Jumbo Tank Challenge VERY SIMPLE

[Penguinhero]

Rules

1.You can only use 1 Rockomax Jumbo-64 Fuel Tank For All of Your Fuel

2. Must Be Manned

3. STOCK ONLY

4. For the sake of ship diversity No Rapiers

Challenge

Try and get as high as you can in a manned craft using only 1 Rockomax Jumbo Tank for fuel.

For those who don't know this is the fuel tank

my attempt

Edited September 11, 2014 by Penguinhero

[Naten]

http://www.reddit.com/r/KerbalSpaceProgram/comments/1mcd0t/weekly_challenge_orange_efficiency/

This challenge was not thought through well, either. Altitude with an orange tank is not a very good challenge since there is an atmospheric dV limit with KSP's stock engines. Also, RAPIER engines' low thrust and utter uselessness for anything other than tiny SSTO spaceplanes make them part of still diverse constructions.

Highest altitude, as demonstrated here, is not a very good requirement. As you can see, Scott Manley has managed to get to Duna with only one orange tank, under the rules of the reddit challenge.

-Naten

[Pds314]

I disagree with the thing about RAPIERs not working for large planes.

Edited September 12, 2014 by Pds314

[SRV Ron]

Rapiers appear to be highly inefficient once they switch to rocket mode. Straight rockets vertical launch will have a hard limit as well. However, some creative designs using turbojet power with rockets could result in some surprising results. Nothing is mentioned that it has to be a SSTO design so the turbojets and intakes could be staged when they have done their job. Take advantage of an interplanetary intercept window and it may be even possible to go beyond Duna.

[Pds314]

Again, height isn't a good measure. I would be willing to bet good money on my ability to get that thing to Kerbol escape and thus an infinite height in stock KSP.

Simply do this:

Step 1: Place a lander can and remove the monoprop.

Step 2: Place an orange tank and remove the a bit of oxidizer.

Step 3: Place a nuclear engine or two on the bottom.

Step 4: Place decouplers on the sides. We don't need to carry the jet engines with us.

Step 5: Place enough jets and intakes and possibly wings or control fins to allow it to get a Periapsis over 30 km without using the nuclear engines.

Step 6: Place fuel lines to the jets.

Step 7: Reach for the stars! Make sure to decouple the jets, intakes and wings once you don't need them.

Almost every stock SSTO I've built can get a Periapsis on less than 25% LF burnt. If that holds true here, we should be able to get this non-SSTO 1.5 stage vehicle to have about 11.8 km/s of Delta V after reaching orbit.

So the thing is, my vehicle would have enough delta-V that every second of max timewarp, I'd beat my own record by a Gigameter.

I would need to have less than 5 tonnes of fuel left in my tank upon reaching orbit in order to not be able to escape Kerbol. I KNOW I will have more than that.

As SRV Ron said while I was writing this post, If you stage the jets and intakes and possibly wings, you can basically go anywhere. Duna would require a mere 1 tonne of fuel.

Edited September 12, 2014 by Pds314

[NoPanShabuShabu]

I know it's against the rules, but I just sent Jeb to Eeloo with 1 orange tank using FAR, DRE, and TACLS... He's not getting back, probably could have done it with stock aero...

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Edited September 12, 2014 by NoPanShabuShabu
Tagged the imgur album wrong

[MarvinKitFox]

Pds314 has it basically summed up.

Im not saying this is optimal or anything, but I have my orange tank in orbit, with 12512 m/s of delta-v left in the tank.

With enough gravity boosts, i should be able to go to Eeloo orbit, and back to Kerbin orbit. Then back to Eeloo to get that pic I forgot, and back to Kerbin orbit. Then go to Eve, land on Potato Gilly.

Or i could just go for escape, with an eve/moho/jool boost i should manage escape with 10km/s excess velocity.

Simply 8 airhogging turbojets to 30Km, drop the surplus jets.

Turbojet to 2150m/s at 41km, go nuke while dropping all the spare bits.

Nuke to orbit.

P.S.

pure stock, plus MJ for information displays only. How else do I show the remaining delta-v?

Javascript is disabled. View full album

[Pds314]

Pds314 has it basically summed up.

Im not saying this is optimal or anything, but I have my orange tank in orbit, with 12512 m/s of delta-v left in the tank.

With enough gravity boosts, i should be able to go to Eeloo orbit, and back to Kerbin orbit. Then back to Eeloo to get that pic I forgot, and back to Kerbin orbit. Then go to Eve, land on Potato Gilly.

Or i could just go for escape, with an eve/moho/jool boost i should manage escape with 10km/s excess velocity.

Simply 8 airhogging turbojets to 30Km, drop the surplus jets.

Turbojet to 2150m/s at 41km, go nuke while dropping all the spare bits.

Nuke to orbit.

P.S.

pure stock, plus MJ for information displays only. How else do I show the remaining delta-v?

http://imgur.com/a/BdC0r

Wow, you saved 3.8 tonnes of fuel in addition to what I postulated was possible.

Also, this illustrates perfectly that the last stage should basically fit that design.

Edited September 12, 2014 by Pds314

[Monthar]

P.S.

pure stock, plus MJ for information displays only. How else do I show the remaining delta-v?

Kerbal Engineer would be another way.

[Clockwork_werewolf]

You might need to make this an SSTO challenge, I built a rocket with 6 turbo jets (jettisoned when air runs out) 4 Nuke engines (could have used less) and a mainsail. It got out of Kerbin SOI. I took screenshots but can't be bothered to load them up unless people need evidence, and since this challenge will probably be redefined the ship will probably become obsolete.

[chengong]

There was the exact same challenge on Reddit and I did an Eloo landing and back on one orange tank full stock no mods.