Jump to content

SSTOs! Post your pictures here~


Recommended Posts

15 hours ago, Whisky Tango Foxtrot said:

I kind of made an SSTO by accident.

qgrj6Pw.jpg

I had taken one of the "Conduct observational surveys of Kerbin" contracts and, rather than employ my usual strategy of building a sub-orbital rocket and hoping that I could aim it right, I decided to build an atmospheric plane to handle the job. I put a small plane together with Panthers for thrust (since they have great fuel efficiency in dry mode but can still get to high altitudes on wet mode) and confirmed that it could at least get off the runway and fly around a bit when I thought that it might be useful to have a biome-hopper like this on Laythe. The problem is, how do I get it there? Carting it though space won't be a huge problem; it's got a shielded docking port on the back so I can just attach a nuclear tug to it to get it wherever it needs to go, but that'll only work if I can get it into orbit in the first place.

493HHIk.png

After trying and failing to build a rover that could dock with the plane on the runway to attach a rocket to the back I decided to just stick some R.A.P.I.E.R. engines to the sides. The extra weight of the additional engines and fuel was offset by the extra thrust that the R.A.P.I.E.R.s provided in air-breathing mode, and after switching to closed-cycle mode they had (barely) enough power to circularize at 70km, at which point I detached the pylons that they were mounted to since they'd done their job. However, I was already in orbit by that point and hadn't shed any parts to get there, so it still counts as an SSTO.

Nice !

However, I think this could be made into something that can return from Laythe as well as act as its own tug.

One panther on the rear fuselage,  and at the wingtips (in place of your existing panthers) put two nukes.   Laythe is much easier to SSTO from than Kerbin and one panther/2 nukes would be able to make orbit.  

(look at how little it takes to get this monster to orbit https://youtu.be/AiMmmfOj8Qk?t=576  )

 

In fact,  you can SSTO out of Kerbin on one panther and two nukes but you'd have to get an inline cockpit.  The pointy one overheats unless you've got powerful oxidizer fuelled rockets to boost you straight up and out of the middle atmosphere.

Spoiler

 

eg. 20170115201301_1_zpszqmzcd5x.jpg

note - it is highly optimised with wings angled up at 5 degrees so the fuselage can be kept pointing prograde for low drag, and i attached cones to the back of the nuke engines for low drag.  Still got to orbit with rather a lot of fuel left over.

 

So, if you want to keep your pointy cockpit, then those RAPIER boosters are a jolly good idea, though the penny wise kerbal might be tempted to try a pair of terriers instead - in combo with the nukes i'm sure they'd be enough to push you into orbit !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's my take at a small, relatively low-tech SSTOSSV-8 "Inherit the Stars"

0RQD39s.png

It is partly inspired by @renhanxue's "Everything I Know About Spaceplanes (though I did not submit to all the guidelines he gave), in particular the Panther/Twin Terrier setup and the solar panel/radiator stowed in the service bay. As it lacks RCS, docking ports and even a cargo bay, its main mission is limited to ferrying tourists into orbit and rescuing Kerbals. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, Jett_Quasar said:

DOWNLOAD the Adventure Star-Mun craft file HERE:

Lacking a kerbalx summary, could you list the mods required for the craft? You only mentioned texture replacer at the end, but that doesn't look like any nuke engine I've seen on the CM

Edited by Jarin
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, AeroGav said:

Nice !

However, I think this could be made into something that can return from Laythe as well as act as its own tug.

One panther on the rear fuselage,  and at the wingtips (in place of your existing panthers) put two nukes.   Laythe is much easier to SSTO from than Kerbin and one panther/2 nukes would be able to make orbit.  

(look at how little it takes to get this monster to orbit https://youtu.be/AiMmmfOj8Qk?t=576  )

 

In fact,  you can SSTO out of Kerbin on one panther and two nukes but you'd have to get an inline cockpit.  The pointy one overheats unless you've got powerful oxidizer fuelled rockets to boost you straight up and out of the middle atmosphere.

  Reveal hidden contents

 

eg. 20170115201301_1_zpszqmzcd5x.jpg

note - it is highly optimised with wings angled up at 5 degrees so the fuselage can be kept pointing prograde for low drag, and i attached cones to the back of the nuke engines for low drag.  Still got to orbit with rather a lot of fuel left over.

 

So, if you want to keep your pointy cockpit, then those RAPIER boosters are a jolly good idea, though the penny wise kerbal might be tempted to try a pair of terriers instead - in combo with the nukes i'm sure they'd be enough to push you into orbit !

I already have some SSTOs that I plan on retrofitting for Laythe operations (mainly by replacing their solar panels with RTGs.) This plane was designed to operate purely in a planet's atmosphere. Its mission profile on Laythe will be to take off from a mining/ISRU base, fly to a distant biome, gather science and return. Ideally it should be able to completely circumnavigate the moon without refuelling so that I can make sure that all biomes are in reach. Lugging around space engines is just going to degrade the plane's performance in its primary mission. It only needs to fly through space once - a one-way flight between Kerbal and Laythe. Once it enters Laythe's atmosphere it's going to stay there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Jarin said:

Lacking a kerbalx summary, could you list the mods required for the craft? You only mentioned texture replacer at the end, but that doesn't look like any nuke engine I've seen on the CM

No mods are required for any of my craft.  The version in the video had a Nuke embedded in a "Poodle" engine (which wasn't used).  I had to do away with that setup in the final design - it was adding too much weight just for aesthetic purposes and is what caused the explosion on landing.

Good catch, you have a sharp eye.

-Jett

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, Jett_Quasar said:

The version in the video had a Nuke embedded in a "Poodle" engine (which wasn't used).

That makes a lot more sense. Most nuke mods I knew of have unique engine appearances.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, Korsakovski said:

Slapped together a low Kerbin orbit SSTO built around the Rhino engine.

 

https://kerbalx.com/Korsakovski/Beowulf-K1

http://imgur.com/a/h772u

Hum. The Rhino, with its high vacuum Isp and TWR, should actually make a very decent engine to pair with turbojets for a SSTO... But I have a feeling it will need a bigger bird to really shine. What kind of TWR are you getting when you light it on?

 

Rune. It's one of those part I never use. Too big!

Edited by Rune
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Rune said:

Hum. The Rhino, with its high vacuum Isp and TWR, should actually make a very decent engine to pair with turbojets for a SSTO... But I have a feeling it will need a bigger bird to really shine. What kind of TWR are you getting when you light it on?

 

Rune. It's one of those part I never use. Too big!

Don't remember the exact numbers, but KER says TWR is 1.21 with only the rocketfuel at 20km, so it actually isn't too excessive. The design can certainly be pushed more, but the whiplashes are the problem. They are just too weak in comparison, so you would need an awful lot of them.

Well, I already have another prototype in the works.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Speed_Kerman said:

Put a fuel pod in Laythe orbit, you could refuel and bring her home too.

That crude prototype shall never go beyond LKO unfortunately. This is what I am planning on having go to Laythe.

qWElKqM.png

https://kerbalx.com/Korsakovski/Phantom-U2A1

http://imgur.com/a/9a1Z5

Also somewhat finished the overweight VTOL prototype.

IcQDYPx.png

https://kerbalx.com/Korsakovski/Kraken-E4

http://imgur.com/a/6ub8J

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...