SSTOs! Post your pictures here~

[Spartwo]

[inigma]

This is the Sparrowhawk. It's a stunt plane of an SSTO and is somewhat based off of this: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/29765-Mockheed-Lartin-Aeronautics-Graveyard

http://imageshack.com/a/img690/7318/trvi.png

Problem is, it's flip happy. The aircraft becomes completely uncontrollable once I kick in the LV30. I'm not sure if switching it out for a LV45 would help.

I'll also be adding pics of the Midge later.

Any advice regarding control issues? My RCS is currently set up to do rotation too rather than have an SAS unit on. I can try that route too.

Looks like too much forward wing.

[inigma]

http://i.imgur.com/k408PYf.png

Spartwo

vtol ssto?

i love the shadow

[Spartwo]

Spartwo

vtol ssto?

i love the shadow

Indeed,I plan for it to be a not-so stupidly easy to fly version of the Sabre.

[SofusRud]

Might as well post these here as well

Fluffles Mk-4 and Fluffles Mk-4C

[Commissar]

This is the Sparrowhawk. It's a stunt plane of an SSTO and is somewhat based off of this: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/29765-Mockheed-Lartin-Aeronautics-Graveyard

http://imageshack.com/a/img690/7318/trvi.png

Problem is, it's flip happy. The aircraft becomes completely uncontrollable once I kick in the LV30. I'm not sure if switching it out for a LV45 would help.

I'll also be adding pics of the Midge later.

Any advice regarding control issues? My RCS is currently set up to do rotation too rather than have an SAS unit on. I can try that route too.

center f lift behind (by half a meter or so), and slightly above the COG. simple, effective means of stability

[Silverchain]

Skurj 23-Q Dunan Bananaslip, carrying some extra fuel in a front drop tank, breaking for Kerbin orbit.

After an uneventful interplanetary transfer, the Bananaslip arrived at Moho.

Just kidding.

Duna.

Well, blast... I'd found what looked like a lovely big flat area on the equator, and touched the wheels down okay...

After maybe a kilometre of braking things started to go wrong. Bits of plane went everywhere and Charlie Kerman was lucky to survive.

Unfortunately, half of the science instruments were lost and worse, the aerial was destroyed in the crash.

Shortly afterwards Barbree Kerman in the Stochastic attempted another landing and was killed when the plane slammed into an unexpected hill at 200ms-1.

Stochastic had been ferried over by the heavy spaceship Land of Sand, which is waiting in a high elliptical orbit carrying vast quantities of fuel.

I suspect Duna will claim more Kerbals soon.

Edited January 17, 2014 by Silverchain

[Captain Sierra]

center f lift behind (by half a meter or so), and slightly above the COG. simple, effective means of stability

As with all my aircraft, CoL is about a quarter to a third meter behind and in this case, about a quarter meter below. That's not the problem or else I wouldn't be able to get up to the mach 3 cruise. I can get to the cruise phase but the thing goes wobbly as hell the second I hit the rocket (which is right as the the engines begin to flame out). Now the flameout kicks me to the side a hair but I can correct manually. Now, SAS seems INCAPABLE of holding the bird and I have ZERO idea why. The dumb physics engine makes the bird a huge pain to fly with the rocket. Now with jets it's a wonderful flight, very stable, agile (almost too much so). You gotta be careful with it or else you can put it into a flatspin right off Could it have anything to do with CoL being below CoM?

[Rune]

As with all my aircraft, CoL is about a quarter to a third meter behind and in this case, about a quarter meter below. That's not the problem or else I wouldn't be able to get up to the mach 3 cruise. I can get to the cruise phase but the thing goes wobbly as hell the second I hit the rocket (which is right as the the engines begin to flame out). Now the flameout kicks me to the side a hair but I can correct manually. Now, SAS seems INCAPABLE of holding the bird and I have ZERO idea why. The dumb physics engine makes the bird a huge pain to fly with the rocket. Now with jets it's a wonderful flight, very stable, agile (almost too much so). You gotta be careful with it or else you can put it into a flatspin right off Could it have anything to do with CoL being below CoM?

The LV-T30 has no thrust vectoring, unlike jets (and control surfaces rely on air pressure). Thus, your are limited to crew cabin torque for controllability. If your CoM is just a tad lower than the CoT, then there's your problem. Does landing gear have mass in 0.23? It didn't use to. Anyhow, the drag or the weight of the wings would be enough to create some downwards-pitching momentum. And cabin torque is not that great. Either add a reaction wheel, or switch to an LV-T45. Better yet, use either a LV-909 or a cluster of 48-7S's, you have too much thrust there. Tip to get by on low rocket thrusts: you can further milk jet engines by throttling them down without switching them once once you start the rocket. They will relight and you can build up vertical speed aided by their thrust until you have to rely completely on rockets (I go for when it flames out at 33% throttle personally).

Rune. Hope that helps.

[Gildor73]

My New Goddess: Athena

[Captain Sierra]

The LV-T30 has no thrust vectoring, unlike jets (and control surfaces rely on air pressure). Thus, your are limited to crew cabin torque for controllability. If your CoM is just a tad lower than the CoT, then there's your problem. Does landing gear have mass in 0.23? It didn't use to. Anyhow, the drag or the weight of the wings would be enough to create some downwards-pitching momentum. And cabin torque is not that great. Either add a reaction wheel, or switch to an LV-T45. Better yet, use either a LV-909 or a cluster of 48-7S's, you have too much thrust there. Tip to get by on low rocket thrusts: you can further milk jet engines by throttling them down without switching them once once you start the rocket. They will relight and you can build up vertical speed aided by their thrust until you have to rely completely on rockets (I go for when it flames out at 33% throttle personally).

Rune. Hope that helps.

The ascent profile I've been using lately, I need a rocket TWR of at least 1. I need a LV45 minimum for that.

Specifically, it involves going up more than a traditional profile during the rocket phase to save on drag losses later at the expense of some gravity losses at rocket ignition. Also, the craft in question originally had 2 LV-909s, more than enough fuel, and a single turbojet. The problem there was not enough jet thrust so getting to orbit was pretty much brute force. from 16km, less than efficient in any sense of the word.

Edited January 17, 2014 by Captain Sierra

[O-Doc]

I'm just happy with a working SSTO. I don't care what I have to do to make that.

EDIT: I've read multiple people talking about a descent phase to get under 20km before they pitch up into the exit maneuver. That's the first I've heard of that. How does that style of ascent work? It might be what I need to help me break 32km before I need to cut thrust (reducing drag losses)

I literally threw together your design in 5mins. Didn't even check CoM, CoL or CoT. It went into space after four attempts. I made orbit after another two. I can tell you that your lack of pitch authority is due to the elevons being too close to the CoT. A canard would fix that issue.

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Edited January 18, 2014 by O-Doc
Gallery code...

[razgriz86er]

i took my old vtol ssto plane and reworked it. basically i jammed 2 copies on the wings, slapped on a coat of paint and called it an air show.

i was curious to if this would work better or worse than the original 1. for the most part it worked the same as the original except for engine staging

in air breathing mode i staged the engines to start off with all 3, cut the center to keep 2 lit in the upper atmosphere and finally cut those two and just reignite the 1 on full.

would this count as 1 ssto or 3 ssto?

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[flyin_ruski]

Three crew plus a hitchhiker can. Gonna send it to the Mun once i develop a 'pusher' vehicle.

[Spartwo]

Still haven't left KSC but it has as much D/v as it's 'special' counterpart so it'll work.

[Mesklin]

Here is some Bob's photos from his vacation on the beaches of Laythe

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[soulreaver1981]

Here is my latest design stto

https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/240x135q90/c/36/6vqi.jpg

and the links for the plane and a video:

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/66538-new-dutch-design-%28elysium-mk-3%29-stto-vtol

[Silverchain]

Skurj 23-V Channel Nine approaching Duna.

You can't help but like Ike!

After adding extra intakes to this model and flying a better ascent, it was up to 55km before the jets cut out.

[KissSh0t]

Here is some Bob's photos from his vacation on the beaches of Laythe

http://imgur.com/a/67U4f

Did you cheat fuel or was that legit?

[Silverchain]

Project Limpid Ginger in 160x160 Kerbin orbit.

Nice looking, I think. It handles well in atmosphere and naturally leaps into the air from the runway. Doesn't have such niceties as a docking port, a parachute, electricity or !!Science!! bits yet, but it's carrying way more jet fuel than it needs so can be lightened to compensate. And there's totally room for another couple of radials on the nose.

...and the finished article, the Dearworthy A Wreckage Looks The Same in 205x205 Kerbin orbit.

It gets up to about 2250ms-1 on turbojets and needs only a small orbital insertion burn; at this point it's got about 350ms-1 reserve, but it's carrying surplus fuel which can either be kept for a spin around Kerbin, dumped for better performance or exchanged for a small payload.

Landing is fine on runways and flat surfaces though it does have a tendency to bounce into the air after the wheels first touch down. Landing on bumpy ground is... less advisable but doable. The parachute can usually be deployed at speed and with all engines on, which trashes the plane but keeps the pilot alive. It's really nippy for flying round at low level and at one point I was dragging it round the sky over KSC in a full out, sustained turn and it didn't spin out, which is a first for my planes...

Dearworthy A.craft

Edited January 20, 2014 by Silverchain

[Mesklin]

KissSh0t, no cheats, this craft has 4000+ m/s dV on low Kerbin orbit. It is enough for reach Laythe and return with spare fuel (about 300 m/s dV)

Last seconds before start ejection burn

Edited January 21, 2014 by Mesklin

[Devinci]

4 Kerbonauts SSTO 3000m/s deltaV after orbit, check thread for download: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/66732-4-Kerbonauts-SSTO?p=919807#post919807

Edited January 21, 2014 by Devinci

[KissSh0t]

KissSh0t, no cheats, this craft has 4000+ m/s dV on low Kerbin orbit. It is enough for reach Laythe and return with spare fuel (about 300 m/s dV)

Last seconds before start ejection burn

http://i.imgur.com/pFyWLDB.jpg

Very Impressive.

[Rune]

New one on the barn. Check out it's thread if you like it.

Rune. Can't stay away form this thread long.

[Silverchain]

I'm developing a real fondness for the swept wings.