Kerbal Transportation System. (In other words, Space Shuttle replica)

[Rune]

Hey guys! Me again, and look what I brought!

This thing took a lot of work to get right: a kebalized STS! and very, very accurate at that. It is a tad complicated (as it shoud be! It's a Space Shuttle replica...) but I managed to squeeze a launch guide in the description of the craft, so don't fear, with a bit of practice you'll get it to orbit. It actually manages a nice 100km circular with more than enough fuel for a bit of orbital maneuvering and deorbit, so you could use it to transfer crew form your stations. It also carries a bit more than a ton of liquid fuel in that big aviation tank (forbidden), so you could even pretend you are bringing supplies. Or empty it out for extra delta-v before flight, of course.

Also... have I mentioned it clocks in at just 75 parts? Because I think I should, a realistic replica with OMS, RCS, "real" segmented SRB's and all that stuff with so few parts...

But, if you are willing to go the extra mile, there is a mod you should perhaps check out: The Mk3 Expansion pack (link to spaceport). There is a nice 0.5mT cargo bay in there that has the exact same dimensions as the Mk3 fuel tank, and the shuttle is prepared for it, so you could very quickly detach the rear fuselage of the ship, take out the aviation fuel tank, and replace it with that cargo bay to lift up to 1mT of cargo inside, and when you put the tail back on everything should connect back, with the possible exception of a couple of redundant struts (turn part clipping on if it doesn't work at first with ALT+F12 to bring up the dev menu). Really neat, and you will see pictures of that version in the album.

Now, a few more details and the unusual control scheme that makes it work with only four reaction wheels on the main tank. Thrust vectoring on the LVT-45's is more of a suggestion than actual thrust vectoring, so I found out a way to increase the available range. The three main engines are not at the same angle, so the center one actually creates torque in the opposite direction than the two others. What that means is that by throttling them (i.e: the center one starts with thrust limiters set at 50), you get center of thrust in line with the changing CoM, and the whole ship balanced without additional control schemes. Neat right? And not as difficult as it sounds: you have to mostly control the center one during 90% of the ascent, and the other two just at the end, and you can do it on steps for each one by 20% increases and it'll still maintain heading despite the slight thrust asymmetry. But check out the manual I included in the ship description, it isn't that complicated, right? It does help to have kerbal engineer or mechjeb to get the "time to apoapsis" reading while controlling the engines to get a good gravity turn and maximum efficiency (I can manage 100k apoapsis at main engine cutoff by now), but then again, that always helps with any ship not SSTO. Oh, one last note. A with all shuttle replicas, keep in mind while maneuvering on orbit that you actually thrust 10º below your actual heading. The end result of having the OMS pods where they are, so not my fault, go blame NASA .

Here is copy paste of the manual, BTW:

1- Lift off with center engine at 50% throttle (default). Upon clearing tower, roll to a 90º heading, 10º off the vertical. Correct as necessary.

3- Throttle back up to 100% once you have a firm heading , and prepare to ditch the first SRB.

4- When the last segment runs out, throttle back the center engine to 75% and begin your gravity turn.

5- Then, throttle back up, and as you need it, throttle back the other two engines 20% each at a time.

6- Aim to keep you apoapsis about 40 seconds away until your heading is horizontal. Main engine cutoff at apo. 100km. Circularize on OMS.

And always, enjoy your flight!

I have also taken tons of screenshots, and except for a few obligatory beauty shots during takeoff and in orbit, there is a lot with the UI showing, just so you can see how things go during a standard flight. Please check out the album!

IMGUR ALBUM:

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DOWNLOAD:

http://www./download/t2297wo7cf7wdch/Shuttle+Mk+II.craft

Rune. So, apparently I can also do Shuttles. Who knew?

[dreadwave21]

Nice! Downloading now.

[GusTurbo]

Great little shuttle! Tweakables in .23 have really added a lot to the game in terms of craft design.

[astropapi1]

Everybody is building stock shuttles and I'm just sitting here... crashing VTOLs.

[Rune]

Thanks guys! Glad you guys like it as much as I did.

Everybody is building stock shuttles and I'm just sitting here... crashing VTOLs.

Don't worry, the great thing I'm finding out about this game is, with a basic understanding of the physics involved (or indeed without it, I did learn a lot of stuff playing, crashing and watching videos), checking the forums you slowly gain an arsenal of building solutions that end up making building anything take substantially less iterations than your first orbiter did.

But if I have one general design principle, it's the KISS one: Keep It Simple, Stupid! Whenever I feel like a design is growing in complexity beyond what I first intended, I just scrap it and go for something more simple first. Having balance issues? Build something smaller with a single tank hanging on the center of mass. Call that proof of concept. Then two tanks equidistant... Suddenly one day you will find yourself wondering how the hell did you balance that Shuttle right on the first try, just eyeballing it on the VAB.

Great little shuttle! Tweakables in .23 have really added a lot to the game in terms of craft design.

Thanks! They sure open up a world of possibilities. I don't know if it's because of that (probably at least in part), but lately I think I have reached yet another level in building proficiency: I can not only build whatever I want to do something (previously it was only "do whatever I want"), I can make it look right, and most importantly, simple. Parts wise, my designs keep getting lighter, and they still do all the things the old ones did, only looking better. Seriously,I have half a mind to wipe 80% of the designs on R-SUV, because I feel they are no longer good enough. That happens to you guys a lot? So far I recall about four or five of those "level-up" moments (first SSTO, first Mun landing, first shuttle, aesthetics mastery...). The coolest thing is, I'm pretty sure another big part of it is thanks to you guys in the community, and every now and then I see I am playing that teaching part, and it feels great.

I have half a mind to slightly scale this up to decent cargo capability (perhaps go back to four segment boosters, though the thrust balance is going to be a ***** and a half), but the main thing stopping me is that it would probably end up being a copy of the "Space Shuttle Turbo". Besides, we all know how useful even the real space shuttle is in the real world... ^^'

Rune. One of the few games I can say I've played for more than a year with no end in sight, that's for sure.

[GusTurbo]

I think you should make a full - sized one. I like seeing all the different small details between these shuttles.