Scarecrow71

Tigermunks

Dojaegermonks

Discombobulation

I thought probe cores needed LOS to Kerbin, either through direct contact or through relay antenna?

Per the rules of the Kerpollo Challenge, I must have a ship in orbit with a Kerbal in it over every body I land on. So the mothership has to be in orbit around Val when I land on Val, and in orbit over Laythe when I land there, and so on.

I have a tendency to overthink, and therefore over-engineer. I am looking at using multiple landers because: It helps me keep easy track of dV for each surface; and I plan on transferring leftover fuel back to the main ship, which helps with overall fuel needs; and I'd rather have it and not need it instead of need it and not have it. With this being my first Jool-5, I want to overthink and make mistakes so I can identify and correct them next time. However, lot of good info from both you and 18Watt. And for that I say thank you!

Well, that certainly changes the approach i was gonna use. Or, rather, forces me to adjust the lander I was going to use specific to Tylo. But that is some good info. Thanks!

Can you explain this please? With no gravity or atmosphere, what is it that makes Tylo difficult?

I will also highly recommend MechJeb 2. I use it for creating and executing maneuver nodes, ascent to orbit, docking, and landing. Invaluable is actually undersellong how important (to me) that mod is. Ooh, you should take a look at the Kerpollo Challenge thread. For me, I had never done interplanetary missions before, and that challenge forced me to not only go, but to do it in a single launch. I kearney so much reading that thread and the mission reports from the people who did it.

I am in the plannng phase for my Jool-5 run as part of the Kerpollo Challenge, and I know what I want to build as the mothership. What I intend on doing is having 6 completely expendable landers, one for each moon and then one to put in Jool's upper atmosphere to collect science with. I am sure I could save some weight by using a single lander, but I gotta have all that fuel anyhow...and I want the Level Three nod here (a different Kerbal landing on every moon). So, the question here is what type of lander should I use? Should I go traditional, with a can or one of the Munar modules? Or do I use spaceplanes to land and return? Are there advantages or disadvantages to using either? I've seen a lot of people use a Spaceplane as the mothership with landers in the cargo bay, but I really want to do something different than that. Any thoughts or ideas?

We have all been there. Every person playing this game and on these forums has been right where you are, unsure of what to do next and lacking the confidence to take any more steps. I promise you, though, that you can do it. Yes, you can. So, you can fly to Mun. Which means you can build a rocket, launch it, get into orbit, transfer to another celestial body, land (if I read your post right), and get home. You already know most of what you need to go to any of the other planets and/or moons. And if you think about it, when you started playing, you knew none of that. Think of how far you have come already! This will be extremely oversimplified, but your next step is to pick a planet or moon, build a rocket, and go. Eve is Kerbin's closest neighbor, while Duna is where a lot of people aim for as their first step outside Kerbin's SOI. But that doesn't mean you should go there; you can pick anywhere you like! Building the rocket will be a bit harder than what you have done so far, but all the same principles apply. You need enough fuel and thrust to get off Kerbin, then enough fuel to get where you are going and get home. And if the first rocket doesn't work? Build another! And another, and another, until you get one that does! If you need any help with any phase of this, all you gotta do is ask. Everyone here is more than willing to help. Happy flying, fellow traveler!

@Superfluous J And Eelollo is complete! This one was much easier than everything that came before it, for some reason. Maybe because a lot of this was first time being done before, but now I'm feeling like an old hat at this. That's 7 down and 2 to go.

MISSION VII: EELOLLO This one was probably one of the easiest missions I've done in a while. After having unlocked several components of Tier 8, I was able to get all kinds of dV and TWR with just a simple redesign of the ship I used to go to Moho. First, the tech tree: And the ship sitting on the launchpad: If you compare this to the launchpad shot of the ship going to Moho, you'll see that the entire first stage is redesigned. Gone are the solid rocket boosters, replaced instead by a few more tanks and bigger engines. Started with a TWR near 1.5, and was able to get into orbit of Kerbin with part of the liftoff stage intact: Getting to Eeloo was a breeze. I might have to think about the number of Nerv engines I have (four), primarily because the thrust makes burns take forever and a day. Now, is it just me, or does Eeloo look like a big pool ball hanging out in space? Whatever it is, it sure was easy to land on. And easy to get off of and back home. I'm not saying that this is getting easier with each launch, but I can see how the big tech pieces really make it seem easier. I actually tried to take the ship I used in the Moho launch, and I couldn't even get it off the ground this time. Not sure why, but it wouldn't work. But this one did, so I'm happy! 7 down, 2 to go!

How in God's name did you land that? That is amazing.

Interestingly enough, I tried Eeloo multiple times before going to Moho. And I hit Moho on my first attempt this time. I'm just happy I got one step closer to finishing this challenge!

@Superfluous J And I have finished Mohollo! I watched a couple of rocket design videos, and one by Matt Towne really hit home. It showed me how to get the most out of the dV I needed. My lander ended up with < 200 m/s of dV after re-docking in Moho orbit, and so I transferred all that fuel back into the main ship and then jettisoned the lander. When I reached Kerbin and ended the capture burn, I still had ~1000 m/s of dV remaining, which helped me to get back on the surface. One thing that the images and my running commentary don't show is that I had to do EVA maneuvers in space...which I have NEVER done before. Bob couldn't reach the primary command module to store all the experiment data, so he had to let go of the lander and fly over to the command module to store the experiments. Lots of reverts on that maneuver, but I've learned now yet another thing I didn't think I would ever have to figure out. For those of you who actually read the report, you'll notice I went a different direction this time. Instead of my own thoughts about what was happening, I wrote it from the perspective of the 2 Kerbonauts I sent into orbit. And while I was originally going to head to Eeloo, I thought "What is the most Kerbal thing that could happen here"...and I combined Bob's love of snack cakes with one of the planets in the Kerbol system. And so they went to Moho. Comments and feedback are most appreciated! I will be heading to Eeloo next!

MISSION VI: MOHO RON: Hello, Las Kerbas. I’m Ron Kerburgundy, for Kerb 5 News. In breaking news today, the scientists at the Las Kerbas Space Program are starting to work on a new rocket, designed to fly to…where? Eeloo? But it’s freaking cold there this time of year! Whatever, I guess. We take you live now to Rosemary Kerman, who is in the Vehicular Assembly Building for an interview with Werner Von Kerman. Rosemary? ROSEMARY: Thanks, Ron. I’m standing here with Werner Von Kerman, the head engineer at the Las Kerbas Space Program. Werner, fresh off the semi-success of the mission to Duna, we understand that you are ready to start building a new rocket. One designed to take a few of our lovely astronauts to Eeloo. Is this correct? WERNER: Of course it’s correct, my dear! One of the most important things we learned during the journey to and from Duna was that we cannot just simply sit back and wait. We must take every opportunity to advance ourselves, even if it means putting some of our own at risk. Science waits for no Kerbal! RM: You said it’s one of the most important. What other important things did you learn? WVK: To pack more snacks. Valentina, Bob, and Bill were all very zombie-like upon their return, ready to eat just about anything, whether it was designed to be eaten or not. In fact, most of the interior of the capsule looked like it had been chewed off. RM: Seize the opportunity, and bring plenty of snacks. It’s going to be an exciting time for the Las Kerbas Space Program for the next few years. WVK: That’s not all, you know. We gained significant knowledge of many scientific principles. Why, just take a look at the drawing we made to show what we know! RM: That’s very interesting, Werner. It looks like things are going splendidly here. Just don’t forget to pack the snacks. Ron, back to you. …Several minutes later… RK: This is Ron Kerburgundy, Kerb 5 News, with yet another breaking story from the Las Kerbas Space Program. It’s a lucky thing that you didn’t even get to your car, isn’t it Rosemary? RM: That’s right, Ron, it’s very lucky indeed. As you can see behind me on the launchpad, the building of the rocket is complete, and the brave Kerbals here are ready to launch on their journey to Eeloo. RK: Did you say they are done building the rocket so soon? RM: Correct. These guys must have a magic wand they are waving around, because I hadn’t even told the cameraman here to start packing up and they were already moving the rocket onto the pad. WVK: You’ll want to back up a bit, dear; you don’t want to get flambéed, do you? Las Kerbas Control Tower: Eelollo I Mother Ship, this is control. Do you copy? Jebediah Kerman: Yes, control, we copy. We are starting the pre-launch checklist now. Bob Kerman: Tell them they didn’t pack enough snacks. LKCT: Eelollo I, at this time you are a NO for launch. Repeat: You are a NO for launch. JK: Go? Already? Ok! LKCT: Wait! We said…well, so much for that! Good luck, Eelollo I! JK: Control, this is Eelollo I. We have a problem. LKCT: What seems to be the issue, ye who launched when we told you not to? JK: Well, it seems that the next transfer window to Eeloo is nearly 6 years away. And we barely have enough snacks up here for the next several days. And that’s assuming Bob doesn’t eat them all. BK: Hey! I get hungry! LKCT: Well, we did tell you that launch was a NO, Eelollo I. We’ll work on getting supplies up to you, but for now, you’ll just have to deal with being stuck up there until the launch window opens. Better hope nobody closes it on you! BK: Hey, who packed the Ho-Ho’s? JK: Ho-Ho’s? No! LKCT: Did you say no to the Ho-Ho? BK: Fo’ Sho! JK: No! LKCT: No mo with the Ho-Ho! JK: Moho? Ok! …58 days later… JK: Ground control, the window is open, and we are ready to fire the engines. LKCT: Wonderbar! BK: Bar? There’s a bar up here? You mean we could have been getting drunk this whole time? LKCT: No, there’s no bar up there! We said…we meant…oh, forget it. Just fire the engines and get on your way! JK: Are you sure? LKCT: Yes, we’re sure. JK: Ok. Engines fired. LKCT: Wait. Why did you ask? BK: Remember the Ho-Ho’s? Well, we’re on our way to Moho. LKCT: Moho? What happened to Eeloo? JK: Eeloo was a no-go due to the long window. So, we decided to go to Moho. LKCT: Oh no. JK: Control tower, this is Eelollo I. Do you copy? …static…snap…crackle…pop… BK: You know, we should change the name of the ship. *munch munch* JK: This is Major Jeb to Ground Control… BK: Oh, don’t start singing that again. *munch munch* JK: Well, if nobody is out there to hear it… BK: And what am I? Some leftover bag of chip pieces? …nearly a year later… JK: Ooh! Get the camera! BK: For what? That giant cocoa puff in the rear window? JK: That’s no cocoa puff, you idiot. That’s Moho. Those snacks are warping your fragile, little mind. BK: Oooh….nifty! JK: I’m so glad you approve. Now do your job. BK: Sigh. All I ever do is take orders. Bob do this. Bob do that. JK: And for the last year all you’ve done is snack and sleep. Now get out there! …An hour later… BK: Are you SURE this isn’t a cocoa puff? I mean, it’s making me cuckoo! JK: Sigh. It’s NOT a cocoa puff. Trust me. When you get down to the surface… BK: Woah! Hold on! Who said I was going to the surface this time? JK: Oh, I wasn’t aware that you had a choice. But, let’s be fair. Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock, ok? BK: Yeah! Let’s do it: JK and BK, In Unison: Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock! BK: I threw Spock! JK: Well, Lizard poisons Spock, so you lose. BK: Dammit! BK: Man, is it ever good to be home! JK: Home? We are at least a year away from Kerbin! BK: Hey, we’ve been separated from each other this whole time, you in the command module and me in the lander. I just thought that it would be nice to finally see each other face to face for a change. JK: But that doesn’t mean we’re home. BK: Home is where you make it. JK: Sigh. Just get back into the command module so we can get going back to Kerbin. JK: Control, this is Eeloo I, do you copy? LKCT: Who is this? JK: Eeloo I. Jeb and Bob. Remember? LKCT: No, there’s nobody here by that name. JK: We just got back from Moho. Remember the Ho-Ho’s? BK: I remember them! They were tasty! LKCT: Ho-Ho’s? No. How’d you get this number?

You are correct; I forgot about several of these techniques. Interesting challenge to just use parts from one manufacturer. I know you can get Mun and Minmus on just those parts; I'm curious to see if anyone takes this up and makes it elsewhere!

2 very small, minor things here. With no decouplers, we can't build multi-stage rockets. With no parachutes, every launch becomes almost nothing more than just flinging Jeb to his death. Mun and Minmus fly-bys are absolutely doable, and you can get interplanetary with the most basic of parts. But even at that you almost need decouplers.

Banned for not being in a band