totm june 2018 Work-in-Progress [WIP] Design Thread

[Majorjim!]

Like this:

http://i.imgur.com/U8xL05d.png

I'm currently testing the feasibility of this concept. It's pretty hard to get back up!

And by pretty hard, I mean nigh impossible.

Are you guys talking about RSS? All this talk of Venus is confusing me..

[GusTurbo]

Yeah. I don't have RSS but I'm just throwing ideas out there.

[Majorjim!]

Yeah. I don't have RSS but I'm just throwing ideas out there.

The idea of visiting realistic versions of the real bodies in our solar system is incredibly appealing.

Have you tried it?

[Woopert]

The idea of visiting realistic versions of the real bodies in our solar system is incredibly appealing.

Have you tried it?

Hi Majorjim! I'm not GusTurbo but I've tried RSS. It's definitely worth a try, go ahead and set up the KSP install! Make sure you install the recommended mods, it's a lot more fun with real life engines and masses as well.

[Redrobin]

You should honestly try it... It is an interesting experience. Also, before you install the recommended mods, try doing it stock and see how far you can go.

[Majorjim!]

Hi Majorjim! I'm not GusTurbo but I've tried RSS. It's definitely worth a try, go ahead and set up the KSP install! Make sure you install the recommended mods, it's a lot more fun with real life engines and masses as well.

Hi Woopert! Thanks I may give it a go soon if I can find the time.

You should honestly try it... It is an interesting experience. Also, before you install the recommended mods, try doing it stock and see how far you can go.

Yeah it will be stock only!

Thanks for the help chaps.

[Captain Sierra]

You should honestly try it... It is an interesting experience. Also, before you install the recommended mods, try doing it stock and see how far you can go.

This is a great way to see how far off kerbal balance is from reality.

[Redrobin]

Yea, this was my old 30 ton launcher from RSS:

I would have needed 3 of these launches to go to the moon.

On an on-topic note, I am working on a Vostok, this time minus the RSS and no fancy launch clamps or things of that sort:

[Woopert]

You should honestly try it... It is an interesting experience. Also, before you install the recommended mods, try doing it stock and see how far you can go.

That's cool, although for my purposes I like to use RSS for making accurate and 100% full-scale replicas, with the real engines, real mass, real thrust, real ISP, and all. The stock engines and parts just don't work accurately, but if it's fun for you, that's perfectly cool! Whatever floats your goat boat!

Edited April 18, 2014 by Woopert

[maccollo]

I'm currently testing the feasibility of this concept. It's pretty hard to get back up!

And by pretty hard, I mean nigh impossible.

I didn't expect it to be so impossible myself. Thought it was a pretty clever idea, but it turns out landing on a tiny docking port is very hard indeed. In the end I just put a lot of ladders on there. The only problem with ladders is that they produce drag with FAR, and at the right angle, lift.

As a result the booster stage with the ladders on in now smashes into the core stage on separation :/

Anyway, here's my solution for parachute deployment in the crushing atmosphere of Venus.

VERY SAFE!

Edited April 18, 2014 by maccollo

[Redrobin]

Very Kerbal... I like it

[Giggleplex777]

Testing some things...

Javascript is disabled. View full album

I also ran a separate mission to prove that the rest of the rocket can achieve orbit (not pictured).

Now to make a device to attach new stages on the rocket.

Edited April 18, 2014 by Giggleplex777

[RocketPilot573]

*snip*

What just happened?

[maccollo]

Solved the ladders problem. Attached them to radial decouplers so I can detatch them before the ascent. Will do a full flight test tomorrow. Everything should be working perfectly now.

What just happened?

The Venusian atmosphere is so thick at the surface that you can pretty much fly anything with just a few tiny fins, which is good cuz I really needed to get the speed down really low before deploying the parachutes. Anything higher than 30 m/s and they instantly just explode everything.

[Overfloater]

Took care of the gaps, re-shaped the wings a lil bit, added struts, fueled up... ready for some stability tests!

OH DEAR OH DEAR OH DEAR OH DEAR

♥ u ♥ She flies!!! Activate ALL engines! Full speed ahead!!!

(*cough* *Ahumm* of-course she flies... I knew all along she will...)

But will it land? that is the question.

I think she will do just fine. B^)

Just need to properly distribute control surfaces, as the way I added them concentrated in one spot causes the whole thing wiggle like a sausage! And a few more couples of struts between wings and fuel tanks - will make the ship solid.

Some interior shots:

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My way of strutting, before the update and after:

This ship should surpass the Astroliner V not just by aesthetics!

The Astroliner V was not a heavy lifter, that 20 ton cargo was pushing her to the limits... Therefore the new plane has a couple more jet motors. I also want to make her Duna-compatible, which is why she also has a couple more atomic motors- to ensure liftoff. Will also put a little aerospike on her belly, to ensure safe (as much as possible) landing.

What's left to do is add more fuel and some sasses. 4-6 brown ones will do the trick.

Edited April 18, 2014 by Overfloater

[Giggleplex777]

Built another rocket to test new upper stage engines:

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It can lift 40mT to orbit, which is twice as much as its predecessor (which is half its size).

It's using the MB60s from this:

New upper stage (based on the twin MB60 LUS):

http://i.imgur.com/pM1SUFi.png

900kN of thrust; Isp vac of 384s; 4.5mT per engine

Edited April 18, 2014 by Giggleplex777

[Majorjim!]

Built another rocket to test new upper stage engines:

http://imgur.com/a/DYovP

It can lift 40mT to orbit, which is twice as much as its predecessor (which is half its size).

It's using the MB60s from this:

Hi Giggleplex,

I noticed the little stack of cubic struts

Between the engines on your second stage.

I know this is a way of attaching to the center

of a stage with off center engines but if you

Attach the cubics to the first stage you won't

See them on the second and it will look nicer.

MJ

[Redrobin]

Hi Giggleplex,

I noticed the little stack of cubic struts

Between the engines on your second stage.

I know this is a way of attaching to the center

of a stage with off center engines but if you

Attach the cubics to the first stage you won't

See them on the second and it will look nicer.

MJ

Not Giggleplex, but doing that has always caused my engines to explode upon staging.

[Majorjim!]

Not Giggleplex, but doing that has always caused my engines to explode upon staging.

Yeah that can happen. With proper placement of the

seperatron and thorough testing it can be done though.

MJ

[GusTurbo]

If you turn the decoupler upside down, it works without exploding.

Edited April 19, 2014 by GusTurbo

[Majorjim!]

If you turn the decoupler upside down, it works without exploding.

There you go guys! Cheers Gus.

MJ

[Ravenchant]

Just randomly wondering... at what altitude/speed do you lot usually jettison your fairings? The structural panels are heavy and I'd like to know how far I need to drag them along when assessing payload capabilities

[sgt_flyer]

I usually drop them either when my first stages burn out , or a little after, in the 20000m / 30000m range of altitudes

[Giggleplex777]

Speaking of fairings, can someone make subassemblies of them?

[Ravenchant]

@sgt_flyer: That's good to hear. I'm dropping them at about 35 km, just to be on the safe side.

@Giggleplex777: Perhaps. How big do you need them to be? The usual 2.5m (8 panels) and 3.75m (12 panels) setups?