The Mun Polar Crater ISRU Challenge

[Moesly_Armlis]

The Mun Polar Crater ISRU Challenge

Stock Sandbox

This is about sending a complete autonomous ISRU package to scan resources, mine ore, convert and deliver the fuel back to a station in an equatorial 250 km circular orbit around Mun.

Using the GameSeed = 1823959382 in the persistence file* will set the resource map and Mun's polar crater will have the highest concentration at 80% resources.  This area  was challenging because the sunlight had long periods of both dark and light plus returning to an equatorial orbit.

Send a complete package to an equatorial Mun orbit.  Disembark Scanners once inside Mun SOI and send them to a polar orbit.  Scan Mun for resources.  Disembark the ISRU to land in the crater.  Mine for resources and convert to LOX.  Deliver to an orbiting fuel depot.

Score is based on total vessel cost over the total fuel delivered to orbit.  Gather as much as you can in the 90 day time limit.

 

Rules

Stock parts only / no cheats / sandbox mode / mods that do not change gameplay are ok

Autonomous vessels only

Only one launch vessel

Ninety day time limit begins at launch

Launch a complete ISRU & Scanner Package (all resource scanner types must be used)

Send package first to an equatorial Mun orbit

Fuel depot must be at 250 km equatorial circular orbit

High orbit scanner below 100 km polar orbit

Low orbit scanner below 50 km polar  orbit

Ground surveyor scan Polar Crater

LOX (maintain fuel ratio) converted from ore that was mined in the crater during the ninety day period is valid

LOX need to be only docked to the fuel depot

Divide vessel cost by the total liquid fuel

post screenshots

 

GameSeed = 1823959382

* create/start a sandbox game and exit to menu.  Edit the save or persistence file and look for ResoureScenario and then Resource_Settings

This works in the 1.1 prerelease not sure about earlier versions.  I used to reload and rescan to achieve the right game seed.

This example of initial orbit setup just before landing the ISRU.

This is my A ISRU AIO vessel.  Delivered Low and High Orbital Scanners; Lander / Heavy Fuel Truck; Rover Light Surveyor, Rover ISRU; Orbital Fuel Depot; Light Fuel Truck

This vessel is intended for interplanetary ISRU and testing this on Mun in the Polar Crater seemed to be the best litmus test.

 

The mining operation will begin tonight and I will post my results.

 

Postponed the operation and redesigned the vessel for the challenge.  Going with this cost reduced version.  Managed to shave 70k off the original.

Edit: The original ISRU version had no issues with heat and in prerealese 1.1 it is now a problem.  Tried adding fold able type radiators but they sit idle. 
Sure glad to see that bug is squashed  #8157

New Build:  I decided to rebuild and now working on a Mega Miner.  It scales in at 45 tonnes and has 14 heavy drills.  Needs more cooling.

Edited April 17, 2016 by MoeslyArmlis
overheating

[Moesly_Armlis]

The electric charge can be exploited which makes this challenge unfair. 
 

http://bugs.kerbalspaceprogram.com/issues/8816

 

I am not sure on how to reword the rules to prevent this electric charge exploit.

[DoctorDavinci]

I was under the impression that 1.1 challenges were to not be posted until the official release .... I must be mistaken

[Moesly_Armlis]

2 minutes ago, DoctorDavinci said:

I was under the impression that 1.1 challenges were to not be posted until the official release .... I must be mistaken

You are right abiut the 1.1 challenges, however, this challenge was open to all versions.  The EC exploit is in 1.0.5 but I did not know about it.

[DoctorDavinci]

Quote

This works in the 1.1 prerelease not sure about earlier versions.

This ^^^^^

[Moesly_Armlis]

5 minutes ago, DoctorDavinci said:

Quote

This works in the 1.1 prerelease not sure about earlier versions.

This ^^^^^

If anybody was interested in trying this in 1.0.5 I would have suggested to just reload and scan Mun until the proper resource seed.  That is how I was doing it until looking into resource seeds.

[Jetski]

Here's a 1.05 attempt.  Once I got it up and running, I could lift a single Kerbodyne S3-14400 Tank, dock it with the orbiter, (leaving my mining rovers to pick up ore), land back near the rovers, dock, ISRU and refill tank, repeat with a cycle of just under 8 hours.  I could probably speed it up if I started optimizing launch timing and docking.  So 6480 Liquid Fuel, 7920 Oxidizer every 8 hours for 90 days is 1749600 Liquid Fuel and  2138400 Oxidizer.  Forgive me if I don't fly all those missions.  Cost on pad was 503000, did it in a single launch.  Left in a polar orbit a fuel depot (6 S3-14400 tanks worth) a high orbiting probe with orbital scanner, and a low orbiting probe with the spinny thingy scanner.  The seeding thing worked fine in 1.05

 

Edited April 17, 2016 by Jetski

[Moesly_Armlis]

5 hours ago, Jetski said:

Here's a 1.05 attempt.  Once I got it up and running, I could lift a single Kerbodyne S3-14400 Tank, dock it with the orbiter, (leaving my mining rovers to pick up ore), land back near the rovers, dock, ISRU and refill tank, repeat with a cycle of just under 8 hours.  I could probably speed it up if I started optimizing launch timing and docking.  So 6480 Liquid Fuel, 7920 Oxidizer every 8 hours for 90 days is 1749600 Liquid Fuel and  2138400 Oxidizer.  Forgive me if I don't fly all those missions.  Cost on pad was 503000, did it in a single launch.  Left in a polar orbit a fuel depot (6 S3-14400 tanks worth) a high orbiting probe with orbital scanner, and a low orbiting probe with the spinny thingy scanner.  The seeding thing worked fine in 1.05

 

Did not want to download 1.0.5 good to know that resource seed works.

Really admired how you disembarked your mining rigs.

I am going to try reworking the rules.  I had not thought of all those flights would make it tedious.

Going to try a career run at it with these settings. Normal modified with 500 000 funds and 5 000 science points along with a 10% Funds penalty.

The idea is your starting resources determine the path you must take in order to unlock parts for ISRU and  the facilities to run the operation.  Also one trip from the surface should suffice.

The low orbiting probe with the spinny thingy scanner might just end up being bonus points if used.

The bare bones choices I made.  Launchpad upgrade; VAB upgrade; Science Complex upgraded twice.

 

Science points and funds left over; where to spend them? Still need to pay for the rocket.  Maybe if I can complete some contracts; with only the one launch that will be tricky. Upgrading the Mission Control will offer contracts that during Mun transfer earn an upgrade to the Tracking Complex.

 

Upgraded the Administrative Building maybe that was not a bad idea.

Spend any left over science for funds.  Reputation; burn those bridges too.

Edited April 18, 2016 by MoeslyArmlis