Make Von Braun Proud

[quasarrgames]

Now your job is to make a launch system reminiscent of the designs of Von Braun: low-tech, but overengineered to the point of insanity.

RULES:

-The ONLY engines you are allowed to use are the Flea, Hammer, and the monopropellant thrusters

-ISRU is not allowed

-no probe cores. Dropped stages don't have to be crewed, however. Just time their parachutes right.

-no hyperedit or other similar cheats

-please check with me first to see which modded parts are allowed

 

The part counts aren't as crazy as you expect. This 124-part, 160-ton expendable rocket can get 15 tons of payload to orbit with fuel to spare.

Categories:

Mini Braun:

Get 3 kerbals (in command pods) to the surface of the Mun and back.

Braun:

Get 50 kerbals (in command pods) to the surface of the Mun and back using an at least partially reusable launch system.

Brains And Braun:

Get 50 Kerbals (in command pods) the the surface of the mun using a rully reusable launch system (including the lander).

Crazy Braun:

Get 70 kerbals (in command pods) to the surface of Duna and back using a fully reusable launch system (not including the lander).

Super Braun:

Impress Me.

 

My entry: Coming soon!

Edited December 20, 2017 by quasarrgames

[Cheif Operations Director]

Werhner Von Braun Mainly focused on Liquid Rockets.

[snip]

Werner Von Braun focused mainly on Liquid Rockets for most of his career.

Edited December 21, 2017 by Vanamonde

[quasarrgames]

8 minutes ago, Cheif Operations Director said:

Werhner Von Braun Mainly focused on Liquid Rockets.

Werner Von Braun focused mainly on Liquid Rockets for most of his career.

Yes, but he shied away from cryogenic fuels and mostly used hypergolics in his designs, correct? I thought monopropellant was a better analogue to hypergolic fuel. The SRBs are there just because it's very hard to get a pure monopropellant rocket out of the lower atmosphere with a sizeable payload.

[Marschig]

2 hours ago, quasarrgames said:

Yes, but he shied away from cryogenic fuels and mostly used hypergolics in his designs, correct?

No.

[NSEP]

4 hours ago, quasarrgames said:

Yes, but he shied away from cryogenic fuels and mostly used hypergolics in his designs, correct?

Pretty much the opposite. He rarely used hypergolics. He almost always used Liquid Oxygen in his rockets, neither did he intend to launch people on SRBs.

Not to ruin the fun it though, i would still try this if i have time 

[sevenperforce]

Also, FWIW, hypergolics are bipropellant just like LO/LF. Given the infinite restartability of kerbal engines, hypergols are a closer analogue to kerbal fuel than cryos.

[Cheif Operations Director]

Everyone is correct in the last replies. I would suggest Channing your challenge to a weight limit

[Laie]

Been there done that. I've spent the better part of past autumn making this huge thing, meta-modding the game beyond recognition, tweaking engine stats, rescaling parts, and a thousand odds and ends besides. Can provide ferry service to a 1700km Earth (not Kerbin!) orbit. The gentle, gliding reentry takes more than one hour to play out.

Technicially it's still an ongoing WIP, I wanted to do the Mars Project but there's more riddles to be solved, like  making suitably sized and shaped rovers to go into the cargo bay. Let's see if I revisit the project between the years.

So. That said.

I'm not sure if there is a generic "von Braun" style -- @quasarrgames, I guess you meant the the 1950s stuff I tried above, but please keep in mind that it was technically sound when considering what was known at the time.

20 years later, von Braun would put his name under the Integrated Program Plan, envisioning a space shuttle and nuclear tug. Again, technically sound, but from a 1970 point of view. High efficiency, much robotic, cryogenics throughout. 

[Matuchkin]

On 20/12/2017 at 3:01 PM, Laie said:

I'm not sure if there is a generic "von Braun" style -- @quasarrgames, I guess you meant the the 1950s stuff I tried above, but please keep in mind that it was technically sound when considering what was known at the time.

This what you were going after?

Von Braun is apparently asking the same question.