Chequers

Congratulations, @Krazy1 on what is indeed an ambitious and unconventional entry into Orbit Boot Camp. Throwing caution (and control) to the wind, you've opted for a daring SRB only entry; which looks as weird as it does wonderful. Being able to achieve some additional adornments alongside this feat is impressive! Thanks for documenting your entry with screenshots, it was a joy to read through your mission report, and we're all very impressed here at the OBC Committee. Onto the honours. You successfully pass out of Orbit Boot Camp with your vessel, 'Full Throttle Science'. You are awarded the Kerbin Crescent, adorned with Zircon Chevron, Silver Claw (with Kelvin Ribbon), and Amber Leaves. Your name and vessel will be recorded on the Honour Roll, and you can use the Orbit Boot Camp Badge in your signature if you like. Congratulations, and thanks for taking part!

I got the same progression, @Lechu after exhausting all of the World Record Keeping Society contracts around Kerbin, Mun and Minmus, they sent me to Eve. I too thought this was a big jump in ambition. I'd just finished learning rendezvousing around Minmus... and suddenly was going on interplanetary return missions. I was scared. I even made a thread about it. If you're waiting for Duna, it might be a while. So far I've completed a contract to flyby Eve and return to Kerbin and am partway through a mission to return from a manned orbit of Eve. If the usual progression is to be believed, the next contract will be to attempt some form of landing on the surface, but I'll let you know.

Ah, my mistake! Thanks for letting me know - I've updated the total. Thanks for taking part!

Congratulations on your entry @Kerminator1000, and a solid first effort to pass out of Orbit Boot Camp. Thank you for providing a detailed screenshot mission report of your timeless and classic 'pointy end goes up' design. Onto the honours: you are awarded the Kerbin Crescent, adorned with Zircon Chevron, Amber Leaves and Onyx Eyes. You may use the OBC Signature Patch if you wish, and your name and vessel will be recorded on the Honour Roll. Well done! And good luck with your future entries.

Hi @Kane Kerman, welcome to Orbit Boot Camp - you can still make entries. I don't use mods at all, so I don't know what Restock does. Does it add parts? Or just add part variants/skins?

@krautfed1 - it's that kind of honourable honesty that we appreciate here at OBC! We'll certainly be keeping a spot warm on the 1st Class Register for when you come back with your third entry!

I knew you'd go for another entry, @krautfed1 - and I'm glad you did, because it's excellent. It's impressive to see you take learnings from your first entry, and using that as a platform to create an improved vessel. Thank you for another detailed screenshot mission report. Onto the honours: Your entry, 'Orbit Boot Camp 3.0', is awarded the Zircon Chevron, Silver Claw (with Kelvin Ribbon), Amber Leaves, Onyx Eyes and Crossed Swords. For achieving five additional adornments in a single launch, you earn the 1st Class Insignia. Your name and vessel will be recorded on the prestigious 1st Class Register - congratulations!

Welcome, @krautfed1. Thank you for submitting an entry. It's typical that I bring OBC to a close due to inactivity, and a new entrant arrives on the scene! OBC lives on! Thanks for providing a detailed mission report and screenshots for your entry, 'Orbit Boot Camp 1', and congratulations for going above and beyond to earn those additional adornments on your maiden flight! You successfully pass out of Orbit Boot Camp, and are hereby awarded the Kerbin Crescent, adorned with Zircon Chevron, Silver Claw (with Kelvin Ribbon) and Amber Leaves. Unfortunately, the small nose cone is a Tier 5 technology part, so this entry does not qualify for the Onyx Eyes. Furthermore a KSC Biome for the Crossed Swords is any biome where conducting a crew report would state that it is from 'The KSC/The Launchpad/The VAB/The Runway/etc'. Still, a hearty congratulations on your first entry - and do feel free to continue chasing additional adornments; we at OBC thoroughly enjoy 1st Class Entries. Your name and vessel (feel free to give it a more unique name if you like) will be recorded on the Honour Roll. You are also welcome to display the OBC Patch in your signature if you wish.

Update Thanks to everyone who took part in this challenge - I was blown away by all the submissions, creativity and boundary pushing brilliance. I learned a lot about maximising efficiency and cost - and it was a lot of fun to view your creations! I feel this challenge has run its course for now, so I won't be actively monitoring this challenge thread; if you decide to submit an entry, be prepared to wait a while to get your name on the board. Of course, if anybody would like to reboot this challenge, go right ahead! Thanks, Chequers

@Comte_Snek, welcome to OBC - and thank you for submitting two entries, with detailed screenshot mission reports to boot! Your first entry, 'Le Garbage', is a timeless design, with the pointy bit aimed skywards - a great demonstration of how to make things go up quickly. With this vessel, you succesfully pass out of Orbit Boot Camp, and are hereby awarded the Kerbin Crescent, adorned with Zircon Chevron, Silver Claw (with Meteorologist Ribbon), Amber Leaves, and Onyx Eyes. Congratulations! Your second entry, 'Le Garbage 2' does a lot with a little! We were particularly impressed at the amount of payload you were able to get into orbit - including two Kerbals and a satellite. We also enjoyed that the lower of the two command pods doubles up as an underwater viewing platform upon splashdown. Very creative. This entry is adorned with Vermilion Heart and Cobalt Stripe. Congratulations! Your name and vessels will be recorded on the Honour Roll, and you may use the OBC patch in your signature if you like. Thanks for taking part!

I agree with this, as a purely stock career mode player. Beyond the first World Record contracts, there's not much of a space program 'story' to go along with the career. It essentially goes: Launch a Ship > Get to Space > Get to Orbit > Do stuff around / on celestial bodies. The latter of which repeats ad nauseam across the Kerbol system. I appreciate that career mode is more of a way of limiting funds and science, as opposed to a 'story' mode - but a better synergy between contracts, technology and progression would be welcome in the stock game. I'd be more than happy to stay on and around Kerbin for longer than a current career save has me, and have milestones feel like much bigger accomplishments, than just ticking off another contract. I'd also like to see more of a use for probes and rovers as a way of unlocking the technology required for manned missions. It's almost always as technologically demanding (if not easier) to send a Kerbal to the surface of a celestial body, than to pave the way with probes and rovers first. Perhaps to take surface samples and atmospheric readings, to ensure that the Kerbal's life support system was correctly calibrated for strolling around on the surface of a potentially lethal planet. Still, these are minor gripes in the grand scheme of things.

@Keithv708, congratulations on your entry - 'I Think I Can V2', and for just squeaking in under the cost limit, with 4,999. We at the OBC committee like to see engineers squeeze every last drop of efficiency out of their 5k budget, so well done! You successfully pass out of Orbit Boot Camp, and are awarded the Kerbin Crescent, adorned with Silver Claw (with Kelvin Ribbon). Huzzah! Your name and vessel will be recorded on the Honour Roll, and you may display the OBC Signature Patch if you choose to. Thanks for taking part!

Agreed with mabdi36, when comparing pods, one isn't better than the other: they're designed for two different purposes. Your lander can is designed for... well... landing. Its shape and dimensions allow for a low centre of mass, and vertical surface for attaching radial tanks and landing legs for plonking down on bodies without atmosphere, such as the Mun. The trade-off for this low weight and boxy dimension is fragility and a shape not suited for orienting stably through the atmosphere. It isn't designed for re-entry; and while a heat-shield will go some way to helping, if you're screaming in from a transfer from Eve, you're going to run into problems. It sounds like you've brute-forced a transfer, which usually means you're going to be coming in fast. If you can provide more details about the ship and your transfer, we might be able to help you bring it back in one piece. I'd suggest trying to bleed off some of that velocity with an aerobraking maneuver.

@GRS, congratulations on updating your entry with an impressive landing back at KSC - we all knew you could do it, and were standing by to firmly plant the Crossed Swords adornment onto your Kerbin Crescent. With this fifth adornment, you earn the 1st Class Insignia, and a place on the prestigious 1st Class Register. Well done! --- @Venturer2Space, we awoke to find not one, but two submissions in quick succession from you! Some might call that 'reckless haste', but not us! We at the OBC Committee like that pioneering spirit... but won't ask any questions about what happened to Flyer 2... On to the honours: With your first entry, Flyer 1, you successfully pass our of Orbit Boot Camp, and are hereby awarded the Kerbin Crescent, adorned with Zircon Chevron, Amber Leaves and Onyx Eyes. Congratulations - your name and vessel will be recorded on the Honour Roll. You are also welcome to display the OBC patch in your signature if you wish. Your second entry, Flyer 3, is a veritable demonstration of Orbital prowess; thank you for the detailed screenshot mission report. It is awarded the Zircon Chevron, Silver Claw (with Meteorologist Ribbon), Onyx Eyes, Amber Leaves and Vermilion Heart. For achieving five additional adornments in a single launch, you are awarded the 1st Class Insignia: your name and vessel will be recorded on the 1st Class Register. Well done!

Any biome that refers to a structure of the KSC, such as the runway, launchpad, VAB, Spaceplane Hangar, etc.

Congratulations @GRS on your devilishly named entry, 'Something Long and Hard', which certainly quirked a few brows and flushed a few cheeks over at the OBC board meeting. That said, you have succesfully passed out of Orbit Boot Camp which your impressive entry - thank you for the detailed screenshot mission report demonstrating your vessel. You are hereby awarded the Kerbin Crescent, adorned with Silver Claw (with full ribbon complement), Pearl Escutcheon, Onyx Eyes and Vermilion Heart. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that you have landed within a KSC biome, so you have not earned the Crossed Swords adornment, and therefore have not quite satisfied the requirements for the prestigious First Class Insignia. Still, four additional adornments is an impressive achievement, and your name and vessel will be recorded on the Honour Roll. Congratulations!

Part clipping isn't allowed as a pretty much blanket rule, as it can be hard to find a fair way to draw the line. I'd be happy to look at any designs that you submit, to see whether the part-clipping in question confers an unfair advantage over your fellow boot-campers! @GRS, our best wishes and good-lucks go out to you in your attempt! @Keithv708, thank you for submitting your entry, 'I think I can'. Looking at the cost of the ship in the VAB, and the amount of you recovered in parts, it doesn't look like you've managed to complete the mission for under 5,000. Please let me know if I've missed something!

Congratulations, @The Doodling Astronaut on your entry, 'James'. And for taking the time to put together a well edited video documenting your mission - it was a joy to watch. You successfully pass out of Orbit Boot Camp, and are hereby awarded the Kerbin Crescent, adorned with Zircon Chevron, Silver Claw (with Kelvin Ribbon), and Onyx Eyes. Your name and vessel will be recorded on the Honour Roll, and you are welcome to use the OBC Signature Patch if you wish to. Enjoy the smattering of applause and nods of approval from the OBC executive committee - well done!

Another leader board topping entry, @bayesian_acolyte, with 'When Pigs Fly' - a very clever, and might I add, 'artistic' way of claiming the Diamond Wings. Thank you for such a creative entry, and for your screenshot mission report. This entry earns you the Cobalt Stripe, Crossed Swords, and as mentioned, claims the Diamond Wings for heaviest payload delivered into orbit. --- Congratulations, @Grogs on your entry. You successfully pass out of Orbit Boot Camp with your vessel, 'Flying Deathtrap' - and thank you for your detailed mission report and screenshots. A good effort on trying to land back at KSC. You are awarded the Kerbin Crescent, adorned with Zircon Chevron, Silver Claw (with Meteorologist and Kelvin Ribbons), Amber Leaves and Onyx Eyes. Your name and vessel will be recorded on the Honour Roll, and you may use the Orbit Boot Camp signature badge if you wish to. Well done!

Ah! My apologies, friend. I've updated the Honour Roll. And my pleasure, thanks for taking part!

@joshudson, well done on your latest entry, 'Das Boot', and for laying down an impressive marker for heaviest payload in orbit. Thank you for your screenshot mission report - we're a particular fan of the 'double thumper' approach you've used, and acknowledge the bravery of the Kerbal that would volunteer to sit at the top of that volatile stack. Your latest entry earns you the Cobalt Stripe, and reclaims the Diamond Wings. Congratulations!

@bayesian_acolyte, we're always delighted to see another entry from you! Well done on your latest, wonderfully named, 'DeeVee mcDVface', which squeaks in at just under the required mission cost at 4,992. Thank you for your screenshot mission report, detailing your interesting design to maintain a lot of 'oomph' once you'd achieved orbit. Importantly, alongside the Crossed Swords, you claim the unique 'Opal Festoon' for achieving the highest dV remaining whilst in orbit. Congratulations!

Dear @Hotel26's Mum, You are going to be very proud of him. We are delighted to report that - while humble in his mission report - he has handily demonstrated the ability, skill and fortitude to successfully pass out of Orbit Boot Camp in his vessel, 'Bare Metal'. h6, thank you for your screenshot mission report. We've noted the discrepency in the VAB cost and have concluded that KerbalX must not include goods tax. Regardless, you are hereby awarded the Kerbin Crescent, adorned with the highly regarded Zircon Chevron, and the eyebrow-raise worthy Onyx Eyes. Your name and vessel shall be recorded on the Honour Roll, and you are welcome to display the OBC Signature Badge if you choose to. Well done!

Congratulations, @jinnantonix on your entry, and thank you for taking the trouble to demonstrate your ability to complete the mission without mod assistance: while the OBC committee would have taken your word for it, video evidence leaves no doubt! Now, onto the honours.You successfully pass out of Orbit Boot Camp with your vessel, 'Wobbly Boot', and are hereby awarded the Kerbin Crescent, adorned with Silver Claw (with Meteorologist and Kelvin Ribbons) Crossed Swords, and Cobalt Stripe. As you have delivered the heaviest payload into orbit, particular congratulations are in order as you have claimed the unique adornment of Diamond Wings. Your name and vessel will be entered onto the Honour Roll, and you may use the OBC Signature Badge if you wish to. Well done!

Congratulations, @AHHans on your entry, 'Boot' - which, as the OBC committee suggests, is one of the most stylish entries we have received due to that decidedly oversized decoupler. Thank you for submitting a detailed screenshot mission report detailing your flight - and particularly well done for deploying a satellite as part of your mission, and for not forcing Bill or Val to draw straws on who would have to sit in an external seat, by adding a second command pod. You are hereby awarded the Kerbin Crescent, adorned with Silver Claw (with full ribbon complement), Pearl Escutcheon, Onyx Eyes, Vermilion Heart, and Cobalt Stripe. For obtaining five adornments in a single mission, you are awarded the 1st Class Insignia. As well as being entered on the Honour Roll, your name and vessel will be recorded on the 1st Class Register. You are also entitled to use the OBC Signature Badge if you wish. Well done!