Mun and back as many times as possible

[LightBender]

A redo for a challenge I put out a while back. Ok layout: Your challenge is to go to the Stock Kerbal Mun as many times as you can in a single launch vehicle without ever recovering the craft.

Rules:. -No mods (except informational, cosmetic mods are allowed) (Feel free to ask if certain mods are ok)

-Be creative 

-no cheats (debug menu [F12])

-no engine tweaking (say changing fuel consumption or thrust) but thrust limiting in the editor is OK of course.

-No Kerbals should die or get stranded

-no prebuilt craft

-NO mining

-No use of Eva packs exept when you forgot the ladders

-Minumum of 1 Kerbal 

How to Start: Takeoff from the KSC runway or launchpad and get to the Mun anyway you want (without cheating) land on the Mun plant a flag return to Kerbin then plant a flag then just repeat over and over until your craft is completely out of fuel then submit your entry, the person with the most times going to the Mun AND back to Kerbin will win my.....uhm.....gratuity? {Please suggest rules or scoring idea's if possible}

Edited January 6, 2018 by LightBender
I make mistakes and good luck to who ever takes this challenge!

[sevenperforce]

You say "no orbital tugs" -- do you mean people cannot leave part of the ship in orbit?

My go-to approach would be to launch an SSTO along with a reusable nuclear single-stage Mun lander, an ion tug, and a fuel depot, then have the Kerbals cycle back and forth until the fuel depot is expended.

But if you're saying no docking, then this will just be won by whoever can build the largest parallel-staged monstrosity.

[LightBender]

2 hours ago, sevenperforce said:

You say "no orbital tugs" -- do you mean people cannot leave part of the ship in orbit?

My go-to approach would be to launch an SSTO along with a reusable nuclear single-stage Mun lander, an ion tug, and a fuel depot, then have the Kerbals cycle back and forth until the fuel depot is expended.

But if you're saying no docking, then this will just be won by whoever can build the largest parallel-staged monstrosity.

By orbital tugs I mean another separate craft pulling your craft say to orbit of kerbin.

No docking I feel like keeping the rule, if I allow it every entry would just be a SSTO with a fuel depot put into Kerbin and Mun orbit then yeah all the craft would be pretty much the same

Q. have you gotten to scoring my Falcon Heavy? 

[sevenperforce]

19 minutes ago, LightBender said:

By orbital tugs I mean another separate craft pulling your craft say to orbit of kerbin.

No docking I feel like keeping the rule, if I allow it every entry would just be a SSTO with a fuel depot put into Kerbin and Mun orbit then yeah all the craft would be pretty much the same

Q. have you gotten to scoring my Falcon Heavy? 

No docking? Every vehicle has to be direct ascent? Then, like I said, the winner is just going to be whoever's computer can support the largest parallel-staged monster, which isn't much fun.

Just because people make an SSTO for their Kerbin-side shuttle doesn't mean that every craft is identical. People have a LOT of choices about how they want to set up mission architecture. You could do a dedicated Mun-side lander, or you could have a single capsule that docks to various vehicles at various stages.

If you want to make it more interesting, you could always specify no airbreathers, but I don't think it's necessary.

Another way of making it interesting would be to allow docking, but specify no crew transfer, so you have to do the whole trip in a single ship/capsule.

Also, I scored your FH.

[LightBender]

8 minutes ago, sevenperforce said:

No docking? Every vehicle has to be direct ascent? Then, like I said, the winner is just going to be whoever's computer can support the largest parallel-staged monster, which isn't much fun.

Just because people make an SSTO for their Kerbin-side shuttle doesn't mean that every craft is identical. People have a LOT of choices about how they want to set up mission architecture. You could do a dedicated Mun-side lander, or you could have a single capsule that docks to various vehicles at various stages.

If you want to make it more interesting, you could always specify no airbreathers, but I don't think it's necessary.

Another way of making it interesting would be to allow docking, but specify no crew transfer, so you have to do the whole trip in a single ship/capsule.

Also, I scored your FH.

Hmm ok ill change up the rules also thanks for scoring it 2nd place and still using a 2.5 meter wide rocket-ish  

[sevenperforce]

All right, I've built a tiny shuttle that leaves orbit, land on Kerbin, and go back, using 400 units of LF only. I've also built a tiny single-seat ion-powered Mun lander that can go from Mun orbit to surface and back using 400 units of xenon.

Now to build my Kerbin-to-Mun nuclear shuttle.

[LightBender]

1 hour ago, sevenperforce said:

All right, I've built a tiny shuttle that leaves orbit, land on Kerbin, and go back, using 400 units of LF only. I've also built a tiny single-seat ion-powered Mun lander that can go from Mun orbit to surface and back using 400 units of xenon.

Now to build my Kerbin-to-Mun nuclear shuttle.

Cool also how on earth does it only use 400 units of fuel to orbit seems like so little.

Edited January 5, 2018 by LightBender

[sevenperforce]

30 minutes ago, LightBender said:

Cool also how on earth does it only use 400 units of fuel to orbit seems like so little.

It's very small.

Cockpit, intake, nuke, and Whiplash. Four wing strakes, two canards, tripod landing gear. It only needs the fuel inside the strakes to get to orbit.

The nuclear shuttle is done; it uses a single nuke for the transfer, injection, and return burns, and it aerobrakes back to LKO. 250 units of LF per round-trip.

[LightBender]

On January 5, 2018 at 6:32 PM, sevenperforce said:

It's very small.

Cockpit, intake, nuke, and Whiplash. Four wing strakes, two canards, tripod landing gear. It only needs the fuel inside the strakes to get to orbit.

The nuclear shuttle is done; it uses a single nuke for the transfer, injection, and return burns, and it aerobrakes back to LKO. 250 units of LF per round-trip.

Wow quite impressive so how are you landing on the Mun?

[sevenperforce]

17 minutes ago, LightBender said:

Wow quite impressive so how are you landing on the Mun?

A Dawn, a reaction wheel, a command seat, a 2x6 fixed solar panel, 400 units of xenon, and a single radial battery for that extra burst of power.

Currently reworking my nuclear shuttle...I think I'll add a Klaw and a radial xenon tank and use it to refuel my Mun lander once each trip. Will need a touch of extra LF to be safe, but it's still much more efficient (and environmentally-friendly) than leaving a xenon depot in Mun orbit.

[LightBender]

On January 5, 2018 at 8:37 PM, sevenperforce said:

A Dawn, a reaction wheel, a command seat, a 2x6 fixed solar panel, 400 units of xenon, and a single radial battery for that extra burst of power.

Currently reworking my nuclear shuttle...I think I'll add a Klaw and a radial xenon tank and use it to refuel my Mun lander once each trip. Will need a touch of extra LF to be safe, but it's still much more efficient (and environmentally-friendly) than leaving a xenon depot in Mun orbit.

Nice can't wait to see it.

[sevenperforce]

13 hours ago, LightBender said:

Nice can't wait to see it.

All right, she's done, and I tested the ascent. Launch mass of 490 tonnes, payload of roughly 90 tonnes, enough LF for at least 18 round-trips. LF is the limiting factor; I packed enough xenon for 64 trips, so I will definitely run out of LF first.

A sneak preview:

[LightBender]

1 hour ago, sevenperforce said:

All right, she's done, and I tested the ascent. Launch mass of 490 tonnes, payload of roughly 90 tonnes, enough LF for at least 18 round-trips. LF is the limiting factor; I packed enough xenon for 64 trips, so I will definitely run out of LF first.

A sneak preview:

Looks really cool. How many times do you think It could go to the Mun and back?

[luizopiloto]

you mentioned nothing about re-fueling the craft...

[sevenperforce]

52 minutes ago, LightBender said:

Looks really cool. How many times do you think It could go to the Mun and back?

At least 18.

[LightBender]

Just now, sevenperforce said:

At least 18.

18 Wow I challenged a twitch streamer with the same thin and he did it twice!

[LightBender]

On January 6, 2018 at 1:08 PM, luizopiloto said:

you mentioned nothing about re-fueling the craft...

Refueling as in? How?

[SG Aero]

Hmmmmm.... am I allowed to build an overly complex mechanical launch system?

EDIT: or I could invoke the craven in its most powerful form and try to count all the times Jeb bounces from kerbin to the min without dying

Edited January 7, 2018 by ShadowGoat

[LightBender]

On January 7, 2018 at 2:47 PM, ShadowGoat said:

Hmmmmm.... am I allowed to build an overly complex mechanical launch system?

EDIT: or I could invoke the craven in its most powerful form and try to count all the times Jeb bounces from kerbin to the min without dying

Sorry for the late reply but I mean yeah I guess sure!