Razor. Cutting-edge SSTO

[Rune]

I have previewed this before, but here is a proper presentation of my newest SSTO. I'm quite proud of it!

Razor

Built taking advantage of extreme clipping technology, it sports a single jet so you don't have to worry against flameouts, 5 intakes to run it so you can climb to orbit efficiently, and a nuke engine as the main (and only) in-space powerplant. All tanks are accessible to refuel, even if the ones carrying oxidizer are invisible (it's the reason the aviation tanks are upside down, not just looks), and it has one port of each size available. Plus, it's equipped to perform tail landing on airless moons (the normal landing gear is operated through action groups). And the best thing... it clocks in at 45 parts, so you can actually use it in your game near to stations without having to resort to NASA supercomputers (as if NASA had those!) to run it without lag.

The flight instructions are rather simple: careful when taking off, since you can hit the runway if you pull up too sharply, get to 45º until you hit 20 kms, then level off somewhat and gain speed until you get the first flameout at about 27-28kms and >1,500m/s. Then turn on the nuke, throttle back a bit (about 2/3rds works) to relight the jet, and build vertical velocity (you want at least 100m/s to get out of air quickly). Above 30kms you will have trouble to keep the jet working at more than half throttle, so turn it off and throttle back up to finish orbit insertion on the nuke, it should be simple. Circularize at desired altitude, and desired altitude can be Minmus orbit if you so wish. One-way interplanetary travels are also supported, but it's rather cramped in the cabin for that. Reentry and landing should be a breeze since it is pretty stable in atmosphere, and you have plenty of leftover liquid fuel after running the nukes dry, so go get somewhere interesting.

IMGUR ABLUM:

http://imgur.com/a/GZ5ww

DOWNLOAD:

http://www./download/1kz3sh7lam3d35a/Razor.craft

Rune. Less is more.

Edited June 7, 2013 by Rune

[Cupcake...]

Great paint job! I do like nice, no nonsense designs that just get the job done...

Cupcake...

[combat squirrel]

NOT STOCK, cannot find part:

advSasModuleToggle

[combat squirrel]

Also has no fuel for the jet engine ? lol

[Rune]

NOT STOCK, cannot find part:

advSasModuleToggle

Crap. That's my fault. I didn't substitute the ASAS for the non toggle-capable stock one. I recommend the mod (excellent for wobbly stations), but I'll fix the download now. Thanks for pointing that out!

Also, can't you see the two aviation fuel tanks? They are the black parts... :S

Edit: there, that should do it, 100% stock.

Rune. Ooops.

Edited June 6, 2013 by Rune

[pinolallo]

nice ship Rune.

[Rune]

Thanks! It took fourteen SSTO's (this is the Mk XV in my save), but it seems I'm finally getting the hang of building a nice-looking SSTO.

Rune. And an untold number of explosions at the end of the runway, that too. Poor kerbals!

[prysmatik]

Thank you, Rune.

Been playing alot w/your crafts. Very fun, very informative posts too. I'm gonna learn alot from this Razor I can tell. I got it into orbit but ran out of fuel trying to reach my fuel depot. Mostly poor driving, wasting fuel and maybe my depot should be in LKO instead of 2,000km out. So I parked a fuel depot in 100K and going to go out for a drive today.

I enabled fuel hack and Razor was my first minmus visitor. I will now do it w/o hack.

[iDan122]

Where are the oxidizer tanks? can only see jet fuel. btw my Raven is better, it can carry satellites into orbit and also take off vertically. Try beating that! https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KGdw7fc8bqQ5QhZ8is6MItbh4P-4S8_iKWJu_W4mr6Xq3XlM1i46-3u9tuHPx_--8eT_rVlvSSs

[allmappedout]

What a great design!

[Rune]

Thank you, Rune.

Been playing alot w/your crafts. Very fun, very informative posts too. I'm gonna learn alot from this Razor I can tell. I got it into orbit but ran out of fuel trying to reach my fuel depot. Mostly poor driving, wasting fuel and maybe my depot should be in LKO instead of 2,000km out. So I parked a fuel depot in 100K and going to go out for a drive today.

I enabled fuel hack and Razor was my first minmus visitor. I will now do it w/o hack.

Thanks to you! It doesn't take that long to post the designs that I have already made, and comments like yours make the time spent totally worth it. Hope you have a good time flying it! And I'd love it if you put a couple of pics showing where you take the craft to. Good luck on the Minmus landing!

Oh, and a couple of tips. While it is easier to dock the higher you are (stuff moves more slowly), if you have become good at doing it, then the most efficient fuel station is the one which is orbiting lower, since not only can you get there easier, but also burns from low altitudes are more efficient due to Oberth's effect.

Where are the oxidizer tanks? can only see jet fuel. btw my Raven is better, it can carry satellites into orbit and also take off vertically. Try beating that! https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KGdw7fc8bqQ5QhZ8is6MItbh4P-4S8_iKWJu_W4mr6Xq3XlM1i46-3u9tuHPx_--8eT_rVlvSSs

The other two fuel tanks for the nuke are clipped inside the aviation fuel tanks, but don't worry, you can still click on them to refuel (which is the reason the aviation tanks are upside down, their mesh is weird that way).

As to your Raven being "better"... well, that link is broken for starters. And better in what way? Is it less than 45 parts? Does it weight less to carry a single pilot? Does it use less fuel to get the same delta-v? Because I also have stock SSTO's that can take anywhere form 0 to 20mT to orbit, and with the three-kerbal cockpit. Try making one of those, and then you can come back again here to critique.

What a great design!

Thanks to you too!

Rune. Plus, if I give somebody ideas, and they enjoy the game a bit more because of it, that's also a win in my book.

Edited June 7, 2013 by Rune

[Scoundrel]

Ha! I shall dare to criticize your puny airplane! My Can.U.C.K. SSTO is superior to your ship! It carries absolutely no cargo, carries like half the kerbals, has like 10x the parts, and, unlike yours, it's one of the few SSTO's that has their very own launch vehicle so it can get into orbit! Top that!

[firerider521]

Aheh.

Razor.

Cutting.

Edge.

Ahehheh.

Heh.

Sorry.

[Rune]

Ha! I shall dare to criticize your puny airplane! My Can.U.C.K. SSTO is superior to your ship! It carries absolutely no cargo, carries like half the kerbals, has like 10x the parts, and, unlike yours, it's one of the few SSTO's that has their very own launch vehicle so it can get into orbit! Top that!

Good sir, you are indeed right, and my efforts are puny indeed. Hats off to what is clearly a superior design! I hope to one day come close to that shining example of kerbal engineering...

Aheh.

Razor.

Cutting.

Edge.

Ahehheh.

Heh.

Sorry.

One does one's best

Rune. Awesome forum users are awesome.

[prysmatik]

Just wanted to share:

Whole album is here.

[Rune]

Just wanted to share:

Whole album is here.

Wow! Thanks for posting this! So the little Razor made it all the way to Eve? Good job!

Rune. Random question... what kind of isp do you get inside that soup with the nuke?

[prysmatik]

It's showing me 220, even in that super thick atmosphere.

But it's grounded on Eve, I blew through my fuel/oxidizer so quick; I didn't even make it 5km away from the original landing site. I thought filling up before taking the dive would be wise. Managed to land w/o using any fuel after deorbit burn. Still; not enough, I'm not sure it's capable, I might need to get a drop ship together to rescue the craft.

[Rune]

It's showing me 220, even in that super thick atmosphere.

But it's grounded on Eve, I blew through my fuel/oxidizer so quick; I didn't even make it 5km away from the original landing site. I thought filling up before taking the dive would be wise. Managed to land w/o using any fuel after deorbit burn. Still; not enough, I'm not sure it's capable, I might need to get a drop ship together to rescue the craft.

Oh, Eve is hell. Like 12km/s and very dense atmosphere you must inch your way out of at 1.7 times kerbin's gravity. Getting the single kerbal off its surface is difficult enough, building a lander capable of pulling an entire plane out of there... I'm sorry, that Razor is becoming a permanent fixture there

You will have better luck on Duna, you get a decent isp in the thin atmosphere, and you probably can even get back to orbit as a rocket VTOL SSTO. Laythe is even better, less gravity than Kerbin but atmosphere with oxidizer to run the jet.

Rune. I might post a decent Eve lander/ascent vehicle one day.

[Gojira]

Or he's just getting the Kerbal out of the plane