Cheapest flight to the Mun and back?

[zeanomourph]

Well the title basically sums up my question, I was sure this had probably been asked before but did a quick search and it didn't turn up anything, so:

What is the cheapest rocket that you have built, capable of taking (at least) one crew to the Mun and returning safely?

Asking purely for interest's sake, I just built one for 25,190 Funds but I'm sure it could be done much, much cheaper than that, I literally just threw this thing together in about 5 mins to bust a few contracts in a new career (Flyby Mun, Orbit Mun, Plant flag on Mun and Recover science from Mun surface all in one go!), kinda wasn't expecting it to work half as well as it did and have to refine it a bunch (I don't use mods and suck at math so do all my designs by trial and error lol I find it more fun that way) But only took 2 very minor redesigns and has now been to the Mun and brought Jeb home safe  Pretty happy with it considering I'm still pretty new to the game (281 hours played is still new, right? I've only had it for about a month lol)

Could have saved 900 funds on the thermometer so I will count this as total build cost 24,290 Funds because it would have made it without anyway

So back to the question at hand, what is your cheapest design to land a Kerbal on the Mun and then return safe to Kerbin?

[magnemoe]

You could probably do it cheaper using an solid fuel first stage and drop tanks for circulating and going to Mun. 
It would however not look so good

Edited September 13, 2016 by magnemoe

[Red Iron Crown]

Did this for a challenge in 1.0.4, landing on both Mun and Minmus and returning for 7925 funds. Mun alone should be possible for a bit cheaper.

Edited September 13, 2016 by Red Iron Crown
Fixed link.

[Hodari]

3 minutes ago, Red Iron Crown said:

Did this for a challenge in 1.0.4, landing on both Mun and Minmus and returning for 7925 funds. Mun alone should be possible for a bit cheaper.

Need to fix that link there  

[Red Iron Crown]

1 minute ago, Hodari said:

Need to fix that link there  

So I do, thanks.  

[zeanomourph]

9 minutes ago, Red Iron Crown said:

Did this for a challenge in 1.0.4, landing on both Mun and Minmus and returning for 7925 funds. Mun alone should be possible for a bit cheaper.

Wow! That is seriously cheap! Like cheaper than the rocket I use just to get to LKO cheap! Very impressive.. I'm gonna have to start using more SRB's I think, I just have so much trouble controlling them with no thrust control and no vectoring... time to brush up on my piloting skills

Edited September 13, 2016 by zeanomourph
Link is working now :)

[Hodari]

Just now, zeanomourph said:

Wow! That link isn't working for me, but that is seriously cheap! Like cheaper than the rocket I use just to get to orbit cheap! Very impressive.. I'm gonna have to start using more SRB's I think, I just have so much trouble controlling them with no thrust control and no vectoring... time to brush up on my piloting skills

Yeah, definitely impressive.  I had figured the cost could easily be cut to something like 12k, but not quite THAT low.

[steuben]

kexpedia.com usually has the cheapest flights.

That 8k job, was it kerbaled or just a probe?

[Red Iron Crown]

Just now, steuben said:

kexpedia.com usually has the cheapest flights.

That 8k job, was it kerbaled or just a probe?

One kerbal in a Mk1 pod.

[Diche Bach]

Impressive, most impressive.

[ManEatingApe]

Any objections to a command chair? If not then you could use something similar to my entry for this challenge [Stock] Road Trip

For just under 5K funds this design managed a Grand Tour Flyby so if the only destination is the Mun I'm sure you even could save another few hundred.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Hodari]

Slightly off-topic, but after a few attempts, I managed to get this communications satellite into LKO for under 2k funds.  m

[Pecan]

5 hours ago, zeanomourph said:

...So back to the question at hand, what is your cheapest design to land a Kerbal on the Mun and then return safe to Kerbin?

There doesn't seem to be similar challenge running at the moment ... perhaps you'd like to create one?
Unfortunately, I only have a lightest on-hand (6.5t, since you ask), and that's not competitive on cost, so I'll have to do some work ...

[suicidejunkie]

I do round trip 3-star training/tourism on my spaceplane to Minmus surface, Kerbol SoI, Mun flyby and back to the runway for about 400 spesos per ticket if you imagine having to pay the Minmus ISRU gas station the KSC rates for fuel.

The initial equipment investment is pretty high, but I love my RTGs and the same pre-purchased vehicle just keeps doing the loop indefinitely.

[Pecan]

9 minutes ago, suicidejunkie said:

...The initial equipment investment is pretty high, but I love my RTGs and the same pre-purchased vehicle just keeps doing the loop indefinitely.

So there would be another challenge - or part of the same one - cheapest reusable design ...

[Sharpy]

On 13.09.2016 at 2:23 PM, Red Iron Crown said:

Did this for a challenge in 1.0.4, landing on both Mun and Minmus and returning for 7925 funds. Mun alone should be possible for a bit cheaper.

TWO launch clamps? Bourgeois!

[Kerbart]

2 minutes ago, Sharpy said:

TWO launch clamps? Bourgeois!

Launch clamps?!

what's next, a parachute for landing, instead of jumping at of the capsule at 5km altitude?

[Red Iron Crown]

8 minutes ago, Sharpy said:

TWO launch clamps? Bourgeois!

I tried it with one but at that angle it either sagged too much or struck the rocket as it launched.  

5 minutes ago, Kerbart said:

Launch clamps?!

what's next, a parachute for landing, instead of jumping at of the capsule at 5km altitude?

Funny you mention that, same challenge done chasing lowest possible part count: http://imgur.com/a/WK14J#0

[ManEatingApe]

Out of curiosity, cobbled together the cheapest contraption that I could devise.

Using a command chair and with only the Mun as a destination it's possible to get a lot cheaper...2392 kredits to be precise.

Legitimate decouplers are surprisingly expensive, but a sacrificial octagonal cube directly under each exhaust makes a cheap but effective alternative!

 

Full Album here

[Armisael]

How'd you load the kerbal into the chair? It hardly seems fair to not count that.

[RocketSquid]

12 minutes ago, Armisael said:

How'd you load the kerbal into the chair? It hardly seems fair to not count that.

Either TakeCommand or a small tower that you can recover for 100% value.

[Armisael]

The challenge gets very different if recovery or mods are allowed.

[ManEatingApe]

18 minutes ago, Armisael said:

How'd you load the kerbal into the chair? It hardly seems fair to not count that.

 

5 minutes ago, RocketSquid said:

Either TakeCommand or a small tower that you can recover for 100% value.

Exactly what @RocketSquid suggested, depending on mood I either use something elegant and sophisticated horrible slapped together like this!

In this case I was repeatedly tweaking the design so just used Take Command instead.

 

Some people do feel command chairs are a little exploity, however I'd estimate it's still possible to do it for less than 5K even with a pod.

You could even throw in a parachute...luxury! 

 

Edited September 15, 2016 by ManEatingApe

[septemberWaves]

What about cost per kerbal though? I'm sure someone could make a truly gargantuan spaceplane with a crew capacity of several hundred kerbals, and thus make the costs per kerbal incredibly...affordable.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, eloquentJane said:

What about cost per kerbal though? I'm sure someone could make a truly gargantuan spaceplane with a crew capacity of several hundred kerbals, and thus make the costs per kerbal incredibly...affordable.

Like this?

 

Mining at the destination and returning with fuel to sell can make a mission pay for itself.

Edited September 15, 2016 by Guest