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Do something nobody has done before


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On 1/6/2016 at 11:41 AM, Munarkore said:

How about my 600t, 100% stock, completely recoverable "FalKOR" booster landing within 5km of the launch pad with ZERO navigational aides, no parachutes, no wings, no targeting and not even so much as a visual reference from the terrain because it was at NIGHT! Would that count? I've seen some comparably sized recoverable boosters, but so far every one I've found either relies on modded parts, navigation mods, parachutes, outright hacks or a combination thereof to land safely, not to mention that whole dead reckoning in complete darkness situation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk_Ut1AHYBY

She landed with 185 out of 44,100 units of liquid fuel left (.42%) after successfully boosting the "Atreyu" Orbital Transfer Vehicle and payload (combined 100t with fuel) to a confidently generous target profile. It did take 4 attempts, which all loaded back to the same quicksave so there was no refinement of the flight profile from that point over subsequent attempts aside from the relative frame of reference between each attempt along with my own completely unscientific and mathless judgement. I'm actually pretty sure I mostly got lucky with brute trial and error to get back as close as I did, but considering the circumstances I'll consider it a solid win, if perhaps slightly less than perfect.

If you're interested I'll be posting more about this booster and many other crafts soon. On a perhaps philosophical note, I personally believe that there will always be room in KSP to figure out something that someone else hasn't done before, and not just in a subtle, nitpicky way either. There is still so much opportunity to innovate in fun and unexpected ways; You could say in a way that this challenge really represents a more fundamental aspect of the game itself which reliably affords a nearly infinite possibility of unique solutions, even when the goals and obstacles remain equal. Doing something that someone else hasn't done, or even just doing something in a new way is the whole reason we all participate in forums and is quite rightly the natural compulsion of any self respecting gamer.

CHEERS!  >========>

I have done this. Lighter though. Plus, it had fins and was falling retrograde. Appearntly it didn't like prograde. It also needed 40% of it's own fuel, because I boosted it back to the KSC and landed on the runway.

Edited by SpaceplaneAddict
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On 1/10/2016 at 0:59 PM, SpaceplaneAddict said:

I have done this. Lighter though. Plus, it had fins and was falling retrograde. Appearntly it didn't like prograde. It also needed 40% of it's own fuel, because I boosted it back to the KSC and landed on the runway.

Yeah most of the fins don't work backwards, they'll just flip you right around so I put the airbrakes up at the top and she falls beautifully. I typically cut the engines with about 15% of the fuel reserved for landing and as you can see in the video she landed with .4% (185/44100) so I'd say that's a pretty good estimate of the minimal worst case since it was pretty much straight down from 90000m and I only very slightly over corrected the throttle just a bit at the end there. My suicide burn hits above 10gs and I've found that's the key to keeping the fuel usage down.

Edited by Munarkore
Grammar, too many "so's".
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Mid air "refuel" of a VTOL, a VTOL powered by 2 helicopter engines? quite a few people have done planes but I have yet to see a VTOL or a "scale" looking mid air dock until I came up with a couple of ideas.

(granted I am using enough mods to clog the kitchen sink. And KAS in "Undocked" mode doesn't actually transfer fuel, but it sure looks cool)

screenshot36_zpshno6g4rh.png~original

Or how about two large scale planes "Docked" in a scale fashion, in mid air (this one will transfer fuel)

screenshot17_zpsk8fkrwsk.png~original

Edited by V8jester
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50 minutes ago, V8jester said:

Mid air "refuel" of a VTOL, a VTOL powered by 2 helicopter engines?

That is amazing... what mod keeps the first plane steady while you fiddle with the other one?

Edited by Evanitis
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  • 2 weeks later...
On January 6, 2016 at 1:41 PM, Munarkore said:

How about my 600t, 100% stock, completely recoverable "FalKOR" booster landing within 5km of the launch pad with ZERO navigational aides, no parachutes, no wings, no targeting and not even so much as a visual reference from the terrain because it was at NIGHT! Would that count? I've seen some comparably sized recoverable boosters, but so far every one I've found either relies on modded parts, navigation mods, parachutes, outright hacks or a combination thereof to land safely, not to mention that whole dead reckoning in complete darkness situation.

I did that with a Falcon 9.

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Does intentionally landing a multiple-use lander on a 50-degree slope to get canyon data when there was a flatter region available count?  I like a challenge.  You can see the flag I planted up-slope of the lander.  The lander itself is designed to refuel from an orbiting return stage and make multiple Mun landings.

I was pretty easily able to get back into orbit and dock with the return stage.  The RCS thrusters are a bit off center, so it likes to rotate and translate at the same time no matter what controls I press.  Other than that, the docking went fine.

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Edited by rocketengineer1982
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  • 3 months later...

Could you make a badge? I think this is a good challenge that deserves one. it's creativity is only limited to those doing it and is also uniquely simple.

I can't tell you what I am going to submit for the the challenge, just know that it is odd. lol

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I don't wan't to annoy anyone, by posting this mission again for the fourth time, but since it took me more than 3 months, i think it's ok to use it here again :D

As far as I know, nobody has successfully done this before:
A single SSTO Spaceplane launched mission, to land an plant a flag really everywhere.
While the SSTO itself either landed everywhere, or at least got to a stable orbit at the destination body to deploy a lander, which was brought there by the SSTO itself.
And all this without landing anywhere twice :)

 

 

Also i don't know, if this has been done before :D :

 

Or if someone else has build a Pod Racer thats also a working SSTO? :)

What about a space station that is a SSTO itself? :)

 

 

If any of this is not new, please let me know and i edit my post :wink:

 

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I am currently in the process of completing this challenge ( it will be a surprise ). Nice challenge but when is the badge coming? If you want I could experiment in making one.

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As far as I know these missions are unique...

Landing a winged dresderoid on the VAB.

 

Threading the Needle: Flying one craft through another in opposing low Mun orbit.

 

Threading the Needle II. One ship passing through another orbiting at 90° 

 

Landing a plane on the island tower:

 

Capture A, B, C, D, E asteroids, join them together in orbit around the Mun, then crash them into KSC.

 

 

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This involves a certain easter egg, so if you don't want to be spoiled, don't open the spoiler...

Spoiler

d0jGTWr.pngG3v9GTP.png30fPcMm.png I am the first to successfully drill the Kraken's fallen out eyeball for ore... with 7 drills! (was supposed to be 8 but one blew off during stage separation from the previous stage in polar Bop orbit)

This special 11-kerbal, 24-O10-Puffs-propelled 3.75 meter pod comes with an ISRU converter within, so the drilling isn't useless, either! Also note that this was designated (not to be confused with designed, as it wasn't) to be a permanent base, as seen by the ejected heatshields randomly lying around (I am also the first to eject several heatshields on Bop's surface next to the Kraken!).

 

Edited by LaytheDragon
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