DEADBEEF

I apologise for the inaccuracies.... * Detaching the LEM from the S-IVB before docking the CSM. * Not having seperate ascent/descent stages of the LEM. These were limitations of the game engine / ORDA mod, although I'm working on it for version 2.... . Plugins used: * MechJeb. * ORDA. * Custom plugin I made which slows down time (used during launch so my computer didn't have a meltdown).

Slightly less.

The OP specifically states no autopilots. But yeah, pretty silly rule IMO, especially since the challenge (at least for a three man) requires you to pilot a 500+ ton craft into LKO.

How's this?

Erm, I got back home to Kerbin .

The craft file I posted to reddit really has a terribly designed Kerbin ascent stage which was just thrown together in order to reliably (if not efficiently) lift a decent sized craft. If I rejigged that to use an asparagus configuration it'd probably run with good enough framerate that it can be human piloted. Also, on returning to Kerbin I had 200L of fuel left, which is a massive amount. I'm pretty sure that the interplanetary stage and Eve lander/ascent stages are pretty optimal though. It took me a few iterations to finish up on that design. If I have time at the weekend I'll redo the mission without mechjeb. Mechjeb was only really used for the ascent and for attitude holding anyway. I set most of the landing up manually be entering Eve in a polar orbit and waiting for it to swing by below me. The mesa I landed on covers a huge area and it'd be pretty easy to land there without any assistance. The transfers were also pretty much done manually, mechjeb just provided accurate phase angles. EDIT: Oh yeah, I made an addon today which allows you to slow down the physics simulation. This gets rid of any framerate issues when piloting large ships, even on crummy haardware. The source is [here]. Would using this mod be allowable, at least for the kerbin ascent stage?

Do the landings have to be powered landings or are parachutes allowed? In any case, here's my entry (I did it for another challenge but it fulfills all the requirements of this one too). Not only does it take off from and orbit Kerbin twice, but it leaves Kerbin's orbit entirely and goes into a 10Gm orbit around Kerbol (the sun) after each takeoff, so I guess I did the High Jump & High Jump Plus parts as well. It also lands back at KSC each time (if that counts for anything). I'll probably have a go at a dedicated craft for this challenge tomorrow sometime as it sounds like fun. I'm guessing that 3-4 landings should be possible if parachutes are allowed as nearly half the fuel I needed for the one posted here was for the powered descents and landings.

'<' and '>' alter the time warp factor without needing the related UI elements.

On mine? Mainly just for aesthetics so it looks like a proper launch tower.

Can you make the fuel fix mod a requirement. It's ridiculously easy to make an efficient Mun rocket if you're able to abuse the throttle bug. Without this mod you can strap on a ton of engines and run them all at 5% throttle and you'll get there using barely any fuel.

Have you revised your own entry now you've realised you were using hacked fuel tanks with 1000L capacity?

Out of interest, how do you define 'aircraft' as technically all rockets are aircraft. Also, how do you define suborbital? Max altitude <70km?

At what point do you consider the 'landing process' started? What altitude or velocity? Would these vary depending on the body you're approaching?

You can definitely eyeball your transfer from Kerbol back to Kerbin. When you finish you circularization burn to put you in a higher or lower orbit around Kerbol, zoom right out, get a piece of paper and measure the distance between you and Kerbin. When you are this distance on the opposite side of Kerbin (after you've caught up with the planet or vice versa depending on whether you're in a higher or lower orbit) that is when you should initiate your transfer burn, then just keep burning until you get the SOI transfer indicator. No MechJeb or fancy calculations required.

Wow ssTALONps, 11 engines and you manage the entire flight on just over three tanks of fuel, I had a go and couldn't even come close to that. Are you using edited parts or exploiting a fuel bug or something? I don't know how you did it but well done. Did you manage to stick a landing yet? (edit: never mind, just saw page three) Also, are parachutes allowed to speed up the landing process?

Oh yeah, here's my attempt at the challenge... The phases of its first test flight were as follows... * Lift off from Kerbin. * Enter a stable orbit around Kerbin. * Leave Kerbin's SOI and enter an orbit around the sun. * Reduce the orbit size to a stable circular orbit at 11Gm. * Wait nearly a year until we catch back up with Kerbin and can initiate a transfer burn. * Adjust our landing point on Kerbin so we land back at KSC. * Line up for a powered landing without parachutes. * Touchdown!. * Get out and stretch our legs. We've been in the capsule nearly an Earth year (356 days) so far. --- Second Phase... Return 'home' * Second llft off * As soon as they're empty, dump the fuel tanks we used for landing. * Get to orbit again. * Leave Kerbin's SOI once more. * Re-circularize (to speed up the time waiting for us to catch up with the planet I did a 10Gm orbit this time) * Wait nearly a year again (much quicker this time as we're at 10Gm rather than 11), then initiate second transfer burn to send us back to Kerbin. * When we enter Kerbin's SOI, do another small burn to adjust our landing point to be near KSC. * Not quite gonna be enough fuel for a powered landing. Panic!! * Quick, switch to the backup plan. * Touchdown (again) * Where are the crowds waiting to greet me after my two year voyage

Yeah, where possible you'd do as they do in real life, aim your orbit so it enters the planet's atmosphere (at least temporarily) and use that to slow you down before either getting back into a stable orbit, or landing.

If we're allowed MechJeb then this is pretty simple.... It cuts it a little fine on the fuel (25L left), but that's the entire thing.... * MechJeb pod edition ball - * 400L fuel tank - 850 * Aerospike engine - 850 Total - 4700 Although light, the MechJeb pod ball is ridiculously expensive though, so it's actually cheaper to go with a living pilot and get extra fuel for the additional weight... * Single capsule - 600 * 400L fuel tank - 850 * Aerospike engine - 850 * 2X radial decouplers - 400 * 2x fuel hoses - 500 * 2x 200L fuel tanks - 450 Total - 3650 In orbit... I added a radial mount MechJeb (+550) just to see if could actually get into orbit and MechJeb got it up there first time with ease. It took me around 10 attempts to get it into a nicely circular 75km orbit though as it's really tight on fuel (5L left for a 75km orbit when I did it manually, vs 30L for MechJeb).

As far as fuel use is concerned it actually counts as far more than that though. In this simulation you're lowering/raising your orbit twice (once for each trip to Kerbin). If you were actually aiming to rendezvous with another planet you'd only need to do this once, (once to get to the planet, once to get back again). Also, in reality you'd try to exit Kerbin on a direct intercept trajectory with whatever planet you're aiming for so wouldn't ever need to circularize your orbit around the star, which is where most of your fuel is burned.