Aurora Spaceplane Rev. 28

TA-STOV-28 Aurora

Included is a Vizzy GPWS (Ground Proximity Warning System), featuring callouts and alarms such as "Pull Up", "Sink Rate", "Gear Up", "Too Low, Gear Down", and a totally unique stall warning program functional on any atmospheric planetary body.

The Trans-Atmospheric Surface-to-Orbit Vehicle, or Aurora, serves as the forward scout for interstellar expeditions. It begins its mission by taking off from Earth's Space Center and docking with an interstellar vehicle (ISV). The ISV then carries the Aurora to its destination where it then undocks, deorbits, and heads down to the surface to scout planets for their habitability.

This vehicle is a Mach 4.3, variable angle wingtip, VTOL SSTO spaceplane. The spaceplane features translating shock cones, retractable RCS thrusters, variable angle wingtips, and split elevator/aileron airbrakes. Included is an auto-hover program.

Performance Specs:

Cruise Ceiling: ~20 km
Top Speed: Mach 4.3
Propulsion System:
- 8x afterburning zero-bypass turbojets
- 5x afterburning zero-bypass ramjets
- 3x gas core nuclear thermal rockets, water
- 88x mini gas core nuclear thermal rockets for VTOL, water
Wet Mass: 5163 metric tons
Dry Mass: 2381 metric tons
TWR (Earth, ~ASL, max):
- Airbreathing: 0.36
- Main Rockets: 0.95
- VTOL TWR: 5.4
dV After Attaining LEO: 4.8 km/s
Crew: 10
Dockable: Yes

Action groups are labeled

Slider 1: variable angle wingtips (100% = angled up, reentry/VTOL, -100% = angled down, ascent)

Slider 2: trim up/takeoff flaps (100% = takeoff flaps deploy and trim tab max)

Slider 3: trim down (100% = trim tab max)

Slider 4: auto-hover control
(+/- 10 m/s range, 100% = +10 m/s, 0% = 0 m/s, -100% = -10 m/s)

To take off, set the jets to full throttle, wait until very end of runway, deploy takeoff flaps with slider one, and quickly pull up.

Ramjets advised for speeds only over Mach 2.4.

For VTOL flight, VTOL rockets are grouped in clusters to allow adaption for lower gravity environments. For Earth-like gravity, clusters 1 and 2 are recommended.

For VTOL flight, make sure to enable the "Attitude Motors" AG for attitude control without need for RCS.

To dock, the main thrusters are not recommended. When close to your target, ensure that the AGs "RCS" and "Docking RCS" are both enabled. The thrusters will automatically deploy.

To use the astronaut elevator, EVA the astronaut, walk to the elevator, switch back to the vehicle, ensure that the "Autohover" AG is disabled, and set slider 4 to +100%