michal.don

January 7, 2019

Alright, several new entries over the weekend, let's have a look at them!

On 1/5/2019 at 4:42 PM, 4472TJ said:

For STS-1a

Welcome to the challenge! And thanks for re-uploading the larger screenshots, the small ones were pretty... confusing

Good job on your first mission, you managed to get your shuttle to orbit just fine, and the reentry seemed to bring you to the general vicinity of the KSC - just a bit of practice, and you'll be landing on the runway without any trouble

So, here's your first badge, pilot!

YgXYW8T.jpg?1

Congratulations!

One small detail though - could you, please, hide the screenshots in a spoiler for the next report, so the thread is not too picture heavy? Thanks!

On 1/6/2019 at 10:41 AM, 4472TJ said:

Again I'm Back

Ah, and a swift upgrade to commander level, here you go

QThe6Sf.jpg?1

21 hours ago, Kerbolitto said:

STS 5T

Managing to land on the runway without a correction burn is an example of either good planning, great flying, or amazing luck - not going to judge which one of these was the case here Anyway - great mission, and a great report - here's your badge:

7zmbGnp.png?1

(also, for the next time, please also hide more of the screenshots in a spoiler, the thread is getting rather picture-heavy Thanks!)

5 hours ago, sturmhauke said:

I finished my STS-4/4R mission, with explosions! Next time I might use that failure mod, but for this I did it the old fashioned way.

Wow, that's a lot of kerbal on board!

Great mission, a nice explosion and a happy end - what could be better? (more explosions possibly? Nah, this is just fine ) Good job rescuing your stranded crew, and a well-deserved badge:

bi6LEcy.jpg?1

And here comes station building time!

Michal.don

January 3, 2019

20 minutes ago, linuxgurugamer said:

I'll use the docking port at the back to grab hold, and then will probably use eva struts to hold it in place (unless that isn't allowed)

No reason why that would not be allowed. I'm just curious how you'll manage the docking with the very tight cargo bay, that's all

January 3, 2019

18 hours ago, linuxgurugamer said:

STS-1B completed last night, here are the images and video. Note that the fuel pod's total weight is about 43 tons. This due to having to redesign it to fit into the Mk 2.5 shuttle

Alright, now we have a proof of your shuttle's notable cargo capacity to (at least) LKO, and with quite a bit of fuel to spare! Very precise orbit, and a pinpoint landing, so a badge for you:

neJ4lfc.jpg?1

I can't help but notice though, the fuel pod is quite a tight fit in the cargo bay - I'm curious how much trouble it's going to do in the recovery mission....

18 hours ago, linuxgurugamer said:

STS-2A completed last night, here are the images and video.

Wow, the Octosats look very good And very nice usage of action groups to deploy all the stuff on them simultaneously, looking very nice in the video! Very good job building the comm network, and it seems you're getting the hang of the reentry procedures, too - you seem to get closer and closer to KSC every mission!

So, a third badge for you:

E6Sskam.jpg?1

Congratulations,

Michal.don

January 2, 2019

22 minutes ago, linuxgurugamer said:

I assume this was for STS Commander Rank 1, but I can't tell the difference between the badges. Looking at the OP, both STS Pilot Rank 1 and STS Commandr Rank 1 have two badges for each, and either I'm blind or I can't tell the difference between them, other than fir left badge for each has gold trim and tie right badge has white trim (the feathering to each side of the word Challenge in each)

Exactly as @hoioh said, gold star is for commander level, and silver branches are for "modded" category.

January 2, 2019

1 hour ago, linuxgurugamer said:

Oops, I forgot to say that the posted video is the final edit.

I finished STS-1b and STS-2a last night, I'm working on the post now. This time I remembered to get images of everything, so while I don't need the video as proof, although I am getting that as well.

STS-1b required a few quick-saves and reverts in the mission, mainly due to fat fingers and Trajectories miscalculating a landing point by nearly 1/4 around the planet. I'll be editing those out, so the missions will be complete from beginning to end

Ah, alright then

From the video, everything seems ok, so congratulations on the first (hopefully, of many) successful mission! One thing I'm curious about is the ascent though - it seemed pretty inefficient to me - is this on purpose, to get out of the atmosphere as soon as possible, or did you just not care too much, because of sufficient margins on the first mission?

In any case, here is your first badge:

nTYtbyq.jpg?1

and I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next!

Michal.don

January 2, 2019

On 12/31/2018 at 8:01 PM, linuxgurugamer said:

STS-1a - First mission completed. I did it last night while streaming. Here are a few images, I'm editing the video down to only show the mission. Please note that the following images are from two different attempts. The video will be continuous as proof of completion. This first mission was done using the Mk 2.5 Spaceplane parts as the main components of the shuttle

I'll wait for the final video edit, but this looks very good I like the shuttle design, and find the huge fairing the proper kerbal way of launching it

11 hours ago, Starslinger999 said:

Quick Rule related question: Would something like 2 solar modules be ok if launched together? Or should I make it a single module

Sure, you can launch multiple modules in one shuttle, but there have to be four total shuttle flights.

December 31, 2018

Ok, the traffic here got a little more intense recently, many new faces around here - I love it

First thing I'd like to announce - after some thinking, I decided to adjust the rule considering autopilots during atmospheric flight. From now on, attitude control instruments (like mechjeb's SmartASS) are allowed during the reentry, to keep the shuttle in a desired attitude. The final approach and landing still have to be flown manually though, and that's one thing I'm not willing to change.

Second - I'll leave the special Christmas mission online for about a week in January, then it will be officially finished and deleted from the OP. So, if you think about delivering some presents and getting the Christmas badge, you better get at it now

Now that I got that out of the way, let's get to the missions:

22 hours ago, sturmhauke said:

I finished the STS-1C mission. I still have to sort through all my screenshots, but here's a couple of the final delivery:

That's quite a precise landing you've got there

19 hours ago, Thor Wotansen said:

After a mysterious anomaly destroyed the fuel pod from the first launch of the HSTSS Momma Kerman, the suits in the Administration building decided to try again with 50% less recklessness in the form of no Jeb.

Now that the mission contrlo has read the fine print on the end of the contract, there remain no reservations on my part Good job, and the second badge for you:

giYU8fw.jpg?1

11 hours ago, Laie said:

Compared to Thor above, my pictures are nowhere as pretty. But perhaps interesting nonetheless.

I'd say they are pretty enough, and show an interesting design approach! Thanks for the teaser, and I hope that after the slight rule change you'll fly the real missions, too

10 hours ago, Angel-125 said:

I did the original Shuttle challenge, and it's nice to see it still going.

Glad to see you here, too There are several new missions compared to the original, if you're ever in shuttling mood, feel free to come around and fly some

8 hours ago, sturmhauke said:

Here's my STS-1C full album: https://imgur.com/a/l3xdSIi I built a new shuttle, called Tetrax, which is a smaller version of Bustard.

Another of Santa's helpers gets the job done, and again getting all three of the presents! Great mission report and great job, so a christmas badge for you:

6 hours ago, JadeOfMaar said:

I think the title of this thread should be more like "The Comprehensive STS Shuttle Challenge Series" Wow, thsi thing is loaded. It would make a fabulous chain of milestones to lace and guide a science or sandbox save with.

Yup, I admit the thing kind of grew in time and got more excessive than most of the challenges on the forums But I can't really take credit for all of this, it was already pretty awesome when I got it, so....

Also I'm quite curious - quite a few of the forum all time greats have visited the thread recently - what happened? Was the thread mentioned or featured somewhere, or is it just a (pleasant) coincidence?

Michal.don

December 30, 2018

On 12/28/2018 at 5:08 PM, Starslinger999 said:

STS-3 Is complete. I put my replica of the Hubble Space Telescope into a 600km orbit at ~27^o inclination.

Good job! Nice detail of adding the openable shutter to the telescope And yes, the "separotrons" seem a bit excessive

Anyway, nicely flown and definitely badge-worthy, so here you go:

9E708Vn.jpg?1

On 12/28/2018 at 6:00 PM, alekkat said:

I hope this is enough because it has been a year since I started this mission. I'm happy to be back and will most likely continue these missions.

That's quite the dedictaion, welcome back And I'm more than happy to award you the badge, good job!

Jm6F4Br.jpg?1

On 12/28/2018 at 10:04 PM, linuxgurugamer said:

I'll be doing the first mission on sunday evening, but here are the images of what I'll be using:

Here is a picture of my first shuttle for this challenge on the pad:

Are you sure the fairing is not actually making the aerodynamic properties worse? It sure doesn't look very aerodynamic.... Anyway, good luck with your mission, I'm curious how it will turn out!

On 12/28/2018 at 10:25 PM, Starslinger999 said:

STS 4/4R is done!

Successful rendezvous and crew transfer, precise reentry and a pinpoint landing, the crew is safe, great mission! ANd onother badge for you:

2LypmZP.jpg?1

On 12/28/2018 at 10:52 PM, Artienia said:

dont wanna be rude but it looks like a giant buttplug lol

Gyus, please, let's not go this way....

On 12/29/2018 at 11:40 AM, Thor Wotansen said:

Working on my first STS mission, had some technical difficulties with docking ports so I'm having to relaunch, but here's a teaser.

Welcome to the challenge! The teaser is looking great, good luck with your mission(s)!

22 hours ago, Laie said:

...and that's the kind of thing I rather leave to Smart A.S.S., so all my shuttles will be for naught.

As I stated a bit earlier in the thread, I'm really careful about allowing atmospheric autopilots, because this challenge is about both payload design and flying the shuttles. But if you are really oposed to holding attitide during reentry by hand, there is a little trick of adding a probe core rotated by 15° relative to the shuttle, setting "control from here" after entry burn, and setting SAS to prograde, which does pretty much the same thing I understand your reservations about the rules, and I'm sorry this discourages you from joining our ranks, but I do not think allowing atmospheric autopilots would benefit the challenge.

20 hours ago, Thor Wotansen said:

It seems I have completed the STS 1a and STS 1b missions in one launch with the good ship HSTSS Momma Kerman.

Oh, did not notice you already flew the mission....

Great maiden voyage of a new shuttle, looks really powerful and elegant (well apart from the engine pods floating above the cargo bay doors, but hey, if it works... ) This is proper STS-1a, but unfortunately, to qualify for the STS-1b badge (fuel pod), the orbit must have way lowe Ap and Pe difference - see the OP for the exact numbers.

So, only one badge for you now, but I hope you come back to claim the other one pretty soon

QThe6Sf.jpg?1

Michal.don

December 28, 2018

Just now, linuxgurugamer said:

I'll do my best not to at all, but if I do, it will be to only fly straight & level., and I will mention it if I do use it

Thanks for understanding Good luck with your missions, and let us know when you plan on streaming your attempts, I'm sure some of the folks here would love to watch it live

December 28, 2018

7 minutes ago, linuxgurugamer said:

One more question regarding flying in the atmosphere.

I understand that the reason behind this is to demonstrate flying & piloting ability. But, in a situation where I've reentered the atmosphere, am 1/2 way around the world, and have a shuttle with jets, would it be allowable to use something like Atmosphere Autopilot to just do the long-distance flying? Take offs, reentry and landings have to be manual, but this is an odd case (I think).

While I would encourage aiming the reentry more precisely ( ), I think in this case the autopilot can be used to "just fly straight for half an hour". But usually, it takes just a few test flights to get the hand of a new shuttle, and you should be able to get it to reenter in the general vicinity of the chosen landing spot.

So, in conclusion, you can use the autopilot to "hold the stick", but please, do not try to make it do more, because I would not like it to set a precedent for others.

Michal.don

December 28, 2018

@Artienia, @4x4cheesecake, thanks guys! I'll edit the previous post, and allow custom made fuel pods.

December 28, 2018

15 hours ago, linuxgurugamer said:

Couple of questions:

Is the Mk2.5 spaceplane parts allowed?

Is the shuttle allowed to be in a fairing for the launch?

The 40t fuel tank in the early missions looks like it us bigger than the 2.5 spaceplane parts. Could you make a longer, narrower version for the 2.5 spaceplane, or would you mind if I make a version which will fit?

Are jet engines allowed to be on the shuttle?

Welcome to the challenge!

To answer your questions:

1) I'm not familiar with that mod, but from the name I suppose it's a collection of parts with size between mk2 and mk3? Generally, mods are allowed here, with the exception of really overpowered engines and some straight cheaty stuff, which I do not think will be the case here.

2) Yes, no problem with that.

3) The fuel pod here is 2.5m in diameter, I don't know the dimensions of the mk2.5 parts. Before I'm able to give an answer to this one, I'd like to ask @Artienia about his fuel pod - I honestly do not remember allowing a custom made fuel pod - could you, please, send me the mission report or the link to our discussion about that? Thanks!

(I got the answer I needed, you can design your own fuel pod, it has to weigh at least 40 tons, and try to roughly match the resource ratios of the original one, if possible)

(edit: one note though - the "fuel pod missions" are considered bonus missions, you don't need to complete them to progress through the mission series, they are completely optional)

4) Yes, jets are allowed, and quite common around here

I'll get to you with the third answer as soon as I can, and I hope I cleared all the doubts you had. Have fun shuttling and I'm looking forward to seeing your entries

14 hours ago, Artienia said:

just a quick q, aren't you the guy who did the duna mission? that insane one?

There are a lot of folks doing crazy things around here, that might not be the best way to distinguish one from another

12 hours ago, Kerbolitto said:

STS-4T Skylab (second part)

And the work is done, and it's done in style Not your typical, Skylab-looking-Skylab, but the rules don't say anything about that (surprisingly ). Good job, and a well-earned badge:

3 hours ago, Kerbolitto said:

I don't know if you can use jets on special missions like STS Abort or STS Apollo crossover, which are by design precision landing missions requiring forward thinking.

Well, I try not to be too restrictive in the "Test pilot" missions, but I state in the OP that they are designed and meant to be done with an STS-like vehicle. So, by the rules, you technically can use jets, but you're making it easier for yourself, so shame on you

I hope I got it all,

Michal.don

December 28, 2018

I can see a few new entries, and a few new faces - so let's do another round

15 hours ago, Ozelui said:

It was the night before Christmas and Santa Kerman forgot to secure his precious cargo.

Wow, the screenshot of booster separation looks so good Great mission with two stops on different celestial bodies, three presents recovered and a pinpoint landing - very good job!

A Christmas badge for you, my friend:

15 hours ago, 4x4cheesecake said:

I guess it's ok to call it "ridiculous fancy", no name required

I second that

(next page coming soon)

December 27, 2018

41 minutes ago, Artienia said:

here it is

Thanks, now I can see all I need, here's your badge:

t3gSvqs.jpg?1

good job!

42 minutes ago, Artienia said:

Also does your rule apply to every mün mission? like in sts 2 do i have to land the shuttle once, three times or none because the pods are doinhg precisionn landing. Love some enlightning

Ok, let's put it this way:

In the first two Mun missions (STS-1 and STS-2-4), each shuttle has to land on the Mun.

December 27, 2018

8 minutes ago, Kerbolitto said:

Oh yeah sorry, I thought I could do 2 reports, the second payload is already loaded so I just have to fly the last part of the mission

No problem, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything important Good luck with the second flight!

December 27, 2018

Alright, holiday madness is over, all the family meetings survived with mental health mostly intact, so let's get to business

On 12/24/2018 at 6:41 PM, Starslinger999 said:

Update Landed somehow with my fuel xfer making it more unstable but a quick xfer saved the shuttle. Will have pics soon. Also, I have a pic of the orbit of the 40t payload for STS-1b

~~Sorry, but some bad news on my part - the final orbit is not within the required parametres (Pe and AP difference too big). Unfortunately, I can't award the badge.~~ Oh, I just noticed the edit, disregard, everything is in order, so the badge is rightfully yours

giYU8fw.jpg?1

On 12/24/2018 at 6:41 PM, Starslinger999 said:

STS 2a is done pics here with orbit parameters for the satellites. Full geostationary network. Although my shuttle was able to reach geostationary altitude and have an orbital period of 4 hours for deployment because of the nuclear engines.

On the other hand, this is right and proper, very good job! So, at least one badge for you, congrats!

Jm6F4Br.jpg?1

On 12/25/2018 at 12:26 AM, Artienia said:

Back.... Back for one mission

Ho ho ho, ~~Santa~~ Shuttle is coming to town

Great job recovering the two presents and succesfully landing them at the North pole, despite your RAM issues A holiday badge for you:

On 12/25/2018 at 4:15 PM, Alchemist said:

Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way.
Oh, how fun it is to ride
In open payload bay

And again, @Alchemist showing us all how it should be done Great job, great video report, and all three presents recovered - definitely worthy of a christmas badge:

On 12/25/2018 at 8:09 PM, Artienia said:

there were so many pics that i made a dropbox. hopefully they are in order.

I really hope this gets accepted by Don. It has been a long time i did this and now i am full of motivation

Looking good I'd like to check the station in a little more detail though, it's quite dark in the screenshots. Could you please provide on of the whole station, preferably on the day side of Kerbin? Thanks!

16 hours ago, Artienia said:

Is this allowed on mün mission? i wanted the shuttle's manned station to be deployed in a cool way and came up with this.

I you're talking about the first Mun mission, I'd say yes, you may deploy the outpost while flying, but the shuttle has to land on the Mun at least once to complete the mission.

16 hours ago, Kerbolitto said:

Okay so finally, I finished my attempt at STS Skylab, feels like its been a very long time since I posted something .... : /

Wait, there is only one shuttle flight in your report - am I missing something, or is this just a WIP so far? If that is the case, I'll wait for the second flight...

I hope I did not miss anything,

Michal.don

December 26, 2018

Please, hang on for a while longer, I don't have the time to manage the thread every day, I'll hopefully get to it tomorrow

December 24, 2018

15 hours ago, Starslinger999 said:

STS-1b is a success! With my new Nuclear Powered Shuttle.

So the crazy LV really works Mission looks good, but I'll have to ask for at least two more screenshots documenting:

1) The final orbit of the fuel pod, for chcking the tolerances

2) The pod with the resource tab open, to check if it's still full

Thanks!

10 hours ago, Starslinger999 said:

I'm having a bit of trouble with my STS 2a Mission. I accidentally removed 2 SAS wheels when I Refitted my shuttle and now it's unstable in atmosphere (I had to aerobrake to a lower orbit and it took a few quicksaves because it kept flipping out) but I do have a station in orbit with 2 drones with the large SAS wheels. Will it still be ok If I rendezvous with it and take a drone down for a landing?

Actually, that would be no-go. I have to draw a line somewhere, and while it would not be such a big issue in this mission, it's not possible to utilise infrastructure not built by the shuttle program. If I let this go, some people would launch all kinds of stuff to help them in their missions.

So, try the fuel-balancing trick to land your shuttle - it might work. You don't need a lot of reaction wheels to land from LKO, if your design is aerodynamicaly decent

I'm sorry and I hope you understand my reasons,

Michal.don

December 23, 2018

8 hours ago, qzgy said:

is it ok for the christmas mission if I make a 1.3 version of the present and use that instead? All my stuff is still in 1.3....

Of course! My craft file doesn't work in 1.3? I tried using only stock parts i thought have been present for a long time.

December 22, 2018

2 hours ago, 4x4cheesecake said:

Phew, that's a huge mission if you decide to pick up all three presents But here we go:

I sort of got used to hard things not taking too much time around here, but it still surprises me how quick some of you are Nice report, beautiful pictures and great job getting all three presents in one go - I hope you enjoyed the mission

and, of course, a Christmas badge for you:

Michal.don

December 22, 2018

12 minutes ago, 4x4cheesecake said:

the bow looks better than every real bow made by me

Same here

12 minutes ago, 4x4cheesecake said:

Do you have a shuttle on your christmas tree for real? I guess some people wouldn't be pleased if I try that but it looks cool ^^

Unfortunately, no... Just a nice picture I found on google

12 minutes ago, 4x4cheesecake said:

edit: The present got 117 parts?! Apparently, the framerate will be challenged as well in this mission if you take all three of them

Yeah, the seismometer ribbons are quite part-heavy But they are there just for the looks, feel free to remove them if you suspect things would go too laggy

December 22, 2018

My fellow shuttle-holics,

there is a special Christmas mission available for the duration of the holidays.

You will be catching lost christmas presents in space and delivering them to the North pole (the full description is in the OP)

ruOJ8fk.png?1

There is also a special badge for anyone who completes this mission

UZFqBce.png?1

I hope you will have fun with this short mission,

and I wish you all very happy holidays, hopefully spent with the people who you care for and who really matter in your life.

All the best to all of you, lots of luck and happiness in the new year,

And I'm looking forward to seeing each and every one of you around here and the rest of the forums.

Michal.don

December 18, 2018

On 12/17/2018 at 8:46 AM, sturmhauke said:

I tinkered with my old launch vehicle a bit more (I call it "Phoenix"), using some of you guys' suggestions, but I got impatient with it. I might go back at some point and try again.

Meanwhile, I completed my less realistic but more Kerbally symmetrical launch system, called "Firetail", and used it to do the STS-3 mission.

Damn, I just noticed I missed the mission part of your post!

But I saw it now, and it looks great! Awesome atypical telescope and solar array design, and a succesfull maiden voyage of a new orbiter+LV combination - congratulations! Definitely a badge-worthy endeavour, so, here goes:

qZ10w1g.jpg?1

Good job!

1 hour ago, 4x4cheesecake said:

I like the screenshot as well, that's why I have one without the UI

Awww, this one's even better

December 18, 2018

Sorry for the slight delay again, full christmas-madness is starting to take more and more of my time....

Interesting debate about the CoM shifts and possible CoT adjustments - that's one of the things I love about this thread....

Anyway, let's check the entries:

On 12/14/2018 at 1:28 AM, 4x4cheesecake said:

So there is no new flight report in almost 2 weeks? Let's change that and fire up the engines again!

STS - 5T

Great execution of the free return maneuver - and without correction burns, good job! And great improvised change of landing site, that's a feat worthy of a great test pilot And, I don't know why, but I absolutely love the screenshot of the shuttle changing the inclination in the atmosphere - that's a great picture!

On 12/16/2018 at 10:09 AM, 4x4cheesecake said:

Let's hope everything is fine with STS - 5T because here is already:

STS - 6T

I was looking forward to seeing creative solutions of this one - and I'm certainly not disappointed - recovery via a giant bathtub Not the most elegant craft around, but gets the job done for sure.

So, good job on both of your missions, and congratulations on being the first one to claim the new badge!

7zmbGnp.png?1

Michal.don

December 10, 2018

On 12/9/2018 at 7:23 AM, somepersondunno said:

Hey, if you don't mind me asking, how did you make that timeline?

It's an AutoCAD drawing with pictures inserted. If you want just the basic timeline with travel times, they are possible to download, the link to them is in the original post of the challenge

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