[Solar Limbo: How Low can you Go?]

Quite :-(

[Get rid of Jeb! (cheapest/smallest/lightest craft to escape velocity)]

rule 6: .... No use of EVA rocketpack." Jebediah is not that stupid.

Sorry, I didn't see that part. I fully understand not being qualified, but as said, it was fun make this mission :-)

[1.0.3/4 - Radiators don't pull heat from engines?]

Honestly, no idea :-(

[Get rid of Jeb! (cheapest/smallest/lightest craft to escape velocity)]

Not sure if my new solution will be valid, but is fun!

Ok, people in KSC don't know how, but Jebediah returned to Kerbin

So this time they are planning to leave him alone without any craft.

Kerbin Space Center will detect a problem and request to Jebediah to make an EVA. Then they will control his suitpack and will activate its thrusters, providing it contains about 500m/s of delta-v.

He will make the Kerbin escape just with his suitpack.

The will leave him without fuel and no craft, to ensure he never return to Kerbin!

I say I'm not sure if this is valid, because the last impulse is done with suitpack and no craft.

Nevertheless, I'm just using standard equipment.

So statistics for my new Rid_07 rocket: Cost = 3920, Mass = 11400, Parts = 8.

But they don't know that Jebediah has unlimited resources and will arrange his return to Kerbin! :-)

[1.0.3/4 - Radiators don't pull heat from engines?]

32 vs 64 bits may be?

[Solar Limbo: How Low can you Go?]

Solar panels and Thermometer are the most delicate parts. I suggest you to place them in a different orientation, almost paralel to the sun rays. You'll have to take care of not running out of electricity, but you will see an important temperature decrease.

[Solar Limbo: How Low can you Go?]

Although the 271Mm didn't have an operational Thermometer, which is one of the constraints of the challenge. It exploded previously. That's the main reason I cannot go further :-/

[1.0.3/4 - Radiators don't pull heat from engines?]

Strange... I think I've made your same test, and nothing got overtheated, even at maximum power and without radiators.

[Get rid of Jeb! (cheapest/smallest/lightest craft to escape velocity)]

Hello, I present you my Rid_05. Cost = 7472, Mass = 17553, Parts = 11.

[Solar Limbo: How Low can you Go?]

Hello, Solar_Probe25 reached Apogee 299,782,785m without radiator parts (just parts set in 1.0.2).

[Solar Limbo: How Low can you Go?]

Good luck with the challenge!

[Solar Limbo: How Low can you Go?]

Oh my God, this changes everything!. Even in Kerbin orbit the solar panels explode if you make a powerful burn and don't radiate!

[Solar Limbo: How Low can you Go?]

Not at the moment, the central core was close to the maximum temp! May be Solar_Probe12 ;-)

[Solar Limbo: How Low can you Go?]

Hello, my new record altitude with Solar_Probe11: Apogee 399,433,568

As told in my previous post, I've added more solar panels and placed all the remaining xenon in the tanks closest to the probe.

Lord

[How do I put three satellites on a rocket?]

I don't merge rockets. I create a big rocket and attach several copies of the same parts radially. See images as example with 4 attached satellites.

Image1, I attach 4 Modular Girder Segment and rotate them 90º using the key W. This allows me to later attach other stuff vertically

Image2, I attach 4 docking ports. I have to use the key W twice, as I have to rotate it 180º. Also, I had to rotate a bit the view in order to attach the docking ports.

Image3, I attach 4 more docking ports, this time without rotation

Image4, I begin attaching the other required parts, such as batteries and the actual probe.

Image5: the last picture is an example of my final rocket with 4 sats. If I need one of them, I just disconnect the node and that's all. I've used this configuration several times to land in different bodies: Mun + Minmus + Ike + Duna.

IMAGE1

IMAGE2

IMAGE3

IMAGE4

IMAGE5 (Final result)

Hope it helps!

[Solar Limbo: How Low can you Go?]

Nope, it was done with just a rocket with about 25KDv. The chemical fuel leaves the ion stuff in an orbit about 1000Mm perigee and 5000Mm apogee. Then 8 Ion engines reduces the orbit to 1000Mm perigee and apogee. The last step involved 3 ion engine.

My new Solar_Probe11 is now in its 800Km orbit, we'll see how far can it take. I have more solar panels so I had to reduce the number of ion engines to 2 in the last stage. Moreover, I will concentrate the remaining xenon fuels in the middle tanks and remove those at the beginning and at the end when depleted. We'll see if that allows me to cool the core probe for more time.

PS: as you approach the Sun, when viewing the probe the game crashes a lot. Anyone has the same problem?

[Solar Limbo: How Low can you Go?]

My new own record: Solar_Probe10, Apogee 454.724.371m. And I've depleted all my fuel.

Currently with my current design I think I can reduce 3km or 4km more, but that's all. Far from the 408Mm achieved by JohnFX

It's always the same: the part that gets hotter is the unmanned probe. I've selected the one that shows minimal cross section (the Probodobodyne OKTO2), placed in the middle protected by big solar pannels that (I think) radiates as much as possible, and with xenon tanks up & down that should help cooling too. Nevertheless, It's always the hottest part.

[Solar Limbo: How Low can you Go?]

Thanks for your reply. 16m/s2... that's about 1.67G. I'll adjust TWR accordingly and try the vertical liftoff.

As said , I basically am using my former design with some improvements, but I'm not sure I'll bet the 500km.

PS: welcome to Spain! Heat flux here is high too :-D

[Solar Limbo: How Low can you Go?]

That structure is simply... terrific, and the performance awesome.

Appart from the result being approved by MarvinKitFox, may I ask how did you put that in orbit?. I never thought it was possible. I'm quite interested for other projects.

For the Solar Limbo Challenge, I've beaten myself and already reached Apogee 570Mm. I have another probe on route that I think it will reach apogee 530Mm, with a Design quite similar to my Solar-Probe4 but using greater solar panels to check if it radiates better and reallocate stuff. Nothing compared to yours :-D

[Solar Limbo: How Low can you Go?]

Also, it is important how to approach to the Sun (always retrograde), and how you place your solar panels and temp sensor. I placed solar panels in line to the Sun, and the Thermometer sensor normal (90º, ie, not facing the Sun).

[Solar Limbo: How Low can you Go?]

While experimenting, I found that heat shields radiate everything. I went to 10Mm by Hyperedit; temperatures behind the heatshield reached an equilibrium around 500K. Getting even lower was tricky: it takes only two or three seconds to rotate the vessel, yet that's enough to explode many parts. The ones that survive that long, however, start to shed heat as soon as they're behind the shield.

Solar panels work a treat: rotate the craft so that the panels are exposed, briefly, and you'll harvest thousands of units in a split-second.

There's only one problem: the heatshield has to face the sun at all times. Timewarp is out of the question.

Yeah, I was thinking to do something with heat shields and ion engines on one side, but I'm not sure how the balance will act.

[Stock Budget Cap Challenge 1.0.3/4]

Ok, understood

[Stock Budget Cap Challenge 1.0.3/4]

Agggh I just got 948 units with the Oxfam challenge :-(

[Solar Limbo: How Low can you Go?]

Ok, that's it. Apogee = 589,873,831m.

The seismic & gravioli exploded at 625Mm, but still the Temperature sensor remained.

After these images I made a mistake when trying to reach the 585Mm apogee and the entire probe exploded.

Lord

[Solar Limbo: How Low can you Go?]

Hi, this is my Solar-probe4:

Apoapsis: 649,756,248m

The first pic shows that I've just made a Temperature transmission via antenna.

I'm trying to beat myself closing to the 625Mm, but not sure if I'll make it, at least for what it takes for the sensors. The temperature gauge still can hold a bit longer, but the seismic sensor is close to the limit!

Lord