Whats with SSTOs?

[Pecan]

Exactly this! Up until 0.24 I never bothered with them because I kind of thought them to be useless and to be honest I never ever build a successful SSTO. But everything changed when 0.25 attacked. New Parts that look nice, let's try out SSTOs and now I am certainly a SSTO Supporter

You are replying to a post which is almost a year old.

For anyone failing to reach the 'milestone' of making a successful SSTO in KSP, try the very first rocket in my tutorial :-

A Stayputnik probe-core, FL-T200 fuel tank and 48-7S engine.

No action groups, fly a 'standard' beginner's ascent and gravity turn.

[LethalDose]

Wouldn't it be more efficient, since they don't drop parts into the ocean and since they kinda force you to think small and efficient?

Aerospace engineering should always force you to think small and efficient

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

I made one as a Laythe Lander.

Don't need to carry (as much) oxidizer, and wings get you into orbit with a lot less fuel.

[rkman]

Their basically just rockets with wings... Why is everyone fascinated with them?

"Single stage to orbit" does not mean it has wings.

The fascination is with air breathing engines in being much more fuel efficient than rocket engines (even more so in ksp because of some bug).

They are 100% reusable spacecraft.

"Single stage to orbit" does not mean it can also return.

[magnemoe]

"Single stage to orbit" does not mean it has wings.

The fascination is with air breathing engines in being much more fuel efficient than rocket engines (even more so in ksp because of some bug).

Yes, in KSP expensive fuel and cheap SRB makes pure rocket SSTO more expensive than SRB+returnable core.

With the ARM parts its pretty easy to make 20-100 ton cargo to orbit SRB however they eat lots of fuel.

You can use air-breathing engines without wings, it has two downsides, obviously you need an TWR higher than 1 but more seriously the supersonic cruise part where you go from 2-400 m/s up to 1700-2200 m/s become much harder to do.

"Single stage to orbit" does not mean it can also return.

True, some real world rockets like Saturn 5 first stage would be capable of this, it would be pretty pointless.

In KSP you could launch an small satellite this way, making it less pointless, one option if you use kethane is to refuel in orbit to get enough dV to land.

[KerikBalm]

Indeed, especially in real life, or with DRE turned on.

100% reusable to orbit is, of course, a better term.

I particularly like fully reusable launchers that can lift heavy payloads (100+ ton payloads), and I like them even more if they are fuly reusable launchers that can boost heavy payloads to nearly Kerbin escape velocity.

Its the most affordable way to get lots of equipment to other planets..

Nothing like releasing your payload to duna/Eve, and it only has to make a few hundred m/s Burn to get there (thus allowing me to send lots of fuel for fuel depots, or lots of habitat structures).

I was trying to single stage to nearly kerbin escape, but my payload size dwindles significantly. I ditch the plane in LKO and use a reusable, independently returning, booster to get my payloads to kerbin escape velocity (then a short retrograde burn and aerobrake).

[Titusin]

It's fun getting into orbit with just a plane. Bit more of a challenge and fully reusable.

[Roflcopterkklol]

Because an SSTO is harder to make than a rocket is.

People want to show off craft that not everyone can replicate by looking at the picture.

Honestly though i do not agree that they are even close to being one of the hardest things to do in KSP.

Considering you can put over 50 tons of fuel into orbit with an SSTO i am calling them OP, all it takes is some air hogging.

[Brotoro]

Air hogging is what's OP.

[Beowolf]

Because an SSTO is harder to make than a rocket is.

Not trying to be snarky here, but what's the hard part? I have conventional rocket launches that turn into SSTOs just by accident.

Let's say I have 10t and 30t boosters saved, for example, and a 12t payload. I'm sure not going to try launching a 12t payload with a 10t booster, so I take the next size up and, instant SSTO and I'm wondering what to do with that fully-fueled upper stage. IRL they'd have built the payload with a 10t budget, and forced it to fit. But my space program has a bigger budget and a warehouse full of standardized boosters.

I know flying a winged, air-breathing SSTO takes a different ascent technique, but it never seemed especially hard. I don't care for spaceplanes though, so have only done that a few times, and never with my own design. Did I miss something?

[PwnedDuck]

It ... did not have the ability to land afterwards

Not with that attitude it wouldn't.