Doing it Apollo style

[regex]

It's the Alpaca Lips!

I love how "Jules Verne" the lander is, well done!

[Xeldrak]

Well, thats an impressive gallery. Seems like we have a new champion!

[SkyRender]

Well, thats an impressive gallery. Seems like we have a new champion!

I guess that means we need new mission goals now so someone can top that!

[Death Engineering]

Thanks Xeldrak! This challenge was the perfect diversion in the "things to do while waiting for 0.21" category. Cheers!

I did not stick to strictly "no-mods" rule, however all parts are stock and there are no flight-assist mods. I used only KSP MapSat and Alarm Clock. After all, Neil and Buzz had lots of probe data to help them pick their landing site. And Alarm Clock is just because I don't see any point in flying missions in real-time and I don't like missing node windows.

The goals in this challenge resemble the Apollo 15 mission, but I thought it was important to include a proof of concept for the launch escape system (LES) in the fashion of the Little Joe II rockets.

I don't expect any extra points for it, but since I wanted to make sure the LES worked it made sense to replicate the original test vehicle for this concept. During my development of the Saturn 5 style lifter for this challenge, there were several "mishaps" where I actually used the LES and it worked perfectly.. but to use those examples as my challenge entry would not have make a lot of sense.

Little Joe II/LES Test Launch

At the landing site.. 30 points for the effort, +15 for landing accuracy.

Full Mission Details:

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Doing it Apollo Style Challenge:

Main Mission - 30 points

• Everything has to be started with a single rocket (no building ships in orbit or refueling in orbit)
  
• You have to fly a LOR mission (you need a Command Module [CM] and a specialized Münar Module [MM])
  
• No mods! All stock, no Mechjeb. (Did Neil and Buzz land by auto pilot?)
  
• BYOR (Bring your own rocket) - The rocket must be your own design
  

Goals

• 3-man Mission +10
  
• 2-man Lander +10
  
• 2-stage Lander (leave the decent-engine on the mün) +20
  
• Main rocked aspargus'd? -10 (Wernher von Kerman does not like aspargus!)
  
• Escape tower? +10
  
• Lander stored behind the CM during ascent +20
  
• Lander tucked away behind some fairing? +5
  
• Free return trajectory to the mün +10
  
• Flawless landing (no parts broke off, Neil Armstrong is watching you!) +10
  
• Got a Munar Roving Vehicle (MRV) on board? +15
  
• After succesfull Mün landing docked CM and MM in Orbit (no swapping ships without docking them first) +10
  
• MM disposed by crashing it into the Mün (remove Kerbal first!) +5
  
• Plant flag on the Mün (no cumulative, i.e. two flags don't get you 6 points) +3
  
• Spashing down on Kerbin (land on water) +5
  
• Kerbal dies -20
  

Awesome new goals:

Keep the CM pilot busy

Deploy münar sub-satellite before returning to Kerbin +10 Points

Landing accuracy

Land within 100 meters of the NAM +15

I was roving on the Moon one day...

Proper shakedown -5 points - Drive beyond 2.5 km of the lander

MSEP - Mün Surface Experimental Package

Science extravaganza! - 15 points - Deploy four experimental packages 2.5km from the landing site (and at least 2.5km from eachother)

Score: 203

[Xeldrak]

Nice, another entry - you even got into the top-3

Well, I'm okay if you don't use mods that alter gameplay or give you pieces that the others don't have.

Well, by now I really have problems to come up with new goals. I could make a new challenge for Duna - however, this would be a new thing. And I like the simplicity of a Mün-mission. No launch window, no long waits....

[ameseree]

I decided to do full on fairings for my craft.

Full Report

http://imgur.com/a/Dfe9N#0

Main Mission - 30 points

• Everything has to be started with a single rocket (no building ships in orbit or refueling in orbit)
  
• You have to fly a LOR mission (you need a Command Module [CM] and a specialized Münar Module [MM])
  
• No mods! All stock, no Mechjeb. (Did Neil and Buzz land by auto pilot?)
  
• BYOR (Bring your own rocket) - The rocket must be your own design
  

Goals

• 3-man Mission +10
  
• 2-man Lander +10
  
• 2-stage Lander (leave the decent-engine on the mün) +20
  
• Main rocked aspargus'd? -10 (Wernher von Kerman does not like aspargus!)
  
• Escape tower? +10
  
• Lander stored behind the CM during ascent +20
  
• Lander tucked away behind some fairing? +5
  
• Free return trajectory to the mün +10
  
• Flawless landing (no parts broke off, Neil Armstrong is watching you!) +10
  
• Got a Munar Roving Vehicle (MRV) on board? +15
  
• After succesfull Mün landing docked CM and MM in Orbit (no swapping ships without docking them first) +10
  
• MM disposed by crashing it into the Mün (remove Kerbal first!) +5
  
• Plant flag on the Mün (no cumulative, i.e. two flags don't get you 6 points) +3
  
• Spashing down on Kerbin (land on water) +5
  
• Kerbal dies -20
  

Awesome new goals:

Keep the CM pilot busy

Deploy münar sub-satellite before returning to Kerbin +10 Points

Landing accuracy

Land within 100 meters of the NAM +15

I was roving on the Moon one day...

Are we there yet? - +15 points - Drive beyond 10km of the lander

MSEP - Mün Surface Experimental Package

Science extravaganza! - +15 points - Deploy four experimental packages 2.5km from the landing site (and at least 2.5km from eachother)

total=218

[Xeldrak]

And we have a second person who scored all points - congratulations

[Johnno]

And we have a second person who scored all points - congratulations

Being an Apollo-nut I might have to do a third entry just for those fairing points, I was putting it off in hopes of more mission objectives but the fear of being pushed out of top three on a small technicality is bugging me.

[Mulbin]

Now how did I miss this thread.... Seeing as so many people seem to have mentioned Munbug, it would be rude not to post mys mission pics!

Some really fantastic ships on this thread by the way... The thing I really love about KSP Apollo clones is no two are alike!

[Mulbin]

Oh.. and 193 points.

I deployed 4 working alseps and a buggy... but I didn't deploy the ASLSEP Miles away or deploy a satellite... because I do it Apollo style!

[Xeldrak]

Ah, nice to have you on board to - your name was mentioned once or twice

Well, but if you are doing it Apollo 15 or 16 style you also need a satellite. If you have a rover but no satellite, you must be doing it Apollo 17 style

[Giggleplex777]

Ah, nice to have you on board to - your name was mentioned once or twice

Well, but if you are doing it Apollo 15 or 16 style you also need a satellite. If you have a rover but no satellite, you must be doing it Apollo 17 style

Wow I did not know about this.

[Mulbin]

Me neither!... to be honest I've learned most of my Apollo knowledge through building and researching Munbug. Will have to look at satellites for Munbug X!

[Xeldrak]

Yeah, I only learned of it while looking for new goal for this challenge

[Death Engineering]

I could make a new challenge for Duna - however, this would be a new thing. And I like the simplicity of a Mün-mission. No launch window, no long waits....

Great idea! Hope you don't mind me taking up the "challenge". http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/40515-Duna-Apollo-Style

Includes a save-file 24 hrs before the first Duna transfer window.

[WooDzor]

And no, Collins was in the CSM while Neil and Buzz were on the moon. To watch them though a window he would need realy good eyes...

However, I allways forget his name because he was the one left behind, wich kinda annoys me.

ABC!

1st Armstrong

2nd Buz

3rd Collins. That's how I used to remember it.

Might give this challenge a go for the memorial Apollo 11 anniversary this Saturday..

Edited July 17, 2013 by WooDzor

[Synapse]

Here's my attempt at an Apollo style mission, using only 1 astronaut:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hbq04jlrn6iqqxg/w7tzUhT0z4

I used a probe core to keep the orbiter from disappearing while I landed on Mun. It had no batteries, so it was up to the lander to align the docking in Munar orbit.

I also carried most of the fuel on the lander, just in case, and jettisoned the two extra fuel pods after transferring the leftover fuel into my orbiter for the return journey.

It was a little confusing as on the return trip my command pod was backwards, meaning I had to burn retrograde to reach Kerbin! A great mission though.

Edited July 18, 2013 by Synapse

[Xeldrak]

Well, you are supposed to calculate your points yourself, but lets see what I can gather from you screenshots.

30 base

- 3-man Mission +10

- 2-man Lander +10

- 2-stage Lander (leave the decent-engine on the mün) +20

- Main rocked aspargus'd? -10 (Wernher von Kerman does not like aspargus!)

- Escape tower? +10

- Lander stored behind the CM during ascent +20

- Lander tucked away behind some fairing? +5

- Free return trajectory to the mün +10

- Flawless landing (no parts broke off, Neil Armstrong is watching you!) +10

- Got a Munar Roving Vehicle (MRV) on board? +15

- After succesfull Mün landing docked CM and MM in Orbit (no swapping ships without docking them first) +10

- MM disposed by crashing it into the Mün (remove Kerbal first!) +5

- Plant flag on the Mün (no cumulative, i.e. two flags don't get you 6 points) +3

- Spashing down on Kerbin (land on water) +5

- Kerbal dies -20

- Deploy münar sub-satellite before returning to Kerbin +10 Points

- Land within 3 km of Neil Armstong Memorial (NAM) +5 Points

- Minimalistic - 3 points - Deploy one experimental package at landing site

Still leaves you with 50 points

[Synapse]

Hey Xeldrak, I don't understand "leave the decent-engine on the mün) +20". I brought everything back to Kerbin. Surely I should get points for that! Also applies to "MM disposed by crashing it into the Mün (remove Kerbal first!)".

[Xeldrak]

Well, I give points for being close to the actual Apollo-missions.

"Leave the decent-engine on the mün" means, that you leave the engine that you used to land on the mün behind,

.

Also, you get points for crashing the Münar Module into the moons because, execept for Aquarius, the Apollo 13 LM - all of them (eventually) crashed into the moon.

[Synapse]

Fair enough. I think my mission was less wasteful than Apollo

[MonkeyFuzz]

I think I'm going to give this a try when I get home from work today. My usual Apollo-style flights (on my Jool V design) should score about 143. I'll need to trim down some basic stuff from the design since it's been flying with the MapSat GPS part to enjoy a better Munar view and a Kethane detector on the rover. I'll also need to figure out where/how to put on some experiments to deploy. I might also revamp my engine arrangement for the third-stage and CM. At the moment they're both using the better-looking/less-efficient Skipper.

The two stretches I see for myself are trying to go for a water landing on Kerbin (since I don't aim my returns at all) and deploying multiple experiments a distance from the landing site.

Xeldrak, are we restricted to using chemical engines or are nuclear thermals accepted?

This should be interesting and fun

/Now that I'm thinking about it, my Deadly Reentries mod isn't going to like this stock-style mission I might need to copy-pasta a new KSP directory for this endeavor.

[Xeldrak]

Well, if you like, you can go nuclear - although I really don't see the point in it on a Mün mission.

[MonkeyFuzz]

You're right that it isn't necessary. I've flow CMs with a Mailsail motor. I'm just brainstorming ways to stretch out my fuel supply for moving material to Munar orbit. The less mass expended on the way there is less that I need to take with me is more that I can land.

[Synapse]

I thought the poodle worked quite well.