[Showcase] Non Asparagus Launch Vehicles

[Festivefire]

That's just it right there. When the cubic struts first came out I started using them after Temstar's Thread. Then I stopped because it felt like cheating. With the radial attachment points I just don't know anymore. :/.

Still, more non-asparagus boosters coming right up!

As long as the actual nozzles don't clip through each-other, i would consider it fair game.

[M5000]

OP, what about being aesthetically displeasing?

Link in the sig if anyone wants it.

[AmpsterMan]

I think I am finally satisfied with my line of 9 Ton to LKO boosters! Here are some pics. Lemme know which you guys like the best!

EAGLE 1

One mainsail and 2 strap on, Solid Rocket Boosters

FALCON 1

5 LVT-45 and 4 LVT-30

HAWK 1A

1 mainsail and 4 LVT-30

HAWK 1B

Same as above but shorter variant

These have been the fruits of five to six hours of labor over four days XD. Lemme know what ya'll think!

EDIT: Only the EAGLE 1 uses stage 0 strap on boosters, all others should be considered part of the rocket.

EDIT 2: Here is my next project, a 18 ton and 36 ton to LKO

Edited June 19, 2013 by AmpsterMan

[Artie]

The J5-03:

My main (and one of the first sucessful) launch vehicle.

This one is carrying the fuel tank at the top for a planned refuelling station.

Edited June 19, 2013 by Artie

[AustralianFries]

These are some crazy designs! Keep it up guys! (:

[Supernovy]

I've been using Mission Controller for a while now, and it really changes the way you design LVs

This launcher gets a small comsat into semisynchronous orbit fairly cheaply, but still IMO looks pretty good.

Just a reminder that small payloads effect much smaller rockets - and reduce the need for asparagus considerably.

(I really need to get around to designing a medium/heavy lift launcher...)

[AmpsterMan]

I love the Launch Vehicle, but is it a SSTO? Also, how do you get control of the rocket past 10km where the atmosphere is so thin?

[cardgame]

Gimballed engine+ASAS = no worries

[AmpsterMan]

Gimballed engine+ASAS = no worries

Ah, didn't notice it was a LVT-45

Check this out

[Supernovy]

I love the Launch Vehicle, but is it a SSTO? Also, how do you get control of the rocket past 10km where the atmosphere is so thin?

I don't, haha, I get to about 45 degrees pitch then just ride it to MECO.

It's two stage to orbit, the separator covers two 24-77 radial engines. It works pretty well, though.

Here's a picture of the slightly uprated version of that upper stage using the kspx small tank:

EDIT: It is a T30

[AmpsterMan]

I don't, haha, I get to about 45 degrees pitch then just ride it to MECO.

It's two stage to orbit, the separator covers two 24-77 radial engines. It works pretty well, though.

Here's a picture of the slightly uprated version of that upper stage using the kspx small tank:

-snip-

EDIT: It is a T30

I like that upper stage.

Lol on Ninja, and uh I KNEW IT!

can't wait to see what your larger launchers look like

[Giggleplex777]

My Soyuz-style rocket from 0.17:

And a better one from 0.20:

The engines

Note the difference.

Also, Saturn V Style rockets are cool too.

Especially during its first stage separation process.

Edited June 19, 2013 by Giggleplex777

[AmpsterMan]

My Soyuz-style rocket from 0.17:

-snip-

And a better one from 0.20:

-snip-

Note the difference.

Yeah I like them, especially that fairing on the top. That's the one thing I haven't been able to figure out how to do in stock yet :/

[Giggleplex777]

I also made this absurd rocket with crossfeeding.

And speaking of SSTO rockets...

Here's one I made for a challenge:

[AmpsterMan]

Nice launchers Giggle, especially that SSTO

Here is the beginning of my smaller scale launchers

Edited June 19, 2013 by AmpsterMan

[Tw1]

This one was my first SSTO. Sends one kerbal on a trip to LKO and back.

Well, it's not being an SSTO here, the pic I had stored was from when I strapped it onto my 48 ton lifter to use as the last stage when attempting to see how fast I could get to the Mun.

[roosterr]

I'm using regular old fashioned Apollo style staging these days, it's a different design challenge and there's something satisfying about watching a huge lower section being blasted by the next stage's engines

It's not that much worse than asparagus, plus asparagus smells and tastes bad.

From day one on my older posts (my profile was reset though during the data loss a few months ago) I mentioned how much asparagus was unpalatable. Yes, I have to use it, but as sparingly as possible. I like my rockets to look like rockets.

[SourMonkey]

I've started to experiment with part clipping and all its glory, and it does wonders for non asparagus staged craft.

This one likes to explode on the next stage separation on occasion.

I thought I had a picture of launch on this one, but it doesn't use asparagus staging either, so I'll put it here.

I have some others I might post later, but with no working spoiler tags it's probably not good for me to imagebomb this thread.

[AustralianFries]

I have some others I might post later, but with no working spoiler tags it's probably not good for me to imagebomb this thread.

I know it's not a launch vehicle, but that vessel is awesome! (Also, imagebombing is welcomed =3)

[Guest]

Edited June 19, 2013 by Jack Wolfe

[oggylt]

Well the asparagus rocket cakes used to bother me before, but after this thread I just simply cannot use asparagus any more, and i just don't want to use them again

Well nothing too special here but it does the job

there is actually 1 T-40 in the middle to make the rocket controllable, but it doesn't heat that much up

Edited June 19, 2013 by oggylt

[Francesco]

I don't know if this has already been asked in the thread, but...

what do you guys mean, exactly, by asparagus? for me, asparagus = crossfeed = using fuel lines

asparagus doesn't necessarily mean the classic 6 side boosters, it could be just two - like the Falcon Heavy, which is a very sexy rocket, contrarily to those of you who say asparagus is ugly :P

anyway, has someone calculated what's the max payload fraction when using non-asparagus staging (e.g., serial and parallel)?

with asparagus, we know it's in the 15-18% range.

[ASnogarD]

Does this count ?

Its actually a craft to run Kerbils around in space but not land (except for dump expensive drives and parachute to Kerbin), I have a thing for a tri design types...tri engines tri stacks on the launcher.

Its actually very stable, doesnt flop about on the pad and easy to control I dont even need the MechJeb2 to help fly it...just stock ASAS.

It isnt complete yet as it needs a little more to actually break out of orbit without a 3 min burn of the 3 nuclear engines... it gets to LKO and has 2 thirds of its fuel supply to fly around LKO ..I just want to tweak it.

(It is stock, perhaps the engine pylon connecting the nuclear engines to the central column of the craft is from B9 , not sure.. rest is Stock for certain, bar MechJeb2)

[Spatzimaus]

what do you guys mean, exactly, by asparagus? for me, asparagus = crossfeed = using fuel lines

In my view, an "asparagus" setup is any staging mechanism where you attach all of your boosters radially, with all engines on the lower stage firing at all times, and with the outer layers peeling off as they run out of fuel to minimize your total weight. This wouldn't necessarily require fuel lines, as you could just give the outer layers less fuel per engine and drop them once they stop, like you would a solid rocket booster, but it's generally more efficient to do it with fuel lines and all liquid-fuel engines so it's generally understood to be included in the concept when we discuss it. It's a little bit more efficient than the Saturn V method of vertical staging, since the vertical arrangement prevents you from using the upper stage engines until the stages below them detach, but once we get a good aerodynamic model that advantage might be counteracted.

As to the original post, the easy answer would be to post SSTO spaceplanes, but in the spirit of the discussion here, I'll repost my own SSTO rocket design, the 4000-ton Bucket:

It's not an asparagus, even though it looks like one. The 12 3.75m rocket stacks are rigidly attached to each other through a 13th pseudo-rocket that forms the base of the bucket (seven linked fuel tanks with total capacity equal to one stack with an engine on the center bit), so they all burn out at the same time, at which point the payload held in the middle (in the picture, a 450-ton fuel tanker) can safely drive out. I've used it to carry 500-ton payloads to low orbit and still have enough fuel left to safely de-orbit itself, but I could always go bigger if need be.

[AustralianFries]

I don't know if this has already been asked in the thread, but...

what do you guys mean, exactly, by asparagus? for me, asparagus = crossfeed = using fuel lines

-snip-

Somebody posted this before, but here is an example/diagram of asparagus staging.

So you are pretty much both right. Its where radial booster stages feed into the next stage, and all the engines fire at the same time. All engines fire at the same time, only using the fuel from the outermost stages.