Eve Return 1.05 - In memory of the ERC

[Gojira1000]

Hola. The Eve Rocks Challenge is, sadly, no more. Here's a "just for fun" yardstick for 1.05 - fly a crewed mission to Eve, bring the crew home.

No Interstellar/near future mods, and you do have to fly it, so no Hyperedit (you'll note I managed to disqualify myself thanks to an OBS glitch - thankfully I had Hyperedit handy from testing lander prototypes). Hop out, plant a flag, get back in and go home.

Really, though, this is just for fun and before Porkjet's new inflatable heat shield arrives and makes this so much easier. I assume. It may not?

Anyway, wow us all with your awesome designs for Eve landers. I went for "over-engineered to the brink of disaster" mode. So my normal method.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1528MDIGBU

As per request, badges below if you like. To get one, post an image or video showing your mission from launch to return. It'll be on the honor system - if you feel like you've earned it, grab a badge.

 

     

Edited December 28, 2015 by Gojira1000
Badges for SPA

[SpaceplaneAddict]

Can we get a new badge plz?

 

[Gojira1000]

2 hours ago, SpaceplaneAddict said:

Can we get a new badge plz?

 

I could make something - I'd want it to be small and understated and not be about replacing Eve Rocks. Let me see what I can come up with.

[EvermoreAlpaca]

But I took Bill there not Jeb!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA-GIaetT0c

[Gojira1000]

41 minutes ago, EvermoreAlpaca said:

But I took Bill there not Jeb!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA-GIaetT0c

That works, you just have to scratch the "Jeb" out on the badge and pencil in "Bill"

[Mikki]

Hi there Gojira1k, i totally missed you got the interims Eve Rocks Challenge going, maybe i can make a 1.0.5 entry until the "magnificient Inflatibulous heatshieldensis miraculis" is researched...Good thing someone took care of this, this badge is getting very rare maybe, must have!

Greetings Mikki! 

[Foxster]

We OK with just a landing and return to Eve orbit or do you want to whole mission?

[SpaceplaneAddict]

3 hours ago, Foxster said:

We OK with just a landing and return to Eve orbit or do you want to whole mission?

As stated, I think the OP says it's a whole mission, from Kerbin, to Eve, to Kerbin.

[Stratzenblitz75]

Unfortunately, I never got to attempt the old Eve rocks challenge. (In fact, before 1.05, the only Eve landings I've done were with the command seat). So, now is the time to redeem myself!

Does this count?

[Gojira1000]

Welcome and have as much fun as possible out there in the purple hell. Yes, it's a full mission Kerbin-Eve-Kerbin, crewed. Pics of your takeoff, transfer, landing and takeoff, transfer and landing (holy smokes there's a lot going on) and such are appreciated.

Anyway - a mark of distinction to do this in 1.05 when it's insane to even try - it's not remotely easy, and as of Porkjet's cool heatshield it will be easier.

 

[Gojira1000]

1 hour ago, Stratzenblitz75 said:

Unfortunately, I never got to attempt the old Eve rocks challenge. (In fact, before 1.05, the only Eve landings I've done were with the command seat). So, now is the time to redeem myself!

Does this count?

Yes it does - Have a badge

5 hours ago, Foxster said:

We OK with just a landing and return to Eve orbit or do you want to whole mission?

Kerbin-Eve-Kerbin, the whole shebang.

6 hours ago, Mikki said:

Hi there Gojira1k, i totally missed you got the interims Eve Rocks Challenge going, maybe i can make a 1.0.5 entry until the "magnificient Inflatibulous heatshieldensis miraculis" is researched...Good thing someone took care of this, this badge is getting very rare maybe, must have!

Greetings Mikki! 

Heya Mikki - yeah the old one is no more, and as of 1.1 it's going to be easier I suspect - bragging rights are to be earned in 1.05. perhaps?

[Foxster]

Here's my entry. 

I went all sci-fi on the lifter...

 

[Gojira1000]

I sense a badge for Val, survivor of purpleness I love that big, Byzantine lifter, too!

[Amianoob]

Hey, this was my first attempt at an Eve return mission, I did it as one last achievement in my career save before 1.1 comes, it was all stock parts, I guess-timated the design and used A LOT of trial and error, I definitely overbuilt much of it but it was a really fun process. I sent Val instead of Jeb, so I hope that still counts.

I made it all the way to Eve and back and then realized I didn't have enough fuel to re-enter without it exploding (I'd planned on having more DV in the return stage so I could  slow down and negate the need for a heat shield) so I parked it in orbit and ferried Val down in a 1 crew pod.

Anyhow, here's an album of the mission: http://imgur.com/a/U2AXH

My craft had 484 parts at launch, weighed in at 2,737 metric tons  (Saturn V was 2,950 Damn) and almost killed my poor old computer in the process.

[Foxster]

That's very impressive - if only for the total disregard of aerodynamics yet still managing it! 

[Findthepin1]

Does "to Eve" strictly mean being on the ground?

[scullyl]

I was testing out a lander design and I cane across this!

Who would've guessed! Eve has rainbows!

[IncongruousGoat]

Is it okay if we complete this after 1.1 is released if we do it in 1.0.5? I just worry this is going to take me a while...

[Jhawk1099]

Wait wait wait. So If I were to have a decent / back into orbit vehicle then a return to Kerbin vehicle that probably will also be the transit stage from Kerbin that refuels at gilly would that count?

[Gojira1000]

I love @Amianoob's giant block of fuel tanks  Have a badge!

On 2/22/2016 at 7:08 PM, Findthepin1 said:

Does "to Eve" strictly mean being on the ground?

Yep, land a kerbal, plant a flag, get home.

12 minutes ago, Jhawk1099 said:

Wait wait wait. So If I were to have a decent / back into orbit vehicle then a return to Kerbin vehicle that probably will also be the transit stage from Kerbin that refuels at gilly would that count?

Yep - the only absolute requirement is to land the kerbal on Eve and get him home to Kerbin.

On 2/23/2016 at 2:16 PM, IncongruousGoat said:

Is it okay if we complete this after 1.1 is released if we do it in 1.0.5? I just worry this is going to take me a while...

Yep, post 1.1 I'll revisit this and update the challenge to match the easier (I assume) world of 1.1 parts - but the 1.05 version is possibly a bit more brag-worthy as it's not easy at present.

[Amianoob]

Thanks, it flew like a barn door, but, it flew haha. This is first ever forum challenge I've completed and the badge is much appreciated

 

 

 

Edited February 25, 2016 by Amianoob

[IncongruousGoat]

Hello to one and all! Here is my submission to this challenge: Project Muspellheim!

Launch mass: 6,100 metric tons, more than twice the launch mass of Saturn V. Cost: 1.9 million funds. Overbuilt? Definitely. Planning for this was... interesting, and it didn't go all according to plan. My ladders almost didn't work due to changes made after they had been installed, the lithobrake (yes, really) failed to explode, which thankfully was not problematic, and my transfer stage nearly ran out of fuel and had to go onto a... unusual... return trajectory in order to make it home at all. But now it's done. I've been to Eve. I can say I've been to Eve, and that means that I never have to go back again. Thank goodness. If anyone has any questions about the mission, feel free to ask.

[KerbonautInTraining]

I'm gonna try this.

I've been playing for nearly a year, it's time that I finally man up and attempt an Eve return mission. 

I already have a plan. So, first I'm going to send an extremely overkill lander that will aerobrake down to a circular.... wait

[screaming internally]

Skip the aerobraking, I'm just going to use an oversized LV-N transfer stage with enough fuel to circularize at Eve. So that's covered.

I have a feeling this is going to snowball very quickly. Wish my CPU luck.

E: I think this is gonna have to wait. I can't get the 100 part lander through re-entry. I almost did once but the game crashed so hard I had to restart my PC. I don't want to copy someone else's lander design, that's what's hanging me up right now.

Edited March 7, 2016 by KerbonautInTraining

[Gojira1000]

15 hours ago, IncongruousGoat said:

Hello to one and all! Here is my submission to this challenge: Project Muspellheim!

Launch mass: 6,100 metric tons, more than twice the launch mass of Saturn V. Cost: 1.9 million funds. Overbuilt? Definitely. Planning for this was... interesting, and it didn't go all according to plan. My ladders almost didn't work due to changes made after they had been installed, the lithobrake (yes, really) failed to explode, which thankfully was not problematic, and my transfer stage nearly ran out of fuel and had to go onto a... unusual... return trajectory in order to make it home at all. But now it's done. I've been to Eve. I can say I've been to Eve, and that means that I never have to go back again. Thank goodness. If anyone has any questions about the mission, feel free to ask.

You definitely get a badge - and I'm impressed you got that much iron-mongery down in (mostly) one piece.

[IncongruousGoat]

3 hours ago, Gojira1000 said:

You definitely get a badge - and I'm impressed you got that much iron-mongery down in (mostly) one piece.

Thanks! Yeah, that aerobraking sequence was stressful during testing. It turns out, however, that the ship flops back and forth enough that it doesn't heat up to dangerous levels. It was alarming, though, when I discovered that my monster heat shield wouldn't fit in a fairing. The intention with that thing was to allow me to land on inclines. The wide landing base allowed me to (theoretically) land on up to 30 degree slopes. Also... the heat shields were supposed to explode upon landing, acting as a lithobrake (yes, really). Funny how none of that ended up mattering.