SSTOs! Post your pictures here~

[sweetpezak]

quick question...

I see in the highest percent of the images you guys put up:

everyone has a pic of their craft on the runway before take off and in orbit

but not to many pics after or during landing. how many of you actually successfully land these things?

With the lack of aero in KSP, getting some of those monstrousity Im seeing on here on the tarmac would be impossible!

Taking off is easy...landing, that's another story (without using mods)

So It should be a requirement to show the craft landing as well.

A screenshot as the craft is coming in to land.

Im not sure what defines an ssto but I would have thought it has to come back down too.

I feel like the heavier the SSTO is to begin with the easier it will be to land back on Kerbin, if you have a lighter craft that is almost completely out of fuel it is more likely to flip out of control during re-entry, but with the heavier crafts as long as your center of mass isn't too messed up you should be able to glide right in no problem...

[KissSh0t]

quick question...

I see in the highest percent of the images you guys put up:

everyone has a pic of their craft on the runway before take off and in orbit

but not to many pics after or during landing. how many of you actually successfully land these things?

With the lack of aero in KSP, getting some of those monstrousity Im seeing on here on the tarmac would be impossible!

Taking off is easy...landing, that's another story (without using mods)

So It should be a requirement to show the craft landing as well.

A screenshot as the craft is coming in to land.

Im not sure what defines an ssto but I would have thought it has to come back down too.

I agree, I would also like to see more people showing that their SSTO can be safely landed in once piece.

[Entelin]

This isn't finished yet, but it's officially an SSTO now after making LKO and landing again on the airstrip It did this with the orange tank in the middle as a test payload.

The idea is to suspend payload in the middle with KAS. Unlike most other ssto's I've seen this would allow it to haul up things that were not specifically designed to be hauled by anything in particular. Once I finish it I might make a video of it or something, or at least post another screenshot here.

Oh and yes, this lands just fine, it's actually quite stable overall.

Edited August 22, 2013 by Entelin

[Rune]

Try taking a screenshot while landing one. Pain in the butt, it is.

press f1 to take a screey...not that hard!

ur screenies are exactly what im talkin about good pics!

A quick pic from chase view just before hittin the runway would do. We're not talking art here!!

I don't think the majority of these ssto craft are landable.

prove me wrong please!

Anything can be landed. Now, as to landing it in one piece, I'd say that is more a matter of piloting skill. Personally, I don't release a SSTO if I haven't completed on full mission landing back at the KSC runway. But when I'm showcasing it, I choose the most awesome pic, and that's usually in orbit.

[Dashman]

Alrighty then. I shall prove my point and start off the new challenge by putting my money where my mouth is.

As I don't seem to be able to post my pics on here (fraps goes in the to hard basket for now), Im providing links...

...so this is how I launched my craft. Completely ssto although it took all the fuel I had, bar about 200 kerbal measures to get it into orbit.

You will notice in this shot I have 3 LV-45s (think that's what they are called) on the main fuel tanks.

I wasn't happy with those so I swapped for one big mainsail which you will see in the landing images.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/o7rwbxx5glpnk2n/screenshot14.png

I launched it a couple of days ago and have been reluctant to fly home for fear of failure! lol

So to deorbit I used every last drop of liquid fuel.

Fortunately, I had crap loads of jet fuel left to assist my landing!

This next file is a GIF I thru together of afew screenies I took on re-entery...I took heaps!

Just click on download in the upper right corner of the "dropbox" window to download or view the gif.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/f1t4wq9rohim66o/ssto%20landing.gif

Got it on the running safely with nothing broken and Bob safe and sound.

Landed it first go!! I couldn't believe it!!

...and yes I now concur, I will only be building larger craft for runway landings in the future. Ill be interested to see how big we can go before a huge failure!!

This beauty came in so easily I was amazed! I think I must have fluked the build design lol.

I repeated the landing a second time to make sure I hadn't fluked the landing. Sweet as pie!

...So, screenies don't seem to hard to take!

lets see some of those big suckers landing!

Edited August 22, 2013 by Dashman

[KissSh0t]

That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen.. I like it..

[Rune]

This isn't finished yet, but it's officially an SSTO now after making LKO and landing again on the airstrip It did this with the orange tank in the middle as a test payload.

The idea is to suspend payload in the middle with KAS. Unlike most other ssto's I've seen this would allow it to haul up things that were not specifically designed to be hauled by anything in particular. Once I finish it I might make a video of it or something, or at least post another screenshot here.

Oh and yes, this lands just fine, it's actually quite stable overall.

That is a SSTO space dock, right?

[Dashman]

holy crap!!!! @KissShOt:sealed:

But when I'm showcasing it, I choose the most awesome pic, and that's usually in orbit.

Then how am I to believe you've landed it?

I don't believe till I see!

Edited August 22, 2013 by Dashman

[KissSh0t]

Made a new SSTO today... But I think I found a problem with it's design~

Went up to orbit, went around Kerbin once then de-orbited and landed at the runway.. then it did the thing like a dog with an itchy butt : I

I know why... because that front fuselage has fuel and it was all used and the rear undercarriage was very close to the center of mass xD

Ohh Well~ Learned something~

[Dashman]

haha a slight weight distribution issue?

Where are your air intakes on that craft?

...and how are you getting 12.00 as a max on those air intakes that I cant see?

Edited August 22, 2013 by Dashman

[Sparker]

Here is the landing of my big SSTO spaceplane after delivering something into orbit. I've made about 6 or 7 successful landing with it. Now I'm adapting this design to work well with FAR. And it's harder to land this thing with FAR because it flies better and produses much lift force after touching the ground with wheels.

[Rune]

holy crap!!!! @KissShOt:sealed:

But when I'm showcasing it, I choose the most awesome pic, and that's usually in orbit.

Then how am I to believe you've landed it?

I don't believe till I see!

Then don't believe it, I don't care much either way, really. Or go find my thread and look at the complete mission albums in imgur, that's another alternative.

[Rune]

Here is the landing of my big SSTO spaceplane after delivering something into orbit. I've made about 6 or 7 successful landing with it. Now I'm adapting this design to work well with FAR. And it's harder to land this thing with FAR because it flies better and produses much lift force after touching the ground with wheels.

I didn't say so at the time, but it's pretty cool that you built a 100% rocket SSTO as your first one. It must be easier, and if you can refuel it up there, it should have amazing in-space delta-v. Though in reality those wings are kind of unnecessary...

Rune. You ever heard the phrase "a spaceship that lands like God and Robert Heinlein meant them to"?

[Sparker]

Though in reality those wings are kind of unnecessary...

What do you mean? Do you know any (space)plane able to fly without wings?

I wanted to make something like Venture Star:

Actually its fuselage is a single big wing.

By the way have a look at this mod:

Aerospike Kit v1.1

We can make linear clusters of aerospike engines just like real ones.

[Dashman]

@ sparker.

Im loving that baby!

simple design always works the best!

[Dashman]

@ Rune.

You Spanish are touchie hey!?

I only see about 3 landed craft on Kerbin out of all you've made but I dont much care either way too!

This thread is obviously not intended for you as you have your own thread showing your genius!

I like ya wacky craft though. nice work!

[Guest]

Whatever - I agree - and accept the challenge - I will make a new SSTO in a few days - doing sketches now - I imagine a lot of speed brakes on the rear will help with orienting snafu's if things get crazy during re-entry.

[Guest]

And I have another stupid question. Will someone post a pic of the globe with the airport highlighted?

[Deadweasel]

Whatever - I agree - and accept the challenge - I will make a new SSTO in a few days - doing sketches now - I imagine a lot of speed brakes on the rear will help with orienting snafu's if things get crazy during re-entry.

Actually, no. Try to keep them along the CoM. putting them at the rear, above and below the wings or even along the body, still results in a huge tendency for the ship to nosedive.

[Deadweasel]

And I have another stupid question. Will someone post a pic of the globe with the airport highlighted?

It's easy to get one yourself. Just launch a ship or plane, but don't actually take off. Go to map mode, and your ship's location will indicate the KSP's location.

[PetWolverine]

@ Rune.

You Spanish are touchie hey!?

Racist much? Anyway, you came here and essentially accused people of being dishonest: Claiming to have landed planes that they hadn't actually landed. There is absolutely nothing at stake here, no incentive to deceive, just people sharing cool designs of things they've built in a video game. It would be absurdly petty to lie in such a situation, so you've accused a bunch of people of extreme pettiness.

Maybe you were joking, or maybe you just didn't think about how it sounds when you say something like "Then how am I to believe you've landed it?" - certainly your other posts don't make it sound like you're trying to stir up trouble - but there's no reason to expect a good reaction from that.

Speaking of reactions, what did Rune actually say?

Then don't believe it, I don't care much either way, really.

This doesn't sound touchy; it sounds indifferent, which is, in my opinion, the appropriate response.

[Deadweasel]

Racist much? Anyway, you came here and essentially accused people of being dishonest: Claiming to have landed planes that they hadn't actually landed. There is absolutely nothing at stake here, no incentive to deceive, just people sharing cool designs of things they've built in a video game. It would be absurdly petty to lie in such a situation, so you've accused a bunch of people of extreme pettiness.

Maybe you were joking, or maybe you just didn't think about how it sounds when you say something like "Then how am I to believe you've landed it?" - certainly your other posts don't make it sound like you're trying to stir up trouble - but there's no reason to expect a good reaction from that.

Speaking of reactions, what did Rune actually say?

This doesn't sound touchy; it sounds indifferent, which is, in my opinion, the appropriate response.

I agree with the sentiment that it would be cool to see more "action" shots of takeoffs and landings, but I also agree the initial kickoff for this tangent did sound a little rude, as if people were being called-out for "cheating" or something. Personally I just chalked it up to an attempt to be energetic and simply overshooting the mark.

I don't think anybody believes for a single moment that I actually flew and landed Silverhawk on top of the astronaut complex, perfectly aligned and dead-center, but it made for a sweet scene anyway, and that's the whole idea to begin with.

[Dashman]

Racist?! pffft

What is wrong with you?!

paranoid much?

I didn't accuse anyone of anything.

Get over it!

Im done here.

farout!

[Deadweasel]

Racist?! pffft

What is wrong with you?!

paranoid much?

I didn't accuse anyone of anything.

Get over it!

Im done here.

farout!

*sigh*

No more caffeine for you.

[KissSh0t]

haha a slight weight distribution issue?

Where are your air intakes on that craft?

...and how are you getting 12.00 as a max on those air intakes that I cant see?

I have made an intake array engine inside the fuselage : >

*Edit*

Please do not use this thread to argue..

Edited August 22, 2013 by KissSh0t
do not use this thread to argue