Norcalplanner

That's exactly what I did with my Jool-5 Kethane challenge ship. The main drive section detached to become the lander, albeit on a somewhat large and inefficient scale.

Alright, here's my entry. It uses Interstellar, and thanks to the massively OP nature of that mod, is a SSTO that can also go to the Mun and back without any staging. Lots of information in the photo descriptions.

Looks like you have some station building skills. Part count seems a bit on the high side but maybe your computer has more horsepower than mine. I hope you have enough time for an entry!

Thegab, very impressive stations, clearly showing a pattern of major additions and modifications over time. Feel free to enter these if you have sufficient documentation; if not, I have no doubt that you can create an impressive new station for the challenge.

Double post

StormKat, your entry looks great. I like your use of cargo bays and a construction tug. Before I add you to the leaderboard, could you please provide screen shots showing the weight of both ships on the pad, and one showing the final weight of the station? I need to be able to confirm launch and final weights. Loading a copy of the ship on the pad is fine if you didn't take such a screen shot at the time of the original launch.

Just to kick things off and show how the scoring works, here's my initial entry - Kerbin Station Alpha. The station is 202.5 tons, and is in LKO at an altitude of approximately 100 km. It's primarily a refueling station, but also has the ability to gather and process science. Four kerbals are on board the station, and there are seats for eight more. TAC-LS is being used, and there's enough life support on board for over three years of habitation. No escape pods or landers are fitted at this time, but there are seven free docking ports for docked craft and for future expansion. Because it includes a Karbonite scanner and will likely be using KAS in the future, it's a Modded Division entry. Scoring is as follows: +20,250 +100 per ton in orbit around the chosen celestial body, including any dedicated craft docked to the station (tugs, landers, miners, shuttles, etc.) -3,334 -2 per ton on the launch pad or runway (all launches combined) +400 +100 per Kerbal on the station +2,000 +200 per comfortable seat of station capacity (Hitchhikers, Cupolas, OKS Habitation, or similar - pods, cans, and cockpits do not count as comfortable seats) +500 +500 if a manned science lab is included 0 +500 if Snacks are provided +1,000 +1,000 if TAC-LS or other more complex life support mod is used 0 +1,000 if the station has dedicated lander(s) or shuttle(s) that can take at least two Kerbals down to the surface simultaneously, and then return to the station 0 +1,000 if all Kerbals on board can make it back safely to the surface of Kerbin without a dedicated rescue craft being dispatched from Kerbin (dedicated lander(s) or shuttle(s), escape pods, or the capability for the entire station to make it back to the surface of Kerbin and have all Kerbals survive the landing) 0 +2,000 if the station and dedicated craft have the ability to mine/harvest/generate new fuel 0 +3,000 if the station and dedicated craft are fully self-sufficient for both fuel and life support, and don’t need resupply from Kerbin for 50+ years 20,816 Subtotal Kerbin orbit - x0.25 5,204 FINAL SCORE Here's the photo album showing the station.

Looks like it was a nice station. I'm sorry it glitched out on you. If you feel like trying again, the challenge will be here.

Understood. The intent is that use of any mod with ultra-high Isp engines would put that entry in the Advanced Technology division.

TJPrime and TopHatDragon, I look forward to your entries. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Laie, I would agree that it sounds cheaty, and would encourage a new entry. Practically speaking, if the station doesn't remain in orbit around the same celestial body on a long-term basis, then it's not really a station. I'll have to figure out a way to make that clear in the challenge rules.

In case anyone's interested, I just started a space station challenge: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/100054-The-Grand-Orbital-Space-Station-Challenge The rules are pretty broad, and should accommodate a wide variety of play styles and station types.

Try a challenge or two - I know that helps get me out of my rut.

Update: Time pressures and other issues in RL means that I won't be able to give the challenge sufficient attention moving forward, so I've decided to close it to new entries. If you've already started a station and are partway through (particularly if you've posted something to that effect), please wrap it up and submit your entry as soon as you reasonably can, definitely before 1.1 changes everything. If you haven't yet started a station, please do it for reasons other than this challenge - because hey, stations are cool! My sincere thanks go out to all challenge participants, and a special thank you to Glaran K'erman for running things the last month and a half. If someone else who has completed the challenge wants to run a "continued" version of the challenge (which Glaran has indicated he's not) in a new thread, please PM me. - Norcalplanner, 11/9/15 Due to RL time pressures which are drastically curtailing my KSP time, I'm having to step away from running the challenge for a while. Glaran K'erman has graciously volunteered to score entries and run things in my absence. Please direct all routine inquiries to him. Thanks Glaran! - Norcalplanner, 9/27/15 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Once you get to earth orbit, you're halfway to anywhere in the solar system." Robert A. Heinlein I’ve been playing with Fine Print lately, and one of the pleasant changes from stock contracts is when you’re tasked to create a new orbital space station. After researching the forum, it looks like there hasn’t been a good space station challenge for some time. With that in mind, I hereby present... The Grand Orbital Space Station Challenge Your challenge, should you decide to accept it, is to put an orbital space station around the celestial body of your choice. Any space station that meets the minimum requirements will successfully complete the challenge. However, there’s also a point system that rewards larger and more capable stations. A 100 ton station in orbit around Duna that has the capability to refine its own fuel will score higher than a 20 ton station in LKO. Rules for the Challenge Entry Requirements: 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. Minimum Station Requirements: To qualify for the challenge, the station must have space for at least two Kerbals, have at least one docking port, at least a Rockomax-32 or equivalent fuel capacity, batteries, a power source, at least one scientific instrument, and an antenna. Maximum station size will be determined by your computing hardware and personal tolerance for slide shows. Here are a few examples- Launch and Assembly: Stations may be launched as a single unit, assembled in orbit around Kerbin, or assembled in orbit around the chosen celestial body. If multiple launches are used, weight on the launch pad must be added up for all launches combined. Spaceplanes and other SSTOs which land back at KSC may deduct the weight of the landed craft from their launch weight for each launch. Orbits: Stations must orbit no lower than 10 km nor more than 1,000 km in altitude above either the surface or the celestial body, or the edge of its atmosphere. (Exception - stations orbiting Jool may do so anywhere within Jool’s SOI.) Scoring: +100 per ton in orbit around the chosen celestial body, including any dedicated craft docked to the station (tugs, landers, miners, shuttles, etc.) (Exception - Altered Universe Division entries score +200 per ton in orbit) -2 per ton on the launch pad or runway for all launches combined (Exception - Altered Universe Division entries score -0.75 per ton of launch mass) +100 per Kerbal on the station +200 per comfortable seat of station capacity (Hitchhikers, Cupolas, OKS Habitation, Mk2 or Mk3 passenger cabins, or similar are considered comfortable; pods, cans, cockpits, and external command seats are not considered comfortable) +500 if a manned science lab is included +500 if Snacks, USI-LS, or other simple life support mod is used +1,000 if TAC-LS or other more complex life support mod is used +1,000 if the station has dedicated lander(s) or shuttle(s) that can take at least two Kerbals down to the surface simultaneously, and then return to the station +1,000 if all Kerbals on board can make it back safely to the surface of Kerbin without a dedicated rescue craft being dispatched from Kerbin (dedicated lander(s) or shuttle(s), escape pods, or the capability for the entire station to make it back to the surface of Kerbin and have all Kerbals survive the landing) +2,000 if the station and dedicated craft have the ability to mine/harvest/generate new fuel +3,000 if the station and dedicated craft are fully self-sufficient for both fuel and life support, and don’t need resupply from Kerbin for 50+ years All points listed above are additive. For example, a station with a dedicated shuttle that can ferry crew to the surface and back, and can also evacuate all station personnel back to Kerbin, would get (1,000 + 1,000) 2,000 points. Scoring Multiplier: After points are tallied, a multiplier is applied based on the difficulty of getting the station to its chosen orbit. Factors taken into account include delta V requirements, transit time, inclination, and ability to aerobrake upon arrival. Kerbin - x0.25 Minmus - x0.5 Mun - x0.75 Duna or Ike - x1 (no modifier) Eve - x1.5 Gilly - x2 Jool and its moons - x3 Dres - x4 Eeloo - x5 Moho - x6 Entry Divisions: Different divisions are provided based upon the type of mods (if any) being used. No division is better than any other - the intent is to accommodate different play styles and not shoehorn a participant into a particular way of playing KSP. The divisions are: Stock(-ish) Division (Stock KSP, optionally with informational and non-part mods only - MJ, KER, FAR, NEAR, DRE, Editor Extensions, Claw’s Stock Bug Fixes, Kerbal Alarm Clock, EVE, Chatterer, TAC Fuel Balancer, Kerbal Construction Time, and similar) Modded Division (KJR, Part Welder, KW Rocketry, B9, Novapunch, KAS, MKS/OKS, ART, Karbonite, Kethane, Procedural Parts, MRS, SpaceY, and other similar mods which add parts and/or capabilities that are a modest improvement to stock KSP) Advanced Technology Division (As per the Modded Division, but also includes KSP Interstellar, Near Future Technologies, Atomic Age, ExtraPlanetary Launchpads, and any other mod generally considered to be overpowered compared to stock, containing modded engines with a vacuum Isp greater than 800.) Altered Universe Division (Those running RSS, RO, 6.4x, and other similar mods, in addition to anything allowed in the Modded Division) Note: score -0.75 per ton on the launch pad or runway (instead of the normal -2) and +200 per ton in orbit (instead of the normal +100) for entries in this division. Celestial body multipliers for RSS are listed below; other universe modifiers (e.g., 64K) will be roughly proportional. Earth x1 Moon x1.5 Venus x2 Mars/moons x2 Mercury x3 Titan x3 Moons of Jupiter x3.5 Uranus x3.5 Neptune x3.5 Saturn x4 Jupiter x4(high orbit) x5(low orbit) Life Support: Life support mods (TAC-LS, Snacks, or similar) may be added to an entry in any division for bonus points as indicated in the scoring section above. If these are used, you must provide enough life support to keep all Kerbals on the station alive for the duration of the outbound trip, one Kerbol year on station in the target orbit, and the return trip to Kerbin. Mutual Admiration Society Award: All entrants who complete the challenge get to vote for the entry they think is subjectively the best, using whatever criteria they deem important (size, beauty, utility, resemblance to a favorite sci-fi station, general bad-assedness). Entrants may not vote for their own station. Cheating Prohibited: No cheating of any type is allowed. Use of hyperedit, alt-F12 menu, infinite fuel, infinigliders, edited craft files, or any other such tomfoolery will disqualify your entry. Honorable Mentions: Several people have posted links to stations that either didn't quite meet the requirements of the challenge, or which they can no longer provide info for due to corrupted save files and other similar situations. Those stations are deserving of honorable mentions, and will be listed after the leaderboards. Leaderboards: Separate leaderboards will be maintained for each division. Based on the nature of orbital space stations, I anticipate that the leaderboards may change over time as people modify their stations by adding new modules, assigning new craft to the station, or relocating to an orbit around a different celestial body. Badge: All who successfully complete the challenge may proudly display this badge, which was made by my younger daughter. Available in three sizes for your convenience. Have a specific question? Feel free to ask. If it’s about a particular mod, please provide a link to that mod’s thread. Have a suggestion for how to improve the challenge? Go ahead and make it. If it makes sense and seems fair, it may be incorporated into the challenge. Good luck to all participants, and I look forward to seeing your stations! LEADERBOARDS Stock(-ish) Division iLikeRovers - 539,003 points - 274 tons, 328(!!) Kerbals on board, in Laythe Orbit, a single massive asparagus launch Maolagin - 115,440 points - 141 tons, room for 32 Kerbals, in Moho orbit, 100(!) ion engines, two small landers parzr - 87,102 points - 337 tons, 10 kerbals in comfortable seats, In Joolian orbit, almost more of a Jool-5 entry purpleivan - 77,243 points - 274 tons, 260(!) Kerbals on board, assembled in Munar orbit from six launches, each module can land back to Kerbin rudi1291 - 42,500 points - 894(!) tons, 8 kerbals, comfy seats for 26, a massive Minmus refueling station with multiple miners Columbia - 39,375 points - 242 tons, 40 kerbals on board, comfy seats for 144, six landers, in Munar orbit, one big launch Dfthu - 23,530 points - 217 tons, 53 kerbals on board, in Munar orbit, multiple launches, totally stock ibeinsane - 22,957 points - 168 tons, 57(!) Kerbals on board, in Munar orbit, three escape pods StormKat - 22,467 points - 61 tons, 20 Kerbal capacity, in orbit around Jool, onsite configuration with a mini-tug Haruspex - 15,963 points - 154 tons, 36 comfortable seats, in high Munar orbit, dedicated escape pod, totally stock, great documentation LtWhiskers - 5,725 points - 107 tons, 6 kerbals on board, science lab and escape pods, assembled in Munar orbit via multiple launches FlipNascar - 4,827 points - 85 tons, 25 Kerbal capacity, dedicated shuttle, in LKO, constructed of modules carried up in a space plane cargo bay(!!) Modded Division Glaran K'erman - 84,662 points - 1231 tons in Munar orbit, based around a giant tweakscaled fuel tank, includes dedicated miner ship with a refinery on the station, 19 Kerbal capacity Warzouz - 66,440 points - 102 tons in Eeloo orbit, launched with a recoverable SSTO lifter (!), six kerbals on board, has a refinery, includes a dedicated miner/lander and a return stage for the crew to get back to Kerbin Frostea - 29,374 points - 620 tons combined for several craft spread near and around Minmus, including an orbital shipyard, supply hub, and mining facilities on the surface, 20 kerbal capacity Commander Zoom - 23,445 points - 128 tons around Eve, 21 Kerbal capacity, included a "bug" lander craft, included many small satellites and probes, five launches and much orbital assembly/configuration, done at the same time as his Eve Rocks mission Atlatl - 5,870 points - 153 tons, 35 Kerbal capacity, in LKO, twin OKS rings and twin shuttles with Karbonite refueling capability Norcalplanner - 5,204 points - 202.5 tons, 10 Kerbal capacity, in LKO Advanced Technology Division Admac - 3,286,200 points - 5004 tons (!) in Moho orbit, fully self-sufficient, using Civilian Population and Extraplanetary Launchpads Altered Universe Division Bev7787 - 8,217 points - RSS entry(!!!), 34.9 tons in LEO, 16 Kerbals, all in comfortable seats AlexTheNotSoGreat - 118,288 points - OPM entry, 98.7 tons in Sarnus orbit, 35 Kerbals, also used Near Future Propulsion, includes science lab and lander (A lander? For Sarnus??? - NCP) Honorable Mentions 1of6Billion - ASP Station thegab - several stations, including a multi-asteroid one tempus - unnamed station ihtoit - crew waystation and Gossamer LordFjord - unnamed station Bomaye - unnamed station ShadowZone - giant hexagonal station Norcalplanner - Mega(useless) station Norcalplanner - LPC (Low Part Count) station Voyager275 - Unity station

hazard-ish, 39.4 tons is great. My most recent one was 175, and lightest I've ever done with a can was 70. I look forward to seeing what you've come up with!

Is any modded part really OK? Because I have an Interstellar save with a nice SSTO craft powered by a thermal turbojet/rocket that can make it to the Mun and back with plenty of fuel to spare. Of course, the craft is dependent on the dozens of microwave transmission satellites, ground stations, and relays for all the power which makes it work...

This. The fact that Squad has stickied Claw's stock bug fix thread says something. My recent Eve Challenge Rocks craft had 30 (!) of the big S1 SRBs. With the stock bug fix mod installed, all of them separated cleanly without any sepratrons or centrifuge action.

Well, dang! I had no idea that Squad had posted that until just a few minutes ago. Thanks for the shout out!

At the risk of being Debbie Downer, the rules for the challenge include a requirement that the kerbal be inside a pod or capsule. Sorry. :-(

OK Hazard-ish, you definitely know your way around a light lander. I just finished watching your Tylo landing and was impressed at the small size of your craft. Red Iron Crown, thanks for pointing out that earlier thread. I'm trying to recall if that earlier thread was before or after the aerospikes got nerfed - I know that my first successful Eve ascent used them.

Me too. Unless there are mods involved, it would need to have just an external seat and be a massively asparagused lander using nothing but 48-7S engines underneath FLT200s.

Agreed that it's a small number and mass of parts, but Laie said he's unwilling to install any mods and that a sanitized, unmodded craft file still needs to work for both the descent and the ascent. If kethane isn't installed, then such a lander won't work. And just for the record, I'm a big fan of ISRU, and really enjoyed the Jool-5 Kethane challenge. I just view landing on Eve as a different sort of challenge, primarily involving weight optimization, landing systems, and structural issues.

May I respectfully suggest either a sub challenge or freestyle category for those ships which refuel on the surface of Eve? That said, I'm not sure how to reconcile surface refueling with the requirement for a stockish lander. Or are people talking about shipping full fuel tanks separately from Kerbin? Personally, none of these methods sound any easier, unless there's a contest for lowest weight on the launch pad.

An Eve "lander" is the biggest lander you'll make for any body in the system. Using stock parts, you can get under a hundred tons if you're clever. Many landers weigh more, some a lot more. Dropping dead weight is key, such as staging all your parachutes and landing legs as soon as possible. Plan on at least six or seven stages during the ascent. And Laie knows what he's talking about in terms of the amount of time you need to be at each TWR to make it back.

Jeb made it to Eve and back! Most of the tale is in the descriptions for the photos, but here are some key details: Running 0.25 with MechJeb2, Final Frontier, KAS, Editor Extensions, TAC Fuel Balancer, Active Texture Management, Chatterer, Kerbal Alarm Clock, Claw's stock bug fixes, Fine Print, Kerbal Construction Time (disabled for this save), TAC-LS (also disabled for this save), and Karbonite (but no Karbonite parts were used). I created a new career save with ultra-easy options so I could unlock the entire tech tree and have 10M funds after just a few missions. The ship is 1,664 tons on the pad, and cost 702,696 funds. It was topped off in LKO with a separate tanker which weighed 698 tons and cost an additional 168,202 funds, for a total tonnage of 2,362 and total cost of 870,898 funds. The lander itself was 200 tons prior to descent, and 175 tons just prior to liftoff from Eve. Enjoy!