Norcurion

Thank you! i'll give it a shot

Hi! I just can't figure out how to do the second part of the mission - i've repeated the mission about 10 times - i do crash the minmus probe, get the muna - 2 vehicle but no new objektives for the second part of the mission. Everything is checked as done, and i don't know what exactly to to with the second ship. Sounds like a bug to me that the second mission has no goals.

The Ion Engine setup works just fine, the ship is pretty stable under thrust and the solar arrays work very well over Kerbin and Eve. My main Problem is that the rear heat shield set up, which worked fine while testing in various stages just crumbles apart now and i don't know why. I'm redesigning the rear part of the ship right now, probably switching from a 6-arm ablative Heatshield Concept to a 4-Arm Inflatable Heat shield concept. That will definitely cost me some of the visual grace of the ship (i just like that 6-arm-minimal-heatshield-design) but it will make the ship lighter, and due to the increased cross-section i won't have to dip as deep into the atmospheres as with the old design. Unfortunately with a design change as invasive as this ill have to rewiev and recalculate all maneuvers of the core ship. That will take some time :-/

Well. Finalized the design for my Jeb-level-Grand-Tour Ship. ~255 T ~1350 Parts Those are Screenshots from my last Hyperedit-Testflights. I'll wipe my KSP folder now, make a new clean install, just put up the bare minimum of mods (Engineer, MJ, ScienceX and the habitat pack) and put all settings to low Then i'll start constructing it for real with my space shuttles Even the first insertion burn will take about an hour, so it will take at least 2-3 weeks until im able to complete the mission.

@sdj64 Thanks for the clarification. I'll rewiev my design more rigorously for clipped functional parts.

I've got 2 requests. 1)Can you put [x]Science onto the mod list? [x]Science It's a pure informative mod that shows which science you've already done, no matter if it's stored in any ship or returned to the KSC. I am a little bit messy/confused person and it would help me alot. 2) Does things like that thud count as part clipping? Strictly speaking it would violate the Tank/Engine-Partclipping rule, but i've got some things like that that are mostly just visual improvements and would like to keep them

I'm in awe and a little bit scared of the COM shift and the changed aerodynamic propertys of that shuttle

MY: STS-1: Bonus Fuel Pod Mission (Can You Carry Me?) - Entry basically its the same Orbiter as in the First Challenge. Mods USED: -Mechjeb (start was flown by hand aimed loosely after the Ascend Node); -Orbital Changes by Maneuver Planner: only without the payload. The 300x300 Orbit is done by hand -Kerbal Engineer Redux: HUD Mods Installed and NOT Used: X Science; Hyperedit Specifications: Payload: >42t to 300x300 LKO Orbiter(Dry): Weight 32.8t; Price: 108.800 Funds Weight on Launchpad incl. Payload : 459.7 Price (Full Assembly - Dry Orbiter) w/o Payload : ~65300 ---> ~1.6 Funds per Kilogram Craft File (Mod Free and without Payload - for the purists): http://kerbalx.com/Norcurion/Space-Shuttle-by-Norcurion Detailed report of the ascend + payload delivery + lowering of the orbit in the Album Reached Payload Orbit: APO(m): Peri(m): Apo-Peri(m): Inclination(°): 299,983.8 299,981.5 2.3 0,45 Detailed report of the landing fashioned as a Landing Guide

Took me 1 Week to figure that out: At those transsonic speeds in the high atmosphere the control surfaces don't work properly due to lack of pressure and Airflow (at the AoA needed to break over Kerbin, your Shuttle is basically stalled) and it starts tumbling without a proper control. Too much for the small reaction wheel in the MKIII cockpit -> a good amount of RCS is very helpful (i use Vernors) Maybe in RSS most of the orbital velocity is eaten in even higher altitude and the reaction wheels are able to cope with that. Nice Wingtips by the way

Hammered F12 last time i landed, got a lucky shot: http://imgur.com/o9FofwZ

Your wish is my command! Never thought that my Orbiter could do that, but i've lifted the 42t into a 300x300 Orbit. With a Apo/Peri-difference of about 2.3 meters. Done it on a day and have got a lot of nice sunshine pictures and a detailled documentation of the whole final aproach on the KSC Runway icl Pull up/Flare and wheel touchdowns. Ill put some instructions in the Imgur album, may help people who have problems with the landing of shuttles. Problem: Imgur is buggy and i can't access my new Album right now. Ill post the challenge as soon as imgur fixed the bug. Will provide a craftfile too.

Ill join the challenge with my new standard Orbiter. Level Goal: STS Commander Lvl 1 Mods&Clarifications: Mods USED: -Mechjeb (start was flown by hand aimed loosely after the Ascend Node); Orbital Changes by Maneuver Planner: Could have done everything vanilla, The shuttle has plenty reserves, but im lazy concerning LKO orbital maneuvers. -Kerbal Engineer Redux: HUD Mods Installed and NOT Used: X Science; Hyperedit (<- It's installed but not used during the challenge flight) Specifications: Payload: >18t to 300x300 LKO Orbiter(Dry): Weight 32.8t; Price: 108.800 Funds Weight on Launchpad incl. Payload : 434,6t Price (Full Assembly - Dry Orbiter) w/o Payload : ~64100 ---> ~3.5 Funds per Kilogram Detailed report under the Images in the Imgur Album

Just some tourists getting from the shuttle into a taxi in my career save

Well then: my first and only successful STS right now. Features: Staging just like the real one: Liquid Fuel + oxidizer in the main tank, engines on the Orbiter SolidRocketBooster Mono propellant tanked into the Orbiter for final PA-raise and orbital maneuvers 2,375 tons payload + 2 kerbals to 150x150 incl docking no payload and 2 kerbals to 600x600 incl docking Only one reaction-wheel-system: the cockpit It has a RP1/LOX RCS-system with vernor's for two points in the flight: just before SRB-sep second half of the external-tank-only-flight The craft is pretty stable most points of the ascent and needs only the cockpit torque and the gimbal range of the LV-T 45's but for those two phases of the flight (where some more range would be epic ) (Kudos to Scot Manley for the trick with this gimbal-work-around) Any further descriptions are in the gallery-pictures. Note: Screen shots are from different flights, the new version has the Mechjeb inside. As this is no challenge i think mixing up the pictures to create a "virtual" flight is acceptable EDIT: Just noticed that this is a stock thread. I used only mechjeb, all other parts are stock. The STS is perfectly working without mechjeb, im just too lazy to retake all the pictures Hope that this is OK

ZIV - I do consider you insane - in the best possible way

First Try: Landed to hard, need way more TWR in the upper stages... Back to VAB! EDIT: Well.... i was wrong, the Lander got back into space today I'll do a rerun, take pictures, get the numbers right and make an entry later.

I've entcountered a major Bug.... All ships that i undock in laythe Orbit from the main orbital station drifte fast away and do Not longer exist as own entities in the engine. After going to the space center and back to the station the ship is back again docked to the station. I'll relaunch the station tomorrow, hopefuly that will stop the bug. Until then i won't be able to post my challenge entry, sorry :-/

Little intermediate result: My fuel SSTO is more effective as planned, i'll need only ten launchen, of which 9 are already done... Tomorrow the Transfer Stage is fueled and the kerbals will start their voyage!

Well, i'm Not a native speaker, it may happen that i produce 2 or 3 odd expressions and make about 3^n spelling and/or grammar errors (with n= the amount of words i use) But finding a Smoothie stock only would grant another [archievment unlocked], wouldn't it? Awesome advice! I'll try it later and add it to the first post! Thanks EDIT: Tested it, it's great!

I sometimes watch TV/read something while Mechjeb does all the boring standart work Leading to: Revert -> Relaunch, because until i recon that he's done the batteries are dead Leading to: I sometimes watch TV/read something while Mechjeb does all the boring standart work Leading to: Well i think you get it. Once had to relaunch a vessel 8 times (and that is in no way an exaggeration -.-) and still oftentimes don't install a isotope battery, because: Well, i won't forget to unfold the solar panel this time. I promise!

Now i'm feeling kind of stupid

This is a simple, Stock only help to find a smoothe and pinpoint accurat path for a landing on the KSC Runway. It is especially helpful at night or with heavy clouds (if you play with cloud mods) and consists of two probes "Node West" and "Node East" each 500 meters away from the runway exactly aligned with the center line of the stripe With the Navball set up to "Surface" and the nearer ILS-Beacon marked as target you simply aim the prograde marker onto the target node and you end up on a glide path ending 500 meters befor the runway. That leaves enough room to pull up and touch down on the beginning of the runway In the Album is a description of the beacon setup and some more pictures. Appendix: If you want to save some money, you could also use flags... Another great idea for getting lined up with the runway:

My Lathe Travel Company is set up. The stations (Hammer and Farview) are set up, ships and landers are in position. I'm starting the first of 11-12 fueling SSTO runs at this moment, the shuttle with the 25 proud Kerbals who booked a ticket for the maiden flight will lauch afterwards @Ziv: Nice execution, as always! Your price per ticket is in the dimensions of my rough calculations.

Laythe Lander in progress: ready for 1.17 mass units of kerbals (13 brave green ones) Needs 2.545 mass units worth of fuel (1200 units xenon, 50 units RCS, the rest is LOX/RP1)

working on it! The Whitecab: ~39 Funds per Kerbal to 150x150 Station (But im still for banning chairs on interplanetary flights )