Kergarin

Or maybe just specifiy how the station has to look, and then give points for the lightest launch vehicle? Just giving some ideas. It's a really interesting challenge

That's an interesting challenge, but I think it needs to be balanced a little. 1 point for 1 unit of fuel 10 points for a science lab Please have a look at how much fuel you can carry for the weight of a science lab. Even on normal fuels, and more worse on xenon. Also Moho is way way harder to reach than Eeloo.

Can you check if one of these two entries qualifies for the last challenge or at least a few of the easier? Sadly in both attemps I'm not doing orbits but mannend landings. The first entry is a completely reusable career playthroug. Starting in an empty career I'm landing manned on every body without leaving any debris. I don't know if I should really post this again, or if everyone is already annoyed by it also I don't know if you count this as SSTO or if you mean SSTO spaceplanes? https://youtu.be/iIuSCWxPZm4

Yes, that's exactly the video I was talking about But sadly - like my own SSTO - this won't work in Eves new atmosphere

Ok thanks Then I hope it's ok if post my second attempt on the Ultimate Challenge which was done in 1.2.2. It is 100% reusable and can do the trip over and over again without having to be recovered. As a little bonus, here is how you get in career game from start to this rocket, all the way 100% reusable. https://youtu.be/LtMBu9-c-sI

So I guess 1.2.2 is out then? Where there changes since then in atmospheres or engines?

Thanks for mentioning me! Yes this should still work. While I would not call it SSTO. It uses and adapted version of @Stratzenblitz75's suborbital docking. My real Eve SSTO lander doesn't work anymore. https://youtu.be/C6ChB20KshE It was for 1.1.3 and the atmosphere was changed in 1.2 to have even higher pressure at low levels. SSTO from the highest point is still possible, but payload and upscaling doesn't work as before. https://youtu.be/DuEwQHHZpB0 I was pretty happy recently to see the creator of the first ever Eve SSTO back. @astrobond has just build the smallest Eve SSTO I have ever seen. really sad this doesn't have more views, while people who have clickbait video titles about Eve SSTO or everywhere SSTO have hundreds of thousands views... Back to the op: this is not possible in pure stock. If you launch from Eve's highest mountain, you can barely make it a few thousand KM above the atmosphere. Not any further. And that is with a craft that has 100% full fuel tanks at launch from Eve and virtually no payload. I have seen someone who moved an asteroid to low Eve orbit, to refuel his craft there. But this makes this craft dependent on moving asteroids there, what is a cool idea, but not really a difference to moving fuel tanks there, as both would be refuelling, which you don't want, if I understand wo right. I sadly did not have the time, to test how the making history parts work on Eve. Maybe there are some advantages by using the larger fuel tanks or so. But I don't think this will get us to Gilly or anywhere close to completing this challenge.

That's a nice design @OHara! Can it be landed fully fuelled, or do you have to land it empty and refuel on the ground? Does it reach orbit with open "mouth" or does this generate to much drag? You could get rid of the angle snap mod if you use two docking ports.

that's really funny Yes it's mine thanks!

What about this? Sorry for the bad video, it's quite old

It is possible But I don't know if this would make it to proxima in time

You should just get Eve out of this challenge and set the targets to Duna and maybe Laythe as default plus optional planets. Then it is doable.

Sorry, it was not mean to sound rude or anything. I just though this thread needs an answer, to let the creator know, why no one else answers. And sorry, but it is impossible to build a stock grand tour SSTO that can fly to Eve, land on, refuel at, return to orbit and fly to Gilly to refuel there in one piece. All grand tours which claim to be an SSTO to everywhere sadly either just lie in the title and don't land on Eve, have a disposable Lander for Eve, split up, move an asteroid to lowest Eve Orbit to refuel or just get external refuelled to leave Eve. But the Challenge tells us to use an SSTO. this means to me: no splitting up and no external refuelling, just one single ship completely on its own. The best you can do is an SSTO from Eves highest Mountain, and you will end up just above the atmosphere whith zero fuel left. And this has to be an absolutely specialized design, you can't make it look like something else than a really pointy rocket or plane. Duna is easy, adding Moho is possible, Eve is not and will only work with Alt+F12.

I did want to have a look at this a few days ago, so I just loaded the stock Aeris A3 and took it there for a try. Have set all control surfaces to max and activated reverse thrust. Surprisingly it landed on first try and it could also takeoff. (with verry low fuel)

Here is my SSTO rocket which only needs unlocking of one single tech node for just 5 Science Points. Also returns to surface 100% intact and reusable. I would love to build a spaceplane, but it is just to hot here to start a computer

The black numbers are the antenna ratings of a single antenna (as shown in the part descriptions in the game): 5k = no antenna (integrated in Pod/Probe cores) 500k = communotron 16 or 16-S .... 100G = communotron 88-88 or RA-100 So black numbers show the range of a single antenna. You can extend your range by using more than one antenna on your craft. This is shown by the gray numbers, and they are related to the last black number. Example: You have DSN Level 2 and the communotron HG-55 unlocked. The HG-55 has a rating of 15G. A single 15G antenna on DSN 2 can always cover Eve and Moho, but only partially Duna. If you now look upwards from 15G you will find a x2 just above Dunas maximum distance. That's the distance you can cover with two 15G antennas. Dres can be covered with nine 15G Antennas. Then comes the single 100G antenna. Two 100G can cover Jool, five 100G can cover Eeloo. You did not mention the scale on the right side. Is this understandable?

I'm sorry to say this, but I think, the only way to do this on stock or any halfway realistic mod parts is indeed magic (alt + F12) Don't get me wrong, but this is just impossible. Getting from the highest mountain of Eve to orbit is almost impossible. If you manage to do this you will be stuck in the lowest possible orbit without any fuel. A bus to duna would be possible.

Any points for doing it completely reusable?

Added Thanks a lot again @wile1411

And then slingshot around Duna to go even further

No. It works from orbit like any other probe core, and always detects all anomalys on first pass. I don't know if it's intended to do that, but it works since kerbnet came out and still does. But I don't use that, because it's too easy. just wanted to mention, if someone doesn't want to search for long.

If you use the rove mate probe core, you will immediately see all easter eggs. It has 100% detection. But that's boring

I have asked, and apparently I qualify as a newbie And according the number of my YouTube subscribers, I am one

I have just 519points. Am I allowed to participate?

Well, I'm used to be copied by a 100.000+ subs youtuber every two weeks after. But now nasa steals my concept too 14month later? That's both an honour *not to be taken too serious **Or should I??? Edit: now nasa go on and copy my launcher from that video too and I'm impressed.