To Minmus, with a kick

[stickman939]

I submit unto you a challenge!

To Minmus as fast as possible, with as little parts as logical!

1. 
   [*=center]Your mass may NOT exceed 30 tons
   [*=center]You part count can be ONLY 100.
   [*=center]Crew must be Jeb, Val, Bill, and Bob
   [*=center]1.25 meter parts only
   [*=center]7 in-game minutes or less
   [*=center]HyperEdit= Disqualification (other mods, such as parts mods OK tho)
   [*=center]Survival is optional
   [*=center]Post pictures of completion
   [*=center]And finally, you MUST have fun. If you do not, you will fail!!
   

[Red Iron Crown]

Can we see your entry that gets to Minmus in under seven in-game minutes while massing less than 30 tons? I don't think that is possible, at least with stock parts, seeing as the average speed must be over 110km/s.

[adamgerd]

Agreed, i don't know any modded part or stock part to be able to do that

[mythic_fci]

This is impossible for quite a few reasons.

1. No stock part or mod (besides HyperEdit) can get you to Minmus in 7 in-game minutes. Period. You'd need at LEAST a week or so of in-game time (with time warp) to get on a Minmus Free-Return Trajectory and back to Kerbin.

2. If we have a 30-ton/100-part 1.25m only limit, there's no way you can get on a Minmus FRT, PERIOD. The fastest way to get there is to launch straight from Kerbin directly into a Minmus FRT (ignoring the difficulty in getting the launch window and control for THAT right), which translates into a LOT of delta-v required, which means a LOT of parts and a LOT of weight. (NOTE: I may be incorrect on this one. I'll give it a shot on my computer.)

3. Since there is no stock 1.25m capsule that can hold 4 kerbals, you'd have to use 4 1.25m 1-Kerbal cockpits, which-you guessed it- adds a LOT of weight. It'd be a HUGE challenge to get 1.25m pods into LKO with a 30t/100p limit; let alone Minmus.

(NOTE: 4 and 5 are pretty much nitpicking. If you don't like it, don't read it.)

4. You haven't put any restrictions on mods besides HyperEdit. Theoretically, I could mod an engine to give me 10000000000000kn of thrust and consume no fuel at all.

5. Why only Jeb, Bill, Bob and Val? That's meaningless and slightly (read - SLIGHTLY) off-putting to players like me, who have the Big Four on a base/interplanetary spaceship somewhere.

Please either prove this is possible or fix this challenge so it becomes possible.

Edited September 9, 2015 by FCISuperGuy

[Red Iron Crown]

If we have a 30-ton/100-part 1.25m only limit, there's no way you can get on a Minmus FRT, PERIOD. The fastest way to get there is to launch straight from Kerbin directly into a Minmus FRT (ignoring the difficulty in getting the launch window and control for THAT right), which translates into a LOT of delta-v required, which means a LOT of parts and a LOT of weight.

I dunno. I did Laythe and back with <40t and <50 stock parts (though it was only one kerbal and had some wing parts in addition to the 1.25m ones). I'd imagine a 30t 100 part one way trip to Minmus is quite possible.

It's the seven minute time limit that makes this one difficult.

[mythic_fci]

I dunno. I did Laythe and back with <40t and <50 stock parts (though it was only one kerbal and had some wing parts in addition to the 1.25m ones). I'd imagine a 30t 100 part one way trip to Minmus is quite possible.

It's the seven minute time limit that makes this one difficult.

Indeed. I'll put a note next to that reason. But, remember that the OP said only 1.25m parts and a requirement of 4 crew - Jeb, Bob, Bill, and Val.

[panzer1b]

There is no way to realistically do this. For the crew, you dont have many options, all in cockpits or MK1 pods (you could try cramming them all in command seats inside a service bay but that is near guaranteed to bring about a kraken attack). As for the time limit, its basically impossible without both dV AND TWR, two things that tend to not go hand in hand. You can have a rocket that can get up to some incredible speeds, but you need time to do this due to bad TWR at a high dV. Then you can have the opposite, bad dV but very high thrust (get up to a lower speed faster).

Either way, the whole "use any mod" rule makes this challenge a joke (just go to the nearest warp drive mod, although those that dont vaporize you in atmo give you near instant minmus trip). That, and there are no rules against say, editing stock parts to give me something like infinite isp and over 9000GN thrust or something.

While it is possible with mods, i DOUBT it can be done stock without abusing bugs (krakendrive could PROBABLY pull it off too since its infinite acceleration and if your ship gets out of atmo to allow it to be enabled, you can have very small ship and low mass+high thrust).

Also, as a suggestion, remove the time limit, and make it a kinda cointest (seeing who can get there fastest), in general most contests are the best since people will try to beat each other's times and not just get below some impossible threshold.

[Foxster]

"other mods, such as parts mods OK tho" - this kills my interest in any challenge. You can achieve anything with modded parts, especially if you mod them yourself. The only way to get a level playing field is stock-only.

[The_Rocketeer]

I dunno. I did Laythe and back with <40t and <50 stock parts (though it was only one kerbal and had some wing parts in addition to the 1.25m ones). I'd imagine a 30t 100 part one way trip to Minmus is quite possible.

It's the seven minute time limit that makes this one difficult.

Difficult is not the word. I cheated like a pro (infinite RCS + infinite fuel) and probably ignored several of the rules, and this was the result:

The TWR required is... who knows. This is impossible without cheating.

[panzer1b]

Difficult is not the word. I cheated like a pro (infinite RCS + infinite fuel) and probably ignored several of the rules, and this was the result:

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/616220816085491210/DA6337D7E7272BE759A76F18661A64F6BDDCAB3F/

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/616220816085490533/D2B9A4BE877108F126234A95D5C9DA2B76FDA5F8/

The TWR required is... who knows. This is impossible without cheating.

Guess so, minmus is just so far away......you need to be going at over 200km/s, which is SO MUCH dV it cant be done without mods, warp drives, or some kind of hacked decouplers that eject the kerbals at 9000km/s (IM SO TRYING THAT NOW).....

Now if you allowed infinite mass, i thing someone could pull it off with some monster made of nothing but the KS-X4 or whatever those largest engines are called, and alot of 14400 fuel tanks, but even that is prolly not gonna cut it.

[Starwhip]

I, for one, think it is possible with the little monoprop engines. If you Christmas tree them on a small probe core and some SAS, you've basically made a warp drive. (I know because I've tried it.)

The rules do not say "no debug menu", so infinite fuel seems OK.

[The_Rocketeer]

I, for one, think it is possible with the little monoprop engines. If you Christmas tree them on a small probe core and some SAS, you've basically made a warp drive. (I know because I've tried it.)

The rules do not say "no debug menu", so infinite fuel seems OK.

4 seats in a small probe core? That's new to me.

Also, I don't think the monoprop engines technically count as 1.25m parts...

[Starwhip]

4 seats in a small probe core? That's new to me.

Also, I don't think the monoprop engines technically count as 1.25m parts...

Eh, rules.

I've got a plan. Gonna try it now.

[The_Rocketeer]

Eh, rules.

I've got a plan. Gonna try it now.

Let us know how it goes

[Starwhip]

Test Subject:

1 HECS probe core

1 RTG

190-some-odd radial monoprop engines

Directive: To determine if required TWR is possible in Stock, forgoing the part count limit.

Results: Passed Mun orbit at 6 minute mark. Failure.

I am now convinced that this is impossible with Stock parts, unless one can reliably trigger the FTL Kraken. Which can result in

My favorite screenshot so far, it's been used over and over again.

[panzer1b]

Test Subject:

1 HECS probe core

1 RTG

190-some-odd radial monoprop engines

Directive: To determine if required TWR is possible in Stock, forgoing the part count limit.

Results: Passed Mun orbit at 6 minute mark. Failure.

I am now convinced that this is impossible with Stock parts, unless one can reliably trigger the FTL Kraken. Which can result in

http://i.imgur.com/JansluO.png

My favorite screenshot so far, it's been used over and over again.

radial monoproper USED to be effective when they were massless, now the mass is added to teh ship even if the part claims to be massless itself. All in all, the best engines right now is a crapload of sepatrons drained 100% of fuel with inf fuel on. Those have insane TWR, im just not sure if its even remotely enough when you consider the requiremenet for 4 kerbals (although perhaps a fairing with kerbals shoved inside command seats would do the trick).

perhaps RT-5s would be good too, those have incredible TWR when i used them as weapons.

[Starwhip]

panzer1b: You're completely right! I forgot about SRBs!

In that case, I'd go with 80 empty RT-5/10's and the four capsules and some struts.

[stickman939]

Don't get so technical, yo. You have access to tons of mods (with the exclusion of HyperEdit), the debug menu, and part cfg's. It's fairly possible to get to Minmus in 7 minutes or less if you only use that to your advantage.

This was only for a giggle. Just have fun with it, and experiment with different ways to achieve easy goals all in good fun.

[X9Squared]

I submit unto you a challenge!

To Minmus as fast as possible, with as little parts as logical!

1. 
   [*=center]Your mass may NOT exceed 30 tons
   [*=center]You part count can be ONLY 100.
   [*=center]Crew must be Jeb, Val, Bill, and Bob
   [*=center]1.25 meter parts only
   [*=center]7 in-game minutes or less
   [*=center]HyperEdit= Disqualification (other mods, such as parts mods OK tho)
   [*=center]Survival is optional
   [*=center]Post pictures of completion
   [*=center]And finally, you MUST have fun. If you do not, you will fail!!
   

Will we be disqualified if you do not have Jeb, Val, Bill, and Bob? I find it hard to believe, considering that sometimes the crew glitches and does not respawn in time for the mission...

[The_Rocketeer]

Don't get so technical, yo. You have access to tons of mods (with the exclusion of HyperEdit), the debug menu, and part cfg's. It's fairly possible to get to Minmus in 7 minutes or less if you only use that to your advantage.

This was only for a giggle. Just have fun with it, and experiment with different ways to achieve easy goals all in good fun.

So... in other words this is a challenge to see who can cheat the crap out of getting to Minmus? As of this moment I'm out.

[mythic_fci]

So... in other words this is a challenge to see who can cheat the crap out of getting to Minmus? As of this moment I'm out.

Amen. Plus, it's already been proven with in the previous posts that even with cheats galore, this is impossible.

[Pds314]

Access to part CFGs? Why not make an engine that generates no heat, consumes negligible fuel, weighs essentially nothing, generates GigaNewtons of thrust, and gimbals as much as you want? Just edit the ion engine to not consume electricity and have a TeraNewton of thrust? Turn on unbreakable everything, and voila!

[Scoppio]

"I commend unto you the challenge of trying to show how many ways this challenge is not a challenge, but something someone came up before wenting to sleep after a crazy day"

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

I've heard that like 100 2.5 stack seperators staged at the time might work.