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

[Rune]

This is a clever idea with some potentially useful applications. For example, I think you could build a large cargo SSTO with it. You should add it to the OSCTCA thread!

Actually, it works better with three cargo bays, no duplicated walls and about the same volume (2.5m with room to spare). I might put it up there myself, but you know, it's pretty simple, a couple of long I-beams pointing down from the front of the top bay give enough room, a couple of cubic struts to create the nodes for the other two at the end, and fiddling with angles until it works out.

Rune. Don't I have pictures of this? The difficult part is covering up the ends.

[Redshift OTF]

I was on approach to the overshoot runway (because, I, er, overshot) and thought I'd zoom in to have a look how inside the craft was doing and it just disintegrated.

The whole slidey out rack thing worked a charm. Mostly. But it did work . The whole thing docks into place at either end of it's travel. There's some messing with landing gear required.

I aim to post the craft file once it all works properly. Which may be never

Maybe engine wash weakened the wing pieces? If the engines gimbal they can hit places you don't always expect. Fire it up on the runway, pitch and yaw to get the engines gimballing and then hit F3 and it will show you if your wings have taken damage.

[Redshift OTF]

Actually, it works better with three cargo bays, no duplicated walls and about the same volume (2.5m with room to spare). I might put it up there myself, but you know, it's pretty simple, a couple of long I-beams pointing down from the front of the top bay give enough room, a couple of cubic struts to create the nodes for the other two at the end, and fiddling with angles until it works out.

Rune. Don't I have pictures of this? The difficult part is covering up the ends.

I made the Kerbal Airborne Division space van doors using similar methods. I will save you some trouble and advise you have to be almost pixel perfect to get the doors to line up while at the same time have enough space for an orange tank to fit through. Like I think there's only 2 combinations of rotating everything for it to work. Here's some pictures:

Same craft open and closed. Orange tank exits through side doors. Even done correctly the orange tank clips slightly through the grey edges but it is worth it I'm glad I tested the bay in orbit using Hyperedit before I built a plane with it, (and I even got that wrong once).

[Redshift OTF]

Oops, that picture is wrong, lol. You can see by the overlap of the doors top and bottom. It should be like this:

[ScriptKitt3h]

So, in my latest attempt to make endless VTOLs, I decided to go for something that in theory could SSTO, but that in practicality would also look awesome and carry cargo.

(My overall "inspiration" was the quad-engine tiltrotors from Edge of Tomorrow.)

1st Gen. Prototype:

It worked, but still needed a TON of adjustments, especially since the thing kept wanting to flip over on vertical takeoffs.

2nd Gen. Prototype:

This version worked (after tinkering with the thrust limiters on the jets), and was stable enough to seemingly land on the VAB pad.

Nope. (The pad collapsed seconds after touchdown, even though the ship weighs only 45 tons and landed at 10 m/s)

Final (Production) Model:

(Shown here deployed on Laythe)

I managed to get it stabilized in long-term flight, and the cargo bay works very well. (I probably need to make a mobile loading ramp for rovers to board it with. )

EDIT: Craft released here!

Edited November 4, 2014 by ScriptKitt3h

[drewscriver]

Well, the Hypatia I didn't make much of a splash, but work on the Hypatia II proceeds apace.

[Guest]

Cool crafts above,

I added flight mode control to my VTOL

by using retractable antennas, clipping into parts

and acting as cables.

Press 3 to switch between;

Cruise mode + stability

---

Acrobat mode + maneuverability

---

https://www./?sxv1odyqheoqai8

Edited November 5, 2014 by RevanCorana

[Kamuchi]

Out of time for today to setup action groups and testing, but here she is...

6 extendatrons for extending the ships, inbuilt double magnet crane & vtol capability with 720 thrust.

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Failures will be added tomorrow

[Guest Space Cowboy]

Ha ha wow there are some cool crafts here!

This is pretty mundane but I'll post it anyway. I did get it into orbit, but really, that was never the idea at all, I wanted to make a lifting body Space Station supply / return vehicle, that would launch ballistically with boosters. The win today was learning how to get the double angled panels to line up on edge as they have.

Edited November 6, 2014 by Space Cowboy
added photo

[Ravenchant]

A couple of days ago one of you guys asked me for the shuttle craft file...sorry I haven't replied, but real life had priority =D

Anyway, the piggyback-shuttle idea has merit. This was the first try, Spiral ALP (Air Launch Platform), but it could barely lift off:

After a few failed versions, I redesigned from the ground up and an hour ago the seventh iteration of Lucifer ALP managed to put the shuttle onto a suborbital trajectory, then went on to climb to orbit itself. I even managed to land it on the runway, which is a rare moment

This is an older version, but it shows the shuttle mounting point.

I need to fix a few fuel flow issues and it will be released!

[Marine07]

Working on WWII German jets:

- He.162 "Volksjager"

- Me.262

- Ho.229

- Me.163 "Komet"

And here's Ba.349 "Natter":

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Really cool replicas, Nik_601! Perfect!

[Spartwo]

I'm not very good at this thread.

Launcher did not work BTW.

[andrew123]

Derp. The runway can't handle the Moskva.

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Land based Hsiung Feng III.

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[ethan829]

Finishing up my SpaceShipTwo rebuild with the added SP+ parts

[andrew123]

I mean, it still has propulsion.

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[Roflcopterkklol]

Working on a completely new jet ATV, this one does 150m/s on land reliably (including 120m/s+ jumps, and it can land those jumps)

yet to get it in the water though.

About 90m/s on water is the limit, it got to 120 before it imploded.

Edited November 6, 2014 by Roflcopterkklol

[Rune]

Ok, to anyone that was concerned: I have recovered myself from the havoc created by an electrical storm (I kid you not) on my KSP installation. It tried to mess up all my saves, but a very recommendable custom of backing EVERYTHING up any time I mess with it meant I had some quicksaves secured somewhere else, and between yesterday and today I was able to restore most things to where they were in a fresh install. That's good, because among those saves was the very first one I started in career, which is quite epic by now.

The bad part is, the Falcon is definitely without fixing. Something changed there between versions, so I think I am calling it a failed design, it isn't really up to par with the rest of what I release. The cargo bay on the Quinjet is still screwing with me, too, but that one might perhaps be solvable if I use some other method and/or the kraken summoning was my installation becoming unstable. I swear I have had it work more than once, but then it bugged out on me the next time I would load it. Maybe I clipped a bit too much.

In the meantime, I think I am going to focus of bringing R-SUV into 0.25 finally. So expect plenty of updates for rockets first (All the Eagle stuff is already upgraded), and then I will get on with building a new SPH section, I think.

Rune. Keep you posted!

[SpaceXray]

My very first sleek SpaceShipTwo(or a mesh of 1 and 2).

The album explains everything.

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[Nik_601]

Almost rebuild my MiG-31 "Foxhound" for 0.25:

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[Ravenchant]

Ok, to anyone that was concerned: I have recovered myself from the havoc created by an electrical storm (I kid you not) on my KSP installation.

Good news (considering)! I hope your non-KSP-related files survived unscathed

In other news...well, chaps, this is possibly the only time I created an SSTO by accident 0_o

Not only is the fully loaded, 15 ton shuttle a breeze to put into 100 km orbit, even less...aerodynamic payloads are possible. This deserves to be investigated further!

[ScriptKitt3h]

I'm trying to make a Kerbalized version of the Covenant "Spirit" Dropship (flying tuning fork) from the Halo series...

So far, so good. Now to test for SSTO capability...

[Rune]

I'm trying to make a Kerbalized version of the Covenant "Spirit" Dropship (flying tuning fork) from the Halo series...

http://i.imgur.com/98XTTtN.png

http://i.imgur.com/Edt0UMA.png

So far, so good. Now to test for SSTO capability...

Looking good. But are yo sure the fuel is at the CoM or balanced around it? SSTO's change mass a lot, so perhaps you want to make it slightly longer and add a couple tanks to the "wings", right on top of the VTOL engines. Plus, SSTOing with brute force takes a bit of mass ratio and the lift engines are a hit, so you can't aspire to a huge payload ratio. But the idea is great and that look like a great proof of concept.

Rune. Right now all fuel sits slightly behind the CoM, right?

[ScriptKitt3h]

Looking good. But are yo sure the fuel is at the CoM or balanced around it? SSTO's change mass a lot, so perhaps you want to make it slightly longer and add a couple tanks to the "wings", right on top of the VTOL engines. Plus, SSTOing with brute force takes a bit of mass ratio and the lift engines are a hit, so you can't aspire to a huge payload ratio. But the idea is great and that look like a great proof of concept.

Rune. Right now all fuel sits slightly behind the CoM, right?

Thanks! Yeah, the CoM is just below and almost in front of the fuel tanks, and I probably will modify it quite a bit before it's ready for release.

[Rune]

Thanks! Yeah, the CoM is just below and almost in front of the fuel tanks, and I probably will modify it quite a bit before it's ready for release.

Then I think a couple of short Mk2 LFO tanks at the root of the "wings" would make things almost perfect, eyeballing it. Hell, if the wings are isolated fuel-wise form the tail, you could make the wing and tail tanks empty at the same rate with fuel lines, and then you would get a much bigger fuel reserve, perfectly balanced around the CoM. Plus, you could hide the reaction wheels inside the tanks for a bigger effective bay. Yup, this is totally SSTOable. Though any cargo heavier than kerbals is going to mess with CoM a lot.

Rune. Good luck with it!

[Overfloater]

I'm working on a Lunar module for my Apollo style mission.

I planned to add a rover, but the (successful) test flight has shown that error margin is VERY little o_O

So I made a lighter one.

But unfortunately...

O_O it's un-aerodynamic, even though I added a cone on every part.

Apparently small nose cones aren't enough to protect the little lander cans.

Stock fairings as you may have expected, are no good. 3.75m wide KW fairings aren't wide enough, and there's no way I'm putting a 5m wide monster egg on my rocket xD

Will probably have to go rover-less and call it the finished mission

Well that was my report. xD

Edited November 7, 2014 by Overfloater