KerbalX

My take on a Mk1 Interplanetary SSTO with ISRU.

40 Tons, 5 Seats and a minimalist IRSU kit. Also got a clamp-o-tron, probe core and two Vernier lift engines, fed by two OSCAR-Bs. Stalling speed, when full, is well under 50 m/s at which speed it can be flown into the side of the VAB without killing the crew (occupants of VAB may not fare so well).

After reaching orbit, will have 2600dV remaining, enough for a straight shot to Minmus or Duna. After refuelling with IRSU, max dV is over 4800.

Flight profile

The wings are angled and make lift even at zero AoA.
Use action groups 1-3 (trim adjustment) to smooth out the initial climb rate. Putting the SAS on Prograde hold makes it stay closer to zero AoA but the trim flaps still have an effect, this is good for fine adjustments.
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Cimb to at least 9km before setting nose down trim and going supersonic. Don’t forget, action group 4 can give you a burst from the nukes if you need help.
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Above 415m/s , cancel the nukes.

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Try to persuade her to level off at 21km for the speedrun. It has a bit too much lift so use nose down trim (action group 3) with SAS off to try and hold her down.
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At 1200m/s acceleration starts to fade, turn the nukes on.
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At 1500m/s set action group 2 (neutral trim) and put SAS on Prograde - there is no longer any point holding the nose down, let the wings lift us out of the atmosphere.
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At 36km remember to toggle the Navball back to Surface mode when it auto switches to Orbit - this keeps us pointing directly at the airflow for minimum drag.
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LANDING OFFWORLD
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Remember to use the Vernor lift engines for low grav, airless moons.
Press R to activate RCS then tap K for a burst from the lift jets - means you can do horizontal landings with forward velocity on Minmus’s flats and lithobrake.

For Duna, keep your descent rate under 10m/s when near the ground - it takes longer to level out than you think because of the thin air. At 100M altitude or so start bleeding off airspeed, when your AoA rises to 10 deg or so use the lift engines to do most of the rate of descent control.

Details

• Type: SPH
• Class: spaceplane
• Part Count: 67
• Pure Stock