Eidahlil

Yes, it's just the box, the smallest drogue chute and two sepratrons. Btw, I use the offset tool with snap enabled to move the parachute to the center after placing it. If it's not dead center, the thing will spin wildly and will not get anywhere. Both the box and the chute have fairly high heat resistance, but the engines get very close to exploding. They might do that with some launch vectors, but we don't really care about them. It also helps that the thing is very light compared to drag produced, so it slows down quickly. A lighter alternative is possible with an almost empty Oscar-B and an engine for ants. It works just as well, but when launching, you have to disable all other engines, throttle up, stage the engine and only then stage the decoupler, otherwise the engine won't fire. It's probably more practical for actual missions, and lower on the tech tree too. Does not have the same marketing appeal though. However, due to its lower thrust, you can do more fancy stuff (scientific term) with it. For example, use the launching vehicle to impart a tiny amount of rotation to it ("bending the launch" ), and launch it from the worst possible locations that way, like the most prograde point on the Mun, inside a crater. (I did not launch it from within a crater, but the trajectory is high enough that I could have. We live and we learn). Admittedly, yes, this took me 36 tries, but maybe a real rocket scientist could do it more reliably?

Well, since it looks like the new leaderboards are a thing, I took the liberty of recalculating the results (just to make sure I'm still on top ). I hope I didn't miss anybody, and if I didn't, maybe I saved @TheEpicSquared a few minutes. ^^ Altitude: 1. Eidahlil with 237 273 m 2. Gaarst with 236 287 m 3. swjr-swis with 232 627 m 4. foamyesque with 231 189 m 5. Nefrums with 228 341 m Kerbtitude: 1. Eidahlil with 11 016 m * 116 K / 2 E = 638 928 p? 2. foamyesque with 231 189 m * 16 K / 20 E = 184 951 p 3. EpicSpaceTroll139 with 161 889 m * 1 K / 1 E = 161 889 p 4. Justintime505 with 142 980 * 1 K / 1 E = 142 980 p 5. DoctorDavinci with 129 516 m * 1 K / 1 E = 129 516 p FAR: 1. Van Disaster with 139 976 m * 1 K / 3 E 2. stickman939 with 105 961 m * 4 K / 3 E I'd have allowed to carry and use up to 7.5 units of monopropellant per kerbal on board, and see what happens. Maybe it's a good thing I don't run challenges. ^^

Well, I, personally, like the TWR and aerodynamics challenge, reminds me a bit of the X-15 program (except that one used rockets). It is not only about TWR though, you have to keep the thing aerodynamic, everyone so far kept the thing capable of horizontal flight and mostly capable of landing. And also you have to not explode from the heat. I'm all for refining the rules, e.g. taking off from the runway horizontally (everyone did so far), no clipping of engines (nobody did so far, but I'm tempted), and maaaybe harsher penalties for losing parts and kerbals (if I destroy my plane completely, I lose 725 points, which I feel, but am still in the game). The currently proposed scoring multiplier might make this into a jumbo jet challenge though, which might actually be fun, but it's a very different challenge. For example, this Koeing on a routine flight from Kerbopia to Kerbocity at a cruising altitude of 11km is carrying 116 Kerbals on two engines. That's a lot of points. But I'm actually here with another attempt at the altitude challenge. 237,273m reached with the same plane as before, just slightly better piloting. And managed to land it without losing anything. No other factors in the score, MechJeb for info. Also, there was a quickload involved, if it is important.

Did another try, this time with something a tad more specialized than "the first thing found in SPH". Not sure if engineering used fresh dark voodoo for this, but Jeb managed to hit 235,449m altitude with it. No parts lost, no extra kerbals, so that's the score. Also, it does get higher if going at 80 degrees instead of 90, just so far I've had no luck landing it in the ocean. But 236km is definitely possible.

So, something like this Sepratron powered lunch box? Arm the chute, aim in the general direction of Mun's retrograde vector and fire the two Sepratrons at full power. I set the radial-mount drogue to open at 0.2 min pressure and 200m altitude, which seems to work quite well regardless of whether you land in the water or the mountains. However do place the Sepratrons so they protrude below the lunchbox, as the drogue will only slow you down to 16-17 m/s when landing in mountains, but the Sepratrons seem to absorb the blow quite reliably (lunchbox crash resistance is 15m/s). Or you know, you could use a normal expensive parachute. Weighs 285kg and costs 1600 funds (counting the decoupler). (It can be made 40kg lighter with an Oscar-B and an Ant, but it feels less Kerbal that way. Well, and the launch is more complicated.)

Managed to do it in 5.5 tons, after a few redesigns. Jeb made it to Duna and back in, what is, essentially, a rapier launch capsule with a tiny ion spacecraft and a lander inspired by Foxster's mission (no clipping though). 1.2 stock craft, used MechJeb and Precise Node for help with the flying.

Well, since it looks it has not been done yet, an attempt to rescue the radio tower crew was made. Successfully, even. https://imgur.com/a/FeSRh The whole mission took 7:04, slightly ( https://imgur.com/a/JrukP ) damaging the tower in the process, using 1.2 stock and a bit of Mechjeb. Landing those VTOL planes is not as fast as I'd like it to be. Since it was on an active volcano, I really hope it's no big deal about the tower. Also, the rules say all missions have to return to KSC, so I did, but calculating the time up to the resort only. Used 522 units of fuel for it all, so the cost per kerbal is 209 funds.

I'd also like to submit a late bid on the Sea Rescue charter. http://imgur.com/a/ynsok Our company made an unmanned retrieval vehicle with a front-loading ramp to scoop the capsule out of the sea. It seems that manned vehicles take priority over unmanned vehicles when docking, so the time switched to capsule's time when it was grabbed. Nonetheless, our engineers think they can calculate the total time anyway. Grabbing the capsule was achieved at 1:37, which was 44:14 capsule MET, complete stop on the airstrip was at 45:32. Allowing a second for the transition, the total mission time is 176 seconds, or 2:56. As the capsule was retrieved, the scoring time is 2:56 less 2 minutes, or 56 seconds total score. This is all in stock 1.1.3 (Mechjeb for info), using 228 units of jet fuel (for 182.4 funds).

Seeing this challenge come up, Jebediah Kerman ran into the spaceplane hangar, jumped into the first jet plane he found, and took off for the skies. Gunning the engine, he left the atmosphere and barely exceeded the 100km mark at 100,373m. No other modifiers, so looks like 100373 points (one kerbal in cockpit, one rapier engine with no oxidiser, no parts lost, nobody died, mechjeb for info but Jeb flew on manual). http://imgur.com/a/FjkZL I like the challenge!

Here's my entry for the round the world trip, starring Bill. He flew a single seat fast all stock airplane powered by one RAPIER engine with no cargo, not even lunch, because Bill was going for speeed. Trip time - 49 minutes and 34 seconds, using 650 liters of fuel (520 credits). Maximum speed reached is 1703 m/s according to mission summary, but 1701 is the highest I actually saw (and took a screen of). The aircraft entered an uncontrollable spin on ascent once, but Bill managed to regain control once most of it's speed bled off. No other accidents worth mentioning. Great challenge! http://imgur.com/a/Ks9ur