Jet Lag Challenge

[SpacePilotMax]

The task is simple: without leaving the atmosphere, take off at sunrise and land at sunset (you can chase the terminator). LAND ANYWHERE.

Edited October 21, 2016 by PilotMax

[Kerbinchaser]

Hmmmmm... I'll have to give this a try.

Have you tested it to make sure it's doable? 

[SpacePilotMax]

In process. It should be easier than making a trip across the globe, and that has been done before.

[John Cochran]

2 minutes ago, Lo Var Lachland said:

Hmmmmm... I'll have to give this a try.

Have you tested it to make sure it's doable? 

I don't see any reason it shouldn't be doable. Kerbin has a 6 hour day and no inclination so daylight should be 3 hours give or take. Chasing the terminator sounds like a bad idea to be completely honest. Simplest approach I can think of is to take off at sunrise and head in a straight line anywhere for one and a half hours. Then turn around and come back to KSP and land upon arrival. If you don't have to actually land at KSP, then the fastest approach I can think of is to take off at sunrise and head due east as fast as you can. As sunset approaches, land where ever you happen to be.

[Kerbinchaser]

Just now, John Cochran said:

I don't see any reason it shouldn't be doable. Kerbin has a 6 hour day and no inclination so daylight should be 3 hours give or take. Chasing the terminator sounds like a bad idea to be completely honest. Simplest approach I can think of is to take off at sunrise and head in a straight line anywhere for one and a half hours. Then turn around and come back to KSP and land upon arrival. If you don't have to actually land at KSP, then the fastest approach I can think of is to take off at sunrise and head due east as fast as you can. As sunset approaches, land where ever you happen to be.

good plan. I'll start right now with a very fuel efficient plane... The mallard.

[SpacePilotMax]

 

2 hours ago, John Cochran said:

I don't see any reason it shouldn't be doable. Kerbin has a 6 hour day and no inclination so daylight should be 3 hours give or take. Chasing the terminator sounds like a bad idea to be completely honest. Simplest approach I can think of is to take off at sunrise and head in a straight line anywhere for one and a half hours. Then turn around and come back to KSP and land upon arrival. If you don't have to actually land at KSP, then the fastest approach I can think of is to take off at sunrise and head due east as fast as you can. As sunset approaches, land where ever you happen to be.

That's one way of doing it...

[cikho]

take off and land @ksc or landing can happen at random places?

[SpacePilotMax]

Random places.

[TheKosanianMethod]

My theory:

Take off from runway just as sun rises. Pull around to face west. Full afterburner "overnight" (run through the night side) to wherever you end up. Land.

If you could somehow fly at the exact same speed Kerbin rotates at, your plane could fly west and arrive at exactly sunset at KSC, your plane and KSC both having traveled 180 degrees since takeoff.

I guess it absolutely,  positively has to arrive exactly overnight.

Edited October 21, 2016 by TheKosanianMethod

[SpacePilotMax]

It doesn't have to land at the KSC.

[Jonfliesgoats]

Fly north or south along the terminator (which will require a northwest or southwest ground track.  As soon as you cross the pole you have gone from riding dawn to riding dusk.

This is more difficult than simply making an endurance flight, but more interesting.  I have done this in stock with a panther powered plane cruising high at about eight hundred meters per second.  You make natural course corrections to compensate for coriolis effects by simply riding the terminator.  

[Jhawk1099]

@TheKosanianMethod I like the way you think. Who needs to wait until sunset when you can fly there? I wonder if this would be considered technically cheating. I believe the point of this challenge is to make a plane stay in the air for what I think is three hours (a Kerbal day is 6 hours with half of that being day) and you could get there in half an hour easily (as people have circumnavigated the entire planet in less than half an hour before. Due to this I think it's a bit too cheeky to work but I didn't make the challenge. But again, good thinking. 

[TheKosanianMethod]

On 10/21/2016 at 0:23 PM, PilotMax said:

It doesn't have to land at the KSC.

I know, but who doesn't like an extra challenge. And it looks cooler. If you could keep your plane at the exact 270 heading, you could just pitch up and down, never need to do course changes. 

[cikho]

isn't it faster to fly above the pole?

57 minutes ago, TheKosanianMethod said:

I know, but who doesn't like an extra challenge. And it looks cooler. If you could keep your plane at the exact 270 heading, you could just pitch up and down, never need to do course changes. 

 

well you have to keep the plane in the air for 3 hours.. with that time you have time to do at least 3 circumnavigations..

Edited October 25, 2016 by cikho

[The Flame Cat]

On 10/20/2016 at 7:33 PM, John Cochran said:

I don't see any reason it shouldn't be doable. Kerbin has a 6 hour day and no inclination so daylight should be 3 hours give or take. Chasing the terminator sounds like a bad idea to be completely honest. Simplest approach I can think of is to take off at sunrise and head in a straight line anywhere for one and a half hours. Then turn around and come back to KSP and land upon arrival. If you don't have to actually land at KSP, then the fastest approach I can think of is to take off at sunrise and head due east as fast as you can. As sunset approaches, land where ever you happen to be.

Which means you should make a seaplane.