Norcalplanner

I'm going to act out of character here and say that 7.5m is enough. Given the size of Kerbin, the Kerbol system, and the stock 3-person command pod, 7.5m is plenty. Unless RSS or another scaled system is in play, I think we've reached the limit. Because honestly, a double ring of asparagus-staged 7.5m stacks is totally doable in this game, and could probably lift the VAB into orbit. :-)

Done! - - - Updated - - - Just Jim, that's a nice looking station. I like the use of the large wings as structural members. In order to score your entry, I basically need an imgur album or similar with a series of photos showing specific information. From the OP (with missing items highlighted): "Provide a brief description of your station, noting any mods used, along with screenshots documenting all significant steps in the launch, assembly, transit, and operation of your station. Try to take screenshots when the station is on the daytime side of the celestial body, unless you’re showing off the cool lighting or emissives on your station. Include screenshots of at least one shuttle/mining/harvesting run for any dedicated craft. Please provide data in the screen shots on a regular basis using MJ, KER, or by keeping the resource panel open. Be kind to everyone’s bandwidth and use an imgur album or other similar method for posting photos. Please tally up your points as part of your entry." Also note that because the scoring system includes -2 points for every ton on the launch pad, we need at least one shot in the VAB or on the pad showing the mass of the craft prior to launch. I'm afraid it's not the easiest challenge for the TL;DR crowd, but I wanted to have a scoring system that assigns a value to a station in orbit just about anywhere in the Kerbol system. If you don't have photos sufficient to allow it to be scored, I'm happy to add it to the honorable mentions. For the record, I'm also totally fine with recreations for photo op purposes - launch another copy of the station, keep the resource panel open so we can confirm that it has enough Delta V to actually get where it ends up, and that's generally enough. The main thing is that anything that smacks of HyperEdit or other cheaty things is prohibited. There's no "challenge" if it's not hard to get it up there in the first place. - - - Updated - - - Lego8_bit, it's totally fine to launch it all in one go if you have a big enough launcher and have the aerodynamics figured out enough to get into orbit. (Hint - Low TWR going straight up until you're past 30 km works really well for heavy, unaerodynamic loads. Plan on spending at least 4,500 m/s to get into orbit.)

Voyager275, That's a nice workable station. If you'd like to get added to the leaderboard, I need photos or a video showing its launch and assembly pursuant to the rules in the OP. Otherwise, I'm happy to add it to the honorable mentions. Just let me know your preference.

http://jltsiren.kapsi.fi/ksp/1.0/size_isnt_everything_3.jpeg http://jltsiren.kapsi.fi/ksp/1.0/size_isnt_everything_4.jpeg Payload: 210.875 tonnes Lifter parts: 5 Score: 42.175 Mods: SpaceY, MechJeb If you use 3x bigger fuel tanks than in stock and an engine cluster powerful enough to lift the stack, the score will be about 3x higher than for similar stock rockets. With multiple stacks, the score would be even higher, as the marginal payload was over 50 tonnes/part. Congratulations, Jouni! I was wondering what you could do with some bigger mod parts. In all my testing, I've found that there are some real aero advantages to going with the single stack without any fins. Of course, it's needed because of the shallow ascent trajectory, as you pointed out. Payload mass fraction isn't too bad for an SSTO rocket, either. Adding you to the top of the leaderboard...

With all this station goodness, I need to put in a plug for my challenge - the Grand Orbital Space Station Challenge. Hot links to all the entries are contained in the OP. Here's the biggest one I did, the Mega(useless) station with room for 1,000 Kerbals in orbit around Laythe. 2 fps.

Yep. 1.0.4 is definitely worse in the lag department. I really have to watch part count closely now. Simple stations are kept below 20 parts, and complex ones are kept below 100.

You can include a pic or two about putting the satellites in orbit if you want, but it's not really a part of the challenge. The main thing is that a constellation of satellites is definitely awesome, and sometimes unwieldy, which puts it in AoA territory. Although to be honest, I was thinking more of 6-9 satellites - enough to do GKO and then Mun and/or Minmus in a single launch. Of course, the most I ever did was four, so maybe I'm projecting a bit.

I'm thinking of taking the BD Armory plunge myself. Pros/cons?

Nope. As far as I'm concerned, RT is in the same basket as Chatterer or Planetshine for this particular challenge. Of course, someone who's launching an entire constellation of RT satellites with their entry would definitely get an AoA.

legoclone09, That's a good looking craft, but I'm only seeing two images, which isn't enough for me to score your entry. Can you post some more pics or a video? Also, Tweakscale is one of the few prohibited mods, if the parts are used in the lifter. Were any Tweakscaled parts used in the lifter? Or are they just in the payload? That NFS capsule looks like it's been increased a bit in size... - - - Updated - - - No problem - it just prominently says that Tweakscale is one of the mods. I think I'll clarify that using Tweakscaled parts is prohibited for the lifter portion only. I don't want to rain on someone's creative payload design. Congratulations! Babyzilla will be on top of the leaderboard shortly.

linuxgurugamer, Nice entry, and SSTO to boot! I was wondering when someone was going to break out the SpaceY R7s. That much thrust and tankage in a single part is begging to be used in this sort of challenge. Two questions before I put you on the leaderboard - 1. Did you use Tweakscale on any of the lifter parts? Tweakscale is one of the few prohibited mods. 2. Do you have a particular name for your entry?

Usually around 2.5. MJ, KJR, editor extensions, alarm clock, a lot of NecroBones' and Nertea's stuff, some sciencey stuff, and some small helpful stuff like portrait stats, safechute indicator, and claw's bug fixes. Occasionally I'll dabble in RSS and/or KCT. Definitely not afraid to remove mods that sounded interesting, but I ended up not using that much (including antenna range, KAS, universal storage, etc.).

Just put Mechjeb in the payload, since payload parts don't count toward your lifter part total. The Isp limitation is for both vacuum and atmosphere, but only for modded engines. Any stock engine can be used.

With this new engine being surface attachable, I think you've finally made a flingotron suitable for Whackjob.

Call me old school, but I think that you need to have experience pushing cardboard on a hex-based game board to be called a "gamer". However, I generally dislike the title of "gamer". I've often thought that I should tell people I fish or golf, since it's somehow socially acceptable with those hobbies to spend lots of money on gear, travel to destinations to indulge your hobby, and otherwise spend a lot of time on that particulat brand of fun. Heck, I think the quilters probably get more respect.

Nich, you inspired me to do something just with tanks. Without opening up the SpaceY catalog (yet), I used some tanks from the Fuel Tanks Plus mod, including some double-length 3.75 m tanks and a couple of fueled nosecones for the side stacks. End result is a payload of 202.22 tons being sent up with 12 lifter parts, for a score of 16.85 tons/part. Uses MJ, KJR, and Fuel Tanks Plus. I'd also like to say that this challenge is already doing some things I hoped it would - figuring out what general shapes work well, what kinds of staging (if any) are optimal, whether nosecones are worth it in terms of part count, and other design considerations.

That sounds like an assertion that needs to be proved or disproved with an entry. Seriously, if there's enough demand, we can certainly split the leaderboard into stock(-ish) and modded divisions. - - - Updated - - - http://jltsiren.kapsi.fi/ksp/1.0/less_payload_3.jpeg I overcompensated a bit, and the final orbit was 150x127 km. Payload: 188.180 tonnes Lifter parts: 13 Score: 14.48 Because the final decoupler is a necessary evil, there are 12 functional parts in the lifter, and the marginal payload around is 15.7 tonnes/part. Because a staging event apparently requires at least two parts, staging is counterproductive, unless it can increase the payload by at least 31.4 tonnes. Congratulations, Jouni! You're now on top of the leaderboard. I've also called out the orbital height in the challenge summary as well as in the rules.

Jouni, Great looking entry, but I'm afraid I can't put you on the leaderboard just yet. Rule 2 requires a Pe of 120 km or greater, since the challenge is intended to mimic a payload which is going interplanetary or requires further orbital assembly. If you'd care to tweak your craft and refly your entry, I'd be happy to add you to the leaderboard.

Congratulations, killakrust and endrush! I've put you on the leaderboard in first and second place, with my lowly example (which was far from optimized and intended to be beaten) bringing up the rear.

Endrush, Thanks for the entry. I'll take a look at it as soon as I get home later today. One question - do you have a screenshot of your entry on the pad? I need to confirm that there aren't any other parts or launch clamps which would increase the part count.

You know, I haven't used launch clamps for almost a year. I always use KJR and Claw's stock bug fixes, and use editor extensions in the VAB to keep everything absolutely level. Since launch clamps have physics calculations associated with them, and since the challenge is all about minimizing lag and keeping the part count down, I'm going to rule that they count as part of the lifter part count total. If it turns into an issue, we can split the leaderboard to have "with" and "without" categories for launch clamps. For now, just call out how many launch clamps are part of the craft design and I'll put that information in the notes.

Due to RL time pressures which are drastically curtailing my KSP time, I'm temporarily suspending the Low Part Count Lifter Challenge. My sincere thanks go out to all participants. If anyone who has completed the challenge would like to keep it going, please PM me. Norcalplanner, 9/25/15 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Welcome to the Low Part Count Lifter Challenge! There have been plenty of challenges for lifters based on cost, mass, time to orbit, or payload mass fraction. While fun, these challenges don't address an issue which confronts many KSP players – LAG. Many missions have ground to a halt due to lag-induced frustration/rage/despair. Since lag is generally tied to part count, I thought it was time for a challenge which emphasized low part counts. The challenge is designed to mimic a common in-game scenario – lofting a station, mothership, or other heavy load into an orbit suitable for further assembly or an interplanetary transfer. The Challenge: Build and launch a lifter which can send a large payload into a 120 km orbit, using as few parts in your lifter as possible. Scoring: Divide the weight of your payload (in tons) by the number of parts in your lifter. For example, a rocket with 20 parts, 5 in the payload and 15 in the lifter, and a payload of 90 tons, will have a score of 6 tons/part (90 divided by 15). Higher is better. The Rules: The payload must be at least 82 tons (e.g., a S-14400 Kerbodyne tank or bigger) and cannot have any method of propulsion. Reaction wheels and power sources in the payload are fine. Pe of the orbit must be at least 120 km. The decoupler or docking port which connects the lifter to the payload must stay with the lifter (it counts toward your lifter part total). Any struts between the lifter and the payload are part of the lifter (they count toward your lifter part total). All engines from mods must have an Isp of 400 or less. Any stock engine may be used. Tweakscale, Procedural Parts, and any other mod that alters the size of parts or allows you to create custom sized parts may not be used in the lifter, but can be used in the payload. Most other mods are allowed (although some of their engines might not be eligible). No editing of config files, infinite fuel, hacking gravity, or any other such tomfoolery. MechJeb or other autopilot ascent is fine. This is primarily a design challenge. Entry Requirements: Provide photos or a video of your lifter launching the payload into orbit. Clearly show the total number of parts on the pad via either KER, MJ, or the info tab in map view. Clearly show the final mass and part count of the payload in orbit, after it's detached from the lifter, by the same method used for the total rocket part count on the pad. Include a brief description of your design, either in your post or in the captions for the photos. Be sure to note any particular techniques or combination of parts from different mods which are used in your design. Note any key mods used, including parts mods and those that help out your lifter (such as KJR and FAR). Chatterer and Science Alert are cool, but we don't need to know about them for this particular challenge. Calculate your own score as part of your entry. Divide the mass of the payload by the number of lifter parts (don't count the parts in the payload). Round off to no more than two decimal places. Leaderboard: A single leaderboard will be kept initially, with notes regarding key mods and payload mass for each entry. If there turns out to be a big discrepancy because of one particular mod, we'll split the leaderboard. The Asterisk of Awesomeness (AoA): The AoA is a purely discretionary award given to those entries which display some level of awesomeness. Entries deemed worthy of an AoA will be noted with an asterisk on the leaderboard, and the aspect of the entry that is awesome will be bolded in the leaderboard notes for that entry. Examples of things that are worthy of an AoA include, but are not limited to: All stock! All SRBs! SSTO! First-time entry for any challenge! Lofting a station or other unwieldy payload! Using RSS! Anything else deemed awesome! Advice: Please launch your craft during the daytime. Kerbal Joint Reinforcement is recommended. Other than that, you're on your own in terms of design. Here's an example showing how this all works: Have fun! I look forward to your entries! The Leaderboard 69.59 tons/part with GTLR10* by killakrust (208.78 ton payload, 3 part lifter, using 10m Behemoth Engineering parts, SSTO!) 42.18 tons/part with Size Isn't Everything* by Jouni (210.88 ton payload, 5 part lifter, using the biggest SpaceY parts, SSTO!) 18.77 tons/part with Babyzilla* by linuxgurugamer (206.49 ton payload, 11 part lifter, 174 km Pe, SpaceY and FAR, SSTO and first-time entry in a challenge!) 16.85 tons/part with Lil' Lifter by Norcalplanner (202.22 ton payload, 12 part lifter, stock engines, Fuel Tanks Plus and KJR) 14.48 tons/part with Low Partcount Lifter* by Jouni (188.18 ton payload, 13 part lifter, SSTO and stock entry!) 14.12 tons/part with Gorgon2* by killakrust (183.63 ton payload, 13 part lifter, stock entry!) 11.08 tons/part with Liquid Plutonium Cooled Lifter by endrush (133 ton payload, 12 part lifter, stock plus KJR) 6.39 tons/part with LPCL Example by Norcalplanner

That is precisely what I meant - I just said it poorly.

If you decide to add them, please make it a tweakable. None of my recent stations have any lighting because of the FPS hit.

Love the new docking port. These huge ports (up to now, 5m was the biggest) are the best way to assemble large ships and stations in orbit. .