Uncontrolled Rocket Challenge!!!

[dgershko]

go as far as you can with a winged rocket lunched at 45 degrees!

You cant use any control(SAS or Probe).

Preferably a rocket that can be mounted under an aircraft.

i will post my entry tomorrow, but i got to ~7KM.

Please post a VAB\SPH screenshot, crash site screenshot and for the plane category mounted on one of the stock ravenspear or albatross planes.

Leaderboards:

Capable of being mounted on a plane:

1.GraviTykillz: 54 KM

2.RadHazard: 19 KM

3.dgershko: 7.2 KM

4.

5

Surface lunched:

1.Kasuha: interplanetary!!!

2.GraviTykillz: 934 KM

3.Rhomphaia: 635 KM

4.SRV Ron: 366 KM

5.LongbowEOD: 345 KM

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Note:plane mounted rockets should be lunched from the ground for the distance measurement.

Edited December 18, 2013 by dgershko

[Rhomphaia]

A fairly simple attempt, 27.193km

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[GraviTykillz]

Might be fun to try to put a rocket in orbit this way

Edited December 17, 2013 by GraviTykillz
Rules..

[Rhomphaia]

Might be fun to try to put a rocket in orbit this way

569,190Ground distance covered

Although with a probe core and an inline reaction wheel, it is hardly uncontrolled

[Xeldrak]

Well, what does uncontrolled mean? Just no input after launch? No probe core or command pod? No activated SAS?

[dgershko]

Well, what does uncontrolled mean? Just no input after launch? No probe core or command pod? No activated SAS?

it means exactly that! no sas and no probe! just a missile.

[Kasuha]

Again the rules sound fun but are unclear.

I think I understand the land-launched part. Just put a rocket on launchpad at 45 degree angle, and launch it while decoupling any probe cores, command pods, or torque wheels from it.

But if I wanted to participate in the plane-launched part, what should I actually do? The same? Or should I launch the plane, pitch it 45 degrees at some point and launch the rocket?

Anything can be mounted below a plane if you have big enough plane. So I don't get the point of the plane-mounting part if we are supposed to launch such rockets from the ground anyway.

Edit: I wonder who will be the first to send the rocket interplanetary.

Edited December 16, 2013 by Kasuha

[SRV Ron]

Well, what does uncontrolled mean? Just no input after launch? No probe core or command pod? No activated SAS?

Definitely needs to be defined because;

1. you cannot launch a rocket unless it has a control pod of some kind on board.

2. With the control pod disabled, gravity quickly turns a launch fin stabilized rocket into the ground. With SAS enabled, the properly designed missile will follow the 45* path until burnout. Then, if SAS is turned off, it will follow the pro grade marker to the surface.

3. If you discard the control pod on launch, the rocket becomes debris which you can't follow unless you can switch targets.

4. Is this stock, or are mods allowed?

5. If hands off the entire flight, how would you activate multiple stages?

Edited December 16, 2013 by SRV Ron

[SRV Ron]

Again the rules sound fun but are unclear.

I think I understand the land-launched part. Just put a rocket on launchpad at 45 degree angle, and launch it while decoupling any probe cores, command pods, or torque wheels from it.

But if I wanted to participate in the plane-launched part, what should I actually do? The same? Or should I launch the plane, pitch it 45 degrees at some point and launch the rocket?

Anything can be mounted below a plane if you have big enough plane. So I don't get the point of the plane-mounting part if we are supposed to launch such rockets from the ground anyway.

Edit: I wonder who will be the first to send the rocket interplanetary.

I would assume that you can launch from a plane, but the plane will be mounted on launch clamps at a 45* angle and only the rocket disconnected and launched upon pressing the spacebar.

Interplanetary is possible with a big enough SSTO design launched at the right time of the Kerbal day

[dgershko]

Again the rules sound fun but are unclear.

I think I understand the land-launched part. Just put a rocket on launchpad at 45 degree angle, and launch it while decoupling any probe cores, command pods, or torque wheels from it.

But if I wanted to participate in the plane-launched part, what should I actually do? The same? Or should I launch the plane, pitch it 45 degrees at some point and launch the rocket?

Anything can be mounted below a plane if you have big enough plane. So I don't get the point of the plane-mounting part if we are supposed to launch such rockets from the ground anyway.

Edit: I wonder who will be the first to send the rocket interplanetary.

Definitely needs to be defined because;

1. you cannot launch a rocket unless it has a control pod of some kind on board.

2. With the control pod disabled, gravity quickly turns a launch fin stabilized rocket into the ground. With SAS enabled, the properly designed missile will follow the 45* path until burnout. Then, if SAS is turned off, it will follow the pro grade marker to the surface.

3. Is this stock, or are mods allowed?

4. If hands off the entire flight, this rocket can be only single stage.

B9 and KW are allowed

you could take a fuel tank, place a pod on it, attach the rocket to it, angle it 45 degrees fire the engines and decouple!

it cant have any kind of sas or manned/unmanned control.

about the plane launch: take the rocket, launch it at 45 DEG from the ground and check the distance(this is the record).

after that mount it on a plane(i modified the rules so that you have to use one of the ravenspear planes) and show it in flight!

[Rhomphaia]

Definitely needs to be defined because;

1. you cannot launch a rocket unless it has a control pod of some kind on board.

Unless you put the pod on the launch clamp, or other launcher of your choice, you need to throttle up the engine before decoupling hence the fuel line on my design

2. With the control pod disabled, gravity quickly turns a launch fin stabilized rocket into the ground. With SAS enabled, the properly designed missile will follow the 45* path until burnout. Then, if SAS is turned off, it will follow the pro grade marker to the surface.

Hence the ant engine. the off-center thrust balances the fins, maintaining AoA until the fuel runs out

3. If you discard the control pod on launch, the rocket becomes debris which you can't follow unless you can switch targets.

If the root part is on the rocket, rather than the probe core then it will automatically follow.

[Kasuha]

I don't think Ravenspear or Albatross are built to carry anything, if you mount a missile to them anywhere they'll probably won't be able to even take off or fly controllably. Have you tested that it's possible before you made up that rule?

I'm definitely looking forward trying my teeth on the 45 degree rocket as soon as I get home, though.

[dgershko]

I don't think Ravenspear or Albatross are built to carry anything, if you mount a missile to them anywhere they'll probably won't be able to even take off or fly controllably. Have you tested that it's possible before you made up that rule?

I'm definitely looking forward trying my teeth on the 45 degree rocket as soon as I get home, though.

i just did and they flew!!! not very well though. will submit in 20 mins.

its a very very small rocket. the point of the plane mount is for the rocket to act like air to air or air to ground missiles.

[dgershko]

my kinda accurate missile thingy!!!

(how do i insert an imgur album?)

<iframe class="imgur-album" width="100%" height="550" frameborder="0" src="http://imgur.com/a/KNbcF/embed"></iframe>

Edited December 16, 2013 by dgershko

[Rhomphaia]

my kinda accurate missile thingy!!!

(how do i insert an imgur album?)

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Use [*imgur]KNbcF[[*/imgur] and take away the *s

[LongbowEOD]

This was fun. I designed a rocket with a shifting thrust vector. It pitches up at launch to get out of the thick layers of the atmosphere, then as the fuel burns off, automatically leans back over for a gravity turn and horizontal acceleration. With no control systems whatsoever! Ain't physics cool? For the record, the rocket is 5 (maybe 6) parts: Nose Cone, FL-T400, FL-T800, LV-T30, LV-1R, and maybe the nubbin from a fuel line.

Total downrange distance: 345km

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[dgershko]

This was fun. I designed a rocket with a shifting thrust vector. It pitches up at launch to get out of the thick layers of the atmosphere, then as the fuel burns off, automatically leans back over for a gravity turn and horizontal acceleration. With no control systems whatsoever! Ain't physics cool? For the record, the rocket is 5 (maybe 6) parts: Nose Cone, FL-T400, FL-T800, LV-T30, LV-1R, and maybe the nubbin from a fuel line.

Total downrange distance: 345km

Does it automatically pitch up? No pod?if so, awsome!!!

Adding to leaderboard!

[Kasuha]

Earlier I asked who will be the first to make it interplanetary. It seems the honor was left up to me.

Okay, here we go.

Rocket is stabilized by rotation - two engines just below the top are 5 degrees off prograde adding rotational impulse. Also at the very top there are two more engines which cancel this rotation impulse and add a pitch up impulse, but they run out of fuel exactly at the right time to let the rocket to turn (more or less) straight up before it gets rotation-stabilized.

The size of the rocket is technically unnecessary - even smaller part would be able to do the same, I only had to scale it up to scale down the pitch impulse.

Craft file

Edit: in the craft file, one of launch clamps is probably assigned to the wrong stage (like in the first image). To start the rocket properly you need to move both clamps to the second stage so they're released at once. The decoupler should stay, it's only used as fuel block.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Edited December 16, 2013 by Kasuha

[Rhomphaia]

Earlier I asked who will be the first to make it interplanetary. It seems the honor was left up to me.

Okay, here we go.

Rocket is stabilized by rotation - two engines just below the top are 5 degrees off prograde adding rotational impulse. Also at the very top there are two more engines which cancel this rotation impulse and add a pitch up impulse, but they run out of fuel exactly at the right time to let the rocket to turn (more or less) straight up before it gets rotation-stabilized.

The size of the rocket is technically unnecessary - even smaller part would be able to do the same, I only had to scale it up to scale down the pitch impulse.

Craft file

Edit: in the craft file, one of launch clamps is probably assigned to the wrong stage (like in the first image). To start the rocket properly you need to move both clamps to the second stage so they're released at once. The decoupler should stay, it's only used as fuel block.

And Here I was trying to get My Mk2 intercontinental. Would have managed it too if I could aim it more precicely than 25 degree increments... maybe some kind of wheeled launcher.

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[Kasuha]

Would have managed it too if I could aim it more precicely than 25 degree increments...

I always thought we have 5 degree step...?

[Rhomphaia]

I always thought we have 5 degree step...?

Should have really said 22.5.

If I try to rotate it north or south in the VAB, the vector control engines get misaligned from the vertical, then I have to rotate the other axis to compensate, then I loose the 45 degree launch angle... I would have to rebuild with the desired rotation, and placing those so that they work was quite fiddly.

Best bet would be to port it over to the SPH as subassemblies, the rotation there should work better. And if I am going to do that them I may as well put wheels on..

Edited December 16, 2013 by Rhomphaia

[Kasuha]

Build it vertical or horizontal, then first set up azimuth, second set up 45 degree pitch.

If you need to change anything on the rocket, reset and set up again.

Worked perfectly for me in the island shooting challenge.

[SRV Ron]

OK, Here is a SRB with a FL-T100 and ant engine. The control module is mounted on a small mono can on the launch support. Launch is to adjust throttle on the ant engine, fire it, then stage which drops the launch clamp and ignites the SRB. Not sure why it wants to drift to the island but when the ant thrust is set just right, it flies in a unguided ballistic arc towards the island. Fuel usage is about even.

[SRV Ron]

I always thought we have 5 degree step...?

We do, 9 steps is 45* 18 steps is 90*

[SRV Ron]

Found a bug to disqualify SRBs as a single part rocket. They fly perfectly straight as if they have a built in SAS. Stock SRBs also have the same bug. (The old short one blows up about 15 seconds from overheating.)

Even the big SRB from Novapunch

Place a nosecone on them and they will arc over into the ground unless counter balanced by the ant engine.

Edited December 17, 2013 by SRV Ron