Around Laythe in 80 Minutes

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

For those who feel the need for speed, but are preoccupied with interplanetary missions.

For the curious and the courageous, who want to prove their worth.

For all you spaceplane buffs out there, who want a real challenge.

LOOK NO FURTHER, MY FRIENDS!

 

(Challenge badge, made by me)

 

If you've already seen and/or participated in my "Around the World in 80 Minutes" challenge, then you should get the basic gist of this one.

• And kudos to whoever nominated that for TOTM January 2020.

 

If you haven't yet, then the objective is simple: fly around Laythe in less than 80 minutes. 

 

RULES (will be amended if necessary):

Spoiler

1. First and foremost, you have to get your plane from Kerbin to Laythe.
   1. Refueling stops (e.g. Mun, Minmus, Ike, Dres, Pol) perfectly fine.
      1. If you're able to do a direct flight from Kerbin to Laythe without stopping to refuel, more power to you. Just be sure you have enough fuel (or can refuel yourself) for the challenge.
   2. Dropships unconventional, but acceptable.
      1. A "dropship" is defined as a rocket that transports a plane to its destination from Kerbin. The plane itself is the final stage, and won't work until it is safe in the atmosphere and free of its delivery rocket.
         1. This is an example.
      2. Yes, you can quicksave if something goes wrong with the plane's re-entry.
         1. And no, you can't start the timer while in-flight.
   3. Teleportation cheats and/or debug menu NOT ALLOWED; you have to get it to Laythe legitimately.
      1. An exception for this challenge can be made if you present evidence (e.g. album from previous mission, Mission Report thread, video) that the model for your entry (or a slight variant thereof) can reach Laythe. If you use Hyperedit/debug menu, you'd better be prepared to prove that you could also fly your plane to Laythe fair and square.
2. Your entry, regardless of type (spaceplane, dropship-delivered airplane), must be made using Stock parts ONLY - NO MODS
   1. Navigational/autopilot mods such as MJ/KER okay
      1. MJ recommended, since it's going to be tricky flying to Laythe from Kerbin - and it MAY help you autopilot the plane while you're flying around Laythe (emphasis on "may").
      2. You can also get your geographical coordinates 
   2. Just don't use any mods that come with additional craft parts.
3. I don't care how you get ore scanners/relays in position (so yes, you can teleport them). This is a Laythe speed challenge, not who can set up relays the fastest.
4. Laythe is covered in water with islands scattered everywhere, so finding a good landing spot (especially one with a good ore concentration) is going to be hard. To make in-flight navigation easy for you, land within 20 degrees latitude either direction (-20 S to 20 N) of the equator.
   1. If you need to refuel first but can't do it along the equator, do so before flying to your start point.
   2. Your run won't be perfect, but a good guideline is to fly along Laythe's equator so you're going in a straight line rather than having to worry about going at a significantly inclined heading.
   3. If you want to find a good spot, here's a good general area to look --> but for your save, there's no guarantee it will have a sufficient ore concentration.
      1. 165 degrees East. 
5. Don't forget to mark down your start/end point. That way, we'll know for sure you went around Laythe.
6. Land within 3 kilometers of your start point.
   1. If you don't have any kerbals to plant flags, just use Kerbnet to flag it down. Just be sure that you're within the zone when you land.
7. Make sure whatever clock you use is easily legible. More details on what you can use later.
8. Must be able to carry at least one kerbal at a time.
   1. Actually occupying it is optional.
      1. But recommended, since they can plant flags at your start point.
      2. If you don't, just show us your takeoff spot location and/or coordinates. Also make sure to land in that area.
   2. Additional seating a plus.
9. Must be equipped with some kind of probe core for remote control.
10. Have at least 1,000 units worth of electric charge on board.
    1. If your plane needs to refuel itself, you're gonna need that extra capacity.
11. Crew must have a means of getting in and out of the plane.
12. Stay below 35 km altitude at all times.
    1. So, that means no orbits.
13. For the craft that's actually flying around Laythe for time, detachable staging is not allowed.
    1. Parachutes acceptable, since you can repack them. Of course, you'll need to be landed for that to happen.
    2. (IF YOU USE A DROPSHIP) You're just timing your plane that takes off from the start point, not the delivery rocket.
    3. Basically, if you start with it, you finish with it.
14. Plane must start and finish in one piece, which means ABSOLUTELY NO:
    1. Detaching
    2. Exploding
       1. And no, you can't use "Ignore Max Temperature."
    3. Crashing
       1. Or crash-landing.
    4. Rapid Unplanned Disassemblies
       1. (IF YOU USE A DROPSHIP) Do whatever you want with the delivery rockets, since they are technically PLANNED decouplings. You probably won't be using them for the timed run anyway.
          1. If you are, (besides asking yourself "why?") you keep it with you when you're done.
15. Rocket engines and/or rapiers in rocket mode okay, but advised against. If you want to use them during your timed run, that's fine by me.
    1. Just don't forget to stay within the atmosphere.
16. You must have some fuel left over when you land.
    1. Oxidizer depletion (or not having it to begin with) fine. You probably won't need it, anyway.
17. Multiple entries allowed, but only one can be counted for the leaderboard (for each mass and class division). Unless you say otherwise, I'm going to pick the one with the best time.
    1. If you have planes in different divisions, that's fine. I'll just take the best one for each division.
18. I don't care how long it takes you to get to Laythe from Kerbin - or to refuel before your run. As the name implies, you have 80 minutes to fly AROUND Laythe in your plane. To earn credit, this means...
19. PICTURES!!!!!
    1. Show your plane in action, along with your start and finish time. Everybody wants solid proof that your plane is the fastest around Laythe.
       1. Within the atmosphere, obviously.
    2. Cost-effectiveness is also a bonus, so show the craft in the appropriate building with its price and mass.
       1. Dropships are expensive and very heavy, but who am I to judge your approach?

 

 

 

 

If you want the TL;DR version, here it is:

1. No cheating.
2. Prove you can get to Laythe
3. Get ready along an equatorial island
4. Record start time.
5. Fly within Laythe's atmosphere around the equator.
6. Land within 3 km of your starting point in less than 80 minutes. Record end time.

 

 

• Spaceplanes
  • Mun Hopper Division
    • 0 - 45 tons
  • Hamacker Division
    • 45 - 90 tons
  • Poseidon Division
    • 90 tons or more
• Dropships
  • Johnfrid Division
    • Plane mass 0 - 40 tons
      • This means that the plane you're using qualifies if its mass is between 0 and 40 tons. The rest of the dropship is irrelevant.
  • Laie Division
    • 40 - 80 tons
    • Named after @Laie, the current leader in the Thunder Division (flew around Kerbin's equator in 24 minutes, 32 seconds) for the "Kerbin in 80 Minutes" challenge
  • Neptune Division
    • 80 tons or more

Spoiler

If you feel like conquering Laythe, or at least establishing a military presence on that moon, then I won't object. After all, if there is a possibility of intelligent life on Laythe, then we'll need to be able to defend ourselves in case they're hostile. For this case, BDArmory (or whatever mods come with weapons/defense systems) is okay for the following divisions.

 

• Armed Spaceplanes
  • Recon Division
    • 0 - 55 tons
  • Revenge Division
    • 55 - 110 tons
  • Superfortress Division
    • 110 tons or more
• Dropship-deployed Aircraft
  • Comet Division
    • 0 - 45 tons
  • Sentry Division
    • 45 - 90 tons
  • Gigantor Division
    • 90 tons or more

 

 

Some of you might be wondering "How exactly do I time my speedrun?" No, you can't just display your computer's stopwatch; it doesn't account for the game's lag and/or warp. Some solutions include, but not limited to:

• Use the MET clock and subtract the finish time from the start time.
  • WARNING: it does not show seconds after your MET passes 10 years.
  • Be sure to show your math and make sure it's correct.
• Use the Kerbin Time (UT) clock and subtract the finish time from the start time
  • Same case if you use Kerbal Alarm Clock.
  • Be sure to show your math and make sure it's correct.
• Program Kerbal Alarm Clock to go off when you want to start. As soon as it does, take off immediately. When you come to a complete stop at the finish line, check your "T-plus" time after that alarm went off to see how long you took.
• Have a reliable stopwatch mod.

 

Whatever idea you use, you have to make it easily visible. If you want a straight-up stopwatch that works for KSP, you could download @linuxgurugamer's Big Ben. It's a mod that acts as a stopwatch and a timer (you probably want the stopwatch). If you have any questions about how to download or work it, contact him.

• P.S. He just got awarded Thread of the Month for February 2020.

 

Before anyone asks, I calculated the average speed you need to beat 80 minutes. Now, that does not mean that you're okay if you cruise at 655 m/s; it just means that your average speed for 80 minutes has to be above that if you want to beat the time. If I had to make a suggestion, I'd say go at about ~775 m/s if you want to meet minimum standards - but your strategy is up to you.

 

If you succeed this speed challenge, your prize will be:

• A challenge badge
• Mentioned in the List of Triumph
• All-expenses paid trip to the outpost on Coldbeard Island
  • Not to be confused with Poseidon's Palace on Neptune Island, which is currently located in Laythe's Fallout Zone.

 

Here's my entry for the Mun Hopper division:

Below is the pic-heavy journey to Laythe from Kerbin.

Spoiler

• My entry in the SPH (MechJeb module removed for KerbalX)
  • Cost: $114,560
  • Mass: 33.352 tons
    • Mun Hopper Division
  • Craft file here

 

 

 

 

• Usually, I refuel on Minmus. However, in this case, the MJ autopilot plotted a gravity assist through the Mun and would get me nowhere near Minmus - so I decided to land on the moon instead.

 

 

 

 

• NO, I didn't teleport to Dres. I'm still flying over the Mun.
• Nice view of the canyons, huh.

 

• As this is a Sandbox save and I got nothing better to do (on this save), I can wait.

 

• All I need to do is refuel on Ike, get a high Duna orbit, and I'm all set for Jool.

 

• Refueling's over. Now I need to:
  • Set a low Jool fine-tuned periapsis
  • Establish an elliptical orbit to reach Pol
  • Refuel on Pol
  • Do a transfer burn to Laythe
  • All set.

 

 

Everything seems to be going according to plan, right?

Spoiler

WRONG

• The Kraken threw me a curveball and got my plane captured in Tylo's SOI while waiting for my transfer burn for Pol.
• I had to think fast and establish a periapsis before I crashed into that oversized moon.

 

My trip got extended by at least a year because of that setback.

 

 

• Landed on Pol - by the skin of my teeth.

 

I was delayed by at least a year, but I then resumed the plan as normal after I was done refueling.

 

 

• Circularizing my orbit above Laythe while testing @linuxgurugamer's Big Ben. Works like a charm, even with the warp.

 

You can pretty much guess what I did from there. I simply de-orbited the plane using the NERV and flew to a good place to start along the equator. Of course, I had to wait until it was day at that spot.

Spoiler

I could have just showed this Mission Report thread as proof before teleporting my Mun Hopper to Laythe, but I wanted to show that I definitely CAN go to Laythe on my own. Plus, it saves you the hassle of sorting through all those entries.

• And yes, the model I used isn't the same as on these reports. However, now that you have the flight album, there's no question I can get it to Laythe legitimately.

 

 

 

Now that the preliminaries are over, on to the main event.

Spoiler

• Flagging down my start/finish point.
  • And I do mean "flag."

 

• I should set that as the target during the flight so I know how to get there for the return.

 

• The Mun Hopper, all gassed up and ready to fly.
• I'm feeling a bit nervous. You know that feeling you get right before you start a race?

 

• A minute after I ignite the engines, and I'm ~6 km away from my landing spot.

 

• Even if I somehow slip up and get above the altitude limit, I'm not going to start an orbit since the engines were forced to stay on air-breathing mode.
  • And even if I left it at automatic, it doesn't have enough oxidizer to make any difference.
  • I left some in the tanks so I can use the RCS during landing.

 

• I had to slow down when I saw that my cockpit was at a huge risk of blowing up. Though this is a big disappointment, adding a few minutes to my time is worth not getting disqualified over a crewmember death.

 

• From the way I see it, it looks like Vall and Tylo are aligned.
  • And this next shot shows it.

 

• Now whenever I look at it, I think about that ship from Spaceballs.

 

• I occasionally had to cut the engine when the heat meter on the cockpit got too high. I still have the speed to make it in time.

 

• Nice picture of Jool.
• I've passed the 1/2-mark on my fuel tank.

 

• If Laythe had a prime meridian, I think I passed that. 
• I'm at 15 degrees East, and my starting point is at 165 degrees East. I'm over halfway there.
  • Too bad I can't see how far away I am from the target until I get within 100 km.
• Nice picture of Jool in the horizon.

 

• I forgot to take the regular picture, but I could see a sunrise where I was flying.
• Still, I have no idea how far away I am from the flag.

 

• Nice island formation.

 

• Finally, I got the target in my sights.
• ETA in two minutes

 

• Approaching target.
• For some reason, the aerobrakes weren't holding after I deployed them.

 

• Parachutes deployed, and I landed within 3 km of my starting point (1.7 km).
• I then hit the "STOP" button after my surface velocity hit 0.0 m/s
  • But I had another issue to deal with.

 

• As soon as I hit "STOP," I switched off the rover autopilot. Honestly, I don't even know why that was still on.
  • I used it to see how far away I was from the target, but even that was unreliable.
  • Had it remained shut off, I would have come to a complete stop without problems.
• In an attempt to cool off the cockpit, I deployed the TCS.
  • I think I should have:
    • Placed more relays around the solar system
    • Replace the MkI cockpit and cabin crew with a heat-resistant fairing and a MkI inline cockpit.
  • Otherwise, not bad.

 

@Mars-Bound Hokie: 51 minutes, 58 seconds

 

START YOUR ENGINES

 

Edited February 6, 2020 by Mars-Bound Hokie
Added challenge badge

[fulgur]

Did you know that if you have sufficient TWR, as in my Jool-5 Laythe mission, you can get out of the atmosphere on jets only? One may or may not need to shut off your jets at some points in the flight...

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

2 minutes ago, fulgur said:

Did you know that if you have sufficient TWR, as in my Jool-5 Laythe mission, you can get out of the atmosphere on jets only?

Yes; I learned that from my Neptune III mission. That's why I set an altitude limit, so you can't establish an orbit.

• Do you think it won't work? If so, do you have any other ideas?

 

4 minutes ago, fulgur said:

One may or may not need to shut off your jets at some points in the flight...

If we're talking about orbital ascent, then I'm definitely keeping the engines on. However, I'm staying in the atmosphere and would rather not my cockpit explode. If I saw that the heat meter was getting really close to full, I shut off the engines and waited until the speed got to around ~1100 m/s before restarting. Perhaps I should have used a model for better heat protection, but I decided with a Mun Hopper (variant) since I know for sure that it works.

[fulgur]

What I meant was that if you just leave it (as you do in a boring flight) you might end up flying above the altitude limit by accident. Plus, you know, flying at 0 degrees at 34km...