Astatium's Team Hawk entries:

[Astatium_209]

To start, I've chosen probably the easiest challenge, that being 200t to LEO (I don't have the expansion):
Of course, I went with the classic design philosophy of "Doesn't work?" -> Moar boosters. It's not a beauty, but it works.

The payload weighs 200.2t.

I also have a few questions; Does the build for the space shuttle part of the team Hawk challenge have to be a american shuttle or can it also be a Buran? Can it be custom? Is BP editing allowed? (for example, if I want to make an opening cargo bay with a joint). Also, what do the tags/badges like 'floater', or 'ET phone home' mean? (this might be a dumb question, but I'm new here and I havn't been able to find any threads about it... are they just "funny badges"?)

 

[Marmilo]

To start, I've chosen probably the easiest challenge, that being 200t to LEO (I don't have the expansion):
Of course, I went with the classic design philosophy of "Doesn't work?" -> Moar boosters. It's not a beauty, but it works.
View attachment 55182 View attachment 55177 View attachment 55178 View attachment 55179 View attachment 55180
The payload weighs 200.2t.
View attachment 55181
I also have a few questions; Does the build for the space shuttle part of the team Hawk challenge have to be a american shuttle or can it also be a Buran? Can it be custom? Is BP editing allowed? (for example, if I want to make an opening cargo bay with a joint). Also, what do the tags/badges like 'floater', or 'ET phone home' mean? (this might be a dumb question, but I'm new here and I havn't been able to find any threads about it... are they just "funny badges"?)

It doesn't have to be a replica. TtTOtW will explain,.

 

[Horus Lupercal]

Does the build for the space shuttle part of the team Hawk challenge have to be a american shuttle or can it also be a Buran?

As long as it looks like a spaceplane and not a rocket with a payload bay.

Is BP editing allowed

Yes. For aesthetics only, no stretched engines or over-filled fuel tanks.

Also, what do the tags/badges like 'floater', or 'ET phone home' mean?

Doing the challenges give you different badges.

 

[Astatium_209]

As long as it looks like a spaceplane and not a rocket with a payload bay.




Yes. For aesthetics only, no stretched engines or over-filled fuel tanks.



Doing the challenges give you different badges.

Thanks.

 

[Marmilo]

Floater is for the space station, ET phone home is mars trip. Copycat is replica, Biker nice is team frontier. Fly me to the moon is for shuttle, atlas is 600t, Deja vu is reusability challenge, under pressure is graveyard, swingin on a star is Jovian moon.

 

[Astatium_209]

Floater is for the space station, ET phone home is mars trip. Copycat is replica, Biker nice is team frontier. Fly me to the moon is for shuttle, atlas is 600t, Deja vu is reusability challenge, under pressure is graveyard, swingin on a star is Jovian moon.

That clears it up, thanks!

 

[TtTOtW]

A shuttle looks like a plane, carries a dispatchable payload in a defined payload bay, needs a booster or ET to get to orbit, and can land back on Earth afterwards. Make it as custom as you want, but no stretched engines.

 

[Astatium_209]

A shuttle looks like a plane, carries a dispatchable payload in a defined payload bay, needs a booster or ET to get to orbit, and can land back on Earth afterwards. Make it as custom as you want, but no stretched engines.

I'll keep that in mind, thanks!

 

[Astatium_209]

Shuttle update:
I've been working on this for a while now and here's where I'm at:
I really feel like the engine areas need improvement, I think I'll also move the docking ports that connect the shuttle to the external booster a bit lower and make the rudder a bit larger. (I am draining some of the fuel tanks slightly to account for the clipping)

 

[Pink]

Mate, some of your engines look wonky.

 

[Astatium_209]

Mate, some of your engines look wonky.

On the booster? yeah, I tried to offset the center of thrust to keep the thing from banking uncontrolably, and now it looks like it's been shoddily put together... I'll have to work something out later.

 

[Pink]

A (SMALL, probably Kolibri in your case) sideways engine in the booster can help and makes it look less wonky.

 

[Astatium_209]

A (SMALL, probably Kolibri in your case) sideways engine in the booster can help and makes it look less wonky.
View attachment 55507

Thanks, I'll try that.

 

[Horus Lupercal]

What's wrong with wonky? The SSMEs on the shuttle were 'wonky' for exactly the same reason.

 

[Pink]

What's wrong with wonky? The SSMEs on the shuttle were 'wonky' for exactly the same reason.

They didn't look "wonky" though.

 

[Horus Lupercal]

They didn't look "wonky" though.

They're at pretty much the same angle at launch...

 

[Pink]

They're at pretty much the same angle at launch...

If every engine on Astatium_209 's booster was angled in the same direction, they'd look as unwonky as the SSMEs did.
I say they're wonky because they're mounted in different orientations.

 

[Mars Pathfinder]

Shuttle update:
I've been working on this for a while now and here's where I'm at:
I really feel like the engine areas need improvement, I think I'll also move the docking ports that connect the shuttle to the external booster a bit lower and make the rudder a bit larger. (I am draining some of the fuel tanks slightly to account for the clipping)
View attachment 55495
View attachment 55496

Nice

 

[Horus Lupercal]

If every engine on Astatium_209 's booster was angled in the same direction, they'd look as unwonky as the SSMEs did.
I say they're wonky because they're mounted in different orientations.

What's wrong with wonky?

 

[Pink]

It offends plumbing engineers and "look good" people when your engines are mounted in different directions.

 

[Astatium_209]

Alright, so I've made some small upgrades, and I want to take the shuttle to the moon.

(I also fixed those pesky engines )


Huzzah! It works!

...And this is when things stop going right, during the landing phase. already during the moon ascent I noticed that the shuttles centre of mass was too far back, and this became even more apparent when I had done my return burn and the COM moved even further back, rendering my shuttle pretty unstable in horizontal mode. I attempted a few landings, but failed miserably:

Luckily for me, this has seemingly easy fix, I'll just split the fuel tanks of the orbiter into two separate ones, that way I will be able to pump fuel into the front tank making the whole thing more balanced... but then it will be a hassle managing fuel and being careful to not starve the back engine from transefering all the fuel to the front... I'm sure it'll work out, somehow. Maybe.

 

[Astatium_209]

Also, I wish to ask about the Damage-free Mercury landing. Is it only a one way trip? ("Perform a damage free Mercury landing with the supplied quicksave. No other craft may be launched.")

 

[Horus Lupercal]

Also, I wish to ask about the Damage-free Mercury landing. Is it only a one way trip? ("Perform a damage free Mercury landing with the supplied quicksave. No other craft may be launched.")

The answer is in the question. "Perform a damage free landing."

Although, I'm genuinely curious on how you were intending on getting it back...?

 

[Marmilo]

Nice. I'm beginning to like you.

 

[Astatium_209]

The answer is in the question. "Perform a damage free landing."

Although, I'm genuinely curious on how you were intending on getting it back...?

I wasn't, I just wanted to be sure (also, what do you mean by 'it'?).