[Showcase] Non Asparagus Launch Vehicles

[AustralianFries]

Here is my final version of my Falcon 9/ Dragon inspired craft

-Snippage-

Wow, looks awesome man! Great work!

Here's my Semi-Reusable Rocket that's capable of launching most payloads into orbit.

Here it's lifting a "Jumbo 64" Tank up to a Space station:

-Can ah get uh snippppp-

Upon arrival a pair of tugs move the tank to the Station:

-snip-

Reentry:

-All of this snip-

And finally the core stage returns to KSC only 55 minutes after launch:

-Sante madre de snips-

Wow, cool vehicle mate!

Edit: 200th reply. Win.

[rkman]

So, are all three asparagus, or is only the bottom one?

Only the bottom one.

So the crucial thing about asparagus staging is not that it looks like a bundle of asparagus stalks, since the other designs also look like that but aren't called asparagus.

And in fact rockets can be made that do not look like "asparagus" but utilize the same principal that makes 'asparagus design' so fuel efficient:

burning multiple stages in parallel while the stages that will be dropped first feed fuel to stages that will be dropped later, thus improving the ratio of useful weight (fuel and burning engines) to dead weight (empty fuel tanks and cutoff engines) over that of more traditional designs.

I'd say anything with side stacks that feed into the main stack is 'cheating on reality' in the same way that asparagus does. The only difference between that and 'real' asparagus designs is that the former does not have stacks in series.

Not that i have a gripe with asparagus staging, i use it all the time. It's just that i see no fundamental difference between 'serial' asparagus staging and 'single' asparagus staging.

Edited June 28, 2013 by rkman

[Kabloosh]

I can't seem to properly get these photos to load up on my post so I can provide the links instead.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=156216661

This is the launch vehicle. I haven't really tried Asparagus style launch methods but it likely wouldn't work too well with a design like this ship since it is a space shuttle!. Instead I have small solid fuel rockets, then large ones, and then soon after the thinner liquid fuel rockets drop off leaving the 4 mainsail rockets pushing the ship in orbit. There is still enough fuel in the 4 rockets to get this thing to the moon too. After that, the shuttle has more than enough delta V to land, and come back. The shuttle also has two landing options. However, I'm absolutely terrible landing anything so it usually ends up a nice pile of wreckage. The shuttle itself is over a hundred parts. It can also drop the side fuel tanks on the wings making it lighter, but also have landing gear attached if you want to keep it on. It can also be refueled in orbit if necessary. The thing was really designed to be a all round spaceship with some room for the passengers. It makes for a decent rescue vehicle since it can go anywhere in the Kerbin system.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=156058076

Oh and it has jet engines for when you want to return. The thing works as a fully functional aircraft as well. I did extensive testing before I even attached the launcher rockets to it. It definitely has some interesting potential with maybe being able to be a core for a space station or sorts. I've thought of possibly building a vehicle that can attach to the front and with nuclear rockets send it deep into the Kerbin solar system.

http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198064811776/screenshots/

There is a link to the rest of my screenshots. There are photos of the earlier models. The current design is the MS-3D while the ones that managed to land on Minimus, and the Mun were the MS-1G. The MS-2 series was a flop.

Edited June 28, 2013 by Kabloosh

[AmpsterMan]

So I have finally made some Launchers I am really happy with. These are the final designs . The lone fuel tank at the top is just a test weight.

[SDIR]

So this is my most recent crew vehicle, Antares 1. It has three stages, with a completely solid first stage to lower the cost.

[Giggleplex777]

How is it completely solid if it uses liquid fuel verniers?

[Giggleplex777]

Here's my Zenit 2:

It can lift up to 7 tons to LKO (e.g. the Kliper).

[Giggleplex777]

One of my crew launch vehicles:

It uses SRBs and 0.5 staging systems.

[MachXXV]

No asparagus, but another vegetable themed staging scheme:

[Mekan1k]

OOOhhh.... Please tell me that you can do a corn and broccoli style too?

[zekes]

It's called the T-9. It has launched over 100 missions for me and has an impeccable safety record (when payload is attached properly). Use throttle conservatively, 9)% on ascent and 75% after 20K and above. Guaranteed to get 150 tonnes to LKO, or 80 to Kerbin Escape.

This is the literal sense of the term "brute force"

First stage: 9 Mainsails, each with four X200-32 tanks, and 4 BACC SRBs, which decouple first (when spent).

Second Stage: 1 Mainsail, with four X200-32 tanks on outside feed, and one X200-32 inboard. The outboard drain first, jettison when empty, and then the inboard feeds.

Above this any type of interplanetary stage or LKO Payload can be attached.

http://www./download/f9wxdk09r4kzbm3/T-9.craft

Edited July 11, 2013 by zekes

[sgt_flyer]

one of my best launch vehicles :

it was derived from the work i made on my saturn V - here it's a 2.5 stage to LKO (under the space station core at the top )

it can lift a little more than 85 tons to a 80x80 LKO (12% of the total mass at liftoff is the payload)

the first stage is basically my saturn V 1st stage, but with only 4 engines, helped by 4 non crossfeeding jetisonnable boosters. the second stage is a modified version of the SIVB - here it as more efficient engines.

and that damn thing is rock solid never had something breaking on the production model

i also have my angaras which are not asparagus - and i keep reusing them in various configurations for all payloads up to 50 / 55 tons (thanks the modular system ).

(note : for simplicity, i don't use the fairings / and the third stages are more destined for GTO launches - but they are there if i need it )

[Flixxbeatz]

How come the side-mounted orange tanks didn't bend backwards due to thr- oh, I see struts. Lots of them.

[sgt_flyer]

that's the payload - all awkward payloads needs strutting for more conventional payloads, you need much less struts of course and keep in mind that the rocket is really heavy i have the equivalent of two orange tanks per engine here for the center of the first stage. (the engine being made, like my Saturn V, of a mainsail + a LVT 30 inside it, for the core stage and the boosters)

Edited July 11, 2013 by sgt_flyer

[Van Disaster]

50ish tons? - I can't remember what those tanks weigh but they were just convenient payloads - to LKO, SSTO with return capability. Uses magic B9 SABREs, mind you...

[DChurchill]

This thing is a monstrosity but it's not asparagus.

[CleverClothe]

This thing is a monstrosity but it's not asparagus.

I am sorry to inform you, but that is asparagus in the middle there. Parallel staging with cross feed.

[Giggleplex777]

[Eric S]

I am sorry to inform you, but that is asparagus in the middle there. Parallel staging with cross feed.

Nope, not asparagus. Examine the staging.

11) 7 liquid engines and 18 SRBs light up.

10) We drop the 18 SRBs.

9) We drop the bottom six radial fuel tanks engines, AND the bottom stage of the center stack.

8) 7 more liquid engines light up. The 6 radial engines are cross feeding to the center stack, but that isn't enough to count as asparagus. The first step towards asparagus staging, sure, but not asparagus staging.

7) The 6 radial engines and tanks ignited in stage 8 drop here.

[toril]

Coolest thing i have ever seen yet is a ship much like dchurchil's rocket only with fairing factory sheaths around each stage so you still had a nice smooth outside and didn't have to stare at the guts of the rocket all the way up.

and here is the link http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/31285-KSP-0-2-Saturn-V-replica-%28Kerpollo-XXII%29

now you have to admit that's pretty awesome

Edited July 15, 2013 by toril
posted link

[DChurchill]

Nope, not asparagus. Examine the staging.

11) 7 liquid engines and 18 SRBs light up.

10) We drop the 18 SRBs.

9) We drop the bottom six radial fuel tanks engines, AND the bottom stage of the center stack.

8) 7 more liquid engines light up. The 6 radial engines are cross feeding to the center stack, but that isn't enough to count as asparagus. The first step towards asparagus staging, sure, but not asparagus staging.

7) The 6 radial engines and tanks ignited in stage 8 drop here.

Yep. I have other similar lifters where the outer 6 feed the center then drop, but not sequentially. So not asparagus. In any case I could probably drop the crossfeed on the second stage and not lose much dV. The thing needs to be redesigned anyway, which gives me a project for .21 I guess.

Edited July 17, 2013 by DChurchill

[DChurchill]

Redesigned. All liquid, no crossfeed.

[CleverClothe]

8) 7 more liquid engines light up. The 6 radial engines are cross feeding to the center stack, but that isn't enough to count as asparagus. The first step towards asparagus staging, sure, but not asparagus staging.

That IS asparagus staging.

[AmpsterMan]

Loving the new stock 2.5m couplers

[Varyon]

That IS asparagus staging.

That's onion staging. Asparagus staging requires that one set of radials feed into another set. Going to the center just peels off layers, like an ogre onion.