Kerbodyne SSTO Division: Omnibus Thread

[Wanderfound]

BTW: an example of the fun you can have when you combine Spaceplane Plus with Raster Prop Monitor.

Yes, those screens all work; they ain't just decorative. Including the camera feeds.

Hyomoto's MFD is also worth getting to make the interface a bit more user-friendly.

Edited September 13, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Wingblaze]

You made that for me, didn't you....

[Wanderfound]

You made that for me, didn't you....

A bit.

Not entirely, though. If you dig back through the thread, you'll see that "your planes aren't quite as easy to fly as you seem to think they are" is a bit of a recurring theme. And Pecan has me working on a project to make demonstration spaceplanes at each stage of the career game tech progression; hence the restriction to tier 5 parts.

(and, just in case it wasn't clear, the accompanying "advertising" text is for comedy value; not intending to slight anyone)

The conventional non-turbo jet limits it to a ceiling of 20,000m and a top speed of just over Mach 1, but that's more than enough to get some practice in. Anything above that is mostly just a matter of flying as smooth and straight as possible, anyway; even top-notch fighter jets have to slow down if they want to dogfight without shattering their airframes.

And it is extremely fun to fly.

[Wingblaze]

(and, just in case it wasn't clear, the accompanying "advertising" text is for comedy value; not intending to slight anyone)

Oh, no offense taken at all - I'm *all* about the funny, and the flavor text is funny. It's made me want to brand my creations.

[Wanderfound]

Spent enough time playing around with the Evangelist? Think you're ready to move up to a proper spaceplane? Dad still won't let you borrow the keys to his Goblin?

You need a Kerbodyne Graduate. Affordable, simple technology (nothing above tier 7) that is still plenty cool enough to show off in the university parking lot. Why settle for taking your date to Blueberry Hill when you could show them the stars instead?

(note: Kerbodyne accepts no responsibility for piloting errors induced by attempting to stuff two Kerbals into a single-seat spaceplane)

Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/scjhnok4elpl9tw/Kerbodyne%20Graduate.craft?dl=0

No mods required. Intended for FAR/NEAR, but might work in stock.

Edited September 9, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Wanderfound]

Were you disgusted when you realised that there were ordinary people flying the same plane you were? Do you want to prove to everyone on campus that your Daddy has more money than theirs does? Do you enjoy knowing that everyone around you thinks that you're a hyper-privileged twit?

Then you need a Kerbodyne Princeling. Just like the Graduate, but better.

Now with extra vectored thrust capability to help obscure the fact that you're not as good a pilot as you pretend to be.

Extra-zoomy.

Sir Kerb-A-Lot would approve.

Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/xrjclv9p6q98qgc/Kerbodyne%20Princeling.craft?dl=0

All stock; parts up to tier 8 used. Designed for FAR/NEAR.

Edited September 9, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Wanderfound]

Incidentally, swap out the standard jet for a turbo on the Evangelist and it turns into quite a quick plane:

Just the thing for doing Fine Print aerial surveys.

Got the aerodynamics damned near perfect, too; just one trivial niggle in the yaw/roll relationship that I can't quite eliminate.

[Wanderfound]

Something to keep in mind next time you hear the claim that Ferram makes aircraft too fragile:

It's not the plane, it's the piloting.

[Jovus]

Nice, Wanderfound. This is actually extremely apropos for a new piloting challenge I thought up, which you'll perhaps see in a moment.

Incidentally, I made my first orbit-capable spaceplane recently. It was a mess that wasn't able to actually complete the mission, but it did get to space and back in one piece. (It was a heavy cargo plane, but once I got it into LKO I realized that the docking port was unusable.)

[Wanderfound]

Incidentally, I made my first orbit-capable spaceplane recently.

Woo!

It was a mess that wasn't able to actually complete the mission, but it did get to space and back in one piece. (It was a heavy cargo plane, but once I got it into LKO I realized that the docking port was unusable.)

Happens to all of us. I spent nearly a month getting a fuel station and lander into orbit around Duna only to realise at the last moment that I'd put them into perfectly matched orbits...travelling in opposite directions.

I'm seriously tempted to vanish some of my old designs down the memory hole. I was hugely proud of the D7 when I first got it working, but now it's just embarrassing. Still, it was fun at the time.

[Wanderfound]

Just saw your "operational ceiling" post, BTW. Are you still getting high altitude supersonic nose tuck problems? There are an assortment of both design and piloting tricks to deal with that.

[Jovus]

Nope. I solved it with moar engines and a bit of design fiddling.

[Wanderfound]

Nope. I solved it with moar engines and a bit of design fiddling.

In thrust we trust.

[Wanderfound]

Now available: the Kerbodyne Evangelist II.

Even easier to fly than the original. Thanks to Tetryds for assistance with the final aerodynamic tune.

Craft file available at https://www.dropbox.com/s/5l3go4mgfrz2egj/Kerbodyne%20Evangelist%20II.craft?dl=0

Designed for FAR, but no mods required. Optional paintjob by Kerbpaint.

[Wanderfound]

Also available: Kerbodyne Evangelist II TJ.

Same polished aerodynamics as the base plane, but with three times the fuel and five times the speed.

Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/j22zzgpzhil9ksd/Kerbodyne%20Evangelist%20II%20TJ.craft?dl=0

[Wanderfound]

Do you want a very fast, very economical spaceplane that can pretty much fly itself to orbit? Would it be a bonus if it were also capable of utterly ridiculous aerobatic nonsense? Would it be even better if it came with the vectored thrust capability to maintain that aerobatic ability even at the edge of space?

You want a Kerbodyne Spacebat.

Very fast, very silly, very fun.

Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/vksybewqpndi7u5/Kerbodyne%20Spacebat.craft?dl=0

Designed for FAR. Requires Spaceplane Plus for bodywork and Firespitter for landing gear. Optional paintjob by Kerbpaint.

[peachoftree]

How do you get kerbaint to work with spaceplane plus? I don't see its parts anywhere in the module manager file it came with.

[Wanderfound]

How do you get kerbaint to work with spaceplane plus? I don't see its parts anywhere in the module manager file it came with.

See http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/50008-0-23-KerbPaint-Paint-layering-for-parts-(September-23rd)-(Same-Old-Still-Works!)/page37?p=1343276#post1343276

[Wingblaze]

So I've been goofing around as time permits with these fine planes. Invariably problems are more about the pilot than the vessel. I've had a stunning amount of success (for me) with the Epinephrine and managed to successfully land it several times. What would you say the Epinephrine is best suited for?

Also, given the wide selection, I'm curious what you feel the best tool for the job is. All of them should have an implied priority of 'relatively easy to fly'.

1. Rescue SSTO spaceplane: Something to go do the rescue contracts with.

2. Go to the mun for science - obviously some VTOL ability is needed to land/take off (Longreach?)

3. Go to minmus for science - as above. (Longreach again?)

4. Probe deployer - something to go to orbit or mun/minmus and leave a probe behind. (Heck how would you even do that? I mean how do you get it out of the cargo hold)

Thank you again Wanderfound. I have managed to leave FAR installed so far. Of course I haven't tried a rocket since I put it in...

[Wanderfound]

So I've been goofing around as time permits with these fine planes. Invariably problems are more about the pilot than the vessel. I've had a stunning amount of success (for me) with the Epinephrine and managed to successfully land it several times. What would you say the Epinephrine is best suited for?

Also, given the wide selection, I'm curious what you feel the best tool for the job is. All of them should have an implied priority of 'relatively easy to fly'.

1. Rescue SSTO spaceplane: Something to go do the rescue contracts with.

2. Go to the mun for science - obviously some VTOL ability is needed to land/take off (Longreach?)

3. Go to minmus for science - as above. (Longreach again?)

4. Probe deployer - something to go to orbit or mun/minmus and leave a probe behind. (Heck how would you even do that? I mean how do you get it out of the cargo hold)

Thank you again Wanderfound. I have managed to leave FAR installed so far. Of course I haven't tried a rocket since I put it in...

Epinephrine was designed as an all-rounder. Sirine was running a spaceplane design contest; I asked if the voters were looking for speed, looks, cargo capacity or long range, and the first person to reply to that said "yes".

So, I made something fast, pretty and long-ranged that could lift 20t of cargo to orbit. It should do the job for middle-weight cargo delivery to any of the easier planets. You can increase its already-substantial range by refuelling in Low Kerbin Orbit and/or stuffing the cargo bay with fuel tanks (or changing the bays to normal LF/O fuselage sections; you may need to adjust the wing position to compensate for any weight shifting, though).

Or you could pack the bay with several satellites or a long-range probe; you can boost your probes' range substantially if you use the Epinephrine to boost it to Kerbin escape velocity before deploying it. Or, if you can be bothered loading the passengers manually, you could also stick a dozen or more command chairs into the cargo bay for passengers. Or just swap the bay entirely for proper passenger pods.

Keep the RAPIERs off and rely on the Aerospikes alone once you leave atmosphere; they have better fuel efficiency.

Longreach can do KSC -> Minmus Ice Flats -> KSC without a refuel. It can probably do the Mun as well, but that's harder; the higher gravity means you'll probably waste more fuel on the VTOL landing, and good flat landing spots are hard to find. It's a good idea to refuel in LKO if you're planning on landing on the Mun, for peace of mind if nothing else. You don't want to worry about running low on fuel while you're hunting for a landing spot; Neil Armstrong learnt that lesson. The Apollo lander was down to a few seconds spare when it finally touched down.

The easiest to fly is Evangelist II, of course, followed by Evangelist II TJ.

As for the mission specialists...

1) Anything with an SP+ two-seater cockpit. Kick out the co-pilot before you go, and use his seat for the rescue. Goblin is probably the most fun, and certainly the quickest; de Minimus would be a lot more sensible and cheaper to run, though. Alternately, take one Evangelist II TJ, swap the two rear tanks for an FLT-800, change the turbojet to a RAPIER, stick a probe core in there somewhere and fly it up as an unmanned drone.

2/3/4) Longreach will do fine at any of these jobs, but the one I'd recommend isn't actually here yet: it'd be the newly-designed Kerbodyne Dairyman. I'll post it here in a minute or two. It can do multiple satellite deployments around the Mun or Minmus without a refuel, carry a substantial science payload wherever you feel like, and do Mun/Minmus landings with a LKO refuel. To get the probes out of the cargo hold, just decouple or undock the probe, then RCS the plane downwards for a second. Do it right and it'll come out clean, but even if it doesn't, a bit of bumping usually doesn't hurt them.

Glad to hear that you're having fun.

Edited September 18, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Wanderfound]

Our newest all-purpose light cargo spaceplane: the Kerbodyne Dairyman. Going cheap; end-of-update Hypetrain runout sale now on.

Sharp and sleek modern aesthetics.

Fully-featured, with enough capacity for one large or multiple small satellites or probes (three RCS-powered thermometer probes shown here as a demonstration).

Advanced cockpit displays highly suited to IVA flying (full IVA functionality requires RPM; cameras not included on the version presented here).

Aerodynamic analyses

Exceptional weight balance both wet and dry, centred on the cargo bay to avoid disruption by payload mass. 123 kN of low-G VTOL thrust. Nose Vernors for emergency stall recovery.

Aerodynamically sound across the full speed range (data presented for 5° AoA for all speeds up to Mach 6). Blue line equals lift: high is good. Red line equals drag; low is good. Yellow line equals instability/manoeuvrability: <0 (but not by too much) is good. Green line is lift divided by drag; high is good.

Smooth handling at a wide range of angles of attack throughout the supersonic range (data shows 0-15° AoA at Mach 3). Line colours on the figure follow the same key as above. While the yellow line is trending downwards with increasing AoA, the plane is self-stabilising in pitch; it will naturally tend to return to level once you stop forcing it to climb or dive. This ability fades as the yellow line inflects up, giving a plane that will hold pitch if no inputs are given. Once it goes positive (above zero, not just trending up) you get active pitch instability: any pitch deviation will naturally tend to increase unless controlled by elevator deflection.

Easy takeoffs at moderate speeds (data demonstrates liftoff with <6° AoA at <110m/s, shown in the "level flight" section on the right).

Superbly polished aerodynamics even at hypersonic speeds (data portrays Mach 6 stability in slippery high altitude densities). The derivative figures at the bottom are the focus here; green is good, white is adequate, red is bad.

Tech Specs:

Price: √80,947

Weight: 37.526t wet, 13.626t dry.

Part count: 99

Action group key:

1: Toggle RAPIERS

2: Switch RAPIER modes

3: Toggle Aerospikes

4: Toggle intakes

5: Reduce flap deflection

6: Increase flap deflection

7: Engage docking mode

8: Open and illuminate cargo bay

9: Trigger spoilers

10: Toggle Vernors

Flight Instructions:

* Designed for express, long-range delivery to orbit.

* Capable of placing half a dozen satellites into a variety of Munar orbits in a single un-refuelled trip.

* Suitable for interplanetary delivery given an orbital refuel.

* Takes off easily on air-breathing RAPIER power alone with the flaps set to deflection 2 (as they start by default). Raise flaps immediately post takeoff and keep them up until final landing approach. Use spoilers to control descent rate during landing.

* Tailstrike hazard on takeoff easily avoided by sensible piloting.

* Designed to be flown with SAS engaged at all times.

* Set pitch between 10 and 20 degrees post-takeoff according to personal preference. Either hold that pitch until orbit, or level off and build speed at 20,000m in order to maximise fuel efficiency.

* Keep the Vernors toggled off unless needed. Docking RCS is balanced with Vernors off.

* Close intakes and activate Aerospikes once the RAPIERs switch to closed cycle.

* Use Aerospike propulsion alone once in orbit to maximise fuel efficiency.

* For the mod-heavy Wanderfound IVA Custom Special edition, add IVA cameras to the nose (for flight), the service compartment (for docking) and the cargo bay (for satellite deployment). Use Raster Prop Monitor and Hyomoto's MFD to activate the cabin display screens. IVA screen displays combine very nicely with Scansat. Stick a Mechjeb unit in the service compartment for cruise control, flight data and autopilot. Use Kerbal Aviation Lights on nose/tail/wingtips for general visibility, and a couple of flashing beacon lights around the cargo bay, linked to toggle on when the doors open. Find room for a pair of action groups triggering "set trim to inputs" and "clear trim" via the Extended Trim mod. Works very well as a Fine Print satellite deployment ship.

Craft file available at https://www.dropbox.com/s/a1f5o3fv3w5w3cc/Kerbodyne%20Dairyman%20CE.craft?dl=0

Requires Spaceplane Plus. Optional paintjob by Kerbpaint.

Edited September 18, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Samniss Arandeen]

Since you're the SSTO expert around here, I figured this would be the perfect place to ask you for help~

I use Kerbal Attachment System, Spaceplanes Plus, FAR, Deadly Reentry, KW Rocketry and Universal Storage. I'm trying to build an SSTO that can reach a 300x300 km orbit at least, taking two pilots plus a four-man crew rotation and two large externally accessible KAS boxes to a station to dock to it, but all my attempts can't even get off the runway. I respectfully request you take a crack at this craft.

[Wanderfound]

Since you're the SSTO expert around here, I figured this would be the perfect place to ask you for help~

I use Kerbal Attachment System, Spaceplanes Plus, FAR, Deadly Reentry, KW Rocketry and Universal Storage. I'm trying to build an SSTO that can reach a 300x300 km orbit at least, taking two pilots plus a four-man crew rotation and two large externally accessible KAS boxes to a station to dock to it, but all my attempts can't even get off the runway. I respectfully request you take a crack at this craft.

Here y'go; the Kerbodyne Jackaroo.

I don't use KAS myself, so I just picked two of what looked like the largest KAS boxes in the list. Let me know if there's anything you'd like altered.

Action group key:

1: Toggle RAPIERs

2: Toggle Aerospikes

3: Switch RAPIER modes

4: Toggle intakes

5: Toggle spoilers

6: Toggle docking port

7: Toggle service compartment and solar panels

8: Toggle cargo bay

9: Toggle Vernors

10: Trigger scientific instruments

I aimed to make it user-friendly and loaded with as many useful tricks as I could think of.

* The rearmost gear serve as tailstrike guards.

* The green gear lights reduce reflection glare during nighttime landings.

* Both the service compartment and cargo bay have lights hooked to the door toggle.

* There's a full scientific payload, all triggered by a single action group.

* Ladders up back for the passengers. The pilots can board from there, walking along the top of the fuselage to their cabin.

* There's a drone core for pilot-free operation. The battery on the core is locked off as an emergency power reserve, just in case you forget to deploy the solar panels.

* The spoilers allow you to control sink rate during landing while keeping the nose level.

* Fuel should drain from the rear lateral tanks first, then front to rear on the core; this will keep the CoM stable throughout flight.

* The stabilising Vernors are completely unnecessary unless you mess up your piloting. If you do, flick them on momentarily and they'll help you get the nose back to prograde. Keep them off otherwise to save fuel. Make sure to toggle them off and retract the solar panels before docking.

Easy, kerbal-proof takeoffs so long as you don't immediately slam the nose to vertical.

Set the pitch to whatever you like for the initial ascent; about 20 to 30° is probably best.

Stable enough for hands-off piloting, even under maximum time acceleration. Do keep an eye on it if you do this, though; cut back down to 1x time if it starts to wobble.

Pull the nose down and minimise angle of attack once you pass 20,000m in order to build speed.

Self-throttling RAPIERs maintain air breathing operation even after the air runs thin.

Once they do switch to closed cycle, shut the intakes and engage the Aerospikes. Shut down the engines and point the nose prograde once the apoapsis breaks 70,000m; use the Aerospikes alone to circularise in order to save fuel.

300 x 300 orbit as requested, plenty of gas left in the tanks.

Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/a05exjy6w9h1jpd/Kerbodyne%20Jackaroo.craft?dl=0

Requires SP+ and KAS (payload only, easily removable). As usual, Kerbpaint optional.

Edited September 19, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Red Iron Crown]

Beyond the craft themselves (which are great), you have a real talent for coming up with interesting names for them, Wanderfound.

[Wanderfound]

Beyond the craft themselves (which are great), you have a real talent for coming up with interesting names for them, Wanderfound.

There usually is some underlying logic to it, although it may not always be immediately obvious.

The Dairyman was built for doing "milk runs" to the Mun; the Epinephrine was a reference to my neuroscientist background, and something I found exciting to fly (Adrenaline would've been too obvious); the Jackaroo was built as a light utility vehicle ("Jackaroo" is pretty much Australian for "Cowboy"; it's also the name of a medium size Holden off-road car). Evangelist was built to encourage people to give FAR a try; Benchmark was to provide a "control" plane to give piloting challenges an equal basis.

Migration is fairly obvious, as are Munacy and Dementia. Komet was inspired by the Me-163. Pteranodon was the ridiculously oversized follow-up to the alarmingly fast Velociraptor. Porklifter was named in honour of Porkjet, of course, and also reflects its ridiculous heavy-lift ability. The de Minimus started from "can I build a good one with only one engine?", Longreach is obvious (it's also the name of an outback town in western Queensland), Albatross has long wings, Pacifist isn't terribly subtle, Graduate and Princeling are the follow-ups to Evangelist, Spacebat was developed out of a failed atmospheric plane named Flying Fox (which is a type of large Australian fruitbat).

Expect some avian-themed things with red/white paintjobs in the near future, BTW: my footy team (the Sydney Swans) are currently beating the hell out of their semi-final opponents. Strong favourites to take the flag again.

Edited September 19, 2014 by Wanderfound