The Grand Tour Challenge!

[Windspren]

Kerbals have finally visited all the bodies in the solar system. Now they want to do it again..... in ONE big mission!

Oh, and don't try to land on Kerbol this applies to all tiers

There are 3 tiers in the challenge:

1st Tier:

Land on ALL bodies, including moons, except for Eve and Tylo

2nd Tier:

Land on ALL bodies, including Eve and Tylo

Jebediah's Level:

Land on ALL bodies, and complete a rendezvous with any asteroid (redirection is not required). Also do a low Kerbol dive, going below Moho's orbit in altitude. Bring your sunglasses!

Bonus Point

Get as low as you can on Jool

Rules

You can build a mothership in LKO with as many launches as needed, but they must all leave as one ship

The ship must clearly be one mission

You can park the mothership in orbit of a planet and use the lander to visit the moons

You can do refueling missions if you run out of fuel

Try to have fun, make a boat for Laythe, or fly around on Eve, or do something fun.

You will need to make a full mission report in the Mission Reports section of the forum, complete with pics, your science score, and humor.

Kerbals must land on all bodies in the solar system, and all must return safely

Quicksaving and Quickloading are allowed

Mods:

I will be very lenient with mods, but before you start, you will need to post a list of the part mods you will be using. If a mod is too cheaty, then I will let you know. However, if you are using a mod with only some parts that are not allowed, you can tell me and I will ok it.

All informational and visual mods are allowed.

Due to the nature of the scoring, mods that add science parts will not be allowed. You can place them on your ship, but they cannot be used for science.

Scoring:

Entries must be done in Science mode, and you are allowed to hack in science to fill the tech tree. Your score is total science gathered during the whole mission.

In order for your entry to be considered valid, you have to post a mission report in the Mission Reports section of the forum, and then PM me the link. I will post links to the mission reports here under the Pending Missions section, and another user must review them.

Pending missions:

None so far

Completed Missions:

None so far

Science Leaderboard

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One final word

If you choose to do this challenge, don't do it just because it is a challenge on the forums. Do it for yourself. Do it to have fun. Otherwise, there's not really a point in playing KSP. You do this challenge because you choose to. If you really want to use a mod but it isn't allowed, go ahead and do it anyways. Sure, it might not count in the challenge, but you're having fun, and that's what matters.

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If anyone wants to make a badge, that would be great!

Edited June 26, 2015 by Laythe Dweller

[Hotblack Desiato]

Jebediah's Level:

Land on ALL bodies, and complete a rendezvous with any asteroid (redirection is not required). Also do a low Kerbol dive, going below 100 km in altitude. Bring your sunglasses!

are you sure this is even possible?

the heat system in 1.0.2 is rather harsh, when it comes to kerbol. ;-)

[Windspren]

are you sure this is even possible?

the heat system in 1.0.2 is rather harsh, when it comes to kerbol. ;-)

I think so, does anyone know what the limit is? I thought it was like 10km or something.

EDIT: I just looked at the wiki, the limit is 1,350 meters, although this could be outdated.

Edited June 21, 2015 by Laythe Dweller

[Whovian]

Ships have a tendency to overheat near Kerbol even if they don't hit the 1350m wall with the new heating system. I heard heat shields, drained of ablative, are a good shield against this, and heat management mods probably are too. Dunno if you can get under 100 km without asplodin' like this or not.

Also, wouldn't it be possible to pretty much circumvent the rule about them having to leave Kerbin's SOI as one ship by docking them in an orbit with ap barely in Kerbin's SOI, give them a tiny push to Kerbin escape, and break them apart as soon as you leave Kerbin's SOI (or even dock them on an escape trajectory)? I can't think of any good rephrasing of the rule other than "it must be obvious that this is somehow a single mission."

Last thing: it's possible to "land" on the Kraken line on Jool (as shown

) and possible to recover from such an altitude (as shown here), so may I suggest reconsidering the ban from trying a Jool landing? Perhaps as a "Val's level" challenge? Kerbol's still impossible afaik, partly because of the sheer delta v required and partially due to overheating, even if it is just a landable Kraken line like Jool's. Edited June 21, 2015 by Whovian

[Windspren]

Ships have a tendency to overheat near Kerbol even if they don't hit the 1350m wall with the new heating system. I heard heat shields, drained of ablative, are a good shield against this, and heat management mods probably are too. Dunno if you can get under 100 km without asplodin' like this or not.

Also, wouldn't it be possible to pretty much circumvent the rule about them having to leave Kerbin's SOI as one ship by docking them in an orbit with ap barely in Kerbin's SOI, give them a tiny push to Kerbin escape, and break them apart as soon as you leave Kerbin's SOI? I can't think of any good rephrasing of the rule other than "it must be obvious that this is somehow a single mission."

Last thing: it's possible to "land" on the Kraken line on Jool (as shown

) and possible to recover from such an altitude (as shown here), so may I suggest reconsidering the ban from trying a Jool landing? Perhaps as a "Val's level" challenge?

Hmmm.... I could make it 500 km. What do you think? I think that the Jool landing is a bit too much though. Maybe for bonus points?

Also, I added a rule that you can use the lander to visit the moons, to save fuel.

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Let's see some entries!

Edited June 21, 2015 by Laythe Dweller

[Whovian]

If you don't mind me posting about technicalities of rules again, having both rules seems a little ... confusing, as my suggestion was intended as more of a replacement than an additional rule. Now it sounds like you're asking for a single mothership to fly by every body, which to be fair is a potential valid rule but probably isn't what you originally intended.

Basically, requiring everything to leave LKO in a single ship seems restrictive without actually doing much, and any way I can think of to make it more restrictive is just too restrictive to the point of seriously hampering creativity. Perhaps just a "it must be obvious" rule with the benefit of the doubt going to one of the two parties?

[Windspren]

Okay, I changed the rule again

[Whovian]

Thinking of doing a fairly over-the-top version of this (Outer Planets mod with Sigma's expansions & Trans-Keptunian) once I finish my Jool-5. Here are the mods I'm thinking of using:

Behemoth Aerospace Engineering

Nertea's Heat Control

HGR

NFT (especially Near Future Propulsion)

PParts

Given the sheer number of bodies I'm going to attempt to land on, a bit of OPness seems reasonable to me, but again feel free to veto these as some are rather overpowered.

EDIT: Also KJR.

Edited June 23, 2015 by Whovian

[HoloYolo]

Challenge (possibly) accepted! As long as I can refuel, I'll do this (not including Eve, but most definitely Tylo).

[Laie]

I'm currently doing such a mission, however, I will visit Tylo and skip Laythe. Destinations are done in the order in which the EXPLORE $BODY contracts show up, which means Duna->Eve->Jool.

[Windspren]

Thinking of doing a fairly over-the-top version of this (Outer Planets mod with Sigma's expansions & Trans-Keptunian) once I finish my Jool-5. Here are the mods I'm thinking of using:

Behemoth Aerospace Engineering

Nertea's Heat Control

HGR

NFT (especially Near Future Propulsion)

PParts

Given the sheer number of bodies I'm going to attempt to land on, a bit of OPness seems reasonable to me, but again feel free to veto these as some are rather overpowered.

EDIT: Also KJR.

Alright, those are all ok. However, for PParts, could you try to keep the procedurally generated parts to a minimum? It's kind of cool to see what people can do with stock fuel tanks. You are GO for launch!

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I'm currently doing such a mission, however, I will visit Tylo and skip Laythe. Destinations are done in the order in which the EXPLORE $BODY contracts show up, which means Duna->Eve->Jool.

Do you think that you could do Laythe too? It is a Grand Tour challenge after all. If not, then that's fine. Any mods you're using? Have fun!

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Challenge (possibly) accepted! As long as I can refuel, I'll do this (not including Eve, but most definitely Tylo).

Yes, you can use ISRU to refuel. What mods will you be using?

[Windspren]

Anyone?

[Himynameisjake]

From the guidelines for the challenge subforum:

Is this challenge possible?

So test your challenge yourself first to make sure it is possible, you don't have to be successful but you'll soon know if the challenge has a hope of being completed.

I'm not saying a grand tour is impossible *obviously* I'm just saying it's nice to see people try their own challenge first. Not to mention you've clearly not taken a ride near kerbol any time lately. 100km is INSTANT total destruction via heat. Even at 100Mm, 1000x your specified altitude of 100km, Kerbol will cook even a heat shielded craft in under 6 minutes even with radiators and a well planned rotating flight path (to dissipate heat). I tried. Best I could do, with ANY craft at 100Mm was 5:02.

[Windspren]

From the guidelines for the challenge subforum:

I'm not saying a grand tour is impossible *obviously* I'm just saying it's nice to see people try their own challenge first. Not to mention you've clearly not taken a ride near kerbol any time lately. 100km is INSTANT total destruction via heat. Even at 100Mm, 1000x your specified altitude of 100km, Kerbol will cook even a heat shielded craft in under 6 minutes even with radiators and a well planned rotating flight path (to dissipate heat). I tried. Best I could do, with ANY craft at 100Mm was 5:02.

The specified altitude is 500 km. The wiki says you can go as far as 1,350 m low, although this is probably outdated. What altitude do you think I should make it? 200 Mm?

[Himynameisjake]

The specified altitude is 500 km. The wiki says you can go as far as 1,350 m low, although this is probably outdated. What altitude do you think I should make it? 200 Mm?

I think you should try your challenge.

[Windspren]

I think you should try your challenge.

Ok, I'll see how low I can go on Kerbol without exploding.

EDIT: I made it below Moho's orbit.

Edited June 26, 2015 by Laythe Dweller

[sdj64]

I think you should try your challenge.

Yes, a good idea would be to take Hyperedit and try each piece individually. A grand tour can be done, especially with refueling, but the other things (Jool dive, sun dive) might not be possible because of heat or other factors. And it's not clear whether the whole mothership has to do the sun dive or just a small probe. Maybe make Jeb's level no refueling and no ISRU instead of sun dive? Asteroid rendezvous is a good idea though.

Also, can landers detach from the mothership and go to other planets, not just moons? I was planning a no-refueling, no ISRU mission and I planned to send a small transfer stage and lander to Moho (mothership stays at Eve), Dres (mothership stays at Duna), and Eeloo (mothership stays at Jool) since the mothership doesn't have enough dV for all of that.

[Windspren]

Yes, a good idea would be to take Hyperedit and try each piece individually. A grand tour can be done, especially with refueling, but the other things (Jool dive, sun dive) might not be possible because of heat or other factors. And it's not clear whether the whole mothership has to do the sun dive or just a small probe. Maybe make Jeb's level no refueling and no ISRU instead of sun dive? Asteroid rendezvous is a good idea though.

Also, can landers detach from the mothership and go to other planets, not just moons? I was planning a no-refueling, no ISRU mission and I planned to send a small transfer stage and lander to Moho (mothership stays at Eve), Dres (mothership stays at Duna), and Eeloo (mothership stays at Jool) since the mothership doesn't have enough dV for all of that.

Well, that's why it's Jeb's level. You have to be crazy to try it. The Jool dive was suggested by a forum member because it is possible to land on Jool, although for the challenge you are just seeing how low your craft can go.

As as for sending landers to other planets, I'll OK it for Jool and Eeloo. Remember, it's supposed to be one mission.

[Laie]

Well, in 1.0.2 I made me a vessel that was supposed to complete the Explore $BODY contracts in the order they came up: 1) Duna & Ike 2) Eve & Gilly 3) Joolian Moons, ...

I was on Gilly when 1.0.3 dropped. What I can say: for most bodies it's easy. The task is more repetitive than challenging. For practical purposes, it would probably be better if this challenge only dealt with Eve/Laythe/Tylo.

Then again, it's not as if Laythe and Tylo were complicated. If your vessel can single-stage to the Mun from Kerbin, it's entirely capable of doing a grand tour to all planets except Eve. The most straighforward solution is Mammoth engines with 2-3 large tanks each. Three of these stacks can not only move your refinery, but a lab or crew module as well. Four stacks if you want to take both a lab and some crew.

Double the number of stacks and stage them in order to take off from Eve.

[Windspren]

Well, in 1.0.2 I made me a vessel that was supposed to complete the Explore $BODY contracts in the order they came up: 1) Duna & Ike 2) Eve & Gilly 3) Joolian Moons, ...

I was on Gilly when 1.0.3 dropped. What I can say: for most bodies it's easy. The task is more repetitive than challenging. For practical purposes, it would probably be better if this challenge only dealt with Eve/Laythe/Tylo.

Then again, it's not as if Laythe and Tylo were complicated. If your vessel can single-stage to the Mun from Kerbin, it's entirely capable of doing a grand tour to all planets except Eve. The most straighforward solution is Mammoth engines with 2-3 large tanks each. Three of these stacks can not only move your refinery, but a lab or crew module as well. Four stacks if you want to take both a lab and some crew.

Double the number of stacks and stage them in order to take off from Eve.

I don't understand your point. So you're saying not to make this challenge because you can do it?

[Laie]

I don't understand your point. So you're saying not to make this challenge because you can do it?

To be clear: designing a vessel that should be good for ISRU on Tylo is pretty easy, actually landing it there is a different matter. This will be a lot more pronounced on Laythe and Eve, where you have to care about an atmosphere flipping your craft around, or just the problem of entering an atmopshere in the first place. There's plenty of vessels that should have worked but didn't.

However: once a ship has proven itself capable of doing the trick on Tylo, we already know that it can also do it on Moho, Duna (1), Eeloo, and every other place except Eve and Laythe. I don't see the point in having to document this over and over again. That's a lot of busywork for... what gain, exactly?

That's why I suggested to limit this to Eve / Laythe / Tylo: once these three are taken care of, doing all the rest will be just more of always the same.

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(1) yes, Duna as well. The atmosphere is thin, poodles still work good enough. A vessel that has enough power and dV to take off from Tylo can handsomely take off from Duna.

[Windspren]

To be clear: designing a vessel that should be good for ISRU on Tylo is pretty easy, actually landing it there is a different matter. This will be a lot more pronounced on Laythe and Eve, where you have to care about an atmosphere flipping your craft around, or just the problem of entering an atmopshere in the first place. There's plenty of vessels that should have worked but didn't.

However: once a ship has proven itself capable of doing the trick on Tylo, we already know that it can also do it on Moho, Duna (1), Eeloo, and every other place except Eve and Laythe. I don't see the point in having to document this over and over again. That's a lot of busywork for... what gain, exactly?

That's why I suggested to limit this to Eve / Laythe / Tylo: once these three are taken care of, doing all the rest will be just more of always the same.

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(1) yes, Duna as well. The atmosphere is thin, poodles still work good enough. A vessel that has enough power and dV to take off from Tylo can handsomely take off from Duna.

You're still saying the same thing: That there is no point to the challenge because you can do it. The whole point of doing a "Grand Tour" challenge is to do a Grand Tour. If you think it's too easy, you don't have to do it.

[Windspren]

Is anyone trying the challenge?

[LtWhiskers]

I'm trying it but it's going to take awhile...

[Windspren]

Mod list?