Chequers

I'd never watched a Matt Lowne video before, so went and watched a few before replying. He's obviously very familiar with the game - understands the mechanics extremely well. But the most defining thing, is how creative he is. He's got plenty of videos across multiple games - particularly sandbox games. Evidently, that's what he's great at. Pretty inspiring. He knows how to use the game to create some incredible looking designs - but that's his art. And that leads onto a bigger issue here: The goal of KSP, as with any game, is to be entertained and have fun. And I don't think you should define other peoples' fun. Some people aren't interested in creativity. Sure, they can appreciate the skill, creativity, and design - but they're not interested in learning how to create their own . They want to explore other planets, and challenge themselves to do the various milestones, such as getting to orbit, landing on the Mun, or docking in space. Or even just seeing new things, using mods to handle all of the flight. For them, the less time spent in the VAB, the better. Others, like myself, enjoy the thrill of a perfectly engineered craft, that maximises efficiency to get the job done. But I don't bemoan anyone that launches an insane, oversized, overpowered monstrosity - because that's their version of fun. I know someone who plays KSP purely to design great looking craft; if they can actually fly, it's a bonus. Now for those who are trying to become skilful (from a mechanics point of view) in the game, then yes - there are fundamental principles that must be learned, and simply copying a Matt Lowne design doesn't mean they'll be able to fly it. But that's true regardless of the craft they use - whether replicating a tutorial rocket, or using a pre-made stock craft. Or whether they watch videos and emulate those designs or not. They're probably emulating those designs because they aren't able to do it themselves. And while it might be true that trial-and-erroring ideas until they work is the best way to learn for some, it certainly isn't for everyone.

We landed a Kerbal on another planet for the first time today, as part of the Tenacious program. Tenacious II is formed of two phases due to a complicated arrangement with the World-Firsts-Record-Keeping-Society to not only plant a flag on the surface, but to dock two vessels in orbit. We're delighted that the first phase - named 'Courageous' has completed this historic milestone, landing equatorially on the Duna Lowlands, as planned. Jebediah will remain on the surface until the remotely controlled 'Solidarity' arrives in orbit above Duna, which forms Phase 2 of the mission. Jebediah will rendezvous and dock with 'Solidarity', and following a crew transfer, will set 'Courageous' on a course to impact the Duna surface. Planning is already underway for Tenacious III, which will see Valentina explore one of the great canyons on the Duna surface. Excitingly, this mission will require a single launch, reducing costs and complexity,. The dual launch costs of the Tenacious II mission nearly totalled 150,000. It is anticipated that Tenacious III will achieve its objectives for significantly less. We have already gone out to tender for a new design that can accommodate Tenacious III, and Chequers Associated Systems (CAS) unveil their designs later this week.

Great suggestions! Thanks. Thanks for the link - there's loads here to think about. And also thanks for the inspiration around the Mars idea.

I'm deep into the planning of a first Kerballed mission to land on another planet — which will be Duna. The contract calls for the addition of a docking manoeuvre in orbit of the red planet, which adds another layer of complexity. Having reviewed the ageing Chequers Aerospace fleet, it's increasingly apparent that the faithful workhorse rockets in the current 'Exodus' family, that launched a raft of interplanetary probes and flybys, simply isn't up to the mission. Chequers Associated Systems (CAS), along with the substantial cash injection from the World-Firsts-Record-Keeping-Society, have enabled the commission of a new family of rockets, that not only enable us to make use of the latest advancements in technology, but will be able to satisfy the needs of Chequers Aerospace now, and into the future. These new rockets will expand our capability, to put Kerbal boots on Duna and Ike, conduct scientific missions to far-flung moons, and enable us to develop the infrastructure for even more ambitious missions. But this new family of rocket needs a name. Nigel from the marketing department came up with the clever (and responsibility-shirking) idea to put it out to the KSP community. Can you help?

I was surprised and delighted the first time I noticed Minmus from Kerbin. I was doing a sunset flight over the mountain range, and as I came into land, there it was - a tiny speck against the darkening sky. Had to check the map screen to confirm that it was indeed the minty green moon. It really filled me with wonder.

Thanks for the suggestions - looks like it’ll have to be separate launches then. I like the idea of the docked vessel having some future use, such as providing relay capability for later missions. It will also contain some refuelling capability, to give me a reason to dock with it once the landing is complete. That means I won’t have to pack as much fuel on the lander.

That’s what I feared. I half hoped landing would somehow ‘reset’ the flag. Alas!

Hi friends, Ive finally got a contract to land Kerbals on another planet, namely Duna. But a component of the contract, along with planting a flag, is to dock two vessels in orbit. I was planning to do an Apollo style mission - where a lander will detach from the CSM, perform a landing, and then return to dock. But would that satisfy the contract? Or would the fact that the lander and CSM originated from the same vessel void that? The guys and gals standing by the drawing board sketched an alternative direct landing, with a stop off at an orbiting refuelling station that would be sent to Duna from Kerbin earlier as a separate mission... but that would be far more expensive. I’m open to ideas.

I finally got a contract to put Kerbal boots (and more importantly - flags) on the tantalising surface of another planet. I'm glad my first interplanetary Kerballed landing will be on Duna - it will conclude a program started back in April, and while recent missions have had me send probes around Eve and Gilly, I've always enjoyed missions out to Duna. My most recent trip, which successfully saw a crew return from a high orbit of the marvellous red planet, must have given the brass over at the World-FIrsts Record-Keeping Society the nudge to offer up the contract. They even bundled it with a rendezvous component, perhaps hoping that they can salvage some form of record for the books if the landing goes disastrously wrong... there's no mention of returning to Kerbin in the contract. To the drawing board!

There is no in-game option to do this, outside of using mods. If you'd like to do the conversion yourself, temperature in Celsius is equal to the temperature in Kelvin minus 273.15.

Tenacious I, commanded by Jebediah, finally arrived in the Duna system, and completed its orbital burn. This was the first manned orbit of another planet, and so it was quite the momentous occasion. As part of the program to land Kerbals on another planet, Tenacious I will remain in high Duna orbit until the next optimum transfer window to Kerbin. It will continue to orbit just outside of the SOI of Ike, to conduct science experiments, monitor the red planet, and observe the relationship between Ike and its host. Along with the Pioneer Program that completed in April, Tenacious I will pave the way for a crewed mission to the surface of Duna, demonstrating that we are able to transfer to, orbit, and return from the Duna system safely.

Good luck! Let us know how you get on - if you're able to provide any visuals of your missions, that'd help us provide further advice. Have you unlocked manoeuvre nodes yet? This is done by upgrading the Tracking Station and Mission Control to level 2. It will also unlocked patched conics, which help considerably in planning manoeuvres and understanding your flight path. If not, you can still eyeball a burn to the Mun (I did my first time), but you won't know if you'll enter the Mun's sphere of influence until you actually enter it.

Hi @Popestar, I appreciate that it can feel like others are being condescending and unhelpful. I don't think the majority of people intend to be, but some of these techniques and procedures become so bread and butter that it can be forgotten how daunting and tricky it was, and how some of what has become so part-and-parcel actually has to be learned. From your second question, it seems that you're attempting to get to the Mun directly from launch, which as you've pointed out means waiting for the Mun to be in the correct place relative to Kerbin. A more reliable method would be to get into an orbit around Kerbin first. This is known as a parking orbit, and is usually done before any transfer to another celestial body. If you'd like more information on how to do that, I can provide more specific advice, but I don't want to assume you don't already know how to do it. From a parking orbit, it wouldn't matter where the Mun is, as you could plan a 'trans-munar injection' burn at the right time. This will also help with your return and re-entry angle. I'm happy to create a tutorial directly addressing your situation. To ensure it reflects where you're at in your career, would you kindly tell me what buildings you have upgraded, what tech-level you've reached, and whether you are already able to achieve orbit around Kerbin?

Hahahaha. Besides; the view is so nice, why would anyone want to leave... that's how Eve gets you.

I completed my first Eve landing today, to fulfil what I thought would be a extremely difficult contract to enter Eve's atmosphere, splash-down, and then make landfall. But thanks to some excellent suggestions and advice from the community, the mission was a success! I had the good fortune of splashing down just off the coast, meaning it was a mercifully short hop to shore. In reality, it was only luck that made this mission possible — any further and I would not have had the fuel to make the transition to shore. Watching the purple sunrise was an incredible moment. Eve is as beautiful as it is uncompromising and relentless.

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions - it's given me lots to think about and test. I've settled on the design of a small 0.625m probe that has dual-configurations - able to land both on water and solid ground depending on which biome it comes in over, though solid ground would be preferable. As I only have one shot at this mission, I needed to ensure that regardless of the circumstance, the mission could proceed. Once touched down, it can perform a short hop with quad mounted 24-77s to the nearest ocean/land mass to complete the contract. It is a tiny probe, but packs in all of the required comms and battery systems to be entirely independent once released from the transfer stage. Just waiting for the next Eve transfer window; I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks for the advice; though nothing is 'izi pizi' in these missions or me. I don't have reverts or quicksaves, so whatever I try has to work first time. I'm leaning more towards trying a splash-down, with some form of ability to then traverse the ocean towards land. I'm pretty confident that I will have to splash down first - as landing on ground, then being able to take off in order to splash down elsewhere would require a lot of energy and fuel. I'll keep you updated with my design!

Thanks community, for helping me in the past with my explorations of Eve; your advice have helped me get to grips with interplanetary transfers and returns, completing some tricky contracts in the process, including returning from a fly-by and orbit of Eve. Both were a huge step up from the Mun and Minmus missions I was getting to grips with. But almost in mockery, KSP has once again launched the difficulty upwards, with a contract to: 'Enter the atmosphere, Splash-Down on, and make land contact with' Eve. In a single mission. Cracking my knuckles in confidence, I launched a probe for this first landing on Eve, hoping that with enough ocean covering the surface, I'd get lucky and land in water, rather than make landfall. All went perfectly, aside from a tense few minutes plummeting through Eve's atmosphere. But nothing exploded, and I got good chutes, over the ocean, and splashed down. Then the probe sank under the intense gravity and was lost. Awesome. I'd hoped that 'make land contact' just meant landing - but it didn't. So the contract was a failure. I'm struggling to come up with a design that can reach Eve, enter the atmosphere, splash-down, and then move over to land. I imagine some form of lander with rockets powerful enough to overcome Eve's gravity for a hop to a nearby landmass? The other sticking point, was the only ticked component of the contract was 'splash down on Eve'. The 'enter the atmosphere of Eve' portion remained unticked... does it have to be manned? Happy to hear your ideas. This is a serious step-up in complexity.

Have you heard about those astronauts from Kerbin? They’ve got curved screens. Curved. Screens. To answer your question , I’ve never found the increased cost worth it - except for absurdly wide monitors.

Looks great! Like something to make a super long range exploration flight in. Perhaps to a pole, packed with science equipment.

Great choices, @LN400 - those original SCUMM games are some of my fondest game memories - I remember picking up a collection that included Monkey Island, Zak McKracken, and Maniac Mansion on the Amiga 500. I still find myself whistling the campfire tune from Monkey Island 2 from time to time to this day. I'm playing through the classic Tomb Raider games at the moment... without a guide! *shock horror* The first two were great... the third is a descent into madness. But I'll get there!

Quite right! Sincere apologies! I've updated the original congratulatory post, and the Honour Roll.

In quick succession, @Krazy1 has launched another daring mission for OBC! Congratulations on trying a new approach, and utilising a good portion of the recovery budget to keep the cost below 5,000, whilst still snagging a couple of additional adornments. Another unconventional design is used here, and we always appreciate a unique approach. Some lovely screenshots in your mission report, too - thanks for sharing. Your entry, 'Goo for Two' earns the Silver Claw (with Observational Ribbon), Onyx Eyes and Vermilion Heart. Your latest entry will be added to the Honour Roll - Congratulations!

@Streetwind, thanks for your detailed and thorough explanation. The principles you've described make perfect sense, and put me at ease about the way I am planning my manoeuvre. Perhaps I have gotten so comfortable with Mun and Minmus missions (I'd done about 10 to each before considering anything outside of the Kerbin system), that I was wanting to get as comfortable with Eve. It's fun learning this new challenge, where it requires a bit of thinking! Appreciate all your help too, @Linkageless, I'll check it out!

Hi all, Most of my missions these days revolve around exploring Eve's system; but I still don't feel particularly confident in my ability to get there (or back again) efficiently or reliably. I've completed a few missions, including a flyby, placing a satellite in orbit around Eve, and more recently, a Kerballed mission to orbit and back. My method for getting to Eve tends to be to wait until the correct angle, getting into orbit around Kerbin, and set a maneuver that gets the 'closest encounter' marker to be 'fairly close', then at one of the Dn or An nodes in orbit around the Sun, set another maneuver to match inclination... plus a bit of fiddling to try and put me into a fairly close encounter. I might then add another maneuver a little closer to Eve to fine tune. This has worked... reasonably well... for the missions I've been on; but it does feel like I'm winging it a bit. Returning from Eve is even more unreliable, and essentially devolves into a lot of time spent fiddling with maneuver nodes to try and get some kind of encounter with Kerbin. It all feels 'brute forced', wasteful, and incorrect. Mainly because I don't know what I'm doing. I don't like to feel like I'm crossing my fingers and hoping for the best, especially as I don't have quicksaves or reverts on, so I wondered if there was any advice - particularly about matching inclinations while I'm in orbit of Kerbin, as theoretically I might be able to plan a maneuver that gets me an encounter while still in Kerbin/Eve orbit. That means I can feel a bit more confident about the maneuvers I'm planning, rather than sending poor Jeb off into interplanetary space, without knowing if he'll ever make it there, or back again. I don't use mods, so I'm just working with what I've got. Thanks for your help!