inigma

OP updated! - - - Updated - - - If you made it over 200km orbit, orbited twice, and landed at KSC or KSC Island, your earn your Commander Qualification badge. Feel free to self-award youself for the accomplishment if you did. - - - Updated - - - Feel free to design a better, less twitchy KMU? I was really flopping over the place: http://www.twitch.tv/inigmatus/b/633696491

And like a boss you landed it at the KSC in spite of disintegrating wings! (For those reading this, to avoid bugged wings in .90 KSC, try landing at KSC Island for a worry free landing). Since the STS Fuel Pod mission exceeds the goals for the Maiden Flight mission, you have achieved all of these: STS Mission Specialist Qualification STS Pilot Qualification STS Commander Qualification STS Mission Specialist I STS Pilot I If you post screenshots or vid doing an RTLS abort mission with the STS Fuel Pod, you will receive your Commander I rating. And you are now in first place in the Hall of Fame, as like a boss, you raised the bar by a whopping 100km! Great job! I've seen several submissions now, and I think I will need to add to the rules a mandatory roll program maneuver between launch and 10km to up the skill level a little bit. The real space shuttle rolled its tail to the ocean, and flew to space upside down. Your score will stay, but all new submissions will require a roll program after launch and before 10km or the start of a gravity turn, whichever occurs first.

Sorry. Didn't realize it was a sub you intended for the OP and thought it was just a cool picture. heh sometimes i wonder where my common sense goes. I'll post it tomorrow evening! Heading to bed now. For me to post it, I need tonnage, any mods used, and a one line description!

Hey Norcal, if any of your challengers complete your challenge using a Space Shuttle, send them my way for a patch such as in my sig.

As promised. My next mission, KTS-7 Space Shuttle Intrepid flying the STS Hubble Space Telescope while testing the feasibility of a new STS Space Shuttle Challenge mission:

Here you go Zekes. You are the first to be awarded this. The Flight Director award is available to any space shuttle architect who has designed their own space shuttle system and completed any mission of the STS Challenges using their own shuttle. It is able to be ranked up like the Shuttle Commander, five levels (four stars), with the completion of additional STS Challenges using their own shuttle. The Mission Control award is the same as the Flight Director except that it is only awarded to those who fly your shuttle or if you fly someone else's shuttle other than the STS Space Shuttle. I will update this thread's OP shortly. These awards can be self-awarded. Posting in this STS Challenges thread is not required for Flight Directory or Mission Control awards. Congratulations!

Lol. You drained the tank. Works. Congrat's Commander. This is yours: STS Fuel Pod altitude of 301,592. Good job! You are in first place. - - - Updated - - - Yes! Based on the above, this is yours I believe. Congratulations!

To consolidate my work on keeping this maintained, I am moving the Space Shuttle Registry to the Challenge thread. Feel free to keep posting your missions here or in the challenge thread! People who post videos will still have their videos referenced in this Spacecraft Exchange thread's OP.

You're too kind. Thanks, and that's an awesome feeling to land a gliding brick from space for the first time manually. Welcome to the club! Here's your badge. 50km short of a Commander qualification, but I don't doubt you'll hit it later! Feel free to share your Maiden Flight mission here too for the record: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/112399-STS-Space-Shuttle-Challenges-PROVE-YOUR-PILOTING-METTLE-Earn-a-Badge! - - - Updated - - - Thanks Majorjim. I really love your crafts too, and I cherish your kudos. It means a lot to me! Yes liquid boosters are easier to fly, and can get the STS Fuel Pod job done. I wish for larger solids in future KSP versions. I am also hoping for better meet up of parts and enginers in 1.0 and later. Looking forward to next gen shuttles. - - - Updated - - - Looking forward to it! - - - Updated - - - Heh, where we're going we don't need parachutes... Nice ocean ditch. Takes skill to keep the cargo bay intact.

I love the idea of a rescue mission... developing...

Acceptable! Bugs are not fun. Even the STS Columbia Memorial Flight could not escape the same fate:

Today. Created ranks for the STS Challenges. STS Astronaut Proficiency Rating Forum Badges [table] [tr] [td] Mission Specialist Qualification[/td] [td] Mission Specialist I[/td] [td] Mission Specialist II[/td] [td] Mission Specialist III[/td] [td] Mission Specialist IV[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td] Pilot Qualification[/td] [td] Pilot I[/td] [td] Pilot II[/td] [td] Pilot III[/td] [td] Pilot IV[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td] Commander Qualification[/td] [td] Commander I[/td] [td] Commander II[/td] [td] Commander III[/td] [td] Commander IV[/td] [/tr] [/table]

There are 4 RTGs installed inside the bottom of the monopropellant tanks. I might consider removing two of them to reduce part count back to 280 in the next gen shuttle. No worries though - I don't plan on tweaking the shuttle until 1.0 at this point. - - - Updated - - - - - - Updated - - - STS-7 photos! Wow! Awesome mission pics. As always! Great non runway landing! Enjoy looking at them always! I even use a few rotating into my desktop picture. Hey post any one of your missions orbiting over 200km and making it back to KSC runway to receive this for your forum signature: Commander Qualification From the STS Space Shuttle Challenges

I've been thinking of offering special badges labled Flight Director and Mission Control for those who do any of the STS challenges with their own shuttles or borrow a non-Intrepid class shuttle made by someone else. They will not be ranked in the STS Astronaut Corps or leaderboard but they can wear the appropriate badge proudly! I'll post it later and PM you.

Congratulations, kookoo you are the first rated STS Shuttle Commander. Here is your qualification badge:

Great job on this first attempt! You have earned the following forum badge and have been honored with a place in the Astronaut Corps! - - - Updated - - - OP updated with new forum badges, missions, rules, etc. Should make jumping in and getting started much easier. The idea is that you self-reward your forum badges as you complete missions. Post in this thread for proof. To get listed in the Astronaut Corps or to have your attempts posted on the leaderboard, please post all required information.

Thanks Hobbes, spot on. TeeJay, I should probably have disabled RCS too on the MMUs for the same reason that they not interfere with shuttle ops, but I'll prob do that next update. All, I have finalized the STS ranks for the STS challenges. The idea is that there are five missions, and several bonus abort missions for Commander level ratings. Each mission earns you a patch, and another mission earns you a star. I hope to make this fun as well as challenging, and epic. Ranks follow Mission Specialist>Pilot>Commander in order of proven skill ability. STS Space Shuttle Challenges

Congrats! You have earned the Mission Specialist I rating but without landing at KSC I can't fairly list your altitude on the leader board! Try again! Ill update the op shortly as im on my mobile now. UPDATE! Here is your Forum Badge!

Super cool!

The STS is public domain. Modify and publish to your heart's content! No credit needed!

Class name, Nimoy?

I think measuring STS Fuel Pod Pe with proof that Ap is within 100m of Pe is quite reasonable. KSC mission planners want to use the STS Fuel Pod for another mission (Mission Specialist II , Pilot II, and Commander II being defined shortly) and having a circularized STS Fuel Pod will simply make rendezvous with it simpler. Simply use the STS Fuel Pod RCS to fine tune your orbit at Pe and Ap. Not a chore per se, but if you think I should increase the allowable difference to 1km, let me know. Now you are right in that it is guess work when first getting started to see how high you can bring the shuttle up with the fuel pod. This is meant as a mission of testing one's mettle, not a walk in the park to Shuttle Commander. Btw, 380km circ with return to KSC is far better than I've achieved. Great job. Looking forward to your entry, and if you can complete the RTLS Abort mission, I look forward to awarding you as the first rated STS Shuttle Commander!

Thank you! Yes this shuttle was designed to be the best of all worlds. It is truly designed on the backs of all shuttles before it. Naito and Westi deserve the most credit for letting me use their ideas and improve upon them. - - - Updated - - - Good info, and thanks for flying an STS! Good feedback too. More fuel will take you higher. Most payloads will only require you to fill the central ET tank. 200km operations are normal with it. Oh and post a shuttle pic to register your shuttle name. - - - Updated - - - Oh noes! I hope your drive is still accessible. Intrepid was originally doomed until Claw made InFlightShipSave. Hoprfully you haven't lost your data. Youtube would be nice regardless!

Highest Pe. STS Fuel Pod orbit must be circular to within 100m Pe and Ap difference. l'll add a rule.

You may complete any mission in any order. To qualify for a rating though you need to complete all its requirements. I will be adding a II and III level rating for each rating category. Soon. There is only one winner in the Leaders list for the STST Fuel Pod mission, but anyone can achieve mission badge ratings. KSC return is required to be placed on the leaderboard. KSC return is not required to earn a Mission Specialist rating. - - - Updated - - - Thank you! Watch this to see how to load the STS Fuel Pod. Jr. Port goes up. - - - Updated - - - no. Use of the STS-4 Space Shuttle is required. See link in my sig or in OP above.