TheWanderer05 Posted January 25, 2022 Share Posted January 25, 2022 2 hours ago, Space Cowboy said: Sorry for the scatter brain comment but has anyone made any big hollow fuselage shapes with the panels? That used to be a common method of making custom cargo bays until the mk3 bays were added. I'm sure there are early examples in this thread, but I haven't seen anyone use that method in years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mephisto81 Posted January 25, 2022 Share Posted January 25, 2022 11 hours ago, Space Cowboy said: Sorry for the scatter brain comment but has anyone made any big hollow fuselage shapes with the panels? You can do that, but parts will not be shielded against drag. So it is purely cosmetic, apart from the added lift in unwanted places whilst in atmosphere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miklkit Posted January 27, 2022 Share Posted January 27, 2022 In a fit of whimsy I built a spaceplane using that odd MK2 cockpit. It turns out to be my current favorite. It carries passengers and cargo, gets up out of the atmosphere very well, and has good range too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Space Cowboy Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 I wanted to make a thing you could run around inside and command from a seat. I mean, if you're wondering my motivation. Not looking for recommendations or tastes. I have my own. Don't get all emo now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miklkit Posted February 16, 2022 Share Posted February 16, 2022 Still experimenting with ways to keep the nose of my MK3s from burning off. Still having the nose cones burning off. The method used to date has been a 1.25 heat shield with a nose cone buried in it. This is heavy and draggy and sometimes the nose cone overheats anyway. Just tried a 1.25 shroud. It is a little draggier but it is lighter and can take more heat. Plus it looks pointier and less boxy. First tests are encouraging. This screenie is after the point of maximum heat and that bar is the reaction wheel or cabin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akagi Posted February 16, 2022 Share Posted February 16, 2022 might try an upgraded aeris hmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigStar Aerospace Posted February 17, 2022 Share Posted February 17, 2022 (edited) I have an SSTO called the Trinity-A10, it's my favorite SSTO due to it being a box-wing and also being absolutely humongous for a PS4 SSTO. I'll post pictures later. Edited February 17, 2022 by BigStar Aerospace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miklkit Posted February 17, 2022 Share Posted February 17, 2022 8 hours ago, Akagi said: might try an upgraded aeris hmm... If you are talking to me, what is an upgraded aeris? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akagi Posted February 17, 2022 Share Posted February 17, 2022 7 hours ago, miklkit said: If you are talking to me, what is an upgraded aeris? The stock Aeris 4A, but better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miklkit Posted February 17, 2022 Share Posted February 17, 2022 I have been doing a search and only found some sort of contest in 2014. What is a stock Aeris? And why would it not burn its nose cone off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourfa Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 (edited) On 2/16/2022 at 1:51 PM, miklkit said: Still experimenting with ways to keep the nose of my MK3s from burning off. Still having the nose cones burning off... You might try the technique I use in this craft for the nose. Start with a 1.25m fairing base on the Mk3 nose but don't build the fairing yet. Attach a 0.625 heatshield in front of the fairing, then offset it like 4-5 ticks forward. Build the fairing, straight walls for the first few ticks, then close it on the side of the heatshield. Set the fairing to not staged. Attach a 0.625m part (any part) to the FRONT of the heatshield, outside the fairing, then offset it INTO the fairing. Now offset the whole nose assembly back into the Mk3 cockpit until it looks clean. Might take a few tries to get the curve of the fairing nose to match the Mk3. It's a bit tweaky with the aero, but it bugs me that a heatshield with an open node has like 10 times the drag of the entire rest of the craft, and this solves that This setup should be good for 1600m/s+ in the mid-atmosphere, and orbital speed in the high atmosphere Edited February 18, 2022 by fourfa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miklkit Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 I will try that if I run into trouble, but so far on 2 different MK3s just the fairing itself is enough to stop the overheating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zacspace Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 On 2/16/2022 at 4:51 PM, miklkit said: Still experimenting with ways to keep the nose of my MK3s from burning off. I'm looking at this plane and I'm wondering why you're going so fast so low in the atmosphere. Like I get that it's more efficient for a number of reasons, but your plane doesn't look like a super min-maxed design so surely the losses you'd incur flying an ascent profile that the whole plane can survive aren't going to make or break your mission. Of course doing it like that just because you want to is perfectly valid too. 9 hours ago, miklkit said: I have been doing a search and only found some sort of contest in 2014. What is a stock Aeris? And why would it not burn its nose cone off? Their comment has nothing to do with your plane or its thermals. They're announcing their intention to post a modified version of a stock craft that comes with the game. If you start up a new sandbox save and go to the spaceplane hangar you'll see the Aeris 4a ready to load up and fly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miklkit Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 That is the smallest MK3 I have at 165 tons, so it gets up there faster. This is why I chose it for the first one to get this mod. I also have problems with the nose cone when coming back down too. Also, my theory is that the air breathing rapiers are the most efficient, so more speed gained with them is better in the long run. Basically the profile with these MK3s is to take off and just let them fly until they get over 8000m, level off a bit, then climb out on rockets. This seems to give them more range once in space. Oh, so that is what the Aeris is and where to find it. Never played sandbox, but career only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zacspace Posted February 19, 2022 Share Posted February 19, 2022 10 hours ago, miklkit said: Also, my theory is that the air breathing rapiers are the most efficient, so more speed gained with them is better in the long run. Completely true theory. It's hard to tell from the screenshot you posted but based on that and what you've said I think your deal here is you're picking up speed from your rapiers actually too high in the atmosphere, and then too much of it all at once because of how many engines you have. Rapiers go crazy hard at sea level above mach 1 and then drop off with altitude. Sounds like paradoxical advice since I was just like "too fast", but it's true. You're only going a little faster than I usually do at 40km in your screenshot, but it's enough to matter for part heating. It is more efficient to go faster lower in the atmosphere, so I thought you were trying to do an unreasonably super-efficient ascent profile with a noticeably not super efficient plane, but I guess that's not exactly the situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miklkit Posted February 19, 2022 Share Posted February 19, 2022 My theory about leveling off a bit after 8000m is that engines get better fuel economy there. If I let it just keep climbing then the speed would be lower when they need to switch modes and then it would need more oxidizer to make it to altitude. In that screenie the engines are off and it is coasting up to altitude where the NERVs will circularize the orbit. It is a cargo plane. This ore carrier is good enough to even scare the pilots when taking off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mephisto81 Posted February 20, 2022 Share Posted February 20, 2022 (edited) I have been experimenting with SSTOs in Je ne sais quoi (JNSQ) a bit lately. As it rescales the system by a factor of 2.7, it makes it a bit more challenging to build useful SSTOs there. Great fun. A combination of Rapiers, Wolfhounds and Nervs are the trick. Rapiers bring the craft to 1500 - 1550 m/s, where Wolfhounds and Nervs bring it to orbital velocities of 3800+ m/s. If build correctly, crafts have still enough fuel for a trip to Minmus and an ISRU for refueling. Here are some examples:Stiletto SSTA from 2019 2 Kerbals in command seats inside a service bay, ISRU in the front. 132t take off mass. https://kerbalx.com/Mephisto/JNSQ-02-Stiletto-SSTA-for-Je-ne-sais-quoi-Planet-pack Tanto SSTA Basically a redesign of the Stiletto with newer building techniques. 6 Rapiers, 3 Wolfhounds, 2 Nervs. 205t take off mass, 2 Kerbals in pods.https://kerbalx.com/Mephisto/JNSQ-X-4-Tanto-SSTOTethys SSTA Up to 8 Kerbals, science bay, ISRU and plenty of other stuff. 284t take off mass, 10x Rapiers, 4x Wolfhounds, 4x Nervs.https://kerbalx.com/Mephisto/JNSQ-X-8-Tethys-SSTOBahamuth Rescue Ranger Built for two rescue contracts, where one pod has to be brought back to the surface of Kerbin. Comes with a dragless rear docking port senior as well and a science bay. The rescued capsule has been attached with a small claw at the top: The 173t take off mass equals to 43,25t per Rapier engine. The rather low TWR at start means a take off besides the runway is necessary.https://kerbalx.com/Mephisto/JNSQ-X-11-Bahamuth-Rescue-Ranger And lastly a universal lander for JNSQ. Technically a SSTO, apart from Kerbin, Eve, Nara and the Gas Giants. Dolphin MK I Runabout As ejecting from a command seat through a fairing proved rather buggy for me, a hinge is used to bring the seat outside the fairing. Due to aerodynamic trickery, the whole body is shielded from drag, only wings and elevons produce drag (and lift). https://kerbalx.com/Mephisto/Dolphin-Mk-I-dragless-lander-for-JNSQ Have a good day, folks! - Mephisto- Edited February 20, 2022 by Mephisto81 Spelling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJT Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 On 2/16/2022 at 10:51 PM, miklkit said: Still experimenting with ways to keep the nose of my MK3s from burning off. Still having the nose cones burning off. The method used to date has been a 1.25 heat shield with a nose cone buried in it. This is heavy and draggy and sometimes the nose cone overheats anyway. Just tried a 1.25 shroud. It is a little draggier but it is lighter and can take more heat. Plus it looks pointier and less boxy. First tests are encouraging. This screenie is after the point of maximum heat and that bar is the reaction wheel or cabin. Try the shielded docking port. It can take fair bit of heat and fits perfectly on Mk3 cockpit. It survives low Eve orbit reentry, so it should handle Kerbin aswell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miklkit Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 The 1.25m AE-FF1 protective shell has less weight, less drag, and the same heat rating. It is serving well so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zacspace Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 A recent discussion elsewhere on the forum about efficient SSTO design made me decide to revisit an older plane: By sticking a thin fairing through the whole fuselage and moving to just one air intake (replacing the old inline intakes with more fuel) I was able to increase the on-orbit dV of this plane from around 2000 to just over 2800, making it competitive with my mk3 based SSTOs. It can now land on the Mun and easily reach Duna or Laythe. This screenshot is from the test flight where I confirmed that this plane can absolutely not land on Duna. I'm still dialing in some stuff about it, hoping to get 100m/s more range out so i can easily return from the Mun. If I can do that It'll probably be my preferred craft for moving crew around the Kerbin system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustAnAverageGamer Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 Am I doing SSTOs right? https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fnL5UJdp0eXg2L4oQDEKQPz95cf7Mab7/view?usp=sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanamonde Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 On 3/12/2022 at 11:04 AM, JustAnAverageGamer said: Am I doing SSTOs right? https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fnL5UJdp0eXg2L4oQDEKQPz95cf7Mab7/view?usp=sharing Does it work? If so, yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KerbalCALVIN Posted April 5, 2022 Share Posted April 5, 2022 Welcome to the SSTO Megathread! Share anything here that qualifies as a SSTO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gargamel Posted April 5, 2022 Share Posted April 5, 2022 Welcome to the forums @KerbalCALVIN! Your post has been added to our existing SSTO megathread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vl3d Posted April 5, 2022 Share Posted April 5, 2022 My trusty OCT Max (Orbital Cargo Transporter - Max), affectionately called "The Hot Dog Van" - it's a VTOL transformer SSTKO (it's got big removable tanks inside the cargo hold). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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