All solid fuel to orbit, and back.

[Galane]

Can you build a rocket using only stock solid fuel engines that can get into a stable orbit, then deorbit and land a manned pod safely?

I've built one that can easily go high enough to get into some sort of an orbit. Of course no fine control to make it a pretty orbit. To deorbit would require decoupling a stage with a solid fuel engine without lighting it, turning around, then lighting it.

[erikvcarlson]

Here is an image a video to come. Great Job. Loved the challenge.

Mr. Erik

[Ninety-Three]

If you allow RCS, I can get to Duna and back.

[erikvcarlson]

When it finishes uploading... here it is. http://youtu.be/whrwzSdG9tA

[-RanZ-]

If you allow RCS, I can get to Duna and back.

your Duna SRB trip is epic!

[Galane]

Very nice SRB only flight!

[searlefm]

my quic atempt that i first ran on the wrong copy of the game and had some crazy glitch

but the flight went well over shooting in everything i did.

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Edited August 8, 2013 by searlefm

[hawkwing]

I've got something that'll work nicely for this after a little tweaking.... All solids to orbit and back you say? Hmm... I think I'll take that literally and land on solids as well. Parachutes are for the faint of heart.

[foamyesque]

I've got something that'll work nicely for this after a little tweaking.... All solids to orbit and back you say? Hmm... I think I'll take that literally and land on solids as well. Parachutes are for the faint of heart.

In theory, it was landable-- worked in testing with just the lander stage. I never had the patience to keep re-trying the two hour manual flight launches to get the landings right, though.

[Coneshot]

Here's mine: 4 Large SRBs in the first stage, 4 small in the second, a single small for the circular burn, and a pair of seperatrons for the deorbit burn.

Made it into a somewhat (very) eliptical orbit:

The deorbit burn:

reentry:

parachute:

landed and test pilot showed his opinion of the flight by throwing my flag down lol

[hawkwing]

Already had the drop pod laying around. It was sitting on a nuclear-powered midstage for ascent though... harder to get an orbit without that.

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[Scarecrow88]

Mine took :

5 large SRB for first stage, arranged to fire as 4 in onion arrangement, and a single large SRB firing when the first four ran out.

1 large SRB for second stage

1 small SRB for circularising burn

4 sepratrons to de-orbit.

Fun challenge and took me a few goes to come up with an arrangement and flight profile that was successful.