Egg aeroplane

[totalitor]

Hi everyone!

KSP 0.90 contains new parts, for example cargo bay. Why don't we try to use cargo bay as a reentry protective vessel. In other words, put an aeroplane inside it, launch it to space, return to atmosphere and finally open the gargo bay, separate and make a nice landing.

It can be done. Can you do this?

Please do not use command seat. Put at least one kerbal inside a pod. Any pod is good pod.

No leaderboards, just put some pictures about your solution.

Use your creativity.

Here is my cargo bay vessel approaching landing site. Aeroplane inside.

[Kubaf16]

Nice challenge! I will surely try it later.

[Tweety]

Brilliant challenge!

It means I complete 2 tasks I had actually set, this challenge being one and making a small, compact and easy to transport craft, safe from nasty Kerbol rays.

I hereby present...

You're Having a Yolk !

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Much fun was had in the participation

Tweety

Edited February 17, 2015 by Tweety
Brain farts.

[Foxster]

Entry from me. The Aircraft Carrier...

Craft file: https://www.dropbox.com/s/10f2ukuh2ft02cb/Aircraft%20carrier.craft?dl=0

Edited February 18, 2015 by Foxster

[Torquimedes]

Scientist Bob: I have a theory about where new planes come from! Eggs. From space. Like this sketch.

Engineer Bill: I could build something like that. Why does the baby plane look like a fish?

Pilot Jeb: I can fly that. And I’ll do it from INSIDE the egg. But where do the eggs come from?

Scientist Bob: My theory could answer both of those questions. Look at what I’ve just sketched around this other sketch. A Kurvy Bird is like a giant penguin that flies, eats fish, and lays eggs. In space.

Engineer Bill: I can build that too. But I’ll need to add a cockpit to this end here, to fly the outer plane, then release Jeb to fly the egg and then the baby plane.

Pilot Jeb: Nope, I’ll do it all myself. Just shift the egg up here and cut holes in those doors, and I’ll be able to see out to fly that part, and then drop out flying this part, then break out of there to fly the other part. Easy as one-two-three, lookout-for-debris!

Happy Easter! KerbalX link

Each of the three craft is a flyable, landable aircraft, but are balanced for their nesting stage. All are stock, tested in stock aero.

Launch:

Set brakes. Throttle full. Stage and wait for engines to spool up before releasing brakes. Do not stage again.

Miss the ocean and climb into space. Fly safe.

Operation via Action groups:

1. Lay egg. Engage RCS and use N as necessary.

2. Engage egg engine. Fly egg.

3. Crack open egg.

4. Release Kurchick from egg.

5. Engage Kurchick engine. Fly Kurchick.

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Edited April 6, 2015 by Torquimedes

[totalitor]

Kurvy Bird - excellent name for your ship! Great work!

[moronwrocket]

That is some awesome egg-ineering!

[moogoob]

"You must spread some reputation around before giving some to Torquimedes again."

You even made a mama bird. Tremendous.

[Elowiny]

Do I need to achieve orbit or can I just leave the atmosphere and reenter ?

[wossname]

OP just says reach space and re-enter atmosphere, orbit not required. You're good to go.

[Jumpyyoza]

Can I use mods or does it have to be all stock?

[totalitor]

I prefer stock.

[Norcalplanner]

For those who don't know, the idea of putting a small craft inside the bay of a larger craft was actually tried in real life back in the 1940s.

More info here.

[sisyphean]

it was actually tried even earlyer in the early 30s with airships too, cant remember the name of the project but i do remember biplanes were droped from the airship and then redocked in flight. it was cancelled after an airship was lost due to bad weather though iirc

[Torquimedes]

Wikipedia's brief article mentions several examples.

Here's an extensive history of parasite aircraft.

My favorite is Vakhmistrov's Circus.

This was a real carrier aircraft:

This one saw combat!

[Norcalplanner]

Yep. All sorts of RL wackiness! I actually saw the Goblin at Wright-Patterson AFB about 15 years ago. Crazy looking craft.

[hoioh]

Even very recently this has become a useful way of commercial space exploration with SpaceShipOne and SpaceShipTwo, each towed by their mother plane WhiteKnight I/II, though not inside a cargo bay, it's definitely a useful and feasable method to cheaply launch space vehicles.

Slightly less recently, but Nasa habitualy uses 747's and Antonovs to launch test vehicles with RAM jets and the like, so it never really stopped being a good way to do things.