Jetski

Didn't even know that was possible! Did you get any pics?

Might be worth noting on the OP that this challenge can't be done with 1.05, as the savegame is a 1.1 pre-release and is incompatible with 1.05

this ^^ 5 part limit is so that many people can contribute to the same station without part count going to the thousands. Feel free to build whatever you like, but if you are participating in the challenge, please only share the save with 5 additional parts. A high part count station isn't particularly challenging for most players, but working within the limit to add to an existing structure may prove more interesting. Ideally we would be getting a high part count (many contributors) right around when 1.1 drops, and we get to go big after that. Assuming anyone else thinks this would be interesting Also, I'll likely keep a current part count and a current pic of the station on the OP, so we can watch it grow

Things slowed down here due to an update a while back, but it has been revived spectacularly here! This is a challenge for the space station builders out there. I have created a very simple Sandbox Stock savegame (I'll try to keep the latest link above the picture), and it has been added to by other players. There is a single orbiting station that started with 5 parts at about 100km over Kerbin, and a number of kerbals are inside. Your mission is to add 5 parts to the station by flying a mission and docking to the station. Do it in this order to complete the challenge: Post a note in this topic saying you are launching a module. This lets everyone know you have the latest version, and they should wait on their attempt until you complete the challenge. Download the latest savegame. Link is below over the picture, or if I haven't updated it just grab it from the latest forum post. Fly a mission to add a module to the station. Max 5 parts plus up to 2 docking ports can be added to the station, this includes tanks, lights, solar, batteries, any additional docking ports, RCS, everything. So choose carefully. Or add no docking ports, but you still only get 5 parts Dock your module with the station without destroying it. Deorbit any debris or additional ships, or delete them from the tracking station. Take pictures or video of the mission Upload your images to a new post, and the (new and improved) savegame for the next person. New! Community Spaceship Assembly for Jool mission on station - Cleared for launch! Station Maintenance Mission: Instead of launching a module, you may launch a maintenance shuttle (make it look cool!) with KIS/KAS installed, and basic tools on board. Absolutely no mod parts (even struts/fuel lines) left on station please, the savegame still has to load for stock players. It is understood that this side mission is fairly advanced work, and requires a bit of skill, so don't take it on unless you are quite certain you can manage it. Also, get yourself a shiny new badge! I'm interested to see what the Kerbal community can assemble in orbit - kind of like the ISS with different nations adding their modules. Hoping for a truly spectacular station by the time everyone is caught up in 1.1 A few ground rules: No parts mods at all, and particularly no modded parts added to the final station savegame, or it will break it for the next user. No HyperEdit, F12, etc, fly this like a real mission. I particularly encourage innovation - if you have a nice SSTO to bring your module up in a cargo bay, or a clever way to build a module, go for it! Leave the station in LKO. You can move it if you absolutely must, but keep it well within the orbit of the Mun to avoid interference and keep this challenge doable even by newer players Imgur albums are good for pics, unless you have a better way, also Dropbox is decent for posting the savegame. If you break the station or break parts, you have failed the challenge. Either reload the save, or accept a failed mission Try to only keep the station savegame long enough to do the challenge. If you post that you are starting your attempt, the next person has to wait for you to complete it, so don't hold on to it forever. Do your mission, post the savegame, and let the next person give it a shot. Missions are all to be done in 1.1.x, to avoid savegame loading conflicts. One at a time! You can add multiple modules if you like, but only one per attempt, and let at least one other player take a turn between your additions. Leave a docking port open for the next player! Please make sure all struts used connect FROM your launcher TO the payload, otherwise they add mass and part count, and will count against your 5 part limit. Here's a recent shot of the station, and I'll try to keep an active link to the latest savegame If it's not current, just look to the latest forum post. Total 245 parts and growing For newer players, here's how to use a downloaded savegame.

Single Goat To Orbit. Also to Eeloo using ions. Do I get a badge for this?

I looked it doing this with the Valentine star system, but it's not possible with a life support mod as far as I can tell. Even with warp drive, you would still need a closed loop LS to work, which TAC and usi don't provide unless mining Edit just saw base mod edit permitted for LS. Does this apply to hard mode as well?

I propose making your ship actually look like a goat, and flying it to eeloo, and landing it on all 4 legs. *starts building in VAB frantically*

Also, batteries don't drain if the vessel isn't active (e.g. in tracking station) so given patience you can go anywhere you want

Wow. I just spent almost 6 hours trying to get a working base using the UKS Kolonization mod and Hyperedit. The documentation for that one is a real tangled mess, with a ton of obsolete tutorials and conflicting information on 1.1 vs. 1.05 builds and resource chains. I STILL can't get even a clue on how to get a closed loop life support supply base working. It requires up to 9 different resources, I have 4 different drills going, 6 modules (at least 2 seem to do nothing despite the tutorials). I love the idea, but I don't think I'm going to be able to get it working. Also, it appears that homesickness is now a thing, so crews have to be monitored individually to make sure they are happy, as well as fed, oxygenated, otherwise pampered. I even tried making a config to allow stock ISRU to convert Ore into Oxygen/Waste/Water to make TAC-LS usable without all the complications (which actually works, by the way, if you include a greenhouse to make Waste/Water back into Food). With a goal of 500 Kerbals, I fear this challenge is outside of my abilities. I'll give it a shot stock, or if I can find a working life support mod that allows any kind food production off kerbal with mining/greenhouse modules I'll use that. The LS system FlowerChild used on Better Than Starting Manned would be ideal, you could make food but it was a huge investment in mass and power. Wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience, or am I just slow?

I assume lots of people do this, but I routinely bring ISRUs or Sci labs or crew cabins on a mission with a decoupler or docking port, do the landing/orbit/whatever required by the contract. Then decouple and go do whatever I actually wanted to accomplish with that launch.

Looking into network of commsats, here's a fascinating way to use 4 satellites to get full coverage. It's called a Draim Tetrahedral Configuration, and looks to be a royal pain in the neck to set up. Likely much simpler in terms of hours IRL to just spam coverage in the 4x4 network described in the OP. Although RemoteTech fanatics appear to set up 3x equitorial coverage regularly, because Kerbin has no atmospheric losses or lensing effects from the ionosphere. Come ON 1.1! I want to get started already!

Kerbal Engineer Redux. I havent read more than the OP, but I suspect this is the consensus?

You two look adorable

Option 1: Decline the contract, as you cannot complete it Option 2: Clever engineering, make a way to bring the ISRU, even as a dead useless payload Option 3: Wait for 1.1 to drop as they have fixed the bug where small ISRU doesn't count Option 4: Cheat lol Option 5: Tweakscale ISRU down to 1.25. See Option 4

OK, after some research on this, I've found at least a semi useful application for this on Jool transfers. Take the big life support ship, burn at a normal transfer window to Jool (transfer window planner or eyeball it). Get your intercept like normal, plan for a nice gravicapture or aerobrake once the big heat shields are available in a week. A good ways out, (however long your small shuttle life support can handle), detach and coast. Once you have separation, do a small correction burn with the cycler (the further you are out the less dV of course) and watch your post-Jool orbit. Try to move it around with a manouver node until you have a Kerbin intercept ABOUT 10 EARTH DAYS (or 15 degrees) FURTHER ALONG IN KERBIN ORBIT THAN WHERE YOU DEPARTED*. (*see math below). This sets you up for a Kerbin flyby, and you are positioned at the optimum Jool transfer window again. I used a 2 year orbit (quite fast) but you could make it slower and get the same results. Again, about 5-10 days out from Kerbin, adjust your flyby to use Kerbin's gravity assist to lob you back to Jool intercept. You may have to burn at Pe if you can't get the right intercept, so swing by close to Kerbin. Once you have your flyby set up, look at the orbit, and launch your shuttle, and set up your meeting like an asteroid meetup. *OK, so the math as I see it is fairly straightforward. Note these are Earth Days, not Kerbin Time Kerbin orbits Kerbol in 106.5 earth days. It has a synodic period with Jool of 116.8 days. From Britannica: The synodic period of a planet is the time required for the Earth to overtake it as both go around the Sun—or, in the case of fast-moving Mercury or Venus, for the planet in question to overtake the Earth. This means, Jool is at a similar window to Kerbin every 116.8 days, call it 82.1 degrees ahead, best time to transfer (ignoring inclination) As long as you keep intercepting Kerbin when Kerbin is 82.1 degrees trailing Jool, you always catch the same transfer window So you should try to meet Kerbin 116.8-106.5 = 10.3 Earth Days after the point in orbit which you left. This is very roughly 1/10th of an orbit, or 15.8 degrees unless my math is off. Bear in mind this is very Kerbal math, and rough at best. You won't get a magic cycler that doesn't need adjustment. But you will get a permanent trajectory that keeps intercepting both in a useful manner with only tiny correction burns, which appears to be a practical application of this concept. I welcome any corrections to this math, or this whole concept clarified. An extremely clever pilot could even do the following: enter Kerbin->Jool transfer windows into the Transfer Window Planner (amazing mod BTW) and plan a larger orbit to meet back with Kerbin only at the truly ideal transfer window, instead of just this rough estimate. Also synodic period calculator available here. Wasn't comfortable converting to Kerbin time, so all this is in Earth days.

Lots of ways to move cargo. This is specifically for a nearly 0dV transfer orbit that can be reused indefinitely without burning more than tiny corrections once the orbit is set up. Ship can get as big and wobbly as you want, even add more stuff each resupply transfer. Exciting stuff

If you Google this topic, you will see nearly the same conversation on every thread, so let's get it out of the way. This cycler orbit has no profitable application in stock. Period. Too much dV to catch up, etc. It becomes valid IRL, and playing with a life support mod. Greenhouses, exercise rooms, heavy cosmic radiation shielding, and gobs of life support on the cycler make it very profitable to have all your infrastructure on a heavy ship, and light fast shuttles for transfers. Kudos to anyone who does the math for Jool, I am also interested if using it for large scale transfer when 1.1 drops

Possible to complete the CASUAL version with pure stock? My original plan is to work this challenge into my 1.1 career, but I want to play through no mods before I start mixing it up. Otherwise, it will be quite a while before I can start, since 1.1 isn't even available for at least another week.

Sounds fun. I've been researching creating antigravity, or at least maglev train using the magnetic attraction from docking ports forcibly held apart by offset clipping. Is that the sort of thing you are looking for? If so count me in.

The math has been done to a certain extent, but only for one type of cycler. Leave when Duna is 54.51 degrees ahead in orbit, and use 1491 dV from a 100k orbit. Juuuust miss a Duna intercept, and when you leave Kerbin soi you should be really near a kerbin intercept after 1 orbit. Easy so far. The trick is that the Kerbin intercept has to happen when kerbin is 54.51 degrees from Duna again, but advanced in orbit. Then you have to burn as you flyby Kerbin to get the same results again, using high TWR engines for precision. You meet kerbin at a different place each time, but always at the same Duna transfer window. Try it with infinite fuel, a probe core and an engine to get the feel for it first. It's hard, and I'm not entirely pleased with my results. There is supposed to be a better orbit requiring no maintenance, or less at least, that takes longer. The synodic period is greater, so a more elliptical orbit. Maybe easier not to enter Kerbin SOI given ksp physics, but then you don't get a correction from gravity slingshot. I can't find math for the bigger orbit, but maybe someone else can... Edit: upon a more careful reading of OP, this is the 7-year cycle @LocalFluff mentions. So just meet back up with Kerbin every 7 years in the same spot I think. Haven't tried yet, recently obsessed with Jool cycling

Now that's a different issue Ion or nervas can be frustrating for very long burns, although physics warp x4 helps if your ship can handle it. Rhinos all the way for you sounds like. Best of luck

Land a rocket at the poles with a small upper stage and capsule. Land and science, climb your ladder (you remembered a ladder, right?), and blast off leaving the landing gear and science equipment. Make a nice ballistic lob to near the MPL, decouple capsule and land with a single chute like at home Pick up your kerbal with that plane thingy you have near the MPL and crunch yummy Sci points. Light and cheap. May even be able to reuse the chute if you pack an engineer instead of a scientist (no need to reset experiments, single biome)

Setting up a Moho mission now in my career. I'll post a screenshot of braking burn

You don't need high TWR at moho to stop, although it helps. You CAN have a 1200 dV insertion burn by matching inclination in deep space and meeting Moho at its highest point away from the Sun. Also you can start burning outside Moho SOI.

Try the SpaceY mod for stuff that size. Gets part count down a lot