SSTO Construction

[manni01]

Preface:

If you're just the average Ksp player and you are struggling to make SSTO's, this is for you. I will write about all aspects that it takes to build cargo SSTOs, just SSTOs and even SSTOs that land on other planets. My tutorial will be focusing on airhogging SSTOs in KSP. If you don't like airhogging, I recommend Vaos. He has made many designs that use non-airhogging designs.

1. What is your goal?

When building SSTO's, you always want to know what you want to do. Don't jump from one goal to another. When you jump from one goal to another, specifications will change and you will have to redesign. There are many SSTOs that you can build. I have made a list of SSTOs types that I have written a little info about:

Normal SSTO - This type is just what it says. It goes to orbit and no further. For these types you usually want to go as light as possible because in the end all you are doing is bringing, if at all, a single kerbal into orbit. These can be built in the shape of a plane, rocket, or even if you want to, a vtol plane.

Payload SSTO - This type of SSTO is usually designed to bring a certain payload into orbit (or further if you choose). A payload can be detachable (like a satellite), or it can stay on the craft, and you just bring it back after using it (a refueling SSTO or a SSTO that brings crew). I always recommend to make payloads detachable (dockable), because when you return to Kerbin, you will save on dV and make your craft lighter and easier to fly.

Landing SSTO's - These ships land on planets or moons. There are distinctly two types because they are fairly different:

Planets with atmospheres - These are Duna and Laythe (not counting jool because it doesn't have a surface and not counting eve because its eve :| ). These are fairly easy to land on because you do not need to slow yourself down to get into orbit or to land. You can easily aerobrake and land. If your ssto is plane based and then you can glide into your landing. For these SSTOs you really want to have a plane ssto (it has to have wings). It saves a lot dV in the process. But if you don't you can just as easily just attach parachutes.

Planets without atmospheres - These are any but Duna and Laythe. They are different difficulty-wise and the low gravity planets are the easiest most of the time. It gets harder the farther you go out or in in your solar orbit. There is one exception, Jool, because you can aerobrake in jool's atmosphere and save much dV. Eeloo takes a lot of fuel to brake into orbit, but it is easy to land on. Likewise, Moho is the hardest because of the braking procedure (insane dV for even rockets). You can build freely as much as you want. You don't have to have wings because they won't help you land on the planet (just add parachutes to land on kerbin). I very very much recommend the Nuclear engines because they are very efficient and will make your life easier, trust me.

So you want to bring payloads to the surface of a planet, eh? - You basically want to keep the same criteria in mind when choosing atmospheric and non-atmospheric planets. Just this time you will have to make a clever way of getting your payload in and out of the craft (if it is detaching). You can just leave an open hole for things to drive out, or you make them fall out, etc.

Intakes?

This is where the airhogging takes place. My definition of airhogging is way different than the popular definition, but I will teach you the popular one. If you have more than 5 intakes per engine, it is hogging. Since this is hogging, you will be using 10 intakes per 13 tons. Also use 1 engine for 13 tons (15 if your lift rating is good). With this in mind you can build a 13 ton craft with 1 engine and 10 intakes. If you want to make it 15, increase amount of wings and add 2 intakes (2/1.3=1.5 | always round up)

Normal SSTOs - be as light as possible so you will probably have a good twr. being as light as possible, be sure to use only 1 engine

Paylaod SSTOs - have a high twr ratio (above 1) and have your rockets have a good twr too. Your amount of engines is totally dependant on your mass. Just make sure to use a good amount of engines

Landing SSTOs - Use the lowest amount of engines possible. You will save dV the entire mission when you use the minimum amount. Also, you might want to add more intakes for comfort level

Tell me if this helped. Tell me what to talk about and how I can expand this tutorial. Tell if you have different opinions and I can change something. Just give me as much feedback as possible

Edited December 25, 2014 by manni01

[SRV Ron]

Finding the ideal flight profile and power setting at altitude and speed is very critical to reaching a target speed and apogee prior to high altitude burnout.

[Pecan]

Normal SSTO's

Paylaod SSTO's

Landing SSTO's

Are you sure you want to categorise them like that? My 'normal' SSTO is designed to carry a complete crew to/from the Kerbin spacestation. Another one I'd think of as 'normal' carries fuel, the difference between that and what I'd call a 'payload' SSTO is that the latter is intended to separate from its payload once in orbit. 'Landing' SSTOs, on the other hand, are only incidentally SSTOs at all because they happen to get into orbit before doing everything else they're meant to. If they go beyond Kerbin (or other launch planet) orbit they are much more than SSTOs.

What about

Rocket SSTOs?

VTVL jet SSTOs?

You seem to be mistakenly using the abbreviation "SSTO" to mean "Spaceplane", consider changing it.

10 intakes per engine? I'm a fan of spam myself but apparently 8 per engine is the maximum that are any use (then again, I usually 'only' get to ~2.2km/s in atmosphere so maybe I'm just not spamming enough ^^).

[PS: English grammar note as you're German - apostrophes are tricky! The plural of "SSTO" is "SSTOs". "SSTO's" is possessive singular meaning "belonging to a SSTO" (eg; " A SSTO's engines...").

PPS: Wanderfound and I are working on a full-length tutorial for SSTOs of all sorts.]

[manni01]

Thanks a lot for the feedback. I see what you mean with the payload aspect. I mean that the payload doesn't have to be detached. I did this for simplicity sake and what I really meant is that normal SSTOs (gotcha) just get into orbit because you want them to get into orbit. No more purpose to it. Payload SSTOs bring anything more than its capsule with it into orbit (fuel, crew, or another vehicle, like a satellite). I should have been more clear. Regarding the rocket and VTOL SSTOs, in the landing plane section I mentioned plane shaped SSTOs, but I should have put it in other sections, too. Overall, I think I need to be a little more detailed which I will fix now or later.

[i changed the tutorial and I think it should be fine]

Edited November 12, 2014 by manni01