Kerbodyne SSTO Division: Omnibus Thread

[blowfish]

Although alas it does cost you the nosecone intake slot... though I guess it's less of an issue with stock shock cones than it is when losing a big B9 intake.

And I don't think I could cope with a mod that makes spaceplanes any harder than they already are

Yeah, AJE does make spaceplanes quite a bit more challenging, though it's mostly a question of adding more fuel and selecting a different ascent path. One benefit is that you no longer need to spam intakes though - for a given engine there's a certain amount of inlet you need and beyond that there is no benefit. For a RAPIER one shock cone is enough.

If I needed more intakes I would probably put some structural intakes around the wing roots - I tend to dislike the way intakes at the very front look.

[eddiew]

Update on the Leafcutter...

The wing area turned out to be only ~223m² so I've upped that a little to ~232m². Moved the engines forward until the CoM and dCoM are roughly balanced around the cargo's CoM. Removing the cargo hardly moves them. Rear landing gear were too far back, moved them forward to just behind the loaded CoM, and added an additional rear pair to deploy only for landing. Dumped one set of canards and expanded the others. And all the struts and fuel lines are now hidden in some stubby procedural 'wings' that the engines mount onto, just for aesthetics

And... well, it fails to get off the ground now - but it's close. Short version is that at about mach 0.4 (3/4 down the runway) the nose pulls up, then drops down again, and then it shoots off the end and slowly falls into the ocean. Not sure if it's short of lift or control authority, but it's a pretty heavy load and I'm not surprised that it's a bit hard to get it moving gracefully. Don't really want to make it longer cos I think it looks quite neat how it is... but I'll play with it next sesh, see what it responds best to. Thanks for the advice guys, it's looking better, just needs a few tweaks

[Wanderfound]

Don't jam the stick back from the start. Wait until you get up to speed, then pitch up. And maybe raise the max deflection on your elevators a bit.

[eddiew]

I think the rear elevons are already at 30 degrees I'll double check them however, and see about making them deeper (love those procedural control surfaces), and the canards are probably on default deflection, so might be some room to improve there too.

FAR reckons I can lift off at 7.5 degrees at mach 0.38 - just got to solve the control authority issue to be able to reach 7.5 degrees

[Wanderfound]

Kerbodyne Imperius Tug. Everything you need in orbit for your mid-tech space program.

Flight test at http://s1378.photobucket.com/user/craigmotbey/Kerbal/Beta/Kerbodyne%20Showroom/Imperius%20Tug/story

Alternate format at http://s1378.photobucket.com/user/craigmotbey/slideshow/Kerbal/Beta/Kerbodyne%20Showroom/Imperius%20Tug

Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/ifxgn46wpz7gq7f/Kerbodyne%20Imperius%20Tug.craft?dl=0

[eddiew]

Got another couple of hours with the Leafcutter last night... and accidentally made something wonderful.

With the previous design I was having issues where kicking the forward engines to rockets would generate massive torque and lift the nose almost uncontrollably. Didn't want to flip the cargo bay over for aesthetic reasons, so the only thing left that could be moved was the main wings...

Technically the CoL is now slightly below the dCoM, but I threw it around a bit in tight turns and unless you're absolutely on your wingtips, it doesn't really matter. The raised tailplane keeps it in check at all sensible angles of roll. As a side effect, all the landing gear is now bolted to the wing, not the fuselage, which has given it a wider stance, made it more stable on the runway, reduced wobble, removed 12 struts, and stopped it trying to veer off to the side while building up speed. Also sorted out the catfish problem - extended the rear elevons and supercharged them and the remaining canards to 25 degrees. Now easily lifts off before the end of the runway at ~125m/s.

FAR reports stability at [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected] which are all easily achievable checkpoints, and it stretched it's intakes all the way up to 30km@m5.

I haven't actually tried re-entry with it yet, because I use Kerbal Construction Time and long simulations are expensive, but I have no reason to believe it'll be a problem. Will haul up an MKS module for real next sesh and give it a proper shakedown. With luck, this is about to become my go-to lifter for anything in a 2.5m format

(Although I am now considering a 'black edition' where the central fuselage flips over so that all the heat tiles are on the top...)

Again guys, thanks for all the help working this beastie into a stable form!

[Wanderfound]

How expensive is a long simulation vs landing for the first time in the real thing?

[eddiew]

Kerbodyne Imperius Tug. Everything you need in orbit for your mid-tech space program.

Affectionately known as the space squid

- - - Updated - - -

How expensive is a long simulation vs landing for the first time in the real thing?

Not a lot really, but I'm feeling overconfident. If it can land on the old airstrip (after a few tries), it can't be that bad

Been costing about 750 roots to launch from the runway with a 15 minute run; probably taken it up 20 times though so that's 15000 spent in R&D so far, plus a bit to extend the sim for the ones that made vacuum. Starting in orbit I think multiplies that by four, and you'll probably need 30 minutes to get to the right retroburn point, so 6000 roots for a deorbit test.

[Wanderfound]

Kerbodyne Sidewinder. Best of both worlds.

Flight test at http://s1378.photobucket.com/user/craigmotbey/Kerbal/Beta/Kerbodyne%20Showroom/Sidewinder/story

Alternate format at http://s1378.photobucket.com/user/craigmotbey/slideshow/Kerbal/Beta/Kerbodyne%20Showroom/Sidewinder

Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/0jnc90esq1gm70x/Kerbodyne%20Sidewinder.craft?dl=0

Edited February 20, 2015 by Wanderfound

[eddiew]

Kerbodyne Sidewinder. Best of both worlds.

That's just genius in its simplicity... it still feels like a shuttle, but doesn't have the off-axis-thrust issues. Chunky payload it's carrying too - not your usual microsat

Not sure if you know of it already, but Claw's Stock Bugfixes would probably remove the need for separatrons on the SRBs - if you wanted to minimise the concept even further, that is. I admit they look kinda cool when they fire

[Wanderfound]

Kerbike. Just the thing for those quick trips around KSC.

Pics at http://s1378.photobucket.com/user/craigmotbey/Kerbal/Beta/Kerbodyne%20Showroom/Kerbike/story

Alternate format at http://s1378.photobucket.com/user/craigmotbey/slideshow/Kerbal/Beta/Kerbodyne%20Showroom/Kerbike

Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/4eytqdvmm7cq84e/Kerbike.craft?dl=0

Edited February 22, 2015 by Wanderfound

[Behemoth1702]

Dude what the F. Really.

Ahahahahahah

I can't drive it. It just keeps falling over, apparently I can ride a bike but not in a game. :-D

Edited February 22, 2015 by Behemoth1702

[Wanderfound]

Dude what the F. Really.

Ahahahahahah

I can't drive it. It just keeps falling over, apparently I can ride a bike but not in a game. :-D

.

You need to steer it like a real motorcycle: countersteer to initiate the lean (e.g. briefly steer left to make the bike lean right) and then use both body weight (i.e. the Q/E keys, in docking mode) and steering (A/D) to control the lean angle (steer into the turn to pick the bike up, out of the turn to lean over more) while the lean angle does the turning for you.

If you drop it, you can pick it back up again by accelerating, steering into the ground and leaning out.

It does take a bit of practice to ride smoothly. Just like the real thing.

[Wanderfound]

Want to go Mun-visiting in an unrefuelled spaceplane, but don't want to do it in a gargantuan behemoth?

Kerbodyne Twostep. There's more than one way to stage.

Flight test at http://s1378.photobucket.com/user/craigmotbey/Kerbal/Beta/Kerbodyne%20Showroom/Twostep/story

Alternate format at http://s1378.photobucket.com/user/craigmotbey/slideshow/Kerbal/Beta/Kerbodyne%20Showroom/Twostep

Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/d6tsn7wq3cokfcf/Kerbodyne%20Twostep.craft?dl=0

Edited February 23, 2015 by Wanderfound

[Nowater]

Craft File Link above leads to Pictures

[eddiew]

Kerbodyne Twostep. There's more than one way to stage.

That's rather elegant - and looks like it might work with pre-rapier tech, too (Which I've been pondering recently, since I'd really like to be spaceplane heavy asap in 1.0. Loving the security of a refined and reliable SSTO lifter with full-refund.)

How's the stability? I find mine get roll-happy if there's weights out on the wingtips like that... easy to end up with a lot more rotational momentum than you can easily cancel out.

[Wanderfound]

That's rather elegant - and looks like it might work with pre-rapier tech, too (Which I've been pondering recently, since I'd really like to be spaceplane heavy asap in 1.0. Loving the security of a refined and reliable SSTO lifter with full-refund.)

How's the stability? I find mine get roll-happy if there's weights out on the wingtips like that... easy to end up with a lot more rotational momentum than you can easily cancel out.

It's got good static roll stability, but it will get a little wobbly if you start flinging it about while the droptanks are still in place.

Most of my stuff will work with a combination of Turbojets and LV-T45s; it's just not as efficient as the RAPIERs.

- - - Updated - - -

Craft File Link above leads to Pictures

Fixed, although I'm not certain if I remembered to remove the Scansat-required cargo.

[eddiew]

Most of my stuff will work with a combination of Turbojets and LV-T45s; it's just not as efficient as the RAPIERs.

Definitely something I'll consider come 1.0 - being able to do some Munar orbital training runs/science packages in a cheap 2-stager would be no bad thing

[Nowater]

It is with Scansat, i dont have it ...no space because of memory..

[Wanderfound]

It is with Scansat, i dont have it ...no space because of memory..

I'll try and remember to repost a Scansat-free version tonight.

[Wanderfound]

Twostep link now updated to be Scansat-free.

[Wanderfound]

Kerbodyne Farlander. KSC-Duna-KSC without refuelling, in a spaceplane still small enough to be fun to fly.

Flight demo at http://s1378.photobucket.com/user/craigmotbey/Kerbal/Beta/Kerbodyne%20Showroom/Farlander/story

Alternate format at http://s1378.photobucket.com/user/craigmotbey/slideshow/Kerbal/Beta/Kerbodyne%20Showroom/Farlander

Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/d5qjx4i5q9e9527/Kerbodyne%20Farlander.craft?dl=0

Edited February 24, 2015 by Wanderfound

[eddiew]

Kerbodyne Farlander. KSC-Duna-KSC without refuelling, in a spaceplane still small enough to be fun to fly.

Very nice Most Duna planes end up looking very large and seem tedious to fly; nice to see something petite and fun!

Best range I've gotten so far in a small format was a

Might have to investigate a wingtip-tank option and see if I can stretch it out... would love to find a way of getting this thing to Laythe.

which hit LKO with 3900m/s in the tank. Sent him off to Eve on the optimistic hope that he can aerobrake, gather science in orbit, and return. Alas I don't think it's quite enough for a landing and return anywhere except Mun/Minmus. But it is pretty darn tiny

[Wanderfound]

It's generally a lot simpler to just bite the bullet and do the orbital refuel. With an orbital top-up, it wouldn't need the wingtip tanks, and would have about 6,000m/s after the refuel.

[WhiteKnuckle]

My crappy work computer hates photobucket so I can't open the album, can you actually land the Farlander on Duna? It looks like it doesn't have enough wing at first glance.

It's generally a lot simpler to just bite the bullet and do the orbital refuel. With an orbital top-up, it wouldn't need the wingtip tanks, and would have about 6,000m/s after the refuel.

Yeah with refueling you can go just about anywhere even in a spaceplane. But sometimes it's just cool to be able to launch and go.