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

[Spartwo]

Progress on the Sabre mk3-B is going well.

VTOL takeoff and landing.

Pass

Horizontal takeoff and landing.

Pass

VAB landing.

Pass(but recommended only on Lathe or with empty rocket tanks)

SSTO capable.

In progress

EDIT:SSTO results..

Craft pitches up in high atmo due to unbalanced COM.Additional SAS unit fitted above VTOL engines as well as rcs tank being fitted above cockpit as opposed to below.Test #2 will hopefully have more stable ascent.

Test 2 will be under simulated Lathe gravity.

Edited January 19, 2014 by Spartwo

[The Error]

Cool shipyard. Very sci fi.

As for the lit issue, maybe reduce to 2 or 1 per rib, I find the floodlights are exactly what they say they are.

[Woopert]

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

I think that counts as work in progress. I'm still in the process of deciding how many big reds are enough, and frankly, lifting them one by one is getting a tad tedious. I may re-develop a Nova again to cut launches in half. It's a Grand Tour mothership, with a Tylo-rated lander and a couple of SSTOs to collect the science. So far, I estimate it will be a great improvement part-wise compared to its earlier versions, at about ~600 parts for the finished behemoth (I plan on putting 17 tanks there!). I hope that's enough delta-v

Rune. The great part is, it's short of rated for wherever you want to take her, just put tanks and drive pods accordingly.

That looks sweet. Which one is the Tylo lander?

[Rune]

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

I think that counts as work in progress. I'm still in the process of deciding how many big reds are enough, and frankly, lifting them one by one is getting a tad tedious. I may re-develop a Nova again to cut launches in half. It's a Grand Tour mothership, with a Tylo-rated lander and a couple of SSTOs to collect the science. So far, I estimate it will be a great improvement part-wise compared to its earlier versions, at about ~600 parts for the finished behemoth (I plan on putting 17 tanks there!). I hope that's enough delta-v

Rune. The great part is, it's short of rated for wherever you want to take her, just put tanks and drive pods accordingly.

Ok, I've run some numbers on a txt on the thing to decide on a final configuration for my trip, since Kerbal engineer is pretty confused at this point in the build. I have no idea the delta-v I'm going to actually use, and I plan on dropping additional supplies at least at Eve (with the, I imagine, humongous lander I've yet to design), so I guess I'll just go for the sexiest. And I swear I hadn't worked it out this way:

Delta-V's without dropping tanks:

High T/W configuration (5xTanks - 8xDrive pods, 308.64mT): 5734m/s

Short range configuration (5xTanks - 4xDrive pods, 294.24mT): 6158m/s

Right now configuration (7xTanks - 4xDrive pods, 367.24mT): 7388m/s

Design configuration (9xTanks - 8xDrive pods, 454.64mT): 7876m/s (MR ~e, 625parts exactly)

Fully laden configuration (17xTanks - 12xDrive pods, 761.4mT): 9836m/s

I got it to hit the "perfect" mass ratio, with a nice (and round!) number of parts my computer can actually run! I'm having a "I am a KSP god" moment here, and it's totally undeserved.

That looks sweet. Which one is the Tylo lander?

Thanks! The Hermes is at the back, dangling at the end of the stack, opposite the heatshield where it can actually help with T/W with its engines if the docking port holds (which I doubt, honestly), and it is the tiny thing where most of the clipping is going on. I just couldn't get them to look not awful any other way ^^'.

Rune. BTW, does anyone have a Grand Tour delta-v budget?

Edited January 19, 2014 by Rune

[Captain Sierra]

Cool shipyard. Very sci fi.

As for the lit issue, maybe reduce to 2 or 1 per rib, I find the floodlights are exactly what they say they are.

Thx. I think I can safely get rid of the lights that would be illuminating the top portion of the docked ship. After all, that area is gonna be innaccessible for docking so the side and underside lighting should be good, it will just look slightly less cool.

[MK3424]

I'm currently developing the machinery that are portrayed in the novel 'Voyage' by Stephen Baxter:

Currently developing the Ares propulsion stack:

229 parts at launch (except for the added 8 launch clamps), laptop manages to hold it with flickering between realtime and simtime.

The space craft in orbit:

It just barely made it into orbit with almost all tanks empty for weight reduction.

It has a small docking port at the back for fuel deliveries (according to the novel it took 9 modified saturn-VB's to fuel it up!).

This is the booster that will take our brave kerbonauts to Duna and back.

Also developing is the refuel rocket (design might change)

Edited January 20, 2014 by MK3424

[Giggleplex777]

When do we get those MPCV's?

I might be releasing the "Lite+" version soon.

A list of its features:

- 2.5 stage LV

- 1500 m/s of delta-v in the Service Module

- LES tower

- Secondary propulsion system (may be used for in orbit aborts, powered landings, etc.) This is part of the capsule.

- Two abort modes

- Capsule landing struts

- Capsule RCS system

- Backup parachute

- Docking light

- Probe cores in the capsule and the service module.

- Service Module and Crew Capsule have their own control, propulsion, and electrical systems, allowing them to function independently.

- Debris-free

Edited January 20, 2014 by Giggleplex777

[Rune]

I got the Argos finished and loaded! Yay!

Aaand still, now ideas keep creeping in. The Grand Tour architecture is more or less completed, but now I'm thinking the mothership is perfect to repurpose as cargo ship for general interplanetray travel. Which means I have to redesign all my base pack (the other big WiP at the moment) in chunks that can take the place of an orange tank, and a skycrane that can lift them to/from orbit, dock them, and share the ride. I'm thinking the skycrane takes the place of the Tylo lander, and the cargoes the place of the rear big reds, and I can drop enough modules for a respectable base and a deploy system in a single massive flight. Now to just work out how can I pack in there this:

Rune. This may work out great... or not. But I think it's inspired.

[GusTurbo]

Wow, what's the total mass and part count of that ship fully-assembled? It looks great.

[Rune]

Wow, what's the total mass and part count of that ship fully-assembled? It looks great.

Mass 472.42mT, part count only 528, which is more than a bit surprising considering it consists of no less than 11 individual modules assembled together... plus the eight drive pods and the three landers attached to the basic structure. Delta-v is something like 7.3km/s in that configuration, which I know, is overkill for most things, and that is without considering you can drop empty tanks and drive pods as you use them. Which is why I'm seeing about converting it into a heavy transport. But yeah, I also think it looks majestic, and the best thing is the useless part-intensive heatshield

So far it seems I'm going to be able to pack at least two "node+hab+construction rover" packages on each flight, and the "silo tanks" are a straight big-red-for-big-red conversion, I might even modify them to take the place of the usual drop tanks. The pressurized rover and the lab module took a bit more thinking, but I think I have the package set now. What I'm having problems with is designing the skycrane that can take any one of those, and drop it on any one planet, then go up again to orbit to pick another one. Sounds way simpler than it looks, considering some modules have to be dropped vertically, and others horizontally, on places with and without atmosphere that you may or may not use on jet engines, and with varying gravity.

Rune. Sound like FUN! Oh dear...

Edited January 23, 2014 by Rune

[Giggleplex777]

I'm also working on a Jool grand tour ship, albeit on the small side. It's consisted of four parts: Multipurpose Lander/main propulsion system, Fuel tank/ Habitat Module, Layther SSTO, and Crew return capsule. So far, I have the most complex components completed (the Multipurpose Lander and the LSSTO), and the construction of the other modules will resume when I have time.

Multipurpose Lander:

For landing on Tylo, Call, Bop, and maybe Pol (the Crew Return Pod could probably to this), as well as being the main engine for the mother ship.

Layther SSTO:

It will be left in orbit after being used for landing. It can land and takeoff twice, so I might use it as a Laythe ferry for future missions.

[Ravenchant]

Layther SSTO:

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

I like the external seat. Very Kerbal.

[Rune]

I'm also working on a Jool grand tour ship, albeit on the small side. It's consisted of four parts: Multipurpose Lander/main propulsion system, Fuel tank/ Habitat Module, Layther SSTO, and Crew return capsule. So far, I have the most complex components completed (the Multipurpose Lander and the LSSTO), and the construction of the other modules will resume when I have time.

Multipurpose Lander:

http://i.imgur.com/Kew4Mw8.png

For landing on Tylo, Call, Bop, and maybe Pol (the Crew Return Pod could probably to this), as well as being the main engine for the mother ship.

Layther SSTO:

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

It will be left in orbit after being used for landing. It can land and takeoff twice, so I might use it as a Laythe ferry for future missions.

Oh, it's not just for the Joolian system. After dropping like half its mass and payload at that system, I plan to swing by Eeloo on the way to Duna (handy aerobrake there), then carry on to Eve with a stop at Dres if the fuel looks good, to pick up the extra fuel load to do Moho and rendezvous with the Eve lander I just wasn't going to carry around half the system. The upper stage of the Tylo lander stays as universal lander, the SSTO's get ditched at Duna when we run out of planets planes can take off from (which is why they only have rocket fuel tanks: filled to the brim, they are Duna capable rocketplanes). This thing is going to go all the way, baby! Eventually. If save incompatibility doesn't make me switch saves again. Imagine what it'll look like to have a surface sample of every rock on the kerbol system in the same ship?

Rune. Fat chance of that happening. I wonder how far I'll get this time.

[Cupcake...]

I got the Argos finished and loaded! Yay!

http://i.imgur.com/0xrR6dz.png

Aaand still, now ideas keep creeping in. The Grand Tour architecture is more or less completed, but now I'm thinking the mothership is perfect to repurpose as cargo ship for general interplanetray travel. Which means I have to redesign all my base pack (the other big WiP at the moment) in chunks that can take the place of an orange tank, and a skycrane that can lift them to/from orbit, dock them, and share the ride. I'm thinking the skycrane takes the place of the Tylo lander, and the cargoes the place of the rear big reds, and I can drop enough modules for a respectable base and a deploy system in a single massive flight. Now to just work out how can I pack in there this:

http://i.imgur.com/Yf4KzNo.png

Rune. This may work out great... or not. But I think it's inspired.

By jove you have been busy! You're making me feel very lazy indeed...

Cupcake...

[Rune]

By jove you have been busy! You're making me feel very lazy indeed...

Cupcake...

Yeah, and for the skycrane to drop the base modules, I think I'm going to pilfer your best ideas freely, because what I need is basically one of your dropships, but with a boopload of clearance and a bit oversized (I'm guesstimating about 6 turbojets to get VTOL on Kerbin and Laythe).

Edit: this thing will need a lot of work to get working properly, and it's always going to be hell to take to orbit from kerbin (best run I made 2,135m/s at 50kms... almost!), but I think I'm getting there. Now I just have to solve some stability issues... as soon as I find what's causing them ^^' It's cool this thing of reporting on a build!

At least it works at dropping the modules... I suppose I could find another way to get them into orbit, but I really want this to work!

Edit #2: Makes orbit with the heaviest load it'll have to take. Now to assemble the package and make sure it wasn't a fluke! That'll take time.

Rune. There are reasons it's taking me forever to re-make R-SUV. I started on 0.22... ^^'

Edited January 24, 2014 by Rune

[Giggleplex777]

Oh, it's not just for the Joolian system. After dropping like half its mass and payload at that system, I plan to swing by Eeloo on the way to Duna (handy aerobrake there), then carry on to Eve with a stop at Dres if the fuel looks good, to pick up the extra fuel load to do Moho and rendezvous with the Eve lander I just wasn't going to carry around half the system. The upper stage of the Tylo lander stays as universal lander, the SSTO's get ditched at Duna when we run out of planets planes can take off from (which is why they only have rocket fuel tanks: filled to the brim, they are Duna capable rocketplanes). This thing is going to go all the way, baby! Eventually. If save incompatibility doesn't make me switch saves again. Imagine what it'll look like to have a surface sample of every rock on the kerbol system in the same ship?

Rune. Fat chance of that happening. I wonder how far I'll get this time.

Even if I could build a Kerbol grand tour ship, I wouldn't have the patience to fly it.

Come to think about it though, the lander can land and takeoff from every body except for Eve, and I have a 165 ton lifter at my disposal...

[Woopert]

Even if I could build a Kerbol grand tour ship, I wouldn't have the patience to fly it.

Come to think about it though, the lander can land and takeoff from every body except for Eve, and I have a 165 ton lifter at my disposal...

I totally get that, I've been doing a lot of interplanetary travel in career mode and it takes so much time. Cruising through deep space and all the midcourse corrections are tiring (but rewarding in the end).

About WIP, I'm going to be posting some stuff/things soon hopefully, nothing as impressive as a Grand Tour ship though.

[GusTurbo]

I've got a new shuttle in progress with Skippers as the SSMEs. Not very original, but should be interesting.

[Cupcake...]

Yeah, and for the skycrane to drop the base modules, I think I'm going to pilfer your best ideas freely, because what I need is basically one of your dropships, but with a boopload of clearance and a bit oversized (I'm guesstimating about 6 turbojets to get VTOL on Kerbin and Laythe).

Edit: this thing will need a lot of work to get working properly, and it's always going to be hell to take to orbit from kerbin (best run I made 2,135m/s at 50kms... almost!), but I think I'm getting there. Now I just have to solve some stability issues... as soon as I find what's causing them ^^' It's cool this thing of reporting on a build!

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

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

At least it works at dropping the modules... I suppose I could find another way to get them into orbit, but I really want this to work!

Edit #2: Makes orbit with the heaviest load it'll have to take. Now to assemble the package and make sure it wasn't a fluke! That'll take time.

Rune. There are reasons it's taking me forever to re-make R-SUV. I started on 0.22... ^^'

Wow, well I hope it comes together, next stop Laythe!

Cupcake...

[NASI Director]

I'm working on a SSTO Light Cargo Plane nicknamed Project Beard (for reasons). I'll have to get some pictures later though. Currently I have a very tight fuel budget and have electricity problems. We'll just have to see where it goes from there though. I'm also thinking about building another version that has extra jet-boosters on the side to help with the TWR and dV problems.

[Spartwo]

I decided to get back on the horse with a broken leg which is the Scythe.

mainly because the Wilhelm has grinded to a halt.

[I_Killed_Jeb]

It always amazes me how people get stuff like this into orbit

[Spartwo]

I sometimes feel like hiring Whackjob to do it:P

[GusTurbo]

My big shuttle WIP. The front end is a mess. It's hard to keep the right shape scaling up to the larger size without a larger cockpit.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Flight testing is a loooong way off.

Edited January 25, 2014 by GusTurbo

[Rune]

Well, part of the WIP I presented here is finished enough for release. Now for the much more complicated build inspired by this one! Check out the thread!

Gus, that shuttle doesn't look half bad. But yeah, the cockpit is the part that needs some love. If I were you, I would look into Rovemate rover bodies. If you can turn on surface attachment with editor tools they are easy to place without struts, and you can do awesome profiles with them in a somewhat light manner. They even provide some electric charge so you don't need batteries...

And Giggleplex, I also don't think I will have the patience to fly it... but the fun is failing at it, right? And I won't know until I try! Besides, I sense yo are getting the bug of trying yourself...

Rune. I wouldn't have come up with it if I hadn't seen stuff here that I thought I could never do myself.

Edited January 25, 2014 by Rune
important typo!