The 100/1000/10000 Efficiency Challenge

[dnbattley]

A new challenge! Different in format to many, if not all, challenges, this challenge is designed to test luck, judgement and old-fashioned perseverance.

 

(Hat tip to @EvermoreAlpaca a.k.a. Bradley Whistance's forthcoming You Tube series Advanced Orbital Mechanics for the inspiration here)

 

The 100/1000/10000 Challenge seeks to answer the question "how far can we get" given the following 3 requirements:

1) From 100km LKO,

2) With 1000dV available, and

3) Within 10000 Kerbal days (Y24, D202) of the initial game starting point (i.e. time at KSC, not your MET)...

Or more specifically: what is the largest (or smallest, relative to the Sun) orbital period you can achieve / the most impressive body you can reach (interact with SOI / land - defined only by Kerbal survival on surface - on) in the given timeframe, from within these specifications?

 

More detailed rules (subject to further clarification if required):

- Cheats to achieve initial LKO are acceptable, but thereafter are not permitted. (Semi-Major Axis value is 700,000 achieves 100x100km orbit).

   - For non-cheated orbits, a variation in initial orbit of up to +/-0.1% Ap/Pe is acceptable.

- Any craft qualifies, provided it meets the dV requirement. 1000.0 dV is a strict limit: no staging or other craft modification is permitted to squeeze out additional dV.

   - Stock reference craft is a Communotron 88-88, Mk 1 Capsule (full monoprop), 1.25m Service Bay containing a PB-NUK, FL-T200 Tank (with partial 54.0 liq/66.0 ox) and LV-909.

   - Stock craft are preferred, but modded parts are also acceptable provided 1000dV capability is evidenced. Automated flying mods (e.g. mechjeb) are discouraged (this is meant to be about orbital pilot skill) and must be declared with the submission.

- Adjustments to Stock orbital mechanics are not permitted. A separate challenge can be made for Principia/Additional planet packs if demand is sufficient.

- Image album of map screenshops showing 1) initial orbit, 2) all major slingshots/SoI changes and 3) largest/final orbital period/landing for submission (use KER readout, or right click both PE and AP values in map). PLEASE ENSURE YOU CHANGE MET TO UT FOR THE FINAL SUBMISSION (AND PREFERABLY ALL SCREENSHOTS) TO QUALIFY.

- You do not need to launch at Y1 D1 (for example if you want to wait for a specific encounter window), but the end time remains fixed in UT. Submissions can be made prior to (i.e. if you've maxed out your run before the 10000 day limit, you do not need to fast forward further), but not after the end time.

 

Leaderboards will be separated according to Body and/or Orbital Period (for landings this will be defined as the greater of the orbital period prior to SOI insertion, or of the planet itself). Manually piloted scores will appear ahead of mechjeb flyers .

 

 

Proof of concept/mission report here: demonstrating a "simple" mission to Duna (calculated as 1037 m/s dV requirement minimum according to the bible, using stock 1000m/s craft (of which 17m/s was still available, before it crash-landed).

Edited January 3, 2019 by dnbattley
Style

[EvermoreAlpaca]

In theory, you should be able to reach any body in the system, or escape from Kerbol's influence entirely with enough time.  The 10000 day limit may limit this =)

Edited January 9, 2019 by EvermoreAlpaca

[Xurkitree]

I think this is interesting, but the limits given are too restrictive. Even with a gravity assist, you will have just 150ish meters of DV left in Kerbol Orbit.

How about multiplying every thing by 2? 200km/2000dv/20000 days. Far more reasonable, but still more restrictive.

[GRS]

Insanity : over 9000.

[dnbattley]

On 1/9/2019 at 10:46 PM, Xurkitree said:

I think this is interesting, but the limits given are too restrictive. Even with a gravity assist, you will have just 150ish meters of DV left in Kerbol Orbit.

How about multiplying every thing by 2? 200km/2000dv/20000 days. Far more reasonable, but still more restrictive.

Thanks for your interest (in an otherwise quiet/dead challenge). I'd be happy to add a separate board for a 200/2000/20000 version if you wanted to give that a whirl, with the proviso that, beyond achieving a large Sun orbital period, only achieving orbit of a "non-atmospheric" planet is likely to be considered "leaderboard-worthy" as, for example, landing on Duna (or even Laythe) with 2000 dV available is rather unremarkable. Getting to Dres with 2000 dV would be an good achievement, for example, however. FYI a reference craft for that starts with the 100/1000/10000 craft, and adds an FL-100 and adjusts the monoprop to 80% IIRC to balance.

 

More generally, however, I will not fundamentally change the concept - even at the risk of preventing entries. This is, deliberately, something of a masochists challenge: this evening I quickly threw together a mission profile which managed to engineer a Kerbin-Eve orbit (achieving the Eve interaction sometime in year 10) with around 30dV remaining: I'm confident that interaction basis could be used for getting further afield, so am happy for the 100/1000/10000 levels are sufficient achievable and, deliberately, remain an elitist endeavour...

On 1/9/2019 at 4:15 PM, EvermoreAlpaca said:

In theory, you should be able to reach any body in the system, or escape from Kerbol's influence entirely with enough time.  The 10000 day limit may limit this =)

I though it would be good to limit an otherwise theoretically unlimited challenge

[GRS]

Look at Turbo Pumped's video, you need a close Kerbol slingshot to do that, it's possible to reach Eeloo in like 47 days.