Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'Asteroid Missions'.
-
The 2023 mission to Psyche launched successfully on October 13, using a Falcon Heavy. (I saw it live, so cool!) It's time to do our duty as space nerds and recreate the mission! The Psyche spacecraft will head to the asteroid 16 Psyche, the biggest metallic asteroid discovered so far. Psyche aims to evaluate whether or not the asteroid is the remnants of the core of a planetesimal that had its outer layers stripped away, leaving a metal-rich asteroid behind. After its launch in 2023, Psyche will get a Mars gravity assist in 2026 and arrive at 16 Psyche in 2029. Thanks to time warp, it shouldn't take too long for you! Here's how your KSP version will work: Pick an asteroid of your choice. Any will do, but no comets. Launch your replica with a rocket of your choice. Rendezvous with the asteroid and gather as much science data as possible! Point scoring: Launch vehicle: (No spaceplanes. Vertically launched planes like the Space Shuttle will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.) 1-Any ol' rocket. 2-Reusable launch vehicle 3-Falcon Heavy look-alike. (Central core with 2 boosters) 4-Reusable Falcon Heavy. More details on recoverable Falcon Heavy: Psyche spacecraft: 1-Any ol' probe. 2-Psyche look-alike. Gravity Assists: 1-No assists- I can do this on my own! 2-Any chain of gravity assists. 3-Duna gravity assist only. Asteroid: 1-Any ol' space rock. 2-Asteroid in orbit between Kerbin and Duna. 3-Asteroid in orbit between Duna and Jool. Asteroid Encounter: 1-Zeroing out speed 2-Circling the asteroid 3-Circling 3 times around the equator and once over the top, with the distance shrinking with each circle. See here and scroll down until you see the plan for orbiting 16 Psyche. Psyche will examine if 16 Psyche has a magnetic field, so a magnetometer gets you a point! Scoring: 5-7 points: Good work. Mission accomplished. 8-12 points: Good job! You did a challenging mission! 13-15: Awesome! NASA would be proud. 16: Psyche-16! Now that's a nice number. Best of luck to you, and may the Kraken favor your craft! RSS, JNSQ, OPM, and MPE are allowed. Consult me if you have a question. Here's the mission badge! Use this if you got 15 or less points: This is the badge for getting the maximum points, a "Psyche-16:" I would just like to point out how the solar panels follow the same color gradient as the official badge. See this PDF to see exactly what colors they are. Use this to help with your replica, if you choose to make one. Check other images and renders for visual accuracy, this is primarily for help in the placement and layout of parts and scientific instruments.
- 24 replies
-
- 3
-
- Psyche
- KSP Challenges
-
(and 3 more)
Tagged with: