Description

A mod spaceplane called Albatross-2. Part count: 133
Built in the SPH in KSP version 1.2.2.
The spaceplane is designed for carrying wheeled vehicles.

Requires FAR!
Has two non-standard parts (one is fuselage with welded floor, another is slightly uprated Scimitar engine from Mark IV Spaceplane System - higher atmo Isp, but still less than Sabers from B9).
Missing parts are here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9OdO5ICsMclUFJFc0tpZExkZVk/view?usp=sharing
Craft mass is displayed incorrectly on KerbalX due to that.
Capable of Single Stage To Mün with 16-18 ton payload.

Details

• Type: SPH
• Class: spaceplane
• Part Count: 133
• Mods: 13

Mods

• B9 Aerospace - Legacy Parts Pack
• B9 Aerospace Parts Pack
• Ferram Aerospace Research
• Kerbal Attachment System
• KerbalEngineer
• KineTech Animation Library
• Magic Smoke Industries Infernal Robotics - Legacy Parts
• Mark IV Spaceplane System
• MechJeb 2
• Procedural Wings
• Squad (stock)
• TAC Life Support (TACLS)
• TweakScale - Rescale Everything!

Flight Manual.

Take-off:

MTOW is 200 ton. You might need to switch Scimitars to closed cycle if taking off with mass nearing MTOW.
1. Set Brakes on
2. Turn Fly-by-wire on, RCS off, SAS off
3. Set Flaps to position 1
4. Start up Scimitars (action group 8)
5. Full throttle
6. When thrust is at least 80%, release brakes
7. Rotate at 130 m/s
8. Gear up
9. Flaps up

Achieving Orbit:

1. Set speed control to 250 m/s
2. Set climb rate to ~100 m/s
3. Climb to 10,000 m
4. Set full throttle and disengage speed control
5. Set climb rate to 70 m/s
6. Climb to 20,000 - 21,000 m and keep that altitude
7. Accelerate to 1500-1550 m/s
8. Switch Scimitars to closed cycle (action group 3)
9. Set climb rate to 200-250 m/s
10. Turn RCS on
11. Turn attitude control Vernors on (action group 6)
12. At altitude of ~30,000 m start up NERVs (action group 9)
13. Set prograde course
14. Keep accelerating until desired apoapsis is reached
15. Shut down Scimitars (action group 8)
16. Coast out of atmosphere, disengage Fly-by-wire
17. Circularize orbit using NERVs only

Vertical Landing (possible on Mün and other celestial bodies with similar gravity):

1. Use MechJeb to land with nose up (i.e. like a rocket), but set touchdown speed to -0.7 m/s.
2. Turn on RCS; turn off attitude control and VTOL Vernors (action groups 6 and 7); make sure Scimitars are shut down.
3. Activate MechJeb landing autopilot
4. If automatic gear not set, extend landing gear at altitude between 1500-1000 m.
5. At altitude of 300-200 m, abort autoland, engage Fly-by-Wire
6. Set full throttle and achieve 0 +/- 1 m/s vertical speed.
7. Turn front and VTOL Vernors on (action group 6 and 7)
8. Rotate craft horizontally
9. Using dorsal translation, keep descent speed in safe range
10. Adjust craft position and attitude as required

Atmospheric entry:

Spacecraft is capable of high-speed entry if operated correctly.
0. Recommended periapsis for low-speed entry is 30 km, for high-speed entry - 38 km.
1. Retract solar panels (action group 4)
2. Before entering atmosphere, set AoA to 70-80 deg.
3. Engage Fly-by-Wire, turn off moderation.
4. Turn on attitude control Vernor (action group 6)
5. Keep high AoA until craft slowed down to speeds below 1800 m/s
6. Perform further descend and aerobraking as necessary

Landing:

Maximum landing weight is 130 ton.
Minimum control speed is 100 m/s. Recommended landing speed is 110 m/s. Set flaps to position 2.
NavUtilities highly recommended for landing aid.
For return flights from Mün I recommend to have ~2200 dV - some fuel is used for attitude control during atmospheric entry and some fuel might be required for atmospheric flight to landing site.

Loading and unloading cargo.

Rear cargo ramp can not reach the ground when craft is configured for flight operations. To load and unload cargo, use Infernal Robotics cylinder to change front gear height. Please note, that currently (as of KSP 1.2.2 and IR 2.0.10) Infernal Robotics has issues with autostruts and all stock wheels are forced to autostrut to heaviest part. Extending front gear for loading/unloading results in phantom forces being applied to craft so it can not stay still on the ground. It could be remedied by extending front gear to desired position and saving/loading the game. If due to that phantom forces craft slides far away from loading place I recommend using VesselMover to bring it back.
There’s a winch in front of cargo bay to help with loading.
Best results achieved when vessel you loading is first attached to winch in undocked mode and after it is positioned as required, connection is switched to docked mode.
Don’t forget to secure cargo using KAS struts.