SSTOs! Post your pictures here~

[PotatoOverdose]

Here's my SSTO, the Gnat 7.

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Goes all the way to Laythe without refueling.

Stock (/w kerbal engineer), 60 Parts, 15 Tons, 6 air intakes.

The above album is an overview of my most recent flight.

[pa1983]

jeez, pa1983... When are you going to build something impressive? Gosh.

Seriously though, that thing is incredible. And I thought the last one was incredible. I like your engine nacelle idea with the thinner wings, and it was a joy watching you struggle with the geometry of skinning the craft. I picked up a bunch of ideas.

Here is one of my biggest so far. A 19 man space bus! It has some bugs I have to hunt down (specifically with the ASAS pushing the nose down for some reason), and some more refining to do because the skinning is a bit of a mess, but it is coming along.

Thanks! You craft is clean and I like it. I think the problem your having is how asas works atm. All surfaces can work as yaw,pitch and roll depending on placement. With a perfect fly by wire system thats not a problem but asas in ksp sucks atm.

What usually happans when people try there crafts out ist that ailerons acts as elevators. Now thats fine flying manually but when asas takes over it will use all those ailerons to roll the craft and make it wobble and theres no authority left for pith.

The only way to get rid of this problem is by mounting control surfaces with out mirroring dead center of the craft. Just like a real stabilizer. This way it can only be used by asas as pitch control not as ailerons for roll.

Same problem can happen with rudders but during manual flight. They tend to turn the same way as the ailerons becuse the game uses them for roll to. Problem with that is tat the tail turns left an the craft rolls left. Imagine that in your head and the end result.

To limit rudders to work as rudders only mount them in the horizontal center line instead.

On you craft I would remove the inner ailerons and in stead place them in the center line of the craft in the rear, one higher and one low so they work as elevators only. Then I would use two as rudders in the horizontal center line seen from the rear and remove the once placed on the vertical stabelizers you have. If you check all my later crafts after the "Falcon X Jumbo Transport" they no longer have control surfaces on the big rudders for example. Thats because its less stable.

This way most crafts get a lot more stable and asas works a lot more predictable.

You can check out some of my crafts here. The later sstos should have this configuration in the rear or in the nose or both.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/27196441/SSTOs.zip

Edited July 23, 2013 by pa1983

[Exothermos]

THAT'S why you do that! I noticed the venetian blind effect for elevators on all your ships since I think the falcon 9. What a huge help. Thanks.

I had noticed the coupled yaw/roll problem but didn't know if was fixable.

I think I am going to wait and see if the 0.21 ASAS fixes these issues before doing a complete overhaul. If not be prepared to see some heavy cloning of your solutions.

[Captain Sierra]

Your other option is use FAR, which allows you to limit control surfaces to different axes.

Speaking of SSTOs, I need help. I'm trying to design an SSTO crew shuttle lander for Duna and Tylo and a plane (with an almost P-38-esqe design). The plane keeps torquing off to one side or the other on the runway and correcting it just makes it roll over and blow up. The rocket runs out of fuel mid-circularization-burn. Need help.

[KissSh0t]

Your other option is use FAR, which allows you to limit control surfaces to different axes.

Speaking of SSTOs, I need help. I'm trying to design an SSTO crew shuttle lander for Duna and Tylo and a plane (with an almost P-38-esqe design). The plane keeps torquing off to one side or the other on the runway and correcting it just makes it roll over and blow up. The rocket runs out of fuel mid-circularization-burn. Need help.

if you take a screenshot of your SSTO and post it here.. A screenshot showing the Center of Weight, Center of Lift & Mass in the build hanger.. I'm sure someone will be happy to give you some pointers.

[Deadweasel]

LOVE the look of that little bird! Care to share the .craft?

[Cinocal]

Sure. It needs PWing, B9, KWRockets and maybe TV. Also I have only flown it with FAR.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/i5lp2movi4pk834/Hunchback%204.craft

Edited July 24, 2013 by Cinocal

[pa1983]

THAT'S why you do that! I noticed the venetian blind effect for elevators on all your ships since I think the falcon 9. What a huge help. Thanks.

I had noticed the coupled yaw/roll problem but didn't know if was fixable.

I think I am going to wait and see if the 0.21 ASAS fixes these issues before doing a complete overhaul. If not be prepared to see some heavy cloning of your solutions.

New ASAS will do wounder for well ASAS. But still manual flying will most likely be the same for as long as we cant assigns control surfaces. That means that some of my crafts will be unflyable or unstable at best unless I keep doing this. It will take you 1 minute to move the control surfaces and its not like it would change the overall design but it would make it work as you intended.

And yes manual flight will be more important then ever. How are you now gonna try if your craft is stable if ASAS hides it to the point where it suddenly flips over? Well thats manual flying. I always shut ASAS off at different points in flight with a new craft to make sure its balanced enough. The risk with the new ASAS is that people are gonna make even less stable craft and not even know it because they will be lacy and not test properly.

This is the reason why some people want to be able to assign control surfaces manually. It will be a must in the end of the game development to make the most stable crafts possible.

Edited July 24, 2013 by pa1983

[Cinocal]

Latest build, inspired by the Sukhoi-Gulfstream S-21. Can carry 8 + 1 pilot to 100km orbit, with enough fuel remaining to link up with a fuel station or safely deorbit back to the runway.

[Bothersome]

I made a pretty nice SSTO space plane. I've been looking for the perfect space plane that can obtain orbit and dock. No I still haven't found it and this one isn't it but it is getting close. It's light only 12.16 tons in orbit. Only 85 parts. Flies very nice and handles very easy even without SAS turned on. Has regular docking port and CB antenna.

If you guys want to give it a try and give feedback. Critic or praise is welcome, here is the craft file compatible with 0.21. Plane is 100% stock.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/54171727/KSP/SPO-1.craft

The only thing I think it needs is a slight amount more rocket fuel to have a bit for maneuvering around. But I didn't want to mess with the fine build it already is.

Key's are:

1: parking brake

6: toggle jet engines

7: toggle rocket engine

To get into orbit just climb at 30 degrees till 12000, then hit next stage and increase to 40 degrees climb angle. Shut off jet engines at 16,500 or when you see air intake hit 0.11. Keep climbing till 35,000 then start leveling off to prograde marker. I can get it to 90,000 and have a bit left over to de-orbit or dock at fuel station.

[Exothermos]

My SSTO obsession continues.

This big 19 kerbal space bus is almost there! Just a few minor bugs to iron-out before it is released.

It flies like a bus too, which is why I wanted to make a fire-breathing hotrod to have some fun.

This thing has a weird layout but it allows it to rocket to orbit nearly as fast as a... rocket.

Since it is nuclear, it has a bunch of DV left for manuvers once in orbit. I'll probably make a lifter based on it's nacelle pod design.

[Broco]

The Anubis mk2. Will add some more couplers to make it capable of long range transport. 8 nuclear engines make this ship capable of interplanetary travel, once refueled in orbit:

Nuclear engines only:

[zombiphylax]

My SSTO obsession continues.

Wow, I love your line blending. Very clean designs.

The Anubis mk2. Will add some more couplers to make it capable of long range transport. 8 nuclear engines make this ship capable of interplanetary travel, once refueled in orbit:

Interesting design, it's like a neogothic space cathedral. How does is fly in atmo?

[Sean Mirrsen]

Offering a counterpoint to clean lines and neo-gothic cathedrals, here's my new SSTO design.

I can't help but think that it looks like somebody rammed two rocketplanes together, but instead of exploding they combined into Gurren Lagann.

It's got three different wing profiles that interlock without intersecting (i.e. clipping), which is why it was named the Padmasana.

The command pod is detachable, works like a shuttlepod, and is technically capable of return from Jool orbit, on ion power. Plus is looks like the head of something from the Gundam franchise.

(I've no idea why Jeb is so happy to fly in it. Probably unrelated.)

[Deadweasel]

Offering a counterpoint to clean lines and neo-gothic cathedrals, here's my new SSTO design.

(I've no idea why Jeb is so happy to fly in it. Probably unrelated.)

Notice you can't see his hands.... >_>

[Broco]

Interesting design, it's like a neogothic space cathedral. How does is fly in atmo?

Well, as long as you have enough engine power it steers slowly but ok. This thing carries 16.000 units of liquid fuel (+ the needed amount of oxidizer). Because of the 8 nuclear engines (+ 12 aerospikes) the center of mass is near the rear, so without thrust you'll turn backwards.

You are free to download the .craft file in the thread and test it yourself ;-)

Reaching orbit is a charm though.

[Teutooni]

Here's something I like to call an SSTE (Single Stage To Eve). Without the extra orbital fuel tanks and heavy engines it can fly up to 2200m/s surface speed at 30km with the air-breathing engines. With the thermonuclear rockets... Yeah it can take off from Kerbin, climb to orbit, transfer to Eve and land there, without refueling. I call it "The Phoenix" for the re-entry flames.

Atmospheric re-entry.

Entry against Eve's night sky.

Landed on Eve!

[Teutooni]

Double post (delete?).

Edited July 29, 2013 by Teutooni

[Teutooni]

Triple post. (Delete?)

Edited July 29, 2013 by Teutooni

[Spaceisbeautifulul]

Mine is nothing compared to the ones above, but getting into orbit is good enough right?

SunRunner ThreeA:

At VAB:

Reentry:

The reason its called SunRunner and not SunStreaker, is because after 27 tries at spaceplane building, and failing every time, I thought that a new name would serve as more motivation for the Kerbals flying it.

Surprisingly it only took me 4 builds to get it right this time, which is a great big for the spaceplane builders. Also surprisingly, I only lost 1 pilot for all 4 versions, and I never added a single parachute to it.

[KissSh0t]

I think you only need to post once Teutooni

xD

[huggy]

my new prototype

the design is based off of my first SSTO

[Teutooni]

I think you only need to post once Teutooni

xD

Well, didn't notice the post has to be validated by a moderator to appear. Come to think of it, if a mod did indeed validate, why on earth (kerbal?) did he validate all 3 attempts?!

[Alfondoo]

Quick mission to the Mun, hadn't been to see the new terrain yet

[Dem Wot Goz Ub]

The best engineered SSTO I've built yet, meaning it easily has enough fuel to rendezvous and dock at a 100x100 station. From there, I can gas it up and who knows where it'll go!

The view taking off was spectacular.

Circularized!

And docked.

Following a crew transfer (Jonory had been up there way too long), and landed back at KSC.

Edited July 29, 2013 by Dem Wot Goz Ub
Landed!