Chuangatronic's garage of nothing too special

[chuangatronic]

Hey folks! I'm just here sharing my little stable of simple, yet effective, crafts I use. If you have any constructive criticism, I'd be glad to hear about them so I can improve my craft!

KS-3 Gray Dart

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Objective:

Using the "Little Mun Lander", explore orbiting bodies of Kerbin with a lone Kerbonaut. Note that it runs without batteries, and sports solar panels. Try to use in sunlight unless you're brave!

Features:

The Gray Dart is a simple rocket that features some useful techniques...

48-7s girder stack: By stacking a tank and rocket on the nodes of the girder, you have an easily movable thruster that also makes for more compact designs

spine strut spiral By building stages around a spine, this allows for more rigid bodied construction and creates an access pathway for hidden struts for stages. Does not hide struts between stages.

Instructions:

1. The solid booster stage is fast, don't worry. Nose over to your gravity turn immediately by a degree or two. Literally just point to the side of center by a sliver.
   
2. Once the solid stage is done, fire the second stage at 45 degrees in your gravity turn until your apoapsis reaches 75,000m. Then keep at very low throttle pointed to the horizon until 50 seconds before apoapsis to keep velocity. Burn full throttle at the horizon until fuel runs out.
   
3. The LV-T30 should run out at roughly 1600m/s +/- 100m/s. This depends on how well you reined in the solid fuel stage and how well you managed your LV-T30 slow burn. Finish circularization with your orbital module. This module can get you to low Mun or Minmus orbit and back.
   
4. The lander module is fairly simple. It has 1308 d/v so deorbit, landing and rendezvous with the orbital module is easy-peasy lemon squeezy.
   
5. The docking port is on the bottom so it takes some getting used to, set up a close rendezvous and then switch to control from the port and use RCS if you're struggling with docking. I personally run a no monopropellant version and use very careful thrust and then flip at the last second. Be stingy with the RCS, all that's available is in the module!
   

Landing Module Action Groups:

1. toggle 48-7s engines
   
2. Science JR
   
3. Goo 1
   
4. Goo 2
   

>>KS-3 Gray Dart DOWNLOAD<<

KRV-1 Shuttlecock

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Objective:

Recover lost Kerbals from LKO.

Features:

This fine Kerbal recovery vehicle is the first space plane SSTO to come out of Jeb's Propulsion Lab. Its center of lift is very slightly ahead of its center of mass which allows the plane to pitch up for easier gliding. Since this is a one tank plane, it comes with hassle free balance. It comes with 137.5 LOX for recovery missions up to 110km orbit (conservative estimate) around Kerbin. The total payload is 6 Kerbals with the cargo bay holding 4 command seats, allowing for daring rescues without any of Jeb's favorite snack amenities. The Shuttlecock also uses the girder technique for mounting the thrusters, this time with a turbojet and nuke hybrid!

Instructions:

1. Cut throttle! CUT THROTTLE! PLEASE CUT THROTTLE BEFORE STAGING!
   
2. Now, stage to turn everything on. Press 1 to disengage the nuke, we're flying baby!
   
3. Punch it, who cares about spool up time! We're taking almost the whole runway either way. Pull up only AFTER you have left the runway a bit, the plane's lift will slowly take you up.
   
4. Pitch up to 45 degrees until you can level out at your cruising altitude between 20,000m and 32,000m.
   
5. Slowly ascent at cruise altitude until you reach a velocity near 2000m/s +/- 200m/s. I generally get impatient and ascend at 1800.
   
6. Pitch up again and push that turbojet until completely flamed out. Lower the throttle as needed to maintain thrust.
   
7. Upon flame out, kick in the nuke, kill the turbojet and intakes, and aim at 70 degrees until your bring your apoapsis above 70,000m. Cruise at low low throttle burning towards the horizon until you can circularize.
   
8. Adjust orbit as needed to recover lost Kerbals! Make sure to keep enough juice to come home or you'll need to send up another! There is a docking port on the bottom near the center of mass for any emergency refueling and docking.
   

Action Groups:

1. toggle nuke
   
2. toggle jet
   
3. toggle intakes
   
4. open/close bay
   

>>KRV-1 Shuttlecock DOWNLOAD<<

Space T680

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Objective:

It's a truck... IN SPACE! No objective here!

Features:

THIS IS AN SSTO TRUCK. BEST. FEATURE. EVER. It has 12 reaction wheels and enough fuel to get into a decent orbit. It's not very controllable but it's fun watching a semi-truck fly.

Instructions:

1. Cut throttle! CUT THROTTLE! PLEASE CUT THROTTLE BEFORE STAGING!
   
2. Now, stage to turn everything on. Press 1 to disengage the 48-7s engines, we're flying baby!
   
3. Punch it, spool it up before you disconnect the launch clamps.
   
4. Just fly it up to 15k however you want. It's got enough reaction wheels and liquid fuel for you do kinda botch the ascent profile.
   
5. Cruise at a shallow angle of attack until you reach a ridiculous speed.
   
6. Once you feel adequately hot from atmospheric effects, go ahead and kick in the rockets to get your apoapsis up (unless you're patient enough to get your AP up just on jets alone).
   
7. Once you're in space, circularize the little remaining dV.
   
8. Adjust orbit as desired for space truckery.
   

Action Groups:

1. toggle 48-7s rockets
   
2. toggle jets
   
3. toggle intakes
   

>>SPACE T680 DOWNLOAD<<

Edited October 17, 2014 by chuangatronic

[chuangatronic]

reserved for future craft

[chuangatronic]

Update: Look ma! I made a space truck!

Javascript is disabled. View full album

>>DOWNLOAD<<