantom III 

•  

 

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[SlightlyHeavyIndustries]

Toy Box IV A, designed to save on fuel usage from previous generations by using 2 engines to do the same job as 4 engines. Development was plagued by issues with not being able to break through the trans-sonic barrier due to drag issues from side mounted engines. Then a great discovery was made during one of the test flights that total air intake usage from the 2 shock cones only peaked at 20%. Redesign was immediately ordered to make the engines inline and use engine pre-coolers for air intake.

Taking off at 80m/s, autopilot by kOS. The plane was so unconventionally long, that unsightly long gears were required to provide enough clearance during landing and take-off.

In 85km orbit with 500m/s dv left. Although it would probably be much better if the code monkeys are bothered to update the ascension code.

[Jett_Quasar]

It's not your typical SSTO since it uses only rocket engines but it can put a 60T ISS style space station in orbit and return back to KSC.

*Assembly required...

Jett

 

 

 

 

 

[Whisky Tango Foxtrot]

I needed to retrieve a small part from orbit to complete a contract, didn't want to build a disposable ship for the job, but didn't have Rapiers unlocked yet either. Not to be deterred, I built my first functional SSTO in my career save: The Grasshopper.

No Rapiers, just a pair of Whiplash jets and an Aerospike.

Gets to a stable LKO with plenty of fuel left.

Power and communications gear allow it to stay in orbit indefinitely, and the docking port on the front means that I can refuel it in space or attach one of my NERV tugs for longer-range missions.

The Grasshopper's main payload: An RCS-powered grabber drone.

The drone has its own solar panels, but it lacks communication gear beyond what's built into the probe core, however the Grasshopper's relay antenna means that that isn't a big problem.

Tested to be reentry-capable.

It could probably land airplane-style (especially if you saved some fuel for a powered landing) but that's too much work.

I haven't tested landing it without at least some fuel left, so I'm not sure if it'll stay level on its parachutes when it's completely empty, but as long as you have a bit of fuel to shift between its tanks for balance/ballast it comes down pretty easily.

I tried building a passenger variant to ferry Kerbals to an from my space station, but the changes I made unbalanced the COT, causing the craft to spin out of control when under thrust in vacuum. I tried replacing the Aerospike with a pair of Terriers (since they have some thrust vectoring) and while things stayed stable that way I ended up almost completely out of fuel after achieving an atmosphere-skimming orbit. Since my station is at 250km that's a bit of a problem. I think I'll still have to wait for Rapiers to become available before I can really expand my spaceplane fleet, but I'm glad I was able to build at least one useful craft without them.

EDIT: Looks like I spoke too soon. I made a few adjustments to the passenger Grasshopper variant (most significantly flipping the utility bay so that the antenna and solar panels deploy from the bottom) and was able to get it balanced to the point that its reaction wheels are enough to compensate for any remaining balance issues, even with the Aerospike. I now have a non-Rapier SSTO capable of carrying 4 Kerbals to a 250km circular orbit and back again. Doesn't have RCS yet, though, so docking will be a bit of an issue. Hopefully I'll be able to add some thrusters and monopropellant in ways that won't impact performance too severely.

EDIT AGAIN: Since I figure other people might be in the same position I was in and want a good SSTO without unlocking the entire tech tree I've uploaded the passenger variant of this craft (after some modifications to add RCS) to KerbalX.

Edited January 2, 2017 by Whisky Tango Foxtrot

[Climberfx]

 

Edited January 1, 2017 by Climberfx

[AeroGav]

At last, my first Seaplane -

https://kerbalx.com/AeroGav/K133--Curlew

As a first design,  I wanted a known flyable aircraft as the starting point, but you could argue it resulted in a bit of a kludge.   On a clean sheet approach, you'd probably find a way to make some or all of the main wings hang below the fuselage and do double duty as hydrofoils.

Now,  I  do like more wings and control surfaces on my creations than most folks,  but  even I admit this could be going too far.  It needs all this stuff to help it skim over the water however.

Over 37 tons gross weight.    3 seats, inline clamp o tron,  2 nukes, 2 junos, 1 rapier and no oxidizer.    It shouldn't really work..

But it does...