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Munhopper - collecting science biome by biome, and when we're done, off to Minimus under it's own steam! Transmits, stores an extra copy for pickup-return to Kerbin and process data with the third copy for MOAR science. A bit fiddly to land on slopes though.

Any specific pain points? One thing I've noticed is that it's harder to dock in really low orbits because the relative orientation of the docking port tends to change rapidly. Never did the tutorial , but two ways to combat this in game: higher orbits, only useful if you put the object into space yourself like LKO refueling missions "normal" orbit orientation of the target docking port - relative orientation of target dock doesn't change while approaching and from an orbital view, the approaching vessel is making an inclination change with very small apo/periapsis changes so there is little drift in the direction of your velocity relative to target docking port. Simply point and approach. I also don't bother much with aligning ports with RCS although it does help - after getting them sort of lined up, I make the final approach, bump docking ports and very, very gently push against the target so the attraction between ports closes the angle between them. With MechJeb, the parrallel-anti-parrallel orientations help alot.

Probably refers to maneuver nodes.

If you don't mind some clipping, the TT-70 "Strutty" radial decoupler will attach to suitable cargo inside the fairings while the radial attachment point remains on the outside, the fairing wall has to be between the cargo wall and the radial attachment part. You can radial decouple and blow the fairing without worry. Also extend the tip of the fairing to a pointy end instead of closing it as soon as possible. It adds some mass but greatly reduces drag and allows more optimal ascents - savings of 300-500m/s deltaV for big payloads can make a big difference to how large the first few stages are! And after pointing it in the right direction very early on and get some good speed, the long needle-like fairing naturally steers itself into a gravity turn. While not super large, to give an idea of how effective fairings can be, the ship below ends up in LKO with 3250m/s deltaV. Remember to blow the fairing as early as possible to reduce weight - anywhere from 23-43 km depending on how fast the rocket is going and how 'draggy' the payload. The proper Kerbal way is to add MOAR boosters, especially if one hasn't unlocked the largest fairing in career! Having thrusters with gimbals attached as laterally as possible and/or a really strong central gimbal thruster can save some grief. Tail fins at the end of boosters and reaction wheels at the top of the payload help alot too. Note the sideways build to give stability - as it gets higher and faster after launch, the used boosters get dropped and drag is reduced. Definitely MOAR boosters (4 types of engines, 1 solid fuel booster) and tail fins, radial boosters used and dropped heaviest to lightest. Drag coef at 95'ish isn't too bad but the first rocket is only 4.5...have to get that largest fairing in career mode. 110tons on the Mun, hopping from biome to biome collecting science while drilling for ore to refuel - capable of getting to Minumus after that too. (and Duna with a slightly different design) Lands on its tail then gently tips forward with the help of RCS and the Thud rockets to slow the fall to horizontal. Launching is the reverse with the Thuds angling it up for lift-off. Perhaps some creative skycrane decoupling + vertical to horizontal engineering for your permanent structures?

They should survive. There was a nice post a page or so back listing the distances when things went POOF in a ball of smoke/explosion. Relaunch coming soon. Self-testing ongoing to figure out "how low can you go" and thinking though a scoring system that rewards Crazy Kerbal Dare-Do, Close Shaves and Precision/Kerbal'esque Engineering. Current Limbo Limit: 150,000 km Kerbol Orbital Radius. Is this challenging enough? Apart from KSP1.03/1.04 as a requirement, details so far: HyperEditing one ship from anywhere in KSC to a starting point of up to 150x150km orbit around any planet, limited to stock Moho orbital radius will be allowed and noted on the results leaderboard. Bragging rights to those who don't Hyperedit , (maybe a nicer badge that says so, we'll see) Pure stock parts will be a category of it's own Informational and piloting assist mods MechJeb, Kerbal Engineer allowed and encouraged to allow ease of review, considered 'stock' for purposes of this challenge Asteroid Day parts considered stock for purposes of this challenge Alt-F12 Thermal Info display allowed and a few pics with this mode on will be part of review Allowed mods, modded category (suggestions welcome but no other modded engines) Karbonite and K+(Karborundum) resources and associated parts, including engines in keeping with the the Solar theme, Solar Sail part from KSPI-Extended SolarSailsNavigator recommended, http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/119579-WIP-1-0-4-SolarSailNavigator-v1-0-3-alpha and probably a fair amount of patience [*]Tweakscale of structural parts only, allowed up to 3.75m, down to as small as you want [*]Lifesupport(LS) mods allowed but excessive use of parts not directly providing LS gets the entry bumped to gatecrasher category (OKS/MKS...) [*]NFT Construction, NFT Solar allowed (but will probably blow up pretty early anyhows:D) [*]Structural part mods that aren't OP will be considered thermal issues means no procedural fairings, no B9/procedural parts thermal physics of unlisted mods should follow http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/117930-Guide-New-temperature-rules-for-parts-in-1-0-%281-0-2-updates%29 listed mods may not follow the above but its a balance of extra fun vs limiting exploits to a common pool among challengers Gatecrasher (other mods entries) welcome, will be grouped separately (you'll get a nice badge too though but I'd expect to see spectacularly low distances) - if enough entries with same mod, will start a specific leaderboard. Please don't deliberately 'mod' parts to high heat tolerances as it defeats the purpose of the Challenge Hyperbolic trajectories, asteroids, sacrificial exploding parts allowed in all categories as long as the probe core/Kerbal survives the entire physical journey (no warp drives/teleports/jumps) of one of the following: crosses Moho orbital radius on the way into and out from Kerbol survives one full, stable orbit of Kerbol bonus points for returning from a suitably low Kerbol Orbit, altitude TBD - surprise me! Modded planetary systems with stock Kerbol (size, gravity, temperature) welcome but note hyperediting restrictions Kerbol location can vary in case of weird and wonderful star systems - fly between two super-close, realistically set-up binary Kerbol-like stars and I'll make a specific badge just for you!

Any way of repairing or is this a permanent damage thing so the whole ship slowly becomes useless? Many updates since last visit to thread. Very impressed. Real life preventing much progress - Only Day 30 in career mode! For me, radiators and microwave transmitters most useful in nearer-term, sending out probes to Outer Planets Mod planets (Sarnus, Urlum, Neidon, Plock) at Day 30-60. These will need transmitted power by Year 1.5/2, (using Remote Tech so need to power transmitters). Haven't drained Mun and Minimus of science, probes enroute to Moho (80d to arrival), Eve-Gilly (180d to arrival), Duna-Ike (200d to arrival). Using microwave power, possible to send fast ion based probes for cheaper vs LN-V, ignore optimal/lowest DeltaV launch window. 2500 science waiting distribution, mulling over what nodes to unlock...potentially MKS/OKS base building tech nodes before any of the engines/advanced reactors as travel windows quite far out. Can see potential of nuclear reactors to power continuous mining-refining-ISRU operation in the next stage of expansion. P.S. Managed to get impactor/accelerometer to work this time round!

Just to add to this, use the offset tool and push down the booster - the top of the booster should be attached to the radial decoupler. Also, use the "strutty" radial decoupler for more clearance if required. The placement should already prevent most collisions as the bulk of the booster is already "past" the main craft. The decoupler force also directs all the tanks outwards. The booster tanks may occasionally crash into each other after decoupling. If that's a problem (i.e. using Stage Recovery to salvage parts for cash), add a parachute at the centre of mass of the booster tansk, staged to open at the same time the booster is decoupled. Even if the chute gets destroyed, it's still "recovered" in the end.

Reputation and tech capability - you have to finish the "lame" ones to collect more rep.

Yup, badge for the challenge if supported by the person who started it or for the relaunch if it comes to that

Or an efficiency boost for the engine, when coupled to the right engine? Inertial confinement = Lasers (Pew-Pew) = Thermal Engine bonus. Magnetic confinement = Force (Use it Luke, Use the force) & Plasma = Magnetic/Ion Engine Bonus Been rewatching Star Wars obviuosly.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/75669-Staging-Methods-Overview can help inspire some nice setups but calculating the numbers on a spreadsheet gets more tedious with creative fuel/mass saving staging setups, so there is this: http://garycourt.github.io/korc/ for later in your KSP career.

Gasp! Posting that link here and the NASA follow up reminded me of this http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1244:_Six_Words

Ah, ok. Good point! I do this in career cause SRB's are cheap for the first stage over tank+fuel+rocket engine and I try to minimize cost and delta-V to orbit over multiple stages.

How's about the ability to make things un-Kerbal'ed with use of computer core? Regain efficiencies by upgrading the core? It's reasonable progression - most people would have maxed out the tech tree already. And the computer core could be doing other sciency things in the science lab. Balance unmanned with the need for a high level Engineer on each ship to handle any transfer of antimatter between them. A bit of role-play has Bill & colleague doing maintenance work while they are out there. At the very least one Engineer because KAS-based pipe transfers exist. You'd have to agree with at least that last bit as Jeb would just blow things up:cool: and Bob would be too scared to do it:rolleyes:. 100/6 =16.7. But it was only a suggestion. Engineers would find a way to make thing more efficiently so engineer away...I take it you are probably one IRL?

DMOrbital Science and KSPI-Extended with CTT if you are into MOAR Science and building orbital infrastructure like beaming microwave power to distant planets. Also ESDL Jump Beacons (along with Rover Dude's Karbonite and K+ packs) because getting to that colony on Plock and back again loses it's charm after the first few times. Civilian population for your colonisation theme. Being updated & improved for 1.04, mod looks good and can only get better. Then take on the galaxy with Kerbol Galaxy.

. I haven't build up the microwave infrastructure so based on the Interstellar Wiki antimatter is created by Science Labs - "up to 5GW, into antimatter at an extremely low efficiency rate of 0.5%. When fully powered, the lab will generate 2.78x10^(-4) mg antimatter/second or 24mg/day". Specifically, 1 unit antimatter is defined as 1 mg anti-hydrogen (anti-H). Realism issues: anti-matter in orbit is actually anti-protons not anti-H. 1 anti-proton needs 1 anti-electron (also known as positrons, shorter to type:wink:) to make anti-H charged particle repulsion force >>> force of gravity for same mass. So 1 gram anti-protons would realistically go BOOM. 1kg would go metrically go MEGA-BOOM However, anti-protons weigh 1836x more than positrons. So assuming perfect energy -> mass conversion, out of 5GW energy used to create anti-H, 4.9973GW goes to making anti-protons. If anti-proton's were collected free from orbit, all energy could be devoted to making positrons. So, thoughts coming out of this on improvements for antimatter production/collection: potential efficiency increase of up to 1836x if science lab coupled to orbital antimatter collection capable of fulfilling all anti-positron needs i.e. 'upgraded' science lab capable of producing approx. 44.064g of anti-matter a day with enough collectors collecting 44.04g anti-protons + 5GW power [*]orbital antimatter collector cannot work on it's own (gameplay simplification and no need to create new anti-proton resource. Use it or lose it) Why no power requirement for orbital antimatter collector? Simplification of reality anti-protons generated at the LHC undego a series of cooling steps before being combined with positrons to make anti-H each step looses anti-protons the first step has an efficiency along the lines of 0.1% orbital anti-protons are not so "hot" and can skip this step [*]using "cool" orbital anti-protons implies an additional 1000x efficiency gain - bleah:P [*]handwave this away - gains from this efficiency is used to power collection, storage and processing of anti-protons, though that's pushing it the other way Did someone say "But I like how my mega-collector ship looks"? second cooling step has 6% efficiency 16.7x moar collectors! nerf max collection rate of existing collectors by up to 16.7x times (or increase anti-proton requirement by 16.7X at science lab) Add engineer requirement because all those superconducting magnets and linkages between orbital collectors-science lab need to be maintained somehow.

The effort that goes into KSP! Is the complex mathematical model still around? I'm curious cause I completely ignore the "1.2 TWR at launch on Kerbin" and just ram vertically as hard as possible to 50-80m/s (drag <4.5ish m/s) under terminal velocity to quickly get past the first 20-25km of atmosphere. Seems to save me a lot of delta-V over the typical gravity turn advice floating around on the forums. It's mostly prograde after that though. Maybe modding the model for atmosphere could help figure it out. Before 1.04, I did a hybrid and sent everything to the Mun. Kerbin ship launched with extra empty tanks would refuel with Minimus/Mun fuel at the edge of Mun's SOI. With a small timed burn, I'd drop back down to Kerbin correctly inclined, regaining 800m/s deltaV and do the interplanetary burn in atmosphere (60km'ish) near periapsis. Got tired of all the screen-staring and correction maneuvers with ion engines & LN-V's. Shorter burns are much more accurate so those engines are for everything after.

Haha...extreme prolonged silence, like 2 months worth probably. Hope things are working out in IRL. My contribution for your challenge, an spinoff from trying to master an image editor for texturing planets and stars. Snappier title was really more about shortening things a bit to squeeze everything in

Hi, this thread has been on the sticky for a while and looks rather lonely. Would you mind much if I restarted the challenge with a few tweaks in conditions for KSP 1.04? P.S. Prolonged silence will be taken as consent...

My bad! Got smacked in the back of the head by physics friend. All the above true but overlooked proton-electron mass ratio. Based on the ratio, suggest that realistic orbital antimatter power requirement is a dedicated reactor/energy consuming source of anti-matter production. Assume ability whereby all antimatter generated from reactor is positrons/anti-electrons. Allow up to 1836.152x more antimatter generation based on matching levels of orbital anti-proton collection. Orbital depletion-slow renewal becomes optional as a rate-limiting step. Almost 2000x production rate as a 'tech upgrade' isn't a nerf . If 2000x is too high, lowering it is reasonable as positron cooling would divert some positrons away from anti-hydrogen production.

Congrats on the release - noticed that some planets don't have descriptions and science defs mostly empty. I can do a few moons/planets too if you still need more help. PM me your backstory (how the system got discovered by Kerbals), planned biomes & thematic guidelines if any. Your thoughts on resource distribution can help add some flavour for SciDefs as well (CRP resources, breathable O2 if any)

Upload the save, make it an informal challenge! But sending rescue missions and rescue-rescue missions is the Kerbal way.

Well, actually...Kerbal-kind would have discovered high temperature superKonductors that can currently operate around the range of night time on the Moon/Mun so normal shielding and heat pipes would suffice in the more advance world of KSPI-E. Haven't opened KSP but vaguely recall thinking the tech tree progression makes sense with advance electrics/electronics coming before antimatter storage. Energy use/losses would come from the collectors magnetic field travelling through the planet's field generating force (Force & movement over time = work = energy loss) but much more importantly, the antimatter collected is charged (thats why it's trapped by magnetic fields in the first place). At 'gram' levels, there would be enough repulsive force to literally blow the world apart. (cue Carl Sagan gif). Try generating a magnetic field that can contain that! And if that were achieved, the anti-protons would be moving at very relativistic speeds and all Kerbalkind would die from the resulting synchrotron radiation :P:P:P:cool:<-Jeb So, "realism" would require energy for positron generator to make neutral anti-hydrogen from anti-protons collected and positron-based cooling or something like that because the anti-protons are moving very fast.. Energy has to be removed but cryo-cooling relying on conductance clearly NOT an option. followed by final trapping but this last bit probably takes the least amount of energy Kills gameplay cause this is back to reactor based antimatter requirements. bad realism:mad:Suggest leaving current equipment as is, add "nominal" energy requirement (photo-op for sleek solar-paneled collector ships +/-a generator somewhere but that isn't as pretty unless going for a Russian aesthetic). Instead, add balance-realism by making orbital anti-protons a slowly renewing resource like in real life, timescale of 1-5y, number balanced for gameplay. (affects magnetometer readings). Ability to timewarp to collect loads of antimatter a viable option, but would typically stretch out career mode a bit longer depending on player style. In real life, anti-protons of different velocities are trapped at different orbital radii, in similar shape but different position to Van-Allen belts and each radii can be depleted. The most efficient collecting orbit would be equatorial and rather eccentric. Realistic implementation with correct varying output & depletion for inclined orbits would be painful so probably best to leave it spherically Kerbal'esque.

didn't notice the "elliptical orbit with torsion" proved numerically. Good catch!

http://www.emis.de/journals/Annals/152_3/chencine.pdf initial velocity vectors and position at bottom of first page. middle of figure 8 is origin coordinates "0, 0i". Mass and gravitational constant set at "1" I think so μ is 1. Try accounting for that if things crash in cause the real "G" ain't 1. Note relationship of positions and magnitude of velocity. Good Luck!