OJT

@Artienia Well, it did take more than two days lmao, but I did finish the Mun STS 2 to 4 missions. Links to reports are all below. All of them for Commander levels Mun STS-2 Mun STS-3 Mun STS-4

Mun Series: STS-4 Now it's the time for EEV to go to the Mun. Designing the EEV took quite a while, it went through various iterations before I ended up with this It has parachutes for descent in Kerbin. It has 4 small winglets for stabilization during reentry. Reaction wheels, heatshields, the whole package. And it sits 5 people. What else do you need? Orbiter is the same as in previous missions. Launch System is a bit different for this one however: it is longer, the main rocket is powered by 6 Vectors and the side boosters are somewhat smaller I won't go into much detail about how I got to the Mun: the whole process is basically the same as in previous two missions. Just enjoy the eye-candy Landing was also quite trivial Deploying the Emergency Escape Vehicle Orbiter departs to Kerbin. Return was, again, basically same as in previous two missions: I could genuinely copy-paste the reports from previous missions, that's how similar it was. I guess I am very consistent with my planning Two aerobrakes later the Orbiter lands on KSC runway Now that the Orbiter is at home, it is time to fly the EEV First I needed to seat everyone from the base into EEV. However, if you look carefully at the picture of deployment, you will notice that it is placed with the entrance hatch down. I didn't pay much attention at how I mounted the EEV inside Orbiter's cargo bay, and this almost costed me the entire mission: EEV didn't have any probe cores and the winglets prevented it from flipping fully with just pushing. Thankfully, after about 5 minutes of trying to place a kerbal near the entrance hatch and furiously mashing the B button, I did manage to get in. From there it was just a matter of spinning around: EEV's reaction wheels were more than enough for this After all kerbals were seated inside, I turned the EEV towards the correct attitude. Then I fired up the RCS thrusters that lifted the nose of the ship and Terrier engine was ignited, allowing the ship to ascend The procedure from Mun surface to Kerbin followed the same profile as the Orbiter: get to low Mun orbit, burn to enter highly elliptical Kerbin orbit, lower the periapsis inside the atmosphere, reentry Shortly before reentry, the transfer stage was jettisoned Ship is a bit too unstable if the reentry is too aggressive, so I actually did one aerobrake and then proceeded towards final reentry Parachutes were deployed, and EEV splashed down in the ocean east from KSC And with that, the Mun STS-2 to 4 series is done! In next mission reports, we will cover the construction of Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, so stay tuned

Mun Series: STS-3 Next up is the Pressurized Rover. This one was probably the trickiest payload to design so far in this challenge. Wheels simply don't fit into Mk.2 cargo bay normally, I tried all kinds of combinations and I wouldn't be able to find a workaround... if I didn't have Breaking Ground DLC Breaking Ground DLC adds rotation servos, and with those you can make retractable wheels. Since official DLC doesn't count as a mod, the missions are still classified stock This is how it is mounted inside the Orbiter Everything from launch... ... through trans-munar burn... ... to Mun insertion was pretty much the same as in STS-2 Landing was carefully planned and the Orbiter landed pretty much next to the Habitation Module. I needed to taxi a bit to park closer to it Deploying the rover. All of the kerbals in the HabModule boarded the Rover and extended the wheels Kerbals then went for a short ride around the base Rover then docked to the HabModule Orbiter returns to Kerbin, leaving the base and the kerbals in it. Return sequence was the same as in STS-2, except that three aerobrake passes were done (compared to two in STS-2 mission) Landing on the runway and concluding the mission

Mun Series: STS-2 Next set of missions requires you to set up a scientific outpost on the surface of Mun. Outpost must consist of three modules. The modules are: A habitation module for at least 5 kerbals with power generation, an antenna, and a docking port A pressurized rover for at least 5 kerbals, that is capable to dock to the habitation module An Emergency Escape Vehicle (EEV) for the whole crew For Commander rank, the outpost must be constructed near the Poles (further than 60° north or south), and kerbals on the outpost must be able to safely return to Kerbin using the EEV. And of course, as usual, all three Orbiters must land on the runway First module going up will be the Habitation Module. And good news is, I won't need to do any extra payload design. Remember this? That's right! The manned facility from STS-1 fully satisfies the requirements for STS-2 Habitation Module: space for five, solar panels for power generation, antenna for connection and docking ports. This means I can pretty much reuse the entire System from STS-1 for this mission Launch sequence Burning towards the Mun. Since my target landing site must be near the pole, I plan the maneuver to insert into polar Mun orbit Insertion burn. Apoapsis was lowered below surface, booster was jettisoned and Orbiter burned back into stable orbit Landing burn Deploying the Habitation Module Deployment successful! Extra screenshot to show that it does indeed has 5 kerbals inside Departure. Since I was launching from a mountainous area I didn't do any dangerous fly-bys of hill crests compared to STS-1 Ejection directly into Kerbin atmosphere would be difficult due to inclination of my Mun orbit. So what I've done instead is I entered a highly elliptical orbit around Kerbin and then burned retrograde at the apoapsis to lower the periapsis enough to enter the atmosphere Two aerobraking passes allowed me to enter a low Kerbin orbit, from which I then waited for a window to return to KSC runway Nice, comfy landing

@Artienia @sturmhauke Did the first Mun Series mission. A lot of planning went into this one, so I hope everything is in order MUN STS-1 for Commander rank

Hello fellas Kerbin Series is done and dusted and last Kerbin Commander Badges have been achieved (thanks to Artienia). Last one is a special badge limited to people who submitted reports during the April Fools period Now that's out of the way, we can finally move on to other planetary bodies. And we're gonna start with... Mun Series! These missions are much more ambitious than Kerbin missions: every mission requires to carry along a sizable payload, 4 of the 7 missions require landing on the Mun (and landing a plane on an airless moon is a challenge in itself). And I'm not even mentioning the extra requirements for the Commander badges! Nevertheless, Mun Series will be a good preparation for the interplanetary missions and experience gained during these missions will definitely come to use in the future. But let's not get ahead of ourselves and get started Mun Series: MUN STS-1 In this mission I need to land the Orbiter on the Mun, deploy a research facility and return to Kerbin. For Commander rank however the requirements are more strict: Research facility must be manned I must aerocapture when returning to Kerbin I must land the Orbiter on a runway The payload requirements in this and future missions and the increased deltaV budget needed meant that the Orbiter from Kerbin Series required a redesign. And so, after lots of testing I am happy to present to you the new Mun Orbiter! First thing first: new Orbiter is longer. It has more space in payload bay and extra fuel tanks for more fuel. It has an extra pair of landing gear and it also has a pair of large gear in the back to raise the rear of the plane. This is done to deploy the payload on the ground and provide enough clearance for the Orbiter to drive away. And cargo bay doors also open on the bottom now. Inside the cargo bay there's a docking port and two reaction wheels for attitude control. There's antenna at the rear for communication Let's check out the payload for this mission: a manned research facility It took a lot of time to make a facility that could fit into Mk.2 bay, but I managed it. It has pretty much everything a surface research facility needs: antenna, solar panels, science experiments and two docking ports. It has space for five, which will come in handy later Mk.1 Cockpit clips through the cargo bay. To get around this the facility is docked sideways in the Orbiter Launch System is upscaled: one more big tank and two liquid fuel boosters on the side. Launch System actually turned out to be quite an overkill in terms of dV, but better safe than sorry I guess? Orbiter is in the fairing on top, like in Kerbin Series We did our introduction, let's proceed to the mission itself! The Orbiter actually only has enough fuel to operate around the Mun and for return, but not for actually getting to the Mun. But since there are no restrictions on using the Launch System as a transfer stage, the burn will be done with a Booster Approaching the Mun The injection burn was done just enough to get into suborbital trajectory, then Launcher was discarded and Orbiter performed a small burn to return to stable orbit After picking a suitable location, I started the landing sequence. Landing was vertical until the very last when I tipped the plane forward to set it on its wheels. The whole procedure went smoothly: I am actually quite proud of how well it went We landed! Time to deploy the payload Base successfully deployed! Time for a team picture: two kerbals up front are the Orbiter pilots, three kerbals in the back are the research crew that will be staying in the base Time to return home. Cargo gear is stowed away and the doors are closed. Plane turns around to face the right ascent direction Let's roll! Ascent was a bit scary due to the immense length of the plane and the proximitry of the hilltops ahead, but we cleared it and reached orbit Burning towards Kerbin I did three aerobrake passes (the plane handled the heat like a dream) to reach the final orbit of 71x72km, from which I waited for a suitable reentry window Once KSC was in daylight, I initiated the reentry and landing Smooth landing, as is tradition in this thread This concludes the MUN STS-1 mission. More in the coming days

I have no idea how I survived this. Ship is basically vertical on cliffside

Thank you for the badges! Despite its weird appearance it flies really well. It has a lot of wing area, but it also utilizes the limited KSP aerodynamics: KSP actually doesn't take into account the wing span for its lift calculations. So, with a narrow placement and enough wing panels, you can make a narrow plane that glides and flies as well as (or even better than) the contemporary designs. The shuttle design came up from my earlier experiments with narrow Mk.2 designs which worked surprisingly good so I adapted it for the STS challenges. The hardest part by far has been designing payloads because Mk.2 cargo bays are way too small. I somewhat managed to power through the Kerbin Series, but I am doing prep work for Mun Series at the moment and it is geniunely a struggle. Some Mk.2 fittable payloads are actually impossible without Breaking Ground stuff. I'm gonna stop there though, don't want to spoil too much Speaking of Series by the way: must the series after Kerbin be completed in order aswell or I can do them in the order I want? For example if I do Eve mission before Duna set, or if I go interplanetary before exploring the Mun?

I did the remaining Kerbin Series missions aswell. All of them for Commander ranks. As soon as I get the greenlight from you fellas I will move on to other missions @sturmhauke @Artienia STS-5 Mission STS-6 Mission STS-7 Mission STS-8 Mission

Kerbin Series: STS-8 Final Kerbin mission, let's do this! Small adjustment, and a bit later we approach the space station Deploying the second science module And the Space Station is finally assembled! Here it is in all its glory. Orbiter also docked afterwards to demonstrate that there is enough space between two Gigantors Time to return home Curiously, like on STS-1 mission, I slightly overshot the KSC during reentry and had to reverse again. This was not planned, but it makes for a fitting and matching end of Kerbin missions Smooth landing four, this time in westbound direction One final pan around the Space Station And this concludes the Kerbin Series of STS Challenge. See you all in next set!

Kerbin Series: STS-7 Next two missions will bring the science modules. Both of them are "mirrored" to one another, but otherwise built with same parts It has all vacuum-compatible science experiments, probe core, antenna for comms, RCS for maneuvering, a single Gigantor solar panel and more battery packs. It also has two docking ports: one for the space station and one extra. It can be used to dock other ships or can be used to expand the space station if such need comes up Launch and ascent I actually nailed the timing of the launch: after doing a circularization burn I would encounter the space station in half-orbit, no adjustments were necessary. All I needed was a retrograde burn at approach Science module was deployed and it docked to the space station Deorbit sequence Smooth landing three

Kerbin Series: STS-6 Next is the habitation module It is relatively simple. It has space for two kerbals (three if they pack themselves tighter), it has four docking ports: one for service module, two for science modules and one extra for the Orbiter Launch and ascent Light in-orbit adjustment, and Orbiter encounters the service module and deploys its payload. Note that the habitation module is mounted on its side to fit into Mk.2 bay Service module makes its way towards the habitation module and docks to it Two modules down, two to go. Orbiter in the meanwhile returns to KSC Smooth landing two. First night landing aswell btw

Kerbin Series: STS-5-8 This is the final set of missions in Kerbin Series. Completing this allows me to progress into Mun Series and Interplanetary missions For this mission set, I need to design and assemble a space station in Kerbin orbit. Space station must be assembled from 4 modules (more detail on these later) and I must carry one module per launch, making it 4 missions in total. For Commander rank, space station must be assembled in 300km+ orbit and all Orbiters must then land on a runway. Inclination is up to player's choice on this one Kerbin Series: STS-5 First, let's go over module specifications. My space station must have (direct quote from STS Challenge thread): A service module with power generation, RCS, engines, and reaction wheels A habitation module 2 scientific modules First module to go up will be service module It fulfills all requirements: it has two Gigantor solar panels for power, it has RCS for days, it has ion engines with surplus of battery charge for orbit adjustments and two reaction wheels: one in a probe core and one standalone. It also has an antenna for comms Orbiter will be of the same spec as in STS-1 to STS-3 missions. Launch vehicle will also be the same as in all previous missions I won't go into launch sequence too much, you know the deal by now. Final orbit is 327x329km Time to deploy the service module. It is undocked and separated from the Orbiter Deorbit procedure will be the same across all four missions, so I will describe it once: first I lower the orbit to 73x73km, then I do a deorbit burn at suitable moment to approach the KSC at right time and after that I enter the atmosphere Smooth landing one

Did the STS-4 and STS-4R missions, here's the link STS-4 and STS-4R for Commander rank @Artienia Is the special badge only for Kerbin missions? Because the way it goes I might actually get some of the other missions before 10th April

Kerbin Series: STS-4R First Orbiter in space, now it's the time to send up the second one. This one has one extra crew compartment and couple of RCS thrusters for precise maneuvering. Other than that it is equivalent to the other one Since the first orbiter was launched at an inclined orbit, I had to wait a bit for the suitable launch window. When this window came up, engines were fired up on the Launch System After a couple of days of waiting in orbit, small correction was made Docking was very easy: both orbiters had their docking ports on the nose and inline with their respective cockpits. All I had to do was to implement the so-called Lowne method of docking: SAS set on Target and small puff with monoprop thrusters Crew transferred one by one into the second Orbiter and it then departed Return phase was basically the same as in STS-3: aerobrake into low orbit, waiting for suitable reentry window and descent towards KSC I feel like I could do this in my sleep lol All kerbals return safely to KSC: 6 kerbals from the first Orbiter and the pilot of the second Orbiter, 7 kerbals in total. And with that, STS-4 is completed!

Artienia verified the next two missions. Another two Commander badges go into Progress section Let's proceed with next mission Kerbin Series: STS-4 STS 4 is a unique mission: for this one we will need two Shuttles. One will go into orbit with astronauts onboard, the second one must then rendezvous with the first one. Crew in the first orbiter must then transfer into second one and return to Kerbin. For Commander rank, the first Orbiter must have 6 kerbals onboard and must be launched into 350km+ orbit at an inclination of 25-30 degrees, second one must land on the runway This mission consists of two parts: STS 4 for first Orbiter and STS 4R for second Orbiter. This report will cover the first one This is the first Orbiter specification that has noticeable change compared to the ones used in previous missions: one of the cargo bays have been replaced with a Mk.2 passenger compartment to accomodate the kerbals needed for the mission. However, as I mentioned in the first post, the form factor and size of the Orbiter remains the same, keeping the changes fairly minor Launch to orbit is fairly trivial, so I will keep it short. Final orbit is 375x377km with 25,9 degree inclination

@sturmhauke @Artienia I did the next two missions. Links below, let me know if it's all good STS-2a for Commander rank STS-3 for Commander rank

Kerbin Series: STS-3 For STS-3 mission I need to bring a space telescope into orbit and then put solar panels on it. In addition, assembly must be performed by MMU units that need to be designed by me and I need to bring along two MMU units for two pilots. For Commander rank, I must deploy the telescope at 550km+ orbit with 25-30 degree inclination and land the Orbiter on the runway This mission turned out to be trickier than I initially expected. I first assumed that jetpacks count as MMU units: they don't, I missed the requirement that MMUs must be designed for the task at hand. Then I made an MMU unit with a cargo bay on it where panels were stored. My plan was that I would get closer to the telescope with an engineer in MMU seat and then do EVA construction. Turns out engineers can't EVA construct while seated in External Seat... At this point I was actually curious on how I was meant to attach the damn solar panels, so I checked out some submissions from other users. The solution turned out to be rather trivial: putting a solar panel on a structure with docking ports, putting a matching port on the telescope itself and docking the two together This is the setup I came up with As you can see, limitations of Mk.2 cargo bays start to show. MMU units with solar panels are mounted at the back, telescope is mounted on the front. It has two docking ports, antennas for connection and a probe core (no propulsion systems though). Telescope is actually too thick to fit into closed cargo bay, so the ascent will be done with half of the doors open. I can do this without risking damaging the cargo, since the plane will be in a fairing anyway and the fairing itself is sizable enough to fit the plane with open cargo doors Aside from the cargo inside, the Orbiter is the same as in previous two missions Launch is trivial, not much to say here. Except that I flew slightly northeast to get the inclination I need After parking in target orbit, deployment operations may begin. First telescope decouples After that, two engineers board their respective MMUs and dock to the telescope one by one, attaching the solar panels Then, engineers undock and maneuver back to the Orbiter. Space Telescope successfully deployed and assembled! After returning to Orbiter, a deorbit burn and aerobrake to lower orbit are performed. In the end, Orbiter parks at 73x75km orbit and waits for suitable window for reentry After a suitable window comes up, Orbiter performs one more deorbit burn and reenters the atmosphere. I had to bank a bit during the entry phase to approach the runway at right attitude Glide and landing was superb STS-3 completed!

Hey there Artienia verified the STS-1a report and I got my first (of hopefully many) Commander badges Which means I can go ahead with the next mission Kerbin Series: STS-2a This is the first mission in the challenge that requires bringing some kind of payload. In this particular mission, I need to deploy some comsats to Kerbin geostationary orbit. For the Commander rank, I need to deploy at least three satellites and they need to be deployed to equidistant orbits, after which the Orbiter must land at the runway Orbiter model is the same as in STS-1a, but this time there will be cargo in payload bay: three comsats based on QBE probe core Comsats have small deployable antennas, a bit of fuel for orbit insertion and station keeping, solar panels all around and small reaction wheels. First comsat is held by a docking port, the other two are connected with stack separators and the last sat is strutted to the shuttle to avoid wobbliness With the changes covered, let's get straight to launch I will be inserting at higher orbit, since the Commander rank requires me to get to orbit higher than 350km before sat deployment. In the end, parking orbit of 568x573km is achieved. Launcher was jettisoned just before raising periapsis above Kerbin so it does not stay in space In order to deploy my satellites in equidistant orbits, I first need to insert the Orbiter in a resonant orbit. For this, I used this website for resonant orbit calculations and it gave me an orbit of 1,222,703x2,863,334m. So I matched the plane's orbit as close as I could Now it is the time to deploy the sats. They were deployed one after another and each performed the required insertion burns. At the end, I got a constellation of three satellites with orbits very close to geostationary. I don't know how precise my orbits must be to satisfy the challenge requirements, but I think this will be sufficient After satellite deployment, Orbiter performs small deorbit burn and proceeds to do couple of aerobraking passes to lower the apoapsis to around 75km. After that, periapsis was raised to roughly the same altitude After parking in low orbit, I planned the deorbit burn carefully in order to approach the KSC runway at optimal speed. I didn't overshoot the KSC this time, so it paid off Another smooth touchdown, another mission completed!

Here's my first submission, for the Kerbin STS-1a for now. I will be using the same thread to upload further missions and pop around here when I complete the according reports. Hope that's fine by you fellas @sturmhauke @Artienia

Hello fellas Time for another challenge. And for a change, I am not doing a Jool 5! This time, we are doing shuttles: in particular, I will be attempting the challenges from Shuttle Challenge v6 monitored by sturmhauke and Artienia. Here's the link to it. While I am allowed to post my submissions directly there, I decided to make a separate thread for it so it is easier for me to monitor and report my progress. I will be doing the challenges in chronological order starting from Kerbin Series. Here are the details: All orbiters will be based on Mk.2 plane parts. This will require very careful design of my payloads since Mk.2 cargo bays are quite small, but it will make the challenge more interesting I will be doing as many missions as I possibly can: Kerbin Series will be done fully, I haven't done any planning for the rest for now but it should also be manageable with above-mentioned limitations However, non-mandatory missions like Kerbin bonus missions and Test Pilot Series will be skipped UPD: I WILL be doing Asteroid Bonus Mission and Test Pilot Series. I am still skipping the Fuel Pod missions though UPD2: I managed to do the Fuel Pod missions after all. Mission reports of them further down I will be attempting to do Commander ranks on all missions. Incase I will encounter payload size limitations for certain missions, I will be finishing them with Pilot rank All missions are done on separate Sandbox save with Normal difficulty. CommNET is also on, which means I will need to bring along antennas for interplanetary missions Only mods are KER and visuals. Everything else is stock. This qualifies me for stock entry according to challenge rules If I forgot something worth noting, I will be expanding this list accordingly. Badge Progress: Kerbin Series: Kerbin Bonus Series: Mun Series: Duna Series: Eve Series: Jool Series: Minmus Series: Test Pilot Series: But for now, let's begin Kerbin Series: STS-1a First mission is fairly easy: I simply need to get to orbit and return. For Commander rank, I will need to land on a runway. Definitions of a runway are fairly liberal, I can land on any runway the game provides and even add my own with Kerbal Konstructs mod, but since I am doing a stock entry and since I don't have Making History DLC, this only leaves me with KSC and Island runways This is the Mk.2 orbiter I made It is a rather unconventional design dare I say, but it works like a charm! It is a long narrow plane based on my tests with lifting body aircraft. There are two solar panels at the front, shielded docking port on the nose and a cargo bay. In the cargo bay, there is another docking port for payloads and 1k battery in the back. Aerospike engine provides good TWR, decent vacuum Isp, good sea level Isp (incase I will need extra range during atmospheric flight) and is fairly light. It also has airbrakes to control the approach speed at landing easier. It has no RCS thrusters, but I won't be needing them for this challenge There will be minor changes between crafts that I will be using throughout Kerbin Series depending on the task they need to accomplish, but every single Orbiter will be following the same form-factor and will be the same size: there will be no radical transformations between the crafts I will be using Let's take a look at the Launch System now Not much to say about it, fairly simple setup. Two big tanks, 4 big wings, Mammoth engine and a silver fairing around the plane. As you can guess, the orbiter is mounted on the top Now that we saw our spacecraft, let's fly the mission. First is ascent phase: first screenshot is somewhat dark because I had wrong TUFX config on : / At 55 km altitude, fairing is deployed, revealing the Orbiter Just before getting the periapsis above ground, plane is detached from the Launcher and completes the burn while the Launcher descends back to Kerbin. At the end, 80x81km orbit is achieved After couple of orbits, I perform the deorbit burn and reenter the atmosphere I overshot the KSC, but not by much. I simply turned around and glided towards the runway Smooth landing concludes the STS-1a mission!

Thanks for your reply! One more question before I fully commit to this challenge: am I allowed to redesign my spacecrafts inside one series? For example, if the Orbiter for Kerbin STS-3 mission is noticeably different from STS-2a Orbiter? Or must I design one specific craft to use throughout the whole Kerbin series and may only do minor improvements to it?

TIL kerbals are colorblind

This is a Duna plane that actually flies reliably on Duna. I've spent a LOT of hours trying to create a plane suitable for Duna exploration. While getting a plane to fly wasn't much of an issue, consistently landing it without destroying half of the plane in the process proved to be very difficult. I went through countless amounts of designs and eventually, finally, I ended up with this. It has about 560 m/s dV on Duna sea level: not enough to reach orbit, but more than enough to sustain stable flight. In addition, it has mining equipment, so it can refuel (almost) anywhere on the planet And you can land it safely! With 4 pairs of landing wheels and lots of wing area, it generates enough lift to sustain low glide speed and doesn't tip over even on harsh bounces. For the takeoff rearmost landing gear retracts through separate button to pitch up easier This plane is genuinely a dream to fly around dunian skies and is probably one of the finest crafts I made. There's still very minor stuff to iron out, but the plane already works amazingly as is

Hello @sturmhauke. Nice challenge you've got going on here I'm currently working on some stuff for this, but before doing any submissions I'd like to clarify some things - Does the Launch System for the orbiter has to have structure like the actual STS System (as in, fuel tank and 2 SRBs) or am I allowed liberties on this one? And how far can I take it if I am allowed liberties? (from Buran-style Launcher with heavy lift rocket and 4 liquid fuel boosters to million Twin-Boars stuck to one another) - In addition to that: must the Orbiter be mounted on the side or am I allowed to place it wherever I want to? Say, if it's narrow enough, can I place it on top of the rocket and build a fairing around it? - For missions STS-1b and STS-2b: it says those are Bonus missions, does it mean I can skip them if I want to? Because specifics of these missions mean that those are pretty much limited to Mk.3 style Orbiters and I had some promising Mk.2 designs in the works