Suborbital Docking

[Jebediah Kerman Jr.]

My second challenge is pretty self-explanatory: Dock two separately launched vessels.

Only one rule: Both vessels need to be on a suborbital trajectory.

I look forward to seeing your responses!

[linuxgurugamer]

So I boost to out beyond the orbit of Minmus, launch a second vessel with an overtake velocity. 

Shouldn't be too difficult.

Maybe  you should put a height restriction in as well

[Andetch]

Or, I can put a ship into LKO with a PP of 69KM, and dock with that. At 69KM the aero-braking in very minimal, with a low drag design the AP won't change much each pass. Infact I have put some of my SSTO into "Orbit" with PP and AP at 69KM. Still counts as Sub-Orbit. 

[DunnoAnyThing]

Maybe this counts as suborbital docking?

[Andetch]

1 hour ago, DunnoAnyThing said:

Maybe this counts as suborbital docking?

That should count even if it doesnt!

[DunnoAnyThing]

2 minutes ago, Andetch said:

That should count even if it doesnt!

Hmm?(Sorry, didn't understand what you meant...)

[Andetch]

1 minute ago, DunnoAnyThing said:

Hmm?(Sorry, didn't understand what you meant...)

That technically it is not on a suborbital (or maybe even more technically it is?) as the AP doesn't go above 70KM, however it is so cool that no matter what the OP rules, that video wins the contest in my mind. 

[DunnoAnyThing]

1 minute ago, Andetch said:

wins the contest in my mind.

Yep, got it.(though that run wasn't done by me.)
By the way, I think this challenge could be better with some (sort of) specific rules:

1. Suborbital means (at least here) : has a crash course onto the surface of the celestial body, not just dipping into the atmosphere(if exists).
2. No crossing SOI borders.(Or, if the celestial body is not Kerbin, no crossing the SOI border more than once.)
3. Specific limits of the time gap between two launches should be given. However, the limit should be "reasonable". Well, there is already a limit imposed by how KSP behaves(cannot go to launch while current craft is in the atmosphere), but launching two crafts in a very high eccentricity course will make that limit not so difficult. Alternatively, upper-limiting the apoapsis might work, too.

+ maybe a suborbital station assembly challenge might be even more exciting... by defining the minimum of a 'station'. maybe one cupolar, several solar panels, couple of RCS and an unused docking port... and put it into orbit before it crashes!

I personally think that creating a save with a craft (of yours) already in suborbital orbit and using it as the challenge save might be one way.
Or, the mission builder might come handy too.

Anyways, I'm not good at making challenges(that's why I don't own any currently), but just wrote some personal ideas that came to mind.

[Andetch]

There is a video of a suborbital docking on Eve by @Stratzenblitz75 here - a very cool craft and mission.

 

[Jebediah Kerman Jr.]

Okay, this challenge apparently was not as difficult as I expected...

[DunnoAnyThing]

59 minutes ago, Jebediah Kerman Jr. said:

Okay, this challenge apparently was not as difficult as I expected...

Well, it is to me, but not to many hardcore players here. maybe splitting the challenge to several categories might be awesome?

[Andetch]

I think you need to close the requirements up a bit..... On a slight tangent - I also had an early minimus/mun lander system that only had enough fuel to get itself suborbital, so to return to orbit you had to launch at the right time and use the orbiting mothership to RV, dock, return the crew, undock and then return to stable orbit, leaving the lander to crash back into the surface. You could also bring the lander into orbit too, but it was before IRSU in career and was for getting some science so no point in keeping the lander. 

[Atkara]

This looks similar to what I did some months ago over Duna, when I still didn't have an on-surface refueling solution. Not claiming a participation to the challenge as there are no pictures/videos. Just sharing the story:

Short fueled lander on the surface of Duna, carrying rescued Kerbals. In orbit, a miner, along with their ride home.

Launched the lander in what would otherwise be a direct orbital rendezvous with the miner -only I had the miner do the rest of it, as the lander could only go suborbital with it's own fuel reserves.

By the time they docked, both vessels were on a suborbital trajectory and had entered Duna's upper atmosphere. So I had the miner burn radial out to bring the apoapsis forward, then pushed them both into a stable orbit. Once safe, it fueled up the lander.