Challenge: Build a Mobile SSTO-VTOL

[Bothersome]

Here is a tough one for all you guys that need a real challenge.

Requirements:

1. Must be Mobile. Needs to be able to drive around like a car or rover.

2. Must be able to obtain orbit.

3. Must be vertical take-off and landing (VTOL).

4. Must be able to dock and be refueled in space.

5. Must be able to land on Kerbin being refueled in space and then go back up for more fuel. This is to simulate landing on Laythe and going back up for return trip. This means SSTO. Original intention is to explore every Laythe Island.

6. Must be able to land and take-off from moons/planets that don't have oxygen or have no atmosphere at all (only planets or moons with 1.0 G or less are required).

7. Must carry at least one Kerbal inside a capsule, outside seats are allowed but Kerbals must ride inside for re-entry.

8. Stock parts only.

Extra Kudos for extra accessories that aren't required (more power, more antennas, more lights, sciences, etc.)

Yeah, I said it was hard one... but it can be done. Here is mine...

This ship in an earlier build has been to Laythe and back up for return trip. Also tested on Kerbin for refuel, down, then back up and then down again.

Meets all the requirements above, including 2 CB antennas, TV satellite dish, 4 Jack stand (heavy duty), 4 different science measurement instruments, head lights and tail lights, extra solar panels and nuke charger, power operated ladders for easy Kerbal loading, full RCS control package and remote operations computer.

Good luck to all applicants.

Edited August 1, 2013 by Bothersome
Added one more rule

[Bothersome]

No takers?? Did I make it too hard? Who da' Kang?

[fluffysnowcap]

that is a very nice craft you got there i think i will spend some time trying to make one my selth but i think it will take some time as i find SSTO hard

[Pirke]

Nice rover Can you also do it without jet engines?

[Bothersome]

I was not able to do it without Jets. That is to meet the requirements in the challenge.

[Pirke]

I was not able to do it without Jets. That is to meet the requirements in the challenge.

I will do it for you

[Pirke]

And this is the result:

Requirements:

1. Rover

2. Can get into orbit

3. VTOL

4. Has a docking port easy reachable

5. Can land with full fuel: it has 4 early braking chutes, and 8 heavy duty chutes for a touchdown speed of max 16m/s. In the final second you still need to burn a little fuel, because the legs can't take that weight at that speed... but there is plenty of fuel left to get back into orbit again.

6. It can land anywhere, also on planets without atmosphere. It uses more fuel though

7. Has a nice lander pod, with a beautifull high view of the surrounding world.

8. 100% stock (flight engineer just for stats readout so I don't need the map view as often just to known the periaps)

What's it got?

- 8 spike thrusters

- reaction torque for aiming the thrusters (plenty of torque)

- lot's of fuel

- docking port

- 8 wheels

- 8 heavy duty legs

- plenty of power: 8 atomic generators, so you don't need sunlight, and don't need to turn of the wheels for the torque to work (convenient!)

- 4 lights for those dark conditions

- 2 power ladders

Some release notes to save weight. The requirements didn't specify these, and I needed every bit of delta v I could get

- no RCS, so use torque for aiming, and thrusters and/or refueling vessel for maneuvering

- after landing, there is plenty of fuel to get into orbit, but that's about it

- this means NO rendevous, the refueling vessel must do that part

- if you go beyond a circular orbit of 80km, there is not enough fuel left to get down to Kerbal without refueling first. This was part of the use case, but not very common for my designs

- due to the massive weight of 92.6t, the 8 wheels are damaged pretty quickly if driven too fast, or braking too fast.

Mission report and proof: http://imgur.com/a/Ffl8S#0

Edited August 7, 2013 by Pirke
Using imgur for images now

[Yargnit]

Made this months ago specifically for picking up Jeb out of the middle of the Ocean on Laythe and return him to Kerbin.

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And no, it wasn't fun to try and land it on the Mun.

[Bothersome]

Magnificent work Pirke, and congrats to Yargnit. You guys really got what it takes to master this game. I'm impressed, a Rover SSTO craft is not an easy thing to do.

Mine is actually the third remake of making a mobile VTOL-SSTO. Weighing about 48 tons. The early iterations were too heavy to make any use of them. Even on Duna, mine will pop tires on some up-slopes at about 15m/s. But, it gives the Kerbal something to do.

Let's see if anyone else has "The Right Stuff".

[Sean Mirrsen]

I've had a VSTOL SSTO with the control pod being a detachable shuttlepod/rover. Even landed it on/returned it from the Mun at one point. But it wouldn't be able to land on an atmosphereless 1G planet and return.

Getting the whole thing to be a rover would be a mite excessive though.

[Bothersome]

Sean, that's impressive craft. Would it qualify for the mission, which is to explore the Islands on Laythe? If so, I'd give credit. Also, what about landing on Ike, Tylo, and Vali, could it land and take-off on those?

Yargnit, what is that round thingy that looks like footing in your picture? Is that a stock part?

[Yargnit]

Sean, that's impressive craft. Would it qualify for the mission, which is to explore the Islands on Laythe? If so, I'd give credit. Also, what about landing on Ike, Tylo, and Vali, could it land and take-off on those?

Yargnit, what is that round thingy that looks like footing in your picture? Is that a stock part?

If you're talking about what I think you are, they are circular air intakes. They make amazing floats for water landings.

[Bothersome]

I thought that might be what they were. I just needed to know for sure... I didn't know they float well though, thanks.

[Sean Mirrsen]

Sean, that's impressive craft. Would it qualify for the mission, which is to explore the Islands on Laythe? If so, I'd give credit. Also, what about landing on Ike, Tylo, and Vali, could it land and take-off on those?

It has a nuclear engine, so once it refuels after taking off it could certainly try to reach Laythe. Landing and take-off should be no problem on Laythe, again assuming refuels inbetween - it doesn't abuse intakes, so takes some effort to get into orbit. The rover could explore islands with ease, and the rest of the craft has a control core so it could hop over to wherever the rover is.

Ike should be good, Tylo probably not (not takeoff afterwards, at least - gravity too high, it'd spend most of the fuel landing), and I don't remember what gravity Vall has.

If you're wondering how it VTOLs - it uses a cantankerously huge array of radial Rockomax engines underneath.

(pictured is the roverless version - the rover part is literally just sticking some wheels on the shuttlepod, plus an extra pair of landing gear )

I didn't keep the rover part for long, btw. I just felt that wheels sticking out of a plane cockpit looked too silly in flight.

Edited August 4, 2013 by Sean Mirrsen

[Bothersome]

Oh you don't have to fly it to Laythe under it's own power, a transport/refueler craft can be used to take it to Laythe first... It only needs to land and take-off again to be able to get more fuel for the next Island/moon. Still impressed as all hell.

[Sean Mirrsen]

A much earlier version of it actually had interplanetary boosters.

Used it to perform an ill-fated mission to Duna, as well as find a curious orbit bug around Ike.

[stallion x1]

A much earlier version of it actually had interplanetary boosters.

Used it to perform an ill-fated mission to Duna, as well as find a curious orbit bug around Ike.

Holy Moley thats one hell of an orbit youve got going on around Ike there now i know why the in game description of ike says it like deter travellers from visiting duna.....

[searlefm]

Sean

HOW THE **** DID YOU DO THAT!!!

your an orbital wizard please teach me in the way of the orbital wizardry

[Pirke]

He found the mysterious black holes around Duna! They only appear once every 500.000 years and last for 1 day... lol

[fluffysnowcap]

perhaps he worked out his orbit with a spiral graph instead of a slide rule

[Bean]

Here's my entry:

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1. Must be Mobile. Needs to be able to drive around like a car or rover. Check

2. Must be able to obtain orbit. Check

3. Must be vertical take-off and landing (VTOL). Check

4. Must be able to dock and be refueled in space. Check

5. Must be able to land on Kerbin being refueled in space and then go back up for more fuel. This is to simulate landing on Laythe and going back up for return trip. This means SSTO. Original intention is to explore every Laythe Island. Check

6. Must be able to land and take-off from moons/planets that don't have oxygen or have no atmosphere at all (only planets or moons with 1.0 G or less are required). Not sure yet, the rocket stage has a TWR of about 1.5, so should be possible.

7. Must carry at least one Kerbal inside a capsule, outside seats are allowed but Kerbals must ride inside for re-entry. Check (2 Kerbal Capacity)

8. Stock parts only. Check

Extra Kudos for extra accessories that aren't required (more power, more antennas, more lights, sciences, etc.) 2x Giant solar for extra power, 1 of each antenna, 2 lights front back and down, 1 light either side, all the science equipment.

36.63T.

Edited August 6, 2013 by Bean
Added weight

[Bothersome]

Bean thats a very interesting craft. How much does it weigh? I see extras like satalite dish and antenna. I notice you have a nuke engine on it. That's impressive you were able to get such a heavy engine up. I don't see any RCS so I suppose the fuel station has to bring the fuel. Good work.

[Bothersome]

Well I wasn't satisfied with the original craft in the OP, so I made another one that performs a little better. But mostly smaller and lighter, 84 stock parts at 40.08 tons.

You can download this one if you like from post #12 in my Complany Thread. It's got all the details listed there. It should meet all the requirements of the challenge although they all have not been tested yet. Landing on Tylo is still yet to be tested but that one seems kind of scary for this craft.

[Bean]

Mines 36.63T and there's a 2x nukes, one on each side for balance, they are there for the circularisation burn mainly, I could probably do more fuel and aerospikes are get the same result.