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

[Majorjim!]

Actually it's fairly easy to use, only problem is walking up slopes- cant even make it up 15 degree slope.

Yeah I've heard that can be tricky. Keep at it man.

[Yukon0009]

First 1.0.x SSTO!

[Darth Lazarus]

still need to fix the strange fuelflow in my Soyuz

so ... i worked on the next rocket to make it 1.0.x compatible...

[pTrevTrevs]

Working on a new flying wing recon plane, the Ke-221 Condor It's the first to use my newly devised Aircraft Designation System. That's right, I didn't just choose random numbers for the designation.

Max Altitude Achieved: 10,000 meters ASL

Max Speed Achieved: 700+ m/s

Holds two crew, and can fly for 1 hour and 18 minutes with empty wing tanks. The altitude and speed test was interrupted by a brief visit from the Kraken, so I'm confident that the aircraft can go higher and faster. It's not very maneuverable right now though.

Does anyone know how to rig up a yaw control system without using vertical control surfaces? I know how the clamshell airbrake concept has worked on some flying wings, but I can't figure out how to get it to work with control surfaces in KSP.

[Captain Sierra]

Working on a new flying wing recon plane, the Ke-221 Condor It's the first to use my newly devised Aircraft Designation System. That's right, I didn't just choose random numbers for the designation.

http://i.imgur.com/k0jvf2e.jpg

Max Altitude Achieved: 10,000 meters ASL

Max Speed Achieved: 700+ m/s

Holds two crew, and can fly for 1 hour and 18 minutes with empty wing tanks. The altitude and speed test was interrupted by a brief visit from the Kraken, so I'm confident that the aircraft can go higher and faster. It's not very maneuverable right now though.

Does anyone know how to rig up a yaw control system without using vertical control surfaces? I know how the clamshell airbrake concept has worked on some flying wings, but I can't figure out how to get it to work with control surfaces in KSP.

if you're not opposed to using action groups, you can mimic airbrakes with control surfaces (be sure to invert the deploy on one of the pair). Setting up pairs of them in place of airbrakes can work but will only trigger via AG and not via normal yaw actuation.

[pTrevTrevs]

if you're not opposed to using action groups, you can mimic airbrakes with control surfaces (be sure to invert the deploy on one of the pair). Setting up pairs of them in place of airbrakes can work but will only trigger via AG and not via normal yaw actuation.

It seems like you would have to attach the control surfaces for each wing independently, so the action group only chooses them one at a time instead of both. Is this correct?

[SaturnianBlue]

75% scale pioneer 10/11 replica, finished with the main spacecraft, but infernal robotics is being uncooperative, so I haven't been able to do the booms.

[Rune]

Ryan got me working on this in the Von Braun thread... should have the potential to reusably bring one kerbal from the Eve's surface to Space, if you use a mod to manage the first stage while you get the orbiter up. Or not, I'm a bit unsure on what dV it is really necessary to do this. Still, I might get advice here:

Rune. I'm proud of the staging system arrangement, should prevent bend quite nicely.

[Darth Lazarus]

Ryan got me working on this in the Von Braun thread... should have the potential to reusably bring one kerbal from the Eve's surface to Space, if you use a mod to manage the first stage while you get the orbiter up. Or not, I'm a bit unsure on what dV it is really necessary to do this. Still, I might get advice here:

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

Rune. I'm proud of the staging system arrangement, should prevent bend quite nicely.

judging after the new dV map, i would say that this thing will work. very nice design rune !

[Guest]

That's a SSTO/Lander, first reach orbit, refuel at station, land on the mun, all in one craft, capable of flying like a plane or like a dropship depending on the situation.

it's tricky to do because you need to have fuel balance horizontally and vertically so that the center of mass always stays at the same spot, the intersection of both center of thrust.

Edited July 23, 2015 by RevanCorana

[Rune]

judging after the new dV map, i would say that this thing will work. very nice design rune !

It's on "the list" to explore further, that's for sure. Anyhow, the thing that you are likely to see finished earlier (because I am going to need it in career, so the testing will be fast) is this:

I'm calling it Heinlein, and it is a 35 part, 4km/s VTOL SSTO carrying the big capsule (which, as of this version, must be the most weight-inefficient way of carrying kerbals). The idea is that this is cheap to launch, and with surface mining operations, this cold serve as both the crew shuttle, and also an improvised fuel tug on low-grav moons (since it's so overkill in dV terms). Besides, with the TWR and the rear (Sr.) docking port, I can easily sling an extra fuel tank from the bottom on a suitably low gravity moon where the landing gear is optional (i.e: Minmus). Of course the 4km/s and the high TWR also mean this thing can land on Tylo with a wide margin, so with mature surface operations, I have everywhere but Eve covered with a single vehicle, and a lot of fuel stations. Best of all? Stable both on ascent and descent through thick atmospheres (tested running out of battery on reentry). Oh, and it'll survive an unpowered landing! xD

Rune. I think the reason for the name is obvious... I'll have to make it RTG-powered, too.

Edited July 23, 2015 by Rune

[Darth Lazarus]

i hate the new aero model or at least the new fairings. you can't build good (or real) working interstages. only the f***inh fraggrenade style of interstages. interstage ring like apollo? not possible, interstage cover like on Delta IV ? not possible...

and building something with stock parts like the passive radiators or strucual panels will result in wanky flightbehavior of the rocket or even deadly u-turns ...

at least if you dont spam SAS modules ...

god thanks that their is a mod that the fairings won't explode in 1000's of pieces and only i halves, but thats still not a solution for stock interstages.

[Slam_Jones]

Working on a cheap 2-stage to orbit spaceplane with 'primitive' technology. This is what I've got so far:

It actually works surprisingly well. Only problem is I can't recover the booster stage while also controlling the little plane, making it a little less cheap than I'd hoped.

Also, my current version of a Mk3 SSTO "El Gigante." It takes 32 tourists to LKO if you fly it correctly

Edited July 23, 2015 by Slam_Jones

[Guest]

[Guest]

New mako check it out!

Mako.craft

[selfish_meme]

It's on "the list" to explore further, that's for sure. Anyhow, the thing that you are likely to see finished earlier (because I am going to need it in career, so the testing will be fast) is this:

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

I'm calling it Heinlein, and it is a 35 part, 4km/s VTOL SSTO carrying the big capsule (which, as of this version, must be the most weight-inefficient way of carrying kerbals). The idea is that this is cheap to launch, and with surface mining operations, this cold serve as both the crew shuttle, and also an improvised fuel tug on low-grav moons (since it's so overkill in dV terms). Besides, with the TWR and the rear (Sr.) docking port, I can easily sling an extra fuel tank from the bottom on a suitably low gravity moon where the landing gear is optional (i.e: Minmus). Of course the 4km/s and the high TWR also mean this thing can land on Tylo with a wide margin, so with mature surface operations, I have everywhere but Eve covered with a single vehicle, and a lot of fuel stations. Best of all? Stable both on ascent and descent through thick atmospheres (tested running out of battery on reentry). Oh, and it'll survive an unpowered landing! xD

Rune. I think the reason for the name is obvious... I'll have to make it RTG-powered, too.

That reminds me of the phoenix VTOL SSTO. I remember it from the book Fallen Angels by Niven and Pournelle.

[Yukon0009]

lost a lot of crafts today (and yesterday).

Thankfully I had the sense to back up most of the unreleased crafts, but still a lot of good ones that took a long time to build are gone.

[Majorjim!]

lost a lot of crafts today (and yesterday).

Thankfully I had the sense to back up most of the unreleased crafts, but still a lot of good ones that took a long time to build are gone.

Ouch. What happened? I have my old save backed up. I haven't opened it for ages. There are so many craft in there it takes an aeon to load..

Did your HDD fail?

[Yukon0009]

No, still not sure what happened, but at least I have backups.

[Guest]

VTOL Dogfighter/Bomber

[Spartwo]

Twice the engines needed to lift-off, 1 ton heavier, and 60% less D/V.

Oh 1.0, You never cease to irritate me.

[Guest]

http://i.imgur.com/6nBT3Bv.png

Twice the engines needed to lift-off, 1 ton heavier, and 60% less D/V.

Oh 1.0, You never cease to irritate me.

Why use rapier? Turbojet are lighter and have more stationary trust.

Try removing as many dead weight as possible including engines

Check my Whirlwind VTOL in preview: https://www./?sgci7aq4kbx42f5

I'll make a proper combo thread when both version are ready (atmospheric VTOL/dogfight and SSTO/lander)

Feedback welcome.

Edited July 24, 2015 by RevanCorana

[Spartwo]

Because it is an ssto and despite having a higher thrust I still need 2 to get off the ground for either.

[Guest]

Because it is an ssto and despite having a higher thrust I still need 2 to get off the ground for either.

You can't SSTO with vertical thrust anymore due to drag applying directional forces

[Spartwo]

It isn't supposed to and never has.