The Definitive KSP Speedrun.

[silks]

24 minutes ago, SanderB said:

https://youtu.be/da_3PRt8Uv8

I made the KSC grounds, in 13m 49s I believe.

Recap: design simple vessel, burn straight up to mun, land, return to LKO, nearly eliminate orbital velocity above KSC.

Such a good run but I think you forgot to plant a flag!

[SanderB]

this challenge with precision landing is too annoyingly difficult with the lack of tools allowed. I'm not going to try again.

[Moesly_Armlis]

3 hours ago, SanderB said:

this challenge with precision landing is too annoyingly difficult with the lack of tools allowed. I'm not going to try again.

Do not give up.  There is a distinct method for nailing a precise landing.

Here is my latest attempt 

 

Have KSC lined up before leaving Mun.  The return trip should be exactly one day in order to make it easy to pinpoint the landing.  Use radial burns to alter altitude without affecting the return time.

Hope this helps on how to return to KSC with predictable repeatable results.

[SanderB]

15m 59s (-9 seconds for the loading screen), I believe.

And where on kerbin do I find a fellow kerbal to teach me me the ways of precision landings on kerbin in stock atmo with nought but the good old mk1 Eyeball?

Edited February 13, 2016 by SanderB

[silks]

After multiple redesigns and about 40 attempts later... 8m 52s! Video is sped up 3x.

Air brakes were the key, they worked wonders on reentry.

 

[SanderB]

that was very interesting to watch.

The only way I can see to improve that time by a lot is by not passing LKO on the return from mun, but instead land perpendicularly straight into KSC. You'd have to burn off ~1km/s of velocity before reaching 40km altitude and manage to do a precision landing without orbiting, but it is theoretically possible.

[Moesly_Armlis]

11 hours ago, silks said:

Air brakes were the key, they worked wonders on reentry.

Airbrakes is what I tried first but gave up on them too quickly when they would burn up during re-entry.

This challenge has definitely been a learning experience.  Only question is when will somebody break the four minute barrier?

[SanderB]

The 9 minute barrier has barely been broken, how would you think it would get to 4m?

[Moesly_Armlis]

15 minutes ago, SanderB said:

The 9 minute barrier has barely been broken, how would you think it would get to 4m?

Ah yes I was trying for humor; from wikipedia  "Four minute barrier".

 

to improve that time by a lot is by not passing LKO on the return from mun, but instead land perpendicularly straight into KSC

That would certainly shave minutes.

 

Edited February 14, 2016 by MoeslyArmlis
shave

[SanderB]

4 minutes ago, MoeslyArmlis said:

Ah yes I was trying for humor; from wikipedia  "Four minute barrier".

 

That would certainly shave minutes.

 

the problem I've encountered with a perpendicular landing is that it takes me a while to line up my ascent from the mun with return trip from the mun to KSC, because you have to time your descent to about 6 hours so KSC will be in the same place as when you set up your return maneuver, so you can set up your return. Without trajectory prediction it's going to always be very tough. The mk1 pod with 2 tons of fuel and a terrier engine (and 3 landing legs and 3 aerobraking flaps) is capable of a little bit of atmospheric flight (ie. gliding at up to 30 degrees pitch in any direction) but only from ~10km altitude onward.

[zarakon]

15 hours ago, silks said:

After multiple redesigns and about 40 attempts later... 8m 52s! Video is sped up 3x.

Air brakes were the key, they worked wonders on reentry.

 

That was kind of terrifying to watch at 3x speed

Also what is the music?  It's super familiar, but I can't put my finger on it

[silks]

23 hours ago, zarakon said:

Also what is the music?  It's super familiar, but I can't put my finger on it

It's a slowed down version of a cover of a track from Sonic the Hedgehog.

On 2/14/2016 at 8:59 PM, MoeslyArmlis said:

Airbrakes is what I tried first but gave up on them too quickly when they would burn up during re-entry.

Thermodynamics in 1.0.5 are quite brutal, most of my SSTOs that worked in .4 now burn up.

Just noticed how the rules don't forbid creating a world with 0% reentry heating... should probably clarify that.

[AlextheBodacious]

Did you post this just to get @Sanic to join?