Make THE MOST Kerbal rocket.

[Twinky827]

Bill steps up to the microphone, 'Hello folks! This challenge is to create the safest, slowest, boringest, most succesful rocket of...' 'WHAM' 'OW!' Says Bill, as he\'s punched in the face by Jeb, 'WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU THINKING!?' 'Folks! You need to ACTUALLY make the stupidest, most dangerous, most explosion worthy rocket EVAR. MOOOOAAAARRRRR BOOOOSTAAAAARZ!!!'

Leader Board:

1. Iamwearingpants

2.

3.

4.

5.

[iamwearingpants]

I built a rocket that goes up to whatever altitude, and brakes with SRBs, reversing the velocity and sends you screaming down into the KSC.

[Twinky827]

I built a rocket that goes up to whatever altitude, and brakes with SRBs, reversing the velocity and sends you screaming down into the KSC.

Jeb is pleased. 8)

[MaverickSawyer]

D: The nozzles GLOW?!?!? that is scary cool. 8)

I agree with the assesment: Jeb approves! and the :probe: is pleased as well!

[Fendleton]

Ok, time to go build a rocket where the first stage is 100 SRBs. I\'ve done 67 before, so 100+ shouldn\'t be too difficult.

Edit: I\'ve got....78 in the first stage of the current model ( I ended up trying one of those 'SRB to orbit' things) plus a bunch of heat sinks (structural fuselage is GREAT for it). And I have to say, I believe I have succeeded in making an extremely Kerbal rocket. I call it the 'Moar Boosters: The Rocket' Rocket. It\'s not as awesome as I\'d hoped, but eh, it\'s pretty good.

Early versions had a few stability...issues....with Mechjeb completely unable to control the craft:

That\'s not it exploding, that\'s the exhaust frying the camera. And the altimeter. And Mechjeb.....do NOT try automatic staging on this thing, or you die.

But later versions fixed that (mostly) by adding about 24-30 canards, apart from a tumbling-out-of-control-and-breaking-up issue on the 3rd/4th stages. Here\'s the beast in flight.

I tracked the problem down to the 4th stage engines igniting with the 3rd stage, which resulted in tumbling, massive G-loading, and disintegration. It never actually killed the kerbals though...it just limited operating altitude (I still have no idea if this thing can get into orbit). Obviously, this altituse limiting and lack of lethality, while impressive (sorry, happens too fast to take a picture), is NOT what is wanted.

Fixing the staging (NOTHING else, just swapping around when some boosters ignite) somehow caused the game to realise that the 1st stage was never actually structurally viable (damn). And in this form, I believe, I have created the most Kerbal rocket that I could ever hope to create.

The sound is music to my ears, and I think Jeb has tears of joy in his eyes. For the record, 2 decouplers survived the blast.

Next step is to undo the changes and go back to the hellish tumble-followed by a nice uncontrolled SRB-escape-rocket ride into the ocean. That is WAY more fun than orbiting.

[SunJumper]

String some SRBs one onto another, so that each SRB overheats the one below it. Even Jeb will freak out!

[Selrahc4040]

I built a rocket that goes up to whatever altitude, and brakes with SRBs, reversing the velocity and sends you screaming down into the KSC.

That is one heck of an airbrake.

[Markus Reese]

Before SAS existed, Jeb decided to try his hand at making a gyroscope to balance a launching rocket.

http://youtu.be/nPlLzz-b1Ns

[dsmaster7173]

On the launch-pad

Erm.. this is just as planned..

Perfect

Wow...

[Excalibur]

No explosions, but I\'d say this is rather a Kerbal way of achieving orbit... Known as the \'Hammerhead iThrust\' this design loves to piss delta-v into the wind.

Uses Bob\'s patented right-angle ascent profile. Straight up to 150km, then a long burn 90 degrees to that placed it in ~140x180km orbit.

[Khrissetti]

'\'Hammerhead iThrust\' '

Good to see a fellow Top Gear fan!

[Excalibur]

'\'Hammerhead iThrust\' '

Good to see a fellow Top Gear fan!

Glad to see someone notice the little homage

Personally I think a lot of the Top Gear projects and challenges are pretty Kerbal in themselves! Reliant Space Shuttle anyone? That would be a great mod for someone to undertake!

[shhhilent1]

D: The nozzles GLOW?!?!? that is scary cool. 8)

I agree with the assesment: Jeb approves! and the :probe: is pleased as well!

Yep. thats in the 0.15 version

[Khrissetti]

Glad to see someone notice the little homage

Personally I think a lot of the Top Gear projects and challenges are pretty Kerbal in themselves! Reliant Space Shuttle anyone? That would be a great mod for someone to undertake!

My very first thought on designing a Munar landing was

'Landing on the Mun; How Hard Can It Be?'

Also: Is this not the thought that goes through every Top Gear fan\'s head as they strap that fiftieth booster to their rocket?

[Excalibur]

If KSP ever hits the bigtime perhaps they can persuade Clarkson to do the voice overs... we wish!

Fully agree with your sentiment.

If I was capable of producing mods I think I\'d release a Top Gear pack!

[Nooblet68]

If KSP ever hits the bigtime perhaps they can persuade Clarkson to do the voice overs... we wish!

Clarkson - Jeb

Hamster - Bob

Captain Slow - Bill

Yeah... Anyway, that\'s a lot of Kerbal.

Edit: (Activate SRB) 'POWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!!!!!'

[thorfinn]

Clarkson - Jeb

Hamster - Bob

Captain Slow - Bill

I have the feeling that crewmen will be moddable someday

(Though I\'d go for the crew of the Bebop or the girls from Stratos 4, but hey, to each his own )

[illectro]

These guys already won.... in real life.

[Phoenix Aerospace]

Wait. Rockets lifted up to altitude by helicopter blades? Tip-jet helicopter blades? There is no sane god.

[Markus Reese]

If KSP ever hits the bigtime perhaps they can persuade Clarkson to do the voice overs... we wish!

Fully agree with your sentiment.

If I was capable of producing mods I think I\'d release a Top Gear pack!

We should put in a request into the mod forum. Is a command capsule capable of having wheels? Make the reliant robin command module. One piece with the basic lift fins!

[Vostok]

Harvester said himself that a reliant space shuttle in game would be good, since a lot of the original gameplay was based off the reliant robin game on the topgear site.