Career Mun Polar Crater Mining Challenge

[Moesly_Armlis]

Career Mun Polar Crater Mining Challenge V 1.1

With 5000 science points, 500 000 funds, and a bargain on facility upgrades you are challenged to mine Mun's polar crater.

After choosing the proper technologies all leftovers will need to be converted into funds to pay for your one and only vessel.

Tasks include upgrading facilities, choosing technologies, administrating for funds, designing an automated all in one ISRU Scanner Miner

Rues:

Start normal Career

set Starting Funds slider to 500 000

set Starting Science to 5 000

set Funds Penalties to 20%

Automated Only; No Kerbals Allowed

Any craft that will be controlled needs some communication in anticipation of the upcoming changes to antennae.

Use all ISRU scanners at Mun

Only One Vessel and One Launch

Deploy mining rig to Polar crater and deliver fuel into 200 km circular orbit around Mun

Ore mined from the Polar crater and converted to LOX is valid

Fourteen day time limit starts when vessel takes off

No cheats or exploits*

Mods that do not alter game play are alright

Use this game seed: 1004551218

Edit save file and look for RESOURCE_SETTINGS then change GameSeed.

GameSeed = 1004551218

*Once landed on Mun and during ISRU operation the time warp cannot go above 100x due to an electric charge exploit #8816.  The exploit is mining can be performed with a small fraction of normal electric charge which renders batteries, fuel cells and solar panels over powered.  The time warp can go above 1000 during times when charge exceeds demand and is illustrated using screen shots of normal time electric usage before and after exceeding the 100x time warp.

 

Winning:

Post screen shots of your vessel, ISRU scanning mining operation.

The amount of LOX delivered to 200 km circular orbit within the fourteen day time limit.

 

High Scores:

6356   MoeslyArmlis

 

 

My Rig

Posting my results might spoil the fun and frustration of this puzzle.

Spoiler

Album

http://imgur.com/a/zRv8N

 

Edited May 2, 2016 by MoeslyArmlis

[Moesly_Armlis]

Totally involved in this challenge and because of that I redesigned everything and have gained considerable vessel construction knowledge. 

Engineering a vessel with the limits of 140 tonnes and 255 parts and 280k Funds has forced me to try alternative construction.  I am now totally in love with the cubic octagonal strut.

My findings and challenge result will be posted later.

[Moesly_Armlis]

This challenge has forced me to redesign the craft several times.  This version was intended to operate over the original thirty day time limit.  I decided to change the time limit to alleviate the electric charge exploit.  Not being able to use the 1000x time warp means this operation took an hour or so to complete.  Now after changing the time limit to fourteen days this design will need to be altered slightly.

The odd thing is I did not notice my rig sliding downhill until after looking at the animated screenshots.

Animated Operation

http://i.imgur.com/dNxLDva.gifv

 

Chosen technology path.

Without the Twin Boars LFB it is near to impossible to accomplish proper TWR for the 255 part count. and 140 tonne restrictions.  This rig weighs over 720 tonnes when fueled.

 

Clickity click

Spoiler

For those who want to bypass this click for Funds fest just give yourself 222 000 funds and no more.

 

282 748 Funds to spend after this clickfest time used to contemplate vessel design and technology choices..

 

 

The results of this fourteen day mining operation is 7046/8614 units of LOX.  This is the raw return value and does not include the fuel spent in getting it off the surface and into a 200 km circular orbit.

 

The vessel would have docked with the orbiting fuel depot and then return to the mining rig for another run.  Changing the time limit to fourteen days will alter this vessel design and eliminating the orbiting fuel depot is first on the list.

Edited April 30, 2016 by MoeslyArmlis
anyone know how to insert gifv links that show the animation

[Moesly_Armlis]

Finally a legit entry for the fourteen day challenge.

Part Action menus are a must and pinning makes this so much easier.

I find that launching with low TWR cause issues.  To prevent problems I leave SAS off until the vessel TWR raises above 1.25.  There is some drift and without SAS the engines are always firing straight down

Setting thrust limiter on the letter "r" is forty two percent.  Very easy to target.

 

After twelve days the fuel transferred to a 200 km circular orbit was 6356 units of fuel and 7769 units of oxidizer.

 

There is room for improvement.  The rig was able to produce another 1860 units of fuel and 2274 units of oxidizer before the sun set on the twelfth day.

 

 

Edited May 2, 2016 by MoeslyArmlis