Shuttle thread

[SkyHook]

I created a forum a while back entitled "The Shuttle Discussion forum" or something close to that. I intended for it to be a place where people could go to post their craft, talk about shuttles, and get help. Is this the type of forum the OP intended to create? My post was locked . My shuttles are not stock though, so I won't post (unless you change the title designation).

[GusTurbo]

I've finally been successful!

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Space Shuttle Turbo is fully functional and ready for public consumption.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/64494-Space-Shuttle-Turbo-Stock-Space-Shuttle-with-Solid-only-SRBs

[Rune]

It finally works! Look how cute it looks blasting off the pad...

The 4-segment SRB's turned out to become 3-segment SRB's in the end, and the external tank is slightly bigger now than when I took that first picture, but I think the idea is awesome to tailor the thrust of the SRB's as the main tank empties. And yes, I took it to orbit just with 4 reaction wheels and by playing around with the thrust limiters on the main engines. I think if I could simultaneously control the thrust on two engines at the same time I could make do without them.

True SRB's with no liquid fuel, OMS engines for circularization and orbital burns, just one tank clipped, and it's clipped inside the emptied aviation tank... the only thing left to add in regards to realism is a launch gantry so you can turn on the main engines before the SRB's (and that may yet come, as is, it's only 100 parts on the pad). Payload is basically nothing, but small sats will fit. Oh, and it is about as difficult to get to orbit as the real thing... all for the sake of realism of course! Writing the launch guide is going to be a pain in the ass...

Rune. More development to go yet, but I just wanted to share the YES! moment when the designed finally made orbit for the first time.

Edited January 6, 2014 by Rune

[GusTurbo]

That's adorable! Welcome to the club!

[MockKnizzle]

Using sequential thrust-limited SRBs is brilliant! Tweakables open up so many new options.

[Rune]

That's adorable! Welcome to the club!

Well, thanks to you guys I thought of thrust limiters, so you have much credit for this. And you specifically... I think I have to thank you especially, because your shuttle turbo was a big source of inspiration (in the sense that "it can be done"). In fact, I might drop the payload pretense (it won't make it to orbit with a single full fuel tank on the bay... ^^') and do a much better looking version with an empty aviation fuel tank like yours... well, slightly smaller of course. I do everything smaller .

I just can't get that payload bay to look good, and serious payload would need to go back to 4 segment SRB's, and those are a big challenge to balance on the last segment, I found... There's also how it barely gets off the pad right now, so I would have to replace the whole powerplant if I increased weight significantly... who knows? I just know I'm starting to like the challenge of playing with shuttle-like unbalanced stacks. Just to see if I can make them work.

Rune. Tweakables FTW!

[goldenson]

My shuttle only can carry kerbals. No space for payloads.

Main

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Landing Test

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Launch

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Edited January 7, 2014 by goldenson

[Rune]

It still looks sweet! In other news, development is proceeding at a rapid pace in R-SUV. In a fit of inspiration, I rebuilt the orbiter in five minutes, and preliminary results are the cargo bay I had previously built was heavy as sin. I'm reading what looks like almost half a km/s more on kerbal engineer, with the aviation tank full as payload mass simulator. See, I remembered the old Mk3 Expansion Pack, and the payload bay there weights 0.5mT, so a full aviation tank should simulate a 1mT payload. So I'm getting better delta-v with a heavier simulated payload... this thing may yet reach 2mT payload when using the modded bay! And I'm working it out so I can release the stock version and switching to modded payload bay is as easy as detaching the rear (where all the stuff is attached), switching the tank for a payload bay, and reattaching. The wings also look better now...

This may even turn out marginally useful!!

Edit: Never you mind, no magic involved, I had just forgot to add the landing gear. Expect the same performance (~1mT payload in the mod bay, or 320l of liquid fuel and no oxidizer), just better looks.

Rune. Who am I kidding, that's not its purpose.

Edited January 7, 2014 by Rune

[mpink]

This is my 0.86 EJ style stock only shuttle. For a number of reasons it was scrapped before jeb snuck in and strapped some boosters to it.

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My 0.9 Version is still under construction but i have high hopes. The 1st step in my Shuttle designs is always a Zero Zero Ejection System test.

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Sure ill be back soon with some high quality successful payload delivery images

[kola2DONO]

Built a kind of shuttle today.

It carries 2 small shuttle planes to a 100x100km orbit before the main fuel tank is dropped and the shuttles have enough fuel to deorbit, revenderouzing or anything you would want to.

It's cuccerently only a prototype, it do not have any rcs trusters, solar panels or docking ports but i know it will be possible to add thoose things without the shuttle getting messed up.

Taking off :

Orbit!

Detached from main fuel tank

[mpink]

PNK Enginering presents the 0.96 Shuttle Buss (Beta) [usable failure].

Note: the engineers don't suggest flying this with passengers as they don't have an ejection system !

The MK9 was tested with an 18T 1/2 orange fuel tank payload. It made a decaying 150K - 65K orbit.

The MK9 shuttle is around 280 parts and the full launch system is about 540 parts. most certainly enjoying that .23 physics update.

The following imgur images come with the most basic of flight instructions that should get you into orbit if your a very good pilot.

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[Devinci]

I'm not there yet but It's coming along nicely!

[MK3424]

I'm still working on the ascent profile, but I guess you could call it a shuttle.

Then you should launch like the real one: with your nose pointed towards prograde and after liftoff, point down and roll 180° to go into the ascent profile.

I can't find any pictures explaining this but you have to remeber that the thrust is asymmetrical to the vehicle and when it's launched it tends to push it forward horizontally.

[mpink]

Pnk Engineering is proud to present the CSS Stour

The Constructable Space Shuttle is an attempt to make a stable shuttle system that can be transported and launched from wherever you please.

In its first few tests it happily places 22.5T into LKO. It is totally stock but I use hyper edit to fuel the craft when it has been constructed.

The odd payload is due to a challenge entry where fuel mass didn't count towards payload points so i just filled it with the heaviest things i could find .

The zip file contains a persistent save file identical to the start of the video and a number of SPH craft and some subassemblys.

The SPH has 2 very useful craft test craft.

CSS Stour (Landing Practice) is a stripped down version that can reach 10K meters before running out of fuel (Perfect for practicing landings).

CSS Stour (Launch Test) is a fully constructed and ready to launch version of the shuttle.

Reentry

Reentry can be a bit tricky but i suggest placing your PE just above the island to the right of the KSC at 37.2K meters and then maintain a 15 degrees nose up.

Any less than 15 degrees and the tail will burn up so when you hit 30K try and maintain 20 degrees.

The glide slope is very shallow and has 3 points for checking your position.

The main target is to hit 30K and the start of reentry effects as you hit the landmass that KSC is on.

As you leave the landmass before that you should be at about 39K. This is where deceleration starts to take effect and is your last chance to correct using engines. Its about 90 seconds from hear untill the next checkpoint.

The end of the landmass prior to this one is about the start of the atmosphere and you should be at 47K. You will decelerate by around 150 M/S by the time you hit the next check point so wings arnt going to do very much at this point but they may make a small difference and small changes at this point make for large changes in your landing zone.

After reentry effects have stopped at about 20k and before you hit the soup 10K you should use all your remaining fuel. The engines will help to shallow out you glide slope and if you still have the mass of the fuel when you hit the soup you will just fall instead of gliding.

In this uncut landing video you can see a demonstration of me coming in too step and correcting the slope using the check point system. I think the problem was due to not doing the deorbit burn on the opposite side of the planet to the KSC.

There are also some very confusing readings on the nav ball due to it changing to target mode and me not noticing.

Hot Keys.

1) Undock cargo bay doors.

2) Toggle door wheals.

3) Toggle payload wheals.

4) Toggle booster/shuttle wheals.

6) Undock Jet sled / Construction plates.

7) Toggle jet sled wheels.

8) Toggle forward jet engines.

9) Toggle Backward jet engines.

Tips for construction

The sled needs to drop half a meter to connect with the Construction Plates so you need to get the hang of rolling whilst toggling the wheals (7).

The back booster and shuttle have a slight mismatch in height that needs to be corrected by changing to the back booster and toggling its wheals. This makes the first docking very hard but it is doable.

This unedited construction video demonstrates shows the entire construction with all the problems of docking.

I am fairly certain that all problems with primary and secondary docking ports and fuel flow are now fixed but iv only done two constructions of the Stour and so theres is always a chance something like this may happen again.

If you detect a problem below 10K i strongly suggest cutting the engines and dropping the boosters and tanks. At 10K you should have more than enough fuel in the shuttle to turn around and land back on the runway.

I had already rendered and uploaded the construction videos as prof for a challenge so I did every thing i could to make orbit. That early version just had too many fuel flow problems though so was doomed.

[Mareczex333]

Here's my unfinished Shuttle(stock):

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I'm waiting for patch, so I would make fuel tank and adjust main engines (I put them just for normal shuttle look)

I got question. Do anyone know how docking works? I want to know what is minimal distance or time, to dock after undock. Thanks! ;d

[GusTurbo]

That's a nice shuttle. I think .23.5 will be another shuttle renaissance.

[DaRocketCat]

Here's my attempted shuttle replica which dates back to .17.

Never managed to fly very high because managing thrust back in those days was horrendous.

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EDIT: how do you post imgur libraries already?

Edited March 29, 2014 by DaRocketCat

[Mareczex333]

(imgur)u2uPL(/imgur)

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[RocketPilot573]

Here's my new shuttle: The Poseidon STS (100% Stock)

Its done several successful missions so far, such as deploying this Ike probe. Also, its cargo capacity is 10 tons to LKO.

Edited March 29, 2014 by RocketPilot573

[Rune]

Here's my unfinished Shuttle(stock):

http://imgur.com/a/49NPG

I'm waiting for patch, so I would make fuel tank and adjust main engines (I put them just for normal shuttle look)

I got question. Do anyone know how docking works? I want to know what is minimal distance or time, to dock after undock. Thanks! ;d

It's a minimum distance thing, about 1.5m from port to port, before the magnets re-arms. Now my question: that bay works by pushing with legs against flubby docking port connections, right? Because it looks very cool.

[Mareczex333]

It's a minimum distance thing, about 1.5m from port to port, before the magnets re-arms. Now my question: that bay works by pushing with legs against flubby docking port connections, right? Because it looks very cool.

Nope, it is pushing octagonal struts

It's wobbly in flight, so there are docking ports to hold it closed. Problem is that I undock "door", it will open, but it's don't want to dock again after closing it, so it's a bit wobbly in flight.

Edited March 29, 2014 by Mareczex333

[xub313]

The boosters look kinda dumb, but it works quite well.

No silly engine toggling or a ton of reaction wheels, just a smooth ride into orbit.

Also, this one doesn't fly like a brick but actually glides like a space plane should.

[mpink]

Nope, it is pushing octagonal struts

It's wobbly in flight, so there are docking ports to hold it closed. Problem is that I undock "door", it will open, but it's don't want to dock again after closing it, so it's a bit wobbly in flight.

Oh I think all stock shuttle builders have had those unable to redock days. Do you get any attraction ?

You just have to keep trying until it all works out.

Just a slight bit of clipping or angle mismatch can give you a very bad day.

A small problem with my shuttle means the crew are trapped in there pod.

This is a shame as I'd love to plant a flag on minmus.

This makes for an interesting landing and reentry procedure.

I need to redo the nose for a better look anyways so I might have an attempt at a single part sliding door.

Here's my new shuttle: The Poseidon

Its done several successful missions so far, such as deploying this Ike probe. Also, its cargo capacity is 10 tons to LKO.

Oh thats cute. I love the boostets with the solid bottoms and those nose cones.

[Mr. Speed]

I built this a while back, it needs a manual for launch but I am pretty happy with the design. I have other orbiters for the same booster but this one carries the most fuel to orbit and is the best looking one. This is my first stock space shuttle, I built one before with solid rockets using FAR and B9 which is considerably easier.

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[bigdad84]

I have a basic Mk2 shuttle I've been fine tuning as of lately. With the release of 23.5 I've put the big solid rockets that are now stock on the side in replacement of the liquid boosters in the current pictures.

Liquid Booster Seperation

Too bad 23.5 broke the Infernal Robitics GUI

Docked with Station

Re-Entry

Safe return and landing.