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Just occurred to me that one could use requests for tender to acquire all the hardware. Kind of like a real space agency? Would that fit inside the spirit of this challenge? One would need a very good idea of the mission one wants to run and the requirements of each piece of hardware to do the overall mission before putting out the requests. Could be interesting to run it that way. I think the people who regularly add to the spacecraft exchange would be very interested in coming up with hardware that would be utilized and show the craft building skills they have.

sturmstiger, can you clarify for us definitively (and add it to the rules) how reusable launches are going to be handled? 25% bonus for launch cycles, special achievement score, some other system, don't have any bearing, etc. It is very important for us all to know before people who want to take advantage of using it become committed to a 25% launch cycle bonus to meet mission schedules. While I am still planning my missions to Duna, I feel it is important to know. I need to know if I need a reusable launch system to utilize the overall early mission tonnage advantage doing so may provide. Building a reusable lifter is beyond my 'big dumb rocket' building skills. Assuming reusable launch systems become an added launch cycle or achievement bonus, I want to know what kind of hit if any I would take by using a lifter built by someone else. In specific, placing a request for tender, for a rocket that meets my requirements to the rocket builders and utilizing the best one.

Alexmun, that is exactly it! With the cross reference to telemetry needed to execute and everything! It even runs fast, any way I would be able to get my hands on the code so I can take the time to understand it and not feel like a cheat?

This morning I put some Perl and Python onto my computer. I also wrote and ran small Hello world style programs to confirm they are working. Both seem workable to me, but I did fine it easier to find resources to get going with Python. I have also come across something I did not expect at all. NASA has an open source software toolkit, for Java. With everything I would need and more. My understanding of Java is it can be a pain to program in but is designed to take full advantage of modules/tool kits. Something about using a program for KSP that builds on work NASA has done just seems so That does look like an epic way to go to Duna. A cycler trajectory is something I didn't even know was possible. For the Duna sustained mission challenge, assuming I can handle the telemetry, it has the potential to be a useful addition.

Now I want porkchop's, they look very tasty to have for mission planning. Unless I am mistaken it's a lambert's problem calculated for different times and put on a graphic/map that shows the energy of the transfer orbit. I also still have not given up my conviction of wanting to learn, understand and be able to do it myself, instead of just using a game aid. To make a porkchop plot, requires solving the Lambert's problem for Kerbin/Duna for a 1000 day period, about one million times (assuming daily plots)... I am in agreement that an upgrade to my planned calculator and scrap paper method is in order. The good news is I have a computer and I have done programing before. The bad news is I have not done anything programing for well over 10 years... and that was BASIC... So it is a safe bet I will be learning a new computer language. Something called Matlab seems to be a popular choice from what I can gathered from a few searches. I am however not willing to drop $100 to make a game aid. So I had a look at this list on Wikipedia and the only one that was listed as "used for astrophysics, solar physics" was Perl Data Language. It's also at the exact range of my Delta $ budget I have heard of Perl, not ever looked at any code for it though. So unless somebody has a better idea for a computer language and why it deserves my consideration, for my far too involved planning, I will be adding 'Learn Perl" to the mission preparation itinerary.

So to clarify, I would pick a time I want to arrive at (using best guess or supply limits), use this Lambert's problem equation here. To get a Kepler orbit that will be my transfer orbit. That I can use to calculate the required Delta V, to get into the above Kepler orbit. If I find out I can not build in enough Delta V, I would do it over again using a new t2 transit time period. It seems I asked a challenging question, Kepler Orbit's, Lambert's problem and semi-major axises are all new to me. My understanding is that a Kepler Orbit would be an equation that describes the orbit I would want my ship to be on. I am unsure how I would turn that information into a heading and burn time/Delta V. Unless I am mistaken one could require multiple burns to get onto the desired Kepler orbit, especially if the target is on an inclined orbit. So, how does one do that (I mean fly it / convert it to course headings and burn times, at location x1 at time t1)? Assuming that one was to use the Lambert's problem and picked the exact timings for a Hohmann transfer would the Kepler orbit plot be a Hohmann transfer or would it come up with something different? I strongly think it would be the same. If that is the case, is it fair to assume that the Delta V needed would be greatest when one is exactly in the between two Hohmann transfer windows? ie If Windows for transfer are on days 0 and 500, would going on day 250 require the most Delta V (at a minimum) to make the transit, not so important to know but something that I thought about.

The ideal option would be to wait for a window to make a transfer. I would like to learn how to execute an interplanetary transfer outside a hohmann transfer window.(What would that look like in the map viewer?) How does one calculate the Delta V to do such a burn(s)? Once I have some ideas on how to do it, I can run some transfers myself to get an idea as to how long it would take, unless you already know how to figure that out as well. I want to learn how to do this using scrap paper and a calculator. Not mods or a do it for you tool. I also think if I learn to do this, I could use it for any body in KSP and I think that would be cool. This challenge thread inspired me to ask. Being able to send supplies outside the optimum window could be used to greatly add to such a mission's resilience. For example, if I was to do a transfer from Kerbin to Duna on day 10 (too early, Duna too far ahead of Kerbin. This is the first opportunity to launch anything to Duna in that challenge). I know I can make an intercept by dropping my solar transfer orbit slightly towards Eve's orbit to 'catch up'. I can then burning prograde at the lowered Periapsis to raise my orbit to a Duna intercept. I do not know how to calculate how much Delta V it will take to execute these two burns. I also suspect with the first window only a few days away it would actually take longer to do so in that example, however if the next transfer window was over 100 days away... I think it is should also be possible to use MOAR Thrust aproach, to burn towards Duna and force an intercept at . Combining that with a Duna aerocapture would look very cool I bet (and require a very sturdy ship with massive Delta V capability, but how much?).

Glorious Yggdrasil, Reusable SSTO. 81 parts , 30.65 Tons, valued at 500,000 camels. You see part behind cockpit? USB Port! Orbitalical technical stuff, because KSP comrades want's to remind us they are smart. View of Yggdrasil from station Oculus' oculus, taken by Bill Kerman. Even more Proof Bob Kerman is great Kerbanaut. Bob entered atmosphere over continent West of KSC, and flew over ocean and mountain before landing. A KSP comrade said this was planned so famous Kerbanaut comrade Bob Kerman could remind the fish and birds of our advanced, sophistical, technological advantage stuff. This was done in light of last weeks rocket accident that was determined by top KSP investigator to have been caused by evil bird who sabotaged rocket by being ingested in engine fuel turbine. Fuel was transferred From space plane to top up station tanks, as befits this glorious fuel tanker's role. No fuel was pumped from the station to the space plane on important mission, flown by people's hero Bob Kerman, because as he told us. "That would be backwards while flying sideways!" More pictures of our great Kerman's mission to resupply orbital fuel station can be found here

My first ever challenge submission. A disposable, staging, probe plane, The Walrus! It looks scary but it is solid and easy to fly...until staging. 433 M/S The walrus has a few seconds of fuel after staging, provided by two yellow tanks behind the intake. Stats picture was taken just after running out of fuel. It 'lands' via the impact method. I think that manned and unmanned craft should be separate categories for scoring, because the manned pods weigh more.

I was introduced to this game about a month ago by my brothers and am having a blast! After I showed them what I built, image shack link below, they suggested I post it here on the forums so others can see it. http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/2895/phaeton.png The ship is constructed out of four docked sections and includes a fifth forward payload section. The craft is propelled with 39 Ion engines that are powered by an array of 38 large and 8 regular size solar panels with a 35,000 power battery bank and carries 107,100 units of xenon fuel. A Rockomax 200-8 fuel tank surrounded by the spiral solar array provides 4 tons of refueling for small craft when operating from the ship. The docked forward payload section consists of a superstructure that is also a long range communications satellite around which are attached 20 probes (2 reusable, 6 rovers[2 types], 4 aerial, 4 'normal' and 4 'impact' .) I intend to test the probes on Kerbin. I was thinking the outcropping in the water that looks like the middle of a giant crater was a good target but other target areas would be most welcome for upcoming probe tests. Also does anyone have tips on how to make my computer run more happily, as it has been slowing down from too much awesomeness.

I was introduced to this game about a month ago by my brothers and am having a blast! After I showed them what I built, image shack link below, they suggested I post it here on the forums so others can see it. http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/2895/phaeton.png The ship is constructed out of four docked sections and includes a fifth forward payload section. The craft is propelled with 39 Ion engines that are powered by an array of 38 large and 8 regular size solar panels with a 35,000 power battery bank and carries 107,100 units of xenon fuel. A Rockomax 200-8 fuel tank surrounded by the spiral solar array provides 4 tons of refueling for small craft when operating from the ship. The docked forward payload section consists of a superstructure that is also a long range communications satellite around which are attached 20 probes (2 reusable, 6 rovers[2 types], 4 aerial, 4 'normal' and 4 'impact' .) I intend to test the probes on Kerbin. I was thinking the outcropping in the water that looks like the middle of a giant crater was a good target but other target areas would be most welcome for upcoming probe tests. Also does anyone have on tips on how to make my computer run more happily, as it has been slowing down from too much awesomeness.