Scarecrow71

To start today, I got a contract to put a sentinel telescope in orbit to map asteroids. I’ve already got one up there from a previous contract, and I don’t even have to adjust its orbit. So I’m taking that contract and setting the orbit. It isn’t worth a whole lot of science, but it’s passive, and I don’t have to worry about it. So I check Mission Control, and I’ve got a contract to get science from the surface of Minmus…and I’ve got one to rescue someone from LKO. The rules state that you can in fact rescue Kerbals in LKO and use them to go get science and stuff, so long as you don’t ever launch them once you satisfy the contract. So I’m gonna go pick up Linbal, head to Minmus, grab some science, and bring her home. The bonus part of this is that the Kerbal is a Scientist. Here comes all that science in space I couldn’t get before! So, I tried to get back to Kerbin…and there’s no parachutes on this thing. Like, what the frak? And Linbal also doesn’t have a freaking parachute. So now I get to rescue the rescue mission. And I know why this doesn’t have parachutes. Because I started designing a craft, scrapped it, and kept going like nothing was wrong. Sigh. Damn. Well, stuff happens, right? Right! I ended up with enough science out of this run to unlock: Heavy Aerodynamics High Altitude Flight Nuclear Propulsion That completes Tier VII.

Been a few days since I posted here. But here's my next entry!

Things have really ground to a halt with science. I'm going to have to go mine Minmus, and then go off to other planets. Got a contract to put a satellite into a specific orbit around Ike. The satellite needs to include a resource survey scanner, so I get to kill 2 birds with 1 stone. With this: And I’m gonna get a free Ike encounter without having to actually orbit Duna? Sold! Once this is done, I got a contract to put a space station in orbit around Kerbin. I know that we aren't using Kerbals in this challenge, but it's 25 science for completion. \ All of that is easy. At first it seems like the 4,000 units of liquid fuel might be an issue, but it’s not when you consider that I’ll have to fly up there to attach all the stuff, and I’ll have leftover fuel on pretty much every damn drone I send up. And we don’t have to have any actual Kerbals on it, so we should be fine. 12 of them is nothing. We start with the actual base of the station itself: That central column is actually a fuel tank, but I’ve left it empty for now to decrease weight upon launch. I can then fill that with whatever leftover fuel I have in the drones I send up. And I added 9 docking ports to it so I can send up a full array of solar panels, communications hub, and multiple habitat and science modules. This should then also leave me with enough room to bring up a battery of fuel tanks to get to the 4000 units I’ll need. I buried the drone on the underside of the cupola because I still don’t have the nice big round flat one yet. And now the base in space, after transferring remaining fuel and decoupling the launch tanks: The next thing I want to do is to send up a couple of habitation modules. The Hitchhiker Storage Container holds 4 Kerbals, so I’ll need a pair of these, one on either side of the station: So it’s now got 2 habitat modules, for a total of 9 supported Kerbals. Need 3 more, and the science module only has enough space for 2 each. So I’ll have to send 2 each of those up there. I left the tanks on the research modules for the time being because I have fuel left over but nowhere else to put it. Now, I need to get to 4000 units of fuel – I currently have 1994, so almost half – and I need to have decent storage tanks on the craft to hold it. To go along with this, I don’t NEED more solar panels, but I’m going to put some on because more equals clean. So I send this up to attach to the bottom of the space station: That was the single-most complex thing I've built in this game. 6 individual launches with 5 different rendezvous and docking maneuvers. Not bad! Still doesn't get me a whole lot of science, but I'll take the experience!

Today's entry.

Today's nonsense! Picked up contracts for the following: Position satellite in a specific orbit of the Sun Position satellite in an equatorial orbit of the Mun Position satellite in a synchronous orbit of Minmus I’m picking these up for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is the science. I launched the Sun probe first, but before I set it in its orbit, I launched the Mun probe and got that into its orbit. Why? Because after I satisfied the contract, I moved it to a polar orbit and did a survey scan. Then, with the Sun probe still making its way to its Ap, I launched the Minmus probe. Now, let’s go see where our Sun probe is. Oh, there it is, on an escape trajectory out of the sun. Well, let’s go put that puppy into its orbit. 2 years to get to Ap, and then another 3 and change to get to Pe, and voila! We are set! And while we were fast-forwarding to our encounters to set up the Sun probe orbit, our Sentinel telescope finished doing its job! All told, I had enough science points to unlock Large Volume Containment. Only 4 more nodes on this tier! Got another contract to collect science data from the surface of the Mun. I’m going to end up probably mining every biome there to complete this challenge as I’m hoping to not have to implement an Admin strategy. Anyhow, I landed this at the East Farside Crater: That netted me enough science to unlock Heavy Landing. Man this is really starting to slow down.

That's perfectly acceptable considering it's the only way to complete the contract.

Today's entry. I am officially done with upgrading the KSC!

Got a couple of those “Test this part landed at Kerbin” contracts, so I’m picking those up. From this point on, I won’t mention contracts like this as they provide very little other than some quick cash which is nearly pointless at this point in the game. And now another contract to pull science data from the surface of the Mun. Which is fine; I like being able to design new craft based on the nodes I’ve unlocked. I landed at the Highland Craters, which netted enough science to unlock High-Power Electrics. I’ve now got 7 nodes to go on tier VII. Mission Control has no contracts that I would do, so I’m going to do a fly-by of Duna and collect some science. High and Low over the planet with this probe: Damn, that window isn’t for nearly 3 years. Well, time to save and fast-forward. Thankfully, probes don’t need snacks! I really want to go to Ike…but I don’t have the science gadgets to collect all the science. Next trip! But for now, I got enough science to unlock: Advanced Metalworks Composites So I got a contract now to map 8 asteroids threatening Kerbin. I know some of these contracts are broken depending upon the orbit, but I think this one is ok. I believe that the SENTINEL has to be closer to the sun than the planet it is scanning, and this contract has an Ap of ~11.8 billion meters (if I read the commas and placing right). So I’m going to pick this up and use this handy dandy device to deal with the contract: And here she is, out in the middle of nowhere, doing my nefarious bidding. Now I’ve got a contract to rescue a Kerbal from orbit of Kerbin. Now, the rules state that you can use unmanned craft to go and rescue Kerbals, but you cannot launch them again after rescue. I’m looking at the rescue contract in several ways, not the least of which is to get EVA and crew reports from space, as well as surface samples when I land. So yeah, I’m sending this bad boy up to go get Janing: I’ve got way more parachutes than you’d think I’d need, primarily because I’m going to try also salvaging the craft. I need just a bit more cash and I can unlock the R&D level 3. And rescued! I took multiple EVA and Crew Reports, as well as a surface sample. Didn’t get me enough science to unlock any new nodes, but I do have enough cash to upgrade R&D to level 3. This completes the KSC.

That's the same wall I hit early on when doing this myself. It is a slow, grindy challenge at times. But it is doable. I know you got this!

@18Watt You are correct. If you do not have a contract to collect science from space around Kerbin, you cannot collect science from space around Kerbin. The thing with landing and collecting in biomes on Kerbin is because the only contracts for Kerbin-based science are testing parts but not collecting science.

Kerbals, at their core, are loyal and brave and fearless. Not to mention complete snack-hounds who love nothing more than the promise of Minmus being any variety of mint-flavored ice cream. They look to the skies every day, dreaming of the day that they can finally prove their second satellite is in fact tasty and ready to be served and eaten at the next Kerbsgiving feast. Ah, just think about how lovely that's going to taste. Unfortunately, we have a serious problem. Kerbals can tend to be lazy and unmotivated, not wishing to actually DO anything other than daydream of the snacks. Someone else will surely bring them, right? Someone else will run to the store and pick them up, or fly to Minmus and bring back loads of minty frozen concoctions. Right? Won't they? Well...no, they won't. If all Kerbals are waiting for someone else to go get snacks and such, then nobody is going to go get them. We need to find a way to motivate Kerbals to get up off their lazy heinies and do some work around here. And here at World's Firsts Record-Keeping, we believe we have found a way to properly motivate Kerbals into performing hard labor. We present to you... The All-Contract Challenge You have undoubtedly heard of the No-Contract Challenge, right? Well, that challenge has made Kerbals lazy, providing absolutely no motivation to go out and earn science and funds to keep the KSC operating and advancing our technology. They no longer want to do something without having a reason, so we're going to overload them with enough contracts to make sure that they have something to do. This should be the right motivation to get them out of bed and off to the stars! Or, at least off to the grocery store to refill their snack supplies! Completion Goals Upgrade all buildings at the KSC to level 3 Complete the Tech Tree Game Setup Start a new Career game on any difficulty level. The following must be true regardless of whatever other settings you use: Kerbals do NOT level up immediately Kerbals respawn after 1 hour Allow flight reversion KerbNet must be turned ON You are free to use any mods that you wish. Keep in mind that some contract packs may make this challenge much easier than it should be. Rules All activities must have a contract. Want to plant a flag on the Mun? Want to get science in space around Minmus? Want to go to Eve? You MUST have a contract for the activity. You are free to mine science around the KSC without a contract. You may gather science at any biome on Kerbin that you land in. You may use the jumping trick to get an EVA report flying over Kerbin's Shores. You may roll off the KSC to get science at Kerbin's Shores, but you may not roll into the water to get science there. If you want science splashed down, you must have launched and flown and then landed in the water. Planting a Flag and collecting science are 2 different activities, and therefore each requires their own contract. This is only an example, and should be carried out throughout the challenge. That is, rescuing a Kerbal from somewhere does not grant you the ability to also collect science unless you have a contract to do so. Any contract that allows you to collect science can be used to collect ALL the science you can at that location. Whatever gadgets you have access to, as well as EVA/Sample reports. You may collect science from multiple biomes in the same launch. For example, if you have a contract to collect science from the surface of the Mun, you are allowed to land in multiple biomes on the Mun and collect the science from all of them if you have the ability to do so prior to returning to Kerbin to complete the contract. The exceptions to this are collecting Mun Stones, Green Stones, Volcanic Rock, or doing rover arm scans as they all have their own contracts. Administration Strategies are not only allowed, but might be the only way to complete the Tech Tree. Pictures of the actual contracts are not required, but you are free to take them and show us anyhow! At Kerbin's World's Firsts Society, we encourage you to take photos like you are on vacation in a foreign country. Please, we want to see what you come up with! Once you complete a contract, you have to wait for that contract to come back around to do those activities again. You are free to fast-forward as often and as far as you wish to get whatever contracts you are looking for. If there is anything I may have missed, or something you want clarification on, please ask! This thought was borne out of re-reading the No-Contract Challenge, as well as going through the Safety First Challenge. I thought "If we can do it this way, why can't we turn this puppy around on its fat head and try it another way?".

Yet another entry! I can't believe how safe all my Kerbals are!

So, more Safety First shenanigans! Got a contract to take temperature readings at several sites on the Mun, which all happen to be in a biome I need to actually hit up for some science. And considering I just picked up the RoveMate, I’m in the mood to craft a rover and be on my way. So here goes nothing! There’s a probe core controlling the whole thing that I’m going to bring back after collecting science, and a rover core that I’ll drive around the surface a bit to deal with the contract. Win-win! So I collected the science and completed the contract…and the solar panel broke! Why it’s underwater and not sinking I do not know. What I do know is that I collected enough science to unlock Scanning Tech. Now I get to take the Atmospheric thing and gather science at the Launch Pad and Runway. Checking Mission Control, I’ve got contracts for: Gather science from the surface of Minmus Test Structural Pylon landed at Minmus So I craft this probe and send it on its way. I am going to use the Structural Pylons as landing legs, and then stage them right before I ascend back into orbit. Yes, this makes the ship look weird. But hey! Science! The Structural Pylons worked like a charm as landing legs. Of course, I wouldn’t try this on terrain that isn’t flat! But, I earned enough science to unlock Unmanned Tech. I technically have enough cash to upgrade R&D to level 3, but that would leave me strapped a bit at this point. A couple more contracts, though, and I’ll be done with the KSC!

Today, as part of working on the Safety First challenge, I went to and landed on Gilly to collect all the sciency pieces. What makes this remarkable is in the following screenshot: I ended up with a return dV from Eve to Kerbin, with a Pe of -80 km, of 179 m/s. It was real, and it was spectacular. My orbital speed at the beginning of the burn was 4.5 km/s, which I'm sure helped. But damn was that CHEAP.

The latest entry of my foray into this. Much like @18Watt's second run, I'm not using any Administration strategies. I, however, haven't even come close to mining all the science on Mun and/or Minmus; I've got multiple biomes on each body that I can strip if I need. After doing the latest stuff here, I'm curious as to what the record is for return trip dV. I got a return window from Eve to Kerbin with 179 m/s, and I had to quicksave before I executed that node because I was afraid the computer was wrong. Nope, it worked. Anybody know what the record is? Is there a challenge out there that tries to figure this out for peeps?

A check of Mission Control shows a contract to gather scientific data from Gilly. Not space around, but from Gilly. So it looks like I’m about to go land on Eve’s moon. I still need to collect all the data from space high and low around Gilly, so I get to engineer a probe with multiple science juniors and goo cannisters on it. For this particular run, I decided to craft 2 robes, one to get us there and back, and a second one to land. The one that gets us there and back has 2 of juniors and goo containers, as well as the experiment storage unit, while the lander only has 1 junior/goo cannister, and no storage unit. And I don’t have to bring the lander home, so after it’s done doing its thing and transfers data back to the return ship, I’m going to leave it in orbit of Gilly as another satellite. And so we end up with this: That’s 2 probes, one on top of the other, with docking ports and all the science gadgets I’ll need. And any fuel that’s left from landing on Gilly will get transferred back to the return rocket. I hope. Now, about that return rocket… Take a close look at that shot. A return trip to Kerbin with a Pe of 80km…for 179 m/s. Are you kidding me? Probably because I was traveling 4.5 km/s when I started the burn. And I forgot to take a shot on the ground, but here’s the recovery report: 1063 science gained from this run. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to actually get science in space near Gilly. Even at 12km it was still high. Maybe I have to be under 10km? Still got enough to unlock: Advanced Aerodynamics Advanced Exploration Command Modules Electronics I took Electronics at this point because it leaves me 16.5 science short of picking up the next node, but also gives me the Seismic Accelerometer which I can then use to pick up science at the Launch Pad and Runway. That got me close…but not quite there. Luckily, I have the following contracts I can pick up to close the gap: Science data from space around Kerbin Science data from space around Minmus Science data from space around Gilly This allowed me to unlock Field Science. Rovers! And I’ve got enough cash to upgrade the Spaceplane Hangar to level 3. This leaves only R&D to upgrade.

Another baby entry today. But is it all that much of a baby?

I keep saying I want the science, and then I get a contract for the Mun 3 run. How can I pass up the chance to once again do something I’ve never done before? Flyby the Mun, Minmus, and Eve with a single vessel? Challenge accepted! After doing the fly-bys of Mun and Minmus, I decided to circularize way out in the middle of nowhere. I needed to get both an Ap and Pe where, when I end up fast-forwarding to my transfer to Eve, I don’t get altered too badly by Minmus or Mun encounters. And I get a Pe of 103km after the initial burn? Damn! So, I originally engineered this satellite to bring it home after the fly-by of Eve. And once I got here I thought “Wait – why? I need satellites all over the place anyhow, so why not just leave it here?” Yeah, I’m still thinking in terms of not stranding Kerbals. But, safety first!

Cash is already a non-issue. It will be even more do once I upgrade R&D. I am not using any strategies at this point. I'm not a fan of them to begin with, so I never use them. Besides, I've got all those bodies out there to fly by and land on.

Tiny entry for today in this challenge. Well, tiny in that I didn't do a million different things before posting. But, well...just read it for yourself and be the judge.

Couple of contracts to pick up before we get really started. Science data from space around Kerbin Science data from space around Minmus After completing those, I’ve got contracts for: Position satellite in a specific orbit of Gilly Position satellite in a polar orbit of Eve This is interesting because I need to put satellites in orbit of pretty much anything anyhow, but to get a contract for a planet and another for its moon at the same time? Awesome. And if I’m leaving them out there, I don’t need to worry about all that fuel to get home. Sure, I still need dV to get there, orbit, transfer, orbit. But I don’t have to bring anything back to Kerbin. So I create this as the probe, which is actually 2 probes designed to separate: The best part about these contracts is that they have the same requirements for on-board gadgets. Or, rather, they both require a Mystery Goo container, while only one requires a Thermometer. I put a Thermometer on both just to even them out. But really simple satellites. Nice. Now to finish the rocket and get on our way. Departure in 400 days. Save and fast forward! 2 satellites in 1 launch. That is a first for me! Also gave me enough cash to upgrade the VAB to level 3. I keep saying I need to focus on science, but then I always end up going for the cash. But, que sera, and all. This leaves me with R&D and the Spaceplane Hangar as the only buildings remaining to be upgraded.

Rings of Power is nothing more than Galadriel waiting to say "I told you so".

Royals

The next entry in Mission Reports...and my first interplanetary probe in this challenge.

Pretty slim pickings in the contracts department. The only decent contract was to place yet another satellite in a specific orbit around Minmus, so I did that. Once that was over, I see these 2 contracts: Conduct Temperature Surveys of Minmus Science data from the surface of Minmus I need to land on Minmus again anyhow, so that’s awesome. But the temperature surveys might not be worth it. Nearly polar orbit for 2 of them, and then I’d have to shift orbits to get the third. But, what the heck; I gotta go anyhow to land, right? I need the science, and this run netted me enough science to unlock the following: Advanced Fuel Systems Heavier Rocketry I also was able to upgrade the Runway to Level 3. Again, this is no longer about cash, but about science. At this point, contracts are easy to come by and complete for cash. Interplanetary I’ve reached the point where I need to stretch my legs and head away from Kerbin. That’s right, I’m about to head towards one of our planetary neighbors. Specifically, Eve. I’m not going to land or anything, but I am going to head there and back and try to get as much science as possible. The problem with this is that I need to bring multiple science jr.’s and mystery goo containers with me because the probes can’t reset them. So I end up with a probe that looks like so in the VAB: That’s just to collect science and insure I have enough dV for the trip home. And now for the rest of the rocket! Man is that ever sleek and slender! Let’s put her into orbit and see what happens. 1 year, 45 days away from transfer window. Looks like I better save and fast forward! An Eve encounter with a decent Pe. I’ll have to do a correction burn once I’m orbiting the sun. A nice, stable orbit around Eve. I did take science readings when I was at the Pe of 110km, before I circularized at a 5mm Ap. And now to get this thing home. That run to Eve netted me enough science to unlock the following: Actuators Advanced Landing Precision Propulsion Specialized Construction Supersonic Flight I also had enough cash to upgrade the Astronaut Complex to Level 3, which now leaves me only R&D, Spaceplane Hangar, and the VAB left to upgrade.