Shuttle Challenge v3 - The 1.1.x STS thread [Stock and Mod Friendly][11.10.2016 - CLOSED FOR REFURBISHMENT]

[Alchemist]

6 hours ago, Speeding Mullet said:

Oooooh Kaaaay!  Even just for the play on words I'm going to allow this as your mission "plane", let alone wanting to see how you are actually going to get it there on the back of a shuttle!

I'm not fully sure how much flight capabilities the Elcanoplan-2 will have (after addressing the engine torque, because I'm not happy with the tendency to flip even on the water, plus I may add small wings with a pair of flaps), but I'm planning to detach it in low Laythe orbit (or on suborbital trajectory, actually) and navigate it down to scout the landing site. Really not sure if it will be capable of hydroplane landing (or actually flight-hydrofoil-swim transition) or I'll just have to use chutes here. As for carrying it on the back, the worst issue for HRO due to offset payload is having couple of main engines at reduced thrust added to OMS to keep the attitude control (come on, after dragging a rock to the runway nobody will doubt a small streamlined craft there).

The plan is currently as follows:
Primary vehicle - HRO-M03 (slightly modified after the Duna landing)
- Payload in the bay - mining rover upgraded to base definition (just add a crew cabin and maybe a bit more fuel storage capacity)
- Elcanoplan-2 mounted on top of the orbiter (and this is the part that requires the most design work to still be done)
- I'll also have to stick couple satellites somewhere on this or secondary vehicle. Probably will be enough space in the ramp
Secondary vehicle - HRO-M with ISRU rig and extra tanks in the bay (frontal bay section will be inverted for the drill)

2 Separate launches.
Both shuttles will dock in LKO. I presume the secondary craft will have better position to use its engines as main propulsion.
Maybe go to Minmus, refuel and then pull Oberth effect Kerbin escape maneuver.
Not sure of exact Jool capture sequence, but the first stop there will be Bop or Poll and the secondary shuttle will go down and mine some fuel.
And don't forget launching a satellite to survey ore on Laythe.
After refueling, the primary vehicle will navigate itself to low Laythe orbit (aerobraking optional) and drop the Elcanoplan-2.
Then comes the main landing.
And driving the base out of the bay and redocking it to refuel the shuttle.
Laythe circumnavigation goes next...
And then the primary shuttle (once refueled) will launch itself from Laythe. Short takeoff may mean engaging main engines right away. Won't probably get far past low orbit, though.
Here comes the secondary shuttle with a load of fuel to get to the primary ship and then fly back to a refueling site.
Now here's something that will depend on what kind of delta-v the secondary craft actually has (+ we can use the primary craft as a tanker). It should at least be able to visit Vall.
Both shuttles will fly to Kerbin docked together and capture into elliptic orbit.
Then each of them separately will aerobrake and land
 

[Speeding Mullet]

6 hours ago, zolotiyeruki said:

The reason I haven't posted any more progress is because I'm working on something special for laythe. 

Haha good stuff.  Just to be clear the mission are supposed to be done in chronological order.  Skipping missions isn't allowed.

 

8 hours ago, michal.don said:

Thanks for the badge, and I'm quite curious what is next

I'll do my best to provide an interesting challenge!

2 hours ago, Alchemist said:

*snip*
Then each of them separately will aerobrake and land

Sounds like you've got it all planned out, I know your HRO was quite 'splody trying to land at Duna so hopefully you can iron out some of those issues.  I say some as honestly that was so funny watching the blooper reel haha!

When I thought about this mission I imagined attaching the inflatable heat shield to the nose of my shuttle and just barrelling in from interplanetary and finding out whether it could take it.  I still haven't actually done the Duna missions though (or the Ore Pod) so I'm so far behind I might not get round to it in the short term.

SM

[zolotiyeruki]

Here's my HST run.  Boatloads of LF left over.

http://imgur.com/a/FuoDk

TIL that the performance improvements in 1.1.3 are still not enough to let my computer handle high-part-count craft...

[Speeding Mullet]

5 hours ago, zolotiyeruki said:

Here's my HST run.  Boatloads of LF left over.

http://imgur.com/a/FuoDk

TIL that the performance improvements in 1.1.3 are still not enough to let my computer handle high-part-count craft...

I think you've missed out mission STS 2 - Can you Hear Me.  The mission are designed to be run in order and cannot be skipped.  I'll hold on judging this one until you have run STS 2

SM

[zolotiyeruki]

3 hours ago, Speeding Mullet said:

I think you've missed out mission STS 2 - Can you Hear Me.  The mission are designed to be run in order and cannot be skipped.  I'll hold on judging this one until you have run STS 2

SM

Whoops, my bad--I forgot to post the results of that mission.  Here it is:

http://imgur.com/a/nUBym

[Alchemist]

@zolotiyeruki Interesting design! What do you call it? Somehow, when looking at it, I get one single name in mind:ЗАЯЦ

[zolotiyeruki]

Did the rescue.  This one was kinda boring, since the shuttle has already proven itself several times.  I can't wait to go to Duna (but I have to build a space station first)!

To be honest, these launches all look the same--it's the same shuttle with the same boosters, just a few different things in the cargo bay.   I had, again, a lot of extra fuel on landing, and this time, it nearly lost me the mission.  Got a little wild on (and off) the runway.

http://imgur.com/a/VsTKh

[Speeding Mullet]

@zolotiyeruki I'm trying to review your STS 2 and 4 missions but I think you may have them mixed up a little.  The pictures are not in order and also it looks on the face of it like there are a lot of STS 4 pictures in the STS 2 mission report.

Can you have a look and tell me whether i'm being an idiot please? 

SM

[Pro100kerbonaut]

Video:

It is my first shuttle.

Weight-225,865 kg

Dry orbiter weight - 20,890 kg

price-152,535 funds

max payload to LKO-42 t

Edited August 22, 2016 by Pro100kerbonaut

[michal.don]

@Speeding Mullet, I just noticed the "temporary" picture in the mission description, so as the first one to land on Laythe, I would like to nominate this one:

If, for any reason, you don't like this one, feel free to choose another one from my mission album.

Michal.don

 

[Speeding Mullet]

On 8/22/2016 at 10:08 PM, Pro100kerbonaut said:

Video:

It is my first shuttle.

Weight-225,865 kg

Dry orbiter weight - 20,890 kg

price-152,535 funds

max payload to LKO-42 t

Hi @Pro100kerbonaut welcome to the challenge!  Always good to see new faces and new shuttle designs.  Looks like you went for as much speed as possible to orbit which was good to watch.  I noticed also you had some kind of water obstacle course laid out below.  What was that about?  A different challenge?

Anyway nice shuttle design, simple Main tank config with plenty of scope for expansion and adding power.  Possibly a little twitchy on landing though haha!  Looks stock so I will award you with the Pilot's badge unless you tell me otherwise.  

Good luck with the next challenge, you should be able to ace the fuel pod challenge based on this video!

 

On 8/24/2016 at 1:38 AM, michal.don said:

feel free to choose another one from my mission album.

Nah I like this one!  OP updated

Also - I've updated everyone else's wins to the OP that I think was outstanding, so if I've missed you off let me know!

SM

Edited August 25, 2016 by Speeding Mullet

[Pro100kerbonaut]

Screenshots.

Deployed the Fuel pod into orbit.

Ap. 75 141,8

Pe.75 137,6

[Guest]

I've got some questions about STS-2a.

Note: This mission requires the use of an Mk3 Fuselage-based shuttle.

Is this an absolute requirement, or a recommendation based on the size of the suggested subassembly? If we design our own, what limits are there on the satellites' designs (have to be over a certain mass? if I can use a smaller bay can I store them in pieces and assemble using KAS?), or is the Mk3 fuselage requirement the limiter itself (in making the shuttle's structure heavier)?

 

And STS-3.

Note: This mission requires the use of a shuttle with at least a CRG-100 cargo bay.

Is this exact bay required, or just something that at least that capacity like a Mk4 bay (or even less capacity, so long as I can contrive a way of getting the payload inside; again is KAS assembly okay)?

 

I'll probably use Hornet for these missions, which won't pose any such issues, but I'm also working on a new craft concept based on the B9 S2 hull which is quite a bit leaner, and if I go on to use that for future challenges beyond 2 and 3 some of these questions might come up again.

[zolotiyeruki]

Finished up stages 5-8 today.  The habitation module consists of a larger common area, and six private cabins.  I stuck another science module on, along with some solar panels. One of the private cabins had floated off, so I recovered it along the way.

A bunch of the docking happened on the dark side of the planet, so the pictures aren't very good.  Also, the Kraken attacked one of my shuttles, tearing off the LV-Ns, my solar panels, my main landing gear, and a whole bunch of liquid fuel.  Fortunately, I had a bit of oxidizer left, so I was able to de-orbit. I hope that my landing in the shallows right next to KSC doesn't disqualify the entry.

http://imgur.com/a/7JCkK

[Pro100kerbonaut]

@zolotiyeruki, cool rabbit shuttle! 

[Speeding Mullet]

On 8/25/2016 at 7:46 PM, Pro100kerbonaut said:

Screenshots.

Deployed the Fuel pod into orbit.

Ap. 75 141,8

Pe.75 137,6

Well done!  Can you confirm that the 42t fuel pod is stock?  It looks recolored obviously, but I want to be able to assign you the correct badge.  Here's one in the meantime:  

 

On 8/25/2016 at 9:59 PM, String Witch said:

 

I've got some questions about STS-2a.

 

 

On 8/25/2016 at 9:59 PM, String Witch said:

And STS-3.

Hi there!  The suggested payloads require the use of the Mk3 cargo bay, but if you are designing your own satellites and telescope then feel free to adjust as you see fit.  there's no absolute requirement to use a Mk3 shuttle to complete these missions, and if you use KIS/KAS you will simply be placed in the modded category instead of stock.  Basically go for it!!

 

19 hours ago, zolotiyeruki said:

Finished up stages 5-8 today.  The habitation module consists of a larger common area, and six private cabins.  I stuck another science module on, along with some solar panels. One of the private cabins had floated off, so I recovered it along the way.

A bunch of the docking happened on the dark side of the planet, so the pictures aren't very good.  Also, the Kraken attacked one of my shuttles, tearing off the LV-Ns, my solar panels, my main landing gear, and a whole bunch of liquid fuel.  Fortunately, I had a bit of oxidizer left, so I was able to de-orbit. I hope that my landing in the shallows right next to KSC doesn't disqualify the entry.

http://imgur.com/a/7JCkK

I'm still waiting for you to come back to me on the STS 2 and 4 mission galleries.  Please see up the thread for my post directed at you and a small request.  Also the gallery for this mission only shows STS 7 and 8 so I can't rule on your completion of this challenge either yet until I see the STS 5 and 6 mission runs.  I know posting galleries is a pain, but if you could spend a little time putting them in order and perhaps annotating them it would make judging a lot easier for me.  Once I've seen all this it will be a badge frenzy with STS 2 through 8 due to be awarded!

 

SM

 

 

[zolotiyeruki]

21 minutes ago, Speeding Mullet said:

I'm still waiting for you to come back to me on the STS 2 and 4 mission galleries.  Please see up the thread for my post directed at you and a small request.  Also the gallery for this mission only shows STS 7 and 8 so I can't rule on your completion of this challenge either yet until I see the STS 5 and 6 mission runs.  I know posting galleries is a pain, but if you could spend a little time putting them in order and perhaps annotating them it would make judging a lot easier for me.  Once I've seen all this it will be a badge frenzy with STS 2 through 8 due to be awarded!

I must have snuck them in under your nose, then  Looks like I haven't posted 5-6 yet, though.

Here's #2:

Here's #4: 

 

[Daelkyr]

Okay! I tried long and hard to get a shuttle that would work. After tearing my hair out trying to land a modded shuttle look-alike, I decided to go with "what if?" versions of the shuttle. What I ended up with was the Sarnus Shuttle Transportation System (SSTS). The maiden voyage of the first orbiter, named Intrepid was launched with Inigma Industries 42t fuel pod on mission SSTS-1a/b. Originally, the plan was to just attempt a launch, orbit, and landing. But if the Kerbal Space Center is paying for a Sarnus V C-I lower stage booster, it wanted to get its money's worth so contracted out the payload bay. The mission was "full up" and all tasks were accomplished. Intrepid launched successfully, the Sarnus I-C booster decoupled from the orbiter external tank and was able to safely land in the ocean for retrieval, refurbishment, and reuse; saving the KSC hundreds of thousands of funds. After reaching an 150km orbit, Intrepid released it's payload and Valentina performed an EVA to activate the newly christened Fuel Depot Alpha for future space missions. After spending 4 hours on orbit, Intrepid performed a de-orbit burn and landed on the beach to the west of the KSC. While it landed short, Intrepid proved that the SSTS program is the future of space missions.

SSTS-1a/b Album

Mod List

Spoiler

Kerbal Engineer Redux

Kerbal Joint Reenforcement

Cormorant Aeronology

Shuttle Payload Technologies

Spacey Heavy Lifting Parts

DIRECT

KRASH

Mk2Expansion

Mk3Expansion

KAS (For On Orbit Construction)

KIS  (For On Orbit Construction)

Chatterer (Because I get sad if I don't have it)

 

I'm bummed that I landed short of the runway, but I'll have to spend more time in the simulator.

I'm getting ready to launch SSTS-2a but I have a quick question about SSTS-2b. Do I need to use my standard shuttle build to lift that damn ore container or can I make slight modifications. Basically, I'm wondering if I can add some SRB's to the first stage to help heft the payload into orbit? If that goes against the idea for SSTS-2b, I understand, but I just can't seem to find the right fuel balance to get the payload into orbit without that little bit extra oomph.

Regardless, this is an amazing challenge. Thank you for putting it out there. I've never used orbiters before and this has been an eye-opening experience.

[Paranoid Shark]

@zolotiyeruki,

I think the problem that @Speeding Mullet is having is that everybody else's entries to this challenge are galleries that have the images arranged like a comic book.

We have a beginning (launch & circularisation), middle (payload deployment) and end (de-orbit & landing). 

Yours are like somebody has cut up the comic book and then put them back together in the wrong order or even muddled up one story (mission) with another.

On the imgur site you can log in and edit your albums. When in the editing mode, look for the re-arrange images button on the right side. You then just have to drag and drop them into the correct order (top left to bottom right).

Have a look at some of my previous missions if you want a bit more clarification.

Don't feel that you have to annotate every image (I don't) but the annotations do help if it isn't quite clear what is going on in the image, or if you are missing an important screenshot.

If you want to add annotations, again go to the edit mode and click on an individual image. You will then be able to give it a title and/or descriptive text at the bottom.

Hope this helps!

Kit

 

Edited August 27, 2016 by Paranoid Shark

[zolotiyeruki]

Alright, here's the Space station assembly, missions 5, 6, and the first part of 7.  Properly captioned and in order.

http://imgur.com/a/mi6v4

I've rearranged the pictures for 7&8 as well.  For some reason, imgur put them in randomly when I uploaded. Grrr.

 

[Pro100kerbonaut]

@Speeding Mullet i used Ven's Stock parts revamp textures.

And how I can add badges to my profile?

[awfulhumanbeing]

Heck the new mission is harsh.

 

Spoiler

(Even though i will never accomplish it, I have a hard time selling a Strange Reserve Shooter, and this is a lot easier than flying to Laythe even in a rocket.)

 

[Speeding Mullet]

18 hours ago, Daelkyr said:

Okay! I tried long and hard to get a shuttle that would work. After tearing my hair out trying to land a modded shuttle look-alike, I decided to go with "what if?" versions of the shuttle. What I ended up with was the Sarnus Shuttle Transportation System (SSTS). The maiden voyage of the first orbiter, named Intrepid was launched with Inigma Industries 42t fuel pod on mission SSTS-1a/b. Originally, the plan was to just attempt a launch, orbit, and landing. But if the Kerbal Space Center is paying for a Sarnus V C-I lower stage booster, it wanted to get its money's worth so contracted out the payload bay. The mission was "full up" and all tasks were accomplished. Intrepid launched successfully, the Sarnus I-C booster decoupled from the orbiter external tank and was able to safely land in the ocean for retrieval, refurbishment, and reuse; saving the KSC hundreds of thousands of funds. After reaching an 150km orbit, Intrepid released it's payload and Valentina performed an EVA to activate the newly christened Fuel Depot Alpha for future space missions. After spending 4 hours on orbit, Intrepid performed a de-orbit burn and landed on the beach to the west of the KSC. While it landed short, Intrepid proved that the SSTS program is the future of space missions.

SSTS-1a/b Album

Mod List

  Reveal hidden contents

Kerbal Engineer Redux

Kerbal Joint Reenforcement

Cormorant Aeronology

Shuttle Payload Technologies

Spacey Heavy Lifting Parts

DIRECT

KRASH

Mk2Expansion

Mk3Expansion

KAS (For On Orbit Construction)

KIS  (For On Orbit Construction)

Chatterer (Because I get sad if I don't have it)

 

I'm bummed that I landed short of the runway, but I'll have to spend more time in the simulator.

I'm getting ready to launch SSTS-2a but I have a quick question about SSTS-2b. Do I need to use my standard shuttle build to lift that damn ore container or can I make slight modifications. Basically, I'm wondering if I can add some SRB's to the first stage to help heft the payload into orbit? If that goes against the idea for SSTS-2b, I understand, but I just can't seem to find the right fuel balance to get the payload into orbit without that little bit extra oomph.

Regardless, this is an amazing challenge. Thank you for putting it out there. I've never used orbiters before and this has been an eye-opening experience.

Welcome to the challenge @Daelkyr!  Nice take on a Saturn Shuttle, and the recoverable nature of the first stage is really neat to see.  Lot's of the shuttles on this challenge are pretty much expendable so nice work!  Don't worry about not hitting KSC, it's really hard just to build a winged orbiter that functions in any way successfully.  the standard is really going up on this thread and the 42t payload is really now a pretty standard thing to get to space it seems.  Have a  couple of badges for your hard work, and cannot wait to see what else the Sarnus is capable of.  I'll update the OP shortly...  

To answer your question you can modify the shuttle as much as you want between missions, or even use a completely different shuttle if you see fit!  Some people do this, and some people try and run the same shuttle for all the missions, but it's entirely up to you.  Add moar boosters to your hearts content as long as you stay within the definition of a shuttle for the purposes of the challenge.  If in doubt pics and I'll let you know .  Thanks for the kind words on the challenge!

 

10 hours ago, zolotiyeruki said:

Alright, here's the Space station assembly, missions 5, 6, and the first part of 7.  Properly captioned and in order.

Great thanks!  If you can go ahead and do the same for STS 2 and STS 4 then I can review and grant you many badges

 

10 hours ago, Pro100kerbonaut said:

And how I can add badges to my profile?

Go to account settings in your profile and it will give you the option of editing your signature.  You can just copy paste the image into your signature.  Also - cool, I'll take that as a stock fuel pod then, your badge is good to go.

 

7 hours ago, awfulhumanbeing said:

Heck the new mission is harsh.

Yeah it's really really tough by the looks of it. I wonder how @Alchemist is getting on with it?

 

SM

 

[zolotiyeruki]

I've updated Stage 4 to be in order.  Somehow I managed to upload a bunch of pictures from stage 4 into the stage 2 album.  That's fixed now, and stage 2 was already in order.

Stage 2:  http://imgur.com/a/nUBym

Stage 4: http://imgur.com/a/VsTKh

[Speeding Mullet]

On 8/28/2016 at 3:39 PM, zolotiyeruki said:

I've updated Stage 4 to be in order.

Thanks for updating these and all the other albums, it's a great help, and consequently grants me great pleasure in being able to have enormous badge diarrhea:

STS-2:  You boosted the satellites to over 350km, but haven't placed them in Geostationary orbits (or haven't included the screenshots).  Seeing as it's a given once you reach 350km the comsats can make it that high I am happy to award you the badge. Even better if you can provide screen shots of the final satellite orbit   

STS-3:  Really nicely run mission, well done!  Looks like you are getting over some stability issues on re-entry here but yep good effort.  The inclined orbits do seem to be much more challenging for re-entries!  

STS-4:  Nearly stacked it on landing ey!  Nothing like seeing two shuttles you have designed orbiting at incredible speed meters from each other.  Nice rendezvous work!  

STS-5-8:  Great work in building the space station, how did you find this one?  For me it really made me understand packaging of modules within size and weight limits.  No worries on the Kraken attack, you came close enough to KSC to call it KSC I think, and you have proved enough already your shuttle's capability to land  on the runway, so please take and wear your badge with pride!  

 

Now for the potato mission I believe!  Can't wait to see your shuttle tackle that one.  It's a monster mission you will really enjoy it

 

SM