Kerbodyne SSTO Division: Omnibus Thread

[davidpsummers]

BTW, I read that jets should flame out at 0.05 intake air/engine. But I've had the engine run when the resources panel reads 0.

[davidpsummers]

Stock. I've read the posts. I guess the question arises because my first and second attempt didn't have enough power an lift and making it smaller was how I got to something that worked. So going bigger will put me in the same boat again. Maybe I just need to put together more fuel tanks and simply keep strapping on lift an power until it works other than "it doesn't make it"?

Also, I have the basic approach to piloting down. But I have seen any tips on things like, for example, how to judge whether it is most efficient to push speed at, say, 22,000 m or let it climb a bit more before pushing speed.

Or, to put it another way, I just failed to make orbit after making it 3 times. Things seemed to go more smoothly, so I'm not sure why I didn't make it.

[Red Iron Crown]

BTW, I read that jets should flame out at 0.05 intake air/engine. But I've had the engine run when the resources panel reads 0.

The intake air readout there will read very differently depending on the order in which parts are placed. Safest to ignore it and pay attention to the thrust being delivered by the engines.

[Wanderfound]

99% of my Kerbalage is with FAR, so I'm not as much use for stock aero.

Basically, for stock air, throw all considerations of realistically sensible design out the window. You can make almost anything fly in stock:

However, the ease of stock air flying drops off sharply with size. The main flaw of stock is that it applies mass-based drag to every part, regardless of position or orientation. So, every part you add to a stock plane increases drag, no matter where you put it.

So, that is stock lesson #1: minimise your part count. If you want to make big stuff, try to do it with "bigger" instead of "more" as much as possible. Big stuff is still possible in stock, but it is difficult, and often relies upon part-spamming clipping trickery.

For piloting, barring the influence of things like Deadly Reentry, faster is always better. Ideally, you want to work out a flight profile that sees your air-breathing flight hit maximum speed and maximum altitude simultaneously.

For both FAR and stock, I recommend this experiment: build a small, basic single-turbojet plane, and try to figure out what its top speed and flight ceiling is. Just take it up as high and fast as you can, and fiddle about to see if anything you do can increase those numbers. It should teach you a fair bit about the influence of piloting on performance.

Edited October 17, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Wanderfound]

Need a solid workhorse to get those Fine Print satellite deployment contracts done? Tired of having to stop and refuel in orbit all the time? Need something with the range to go direct from KSC to Kerbostationary Orbit? Or to use as an interplanetary science explorer if you do refuel it?

Meet the Kerbodyne Nova. Combined jet/rocket/nuclear propulsion renders fine performance and exceptional fuel efficiency. Ride the jets to Mach 5 and 30,000m, flick the RAPIERs to oxidising for a few seconds to kick you into the hypersonic then ride the nuke all the way to orbit. Keep the Vernors on above 30,000m for stability; toggle off the monoprop RCS while doing so.

Officially endorsed by the L.R.M.A.C.P. (League of Radioactive Mutants Against Carbon Pollution).

Fine balance.

Clean lines.

Smooth, stall-free performance.

Combines very nicely with RPM.

Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/4tzahlydlj0fynv/Kerbodyne%20Nova.craft?dl=0

Edited October 18, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Wanderfound]

The boys at the Kerbodyne skunkworks have got something good for you.

It's not the fastest ship we've ever built, but in terms of pure aerodynamic polish, this thing is superb. But, despite its thoroughbred lines, the Kerbodyne Gull is no pampered showpony; this is a practical working vehicle, good for aerial delivery of substantial payloads and with wings tough enough to withstand heavy abuse.

Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/j0gikc0x1rq1l3h/Kerbodyne%20Gull%20Utility.craft?dl=0

Also available in crew transport versions, as both a 6-seater light cargo model and a 10-seater kerbalmover.

[Sledge]

Hello,

I just made a login to thank you, Wanderfound, for this thread. I recently decided to take off the KSP aero training wheels and installed NEAR. After doing so, I could neither orbit nor land a spaceplane to save my life. The wings apparently had an ongoing feud with the fuselage and when things got hot, they split I found this thread and started reading and reading and reading. After about three days of lithological disassembly, I built this beastie based on your Velociraptor. It took me that long because I wanted to build it from scratch and work out all the settings myself instead of downloading a .craft file.

It takes off, it orbits, and (with the help of some drogue 'chutes) it lands. Even MechJeb likes it. Thanks for taking the time to post all this stuff

[Wanderfound]

New from our Exploration Range: the Kerbodyne Endeavour.

The efficiency, range and capability to take on a wide variety of environments across the solar system, and the design polish to ensure that your Kerbals will enjoy themselves while doing so.

Triple-mode propulsion.

Effortless takeoffs.

Stable enough for hands-off flight through the sound barrier at high levels of time acceleration.

Use a shallow ascent profile.

Activate the nuke once the RAPIERs start to run out of air...

...and ride the atom all the way 'round. Use the RAPIERs on closed cycle as boosters if desired, but minimising their use will enhance fuel efficiency.

Exceptional runway-to-interplanetary range can be further enhanced through orbital refuelling.

But what has it got in its pocketses?

That looks suspiciously like a munlander to me. As well as a few goo pods, an atmospheric sensor and a couple of RCS tanks.

Equipped with a full suite of scientific equipment.

170kN of well balanced low-grav VTOL.

Exceptionally stable at extreme angles of attack, even at supersonic speeds. Wings reinforced to cope with high-g manoeuvres.

Perfect high altitude dynamics.

Exceptionally easy takeoffs.

Price: √117,025

Weight: 30.272t wet, 15.372t dry

Part count: 104

Action group key:

1: Toggle nuclear rocket.

2: Toggle RAPIERs.

3: Switch RAPIER mode.

5: Toggle intakes.

6: Toggle cargo bay doors.

7: Toggle solar panels.

8: Trigger all science equipment.

9: Toggle monoprop RCS.

0: Toggle Vernors.

Easy handling all the way. Give it the usual 10°-20° ascent slope, build speed to Mach 4.5+ before departing the oxygenated altitudes, activate the nuke as soon as the RAPIERs switch to rocket mode and deactivate the RAPIERs whenever you can while still keeping your apoapsis ahead of you.

The lander has sufficient fuel, but not a lot of slack. You can ease the fuel strain on the lander considerably by removing the bulk of orbital speed with the nuclear rocket on the main craft prior to lander deployment. Stop, drop, burn back up to speed and then switch control to the lander.

Craft file available at https://www.dropbox.com/s/8hnfunulsiswu8y/Kerbodyne%20Endeavour.craft?dl=0

Edited October 20, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Jovus]

Nice! I'll definitely be giving that a spin later. I'm curious, though: does it tend to torque up when out of atmo? I've discovered that large tailplanes can cause my designs to do that due to the extra weight above the thrust vector.

Also I'm curious why you decided to go with gull wings, since I don't think you've done that before. How'd you fiddle them into aerodynamic stability? Was it easy?

[Wanderfound]

Nice! I'll definitely be giving that a spin later. I'm curious, though: does it tend to torque up when out of atmo? I've discovered that large tailplanes can cause my designs to do that due to the extra weight above the thrust vector.

Also I'm curious why you decided to go with gull wings, since I don't think you've done that before. How'd you fiddle them into aerodynamic stability? Was it easy?

You do want to keep the RCS turned on while you're burning in vacuum, but that eliminates the issue entirely and doesn't use much RCS and/or Vernor fuel.

After I've got the basic airframe built, I run a stability analysis at my most important speed and altitude. I usually have most stability trouble at the jet/rocket boundary, so I'll start with temp -20, pressure 0.04 and Mach 5. If that's all green, I'll drop the pressure to 0.02 and, if necessary, 0.01.

Then I grab some of the bits at the extremities (wingtips, tailplanes, canards) and wiggle them about. Shift canards forwards and back, put 5° or 10° of dihedral on a wingtip or tailplane, etc. I re-run the analysis after each move; if the red numbers improve, the change stays, if not, I'll change it back.

Reading the tooltips on the red numbers will give you clues as to which thing you need to change, and after a while you get a feel for it. Dihedral tends to help with roll issues, moar tailfin tends to sort out yaw problems, adding/removing/shuffling about wing surfaces tends to help with pitching issues.

Edited October 22, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Jovus]

Was the gull configuration just for runway clearance, or something else?

[Wanderfound]

Was the gull configuration just for runway clearance, or something else?

High-altitude roll stability.

[Wanderfound]

The first release from Kerbodyne Special Vehicles' XXV model range!

The KSV Whirlwind. Supersonic aerobatic performance with wings tough enough to take it. Orbital capability and extreme atmospheric performance, all in one affordable and easy to fly package.

Self-launching at 120m/s.

Perfect stability at extreme angles of attack, from barely supersonic...

...all the way...

...to hypersonic.

Perfect balance.

Even at the edge of space.

Plenty of grunt when required.

Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/f5e3oredva8vhzf/Kerbodyne%20Whirlwind.craft?dl=0

Edited October 22, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Wingblaze]

Two aerospikes and a turbojet on something the size of a station wagon? That must be... fast.

[Wanderfound]

Two aerospikes and a turbojet on something the size of a station wagon? That must be... fast.

Only about 4g of thrust; ye olde Dementia got about 6g from its KR-2L. It'll hit escape velocity off a single FLT-800 worth of juice, I think.

Stick a drone core on it and it'll make a great express orbital crew retrieval ship.

Edited October 22, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Wanderfound]

BTW, check out the wings/control surface weights on the Whirlwind. I'm starting to experiment with fine-tuning strength to role; tailfins don't need to be as tough as wings etc. There are substantial weight savings to be made.

Edited October 22, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Wanderfound]

Are you sick of always having to fly everywhere? Would you like some ground-based exploration options? Are you looking to get into Fine Print rover waypoint contracts? Well, Kerbodyne SSTO Division has just the vehicle you need.

Come kick the tyres on the new Kerbodyne Bushranger. Just be careful of your toes when you're kicking the rover; those things are solid metal.

The usual easy takeoff behaviour that you can expect from a Kerbodyne design.

Plenty of performance in the air.

Stable enough to fly under maximum time acceleration.

Even at vigorous speed.

Switch to nuclear propulsion as soon as you get above the breathable atmosphere in order to save fuel.

Shallow final ascent trajectory recommended.

A quick docking with a tanker in order to refuel before heading off. Vernors toggled off during this procedure.

And there's our destination: Mun. Time to head off.

Again, use the nuke to save fuel; keep the RAPIERs as an option for when you need a sudden burst of thrust.

After nullifying orbital velocity with the nuke, level out and soften the landing with the VTOL jets.

...and safely down.

Open the bay doors...

...and undock the rover.

Best to roll the mothership away rather than try to drive out from underneath. Don't want Jeb bumping his head on the engines.

...and a-roving we shall go.

So long as the SAS is engaged, this micro-rover is actually surprisingly stable. It is also able to self-right itself with RCS if mishaps occur.

While it is possible to get the rover back in to the bay by using the rover's RCS VTOL ability, it is very fiddly to do. Hopefully Porkjet will be coming out with some loading ramps in the nearish future...

Craft file available at https://www.dropbox.com/s/ebdbdw33cdoi5u6/Kerbodyne%20Bushranger.craft?dl=0

Edited October 27, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Wanderfound]

Do you really, really suck at landing spaceplanes? Does your KSC runway now resemble the Somme battlefield?

Well, Kerbodyne SSTO Division has just the ship you're after: the Kerbodyne Lancer. A shiny new VTOL SSTO with extreme performance and practical cargo lifting ability, as well as a landing protocol so simple that even Bob can manage it.

No need for launch clamps, enough grunt to take off while the engines spool up. Keep the Vernors on until the ship develops enough momentum to maintain direction aerodynamically. Start pulling the nose down towards the horizon immediately post takeoff; aim to have it flying level by 15,000m.

There's not a lot of control surface on this ship; keep the AoA below 10 degrees at all times and toggle the Vernors on if it gets squirrely. Perfectly stable and easy to fly if piloted appropriately.

Landing procedure: begin by opening the parachute bay (action group 8).

Deploy drogues first (action group 9).

After the drogues fully deploy at 500m, deploy main chutes (action group 0).

Give it a momentary puff of throttle on landing to soften the touchdown. Be careful not to completely halt your descent and begin climbing: the chutes will detach if you do.

Craft file download at https://www.dropbox.com/s/ytae5eepzzm0uqu/Kerbodyne%20Lancer.craft?dl=0

Edited October 29, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Red Iron Crown]

That's a bit different from your usual fare, Wanderfound, nice craft!

(Not that your planes aren't nice, too)

[Wanderfound]

That's a bit different from your usual fare, Wanderfound, nice craft!

(Not that your planes aren't nice, too)

It's basically just a Kerbodyne Goblin with shrunken wings and a stretched fuselage.

[Wanderfound]

Want a spaceplane that doesn't look like everyone else's? Want to get those orbital rescue contracts done fast?

You want a Kerbodyne Tigershark. Lightning speed, remote drone ability and exceptional handling and safety. Able to fly on either engine in air-breathing mode.

Exceptionally sleek aerodynamic profile.

Enthusiastic climber.

Stable enough for maximum time acceleration.

Hits orbit with plenty of fuel in reserve.

Actively stable at extreme AoA's.

Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/ek89dorzunmcbyt/Kerbodyne%20Tigershark.craft?dl=0

[Jovus]

I'm impressed you got that thing stable with those wings so low. Wow.

[Wanderfound]

I'm impressed you got that thing stable with those wings so low. Wow.

The high tailplane and relatively long fuselage helps. Try it with the tailplane shifted to the same level as the wings: you'll be lucky to make it 50m.

Tweakable wing weights make this sort of plane easier in terms of engine balance, too; you can fine-tune the weight of your vertical stabiliser to counteract a CoM/CoT offset.

[Wanderfound]

Been having some fun with non-traditional rockets:

Edited October 30, 2014 by Wanderfound

[Wingblaze]

Moar struts!