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The Rocket Javelin Challenge!

SamNxGn
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SamNxGn

SamNxGn

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The Objective

Build the most efficient rocket javelin possible! A rocket javelin is an unmanned solid rocket booster modified to fly further than any single rocket booster has gone before! In order to be counted as a javelin it must also be launched from an incline no greater than 45 to the horizontal. Be warned, this challenge requires greater precision and testing compared to some other challenges, and WILL result in countless launches of failed rockets. If you have ever tried to build a rocket booster plane you will know they are hard to control even when they are manned. Take manual control out of the equation and a real challenge emerges. As with the real javelin event, the javelin rocket with the highest GROUND distance at the end of the flight is the winner.

Rules

Any parts may be used as long as the single solid booster is the only propulsion system on the craft.

The craft must be unmanned (you may not have any control over the craft). This is achieved by activating the booster before detaching it from a manned launch craft held in position by supports. Note: Hit the ] key after launch!

No community parts or modified parts may be used.

The craft must be launched from an angle between 0 and 45 degrees to the horizontal. Steeper launches are not allowed.

The smaller rocket booster must be used

Measuring Distance and Posting

In order to make an entry take a screenshot of the End Flight screen, making sure that both the maximum altitude and ground distance are clearly visible. Please also include an image of the craft before launch to prove the launch angle was not above the 45 degree limit. All craft with a maximum altitude above 25 Km will be counted as Space-planes, whereas all below will be counted as Gliders.

Glider Leaderboard - 25Km Maximum Altitude

Values in brackets are a players older entries. All distances are recorded in Km

1. EndlessWaves - 261.1 (117.3)

2. NetBlitzer - 142.9 (57.8) (18.5)

3. Suprablaski4 - 133

4. Trebuchet-Launch - 83.1 (44.3)

5. G00MH - 45.5 (22.8)

6. Praitaq - 43.7

7. Ramipro - 33.6

8. BillWiskins - 26.0 (15.5)

9. Padarom - 25.0

10. SteevyT - 23.1

11. 1248766 - 14.7

12. SamNxGn - 13.4

13. Simplemunrockets - 10.8

14. Bluejayek - 9.1

Space-Plane Leaderboard

Values in brackets are a players older entries. All distances are recorded in Km

1. Trebuchet-Launch - 271.1 (214.8) (170.0) (86.3)

2. Pebble_Garden - 182.5

3. NetBlitzer - 90.0

High Speed Award:

Below is an example attempt made by me to get you thinking :)

screenshot10.png

screenshot12.png

screenshot16.png

screenshot17.png

Final Distance: 13.4 Km

Top Recorded Speed: 579.7 m/s

Good Luck! :cool:

Edited by SamNxGn
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BillWiskins

BillWiskins

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Trial and error is understating it a bit! I don't think I've ever hit the 'launch' button with such frequency. Anyway my best thus far is 11.2km:

DzL02.png

Edit: slight angle adjustments yielded a great improvement:

t1ECZ.png
Edited by BillWiskins
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Trebuchet-Launch

Trebuchet-Launch

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In the course of trying to get one to fly further than 8 km forward, I've accidentally created a single-solid booster which turns straight up and reaches space (suborbitally, of course). This is, needless to say, a surprise, and also means you can end up too far to see the purple diamond.

EDIT: I suppose Suprablaski managed something similar.

EDIT2: You can see the purple diamond from further out than I thought.

Edited by Trebuchet-Launch
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SamNxGn

SamNxGn

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Trebuchet-Launch, how did you get the rocket to head vertically so quickly after a horizontal launch. I've been launching some vertically and have struggled to get your distances O.O. Can you post the launch setup?

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SamNxGn

SamNxGn

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I think I underestimated the distances people would acheive... next thing someone will get an unmanned SRB into orbit :confused:

Changed the OP regarding proof of distance, from now a screenshot of the end flight dialogue box is required in posts for them to be official entries :)

Edited by SamNxGn
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Trebuchet-Launch

Trebuchet-Launch

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Two pairs of canards: one slightly biased to the rear and angled slightly down, to pitch the nose up. Put some wheels on the bottom. It will launch, bounce, and, if you're lucky, start turning up. If you're really lucky, it'll rip the wheels off on the bounce to get rid of the deadweight/drag.

EDIT: Trebuchet invents new technique: lithostaging!

EDIT2: Mostly you will just blow up on the runway or shear a wing off, though.

Edited by Trebuchet-Launch
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Trebuchet-Launch

Trebuchet-Launch

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There is pretty much zero control over WHERE the booster goes, though. I mean, it will straighten out nicely after the "bounce", but if it bounces off to the side it will do all sorts of crazy stuff.

Right now I had one spin out and do corkscrews in the sky around KSP. All four wheels are intact and it's gliding around - I want to see if it will do an unmanned landing.

(nope)

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Trebuchet-Launch

Trebuchet-Launch

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One of the screenshots in the pair I posted is the "just before death" shot of my initial bounce-rocket. It was, sadly, my best by far, but obviously ended a while ago. I can't take another screenshot of it.

EDIT: I've been fiddling with my bounce-rockets ever since. The current one has a nice stable glide, so I'm trying to see if I can get it to bounce into a climb like I've managed twice.

Edited by Trebuchet-Launch
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Suprablaski4

Suprablaski4

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Okay so i can only take so much credit for a ridiculous flight lol after many designs doing epic circle or just going straight up i rebuilt the posters craft and started playing with it, after flipping the front swept wings around and tilting them up slightly to encourage gliding and adding a few advanced canards to the rear i got a craft that likes to glide if it gets launched right. few random flights later i got a perfect turn into a glide that laster over an hour and took me beyond 100k where it stoped displaying and i glided for another 10 mins.

<a href="

http://s223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/?action=view&current=screenshot0-2.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/screenshot0-2.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="

http://s223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/?action=view&current=screenshot1-1.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/screenshot1-1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><a href="http://s223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/?action=view&current=screenshot19-1.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/screenshot19-1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><a href="http://s223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/?action=view&current=screenshot20-1.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/screenshot20-1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><a href="http://s223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/?action=view&current=screenshot21-1.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/screenshot21-1.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><a href="http://s223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/?action=view&current=screenshot22.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/screenshot22.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><a href="http://s223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/?action=view&current=screenshot23.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/screenshot23.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><a href="http://s223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/?action=view&current=screenshot24.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/screenshot24.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><a href="http://s223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/?action=view&current=screenshot25.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/screenshot25.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><a href="http://s223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/?action=view&current=screenshot28.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/screenshot28.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><a href="http://s223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/?action=view&current=screenshot29.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/screenshot29.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><a href="http://s223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/?action=view&current=screenshot30.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/screenshot30.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><a href="http://s223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/?action=view&current=screenshot31.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/screenshot31.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><a href="http://s223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/?action=view&current=screenshot32.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/screenshot32.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="

http://s223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/?action=view&current=screenshot33.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/screenshot33.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><a href="http://s223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/?action=view&current=screenshot34.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/screenshot34.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><a href="http://s223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/?action=view&current=screenshot36.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd249/suprablaski/screenshot36.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Landing was the best part and easily worth the hour 14 min wait lol, but again not my original design and the glide was pretty lucky lol

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NetBlitzer

NetBlitzer

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So, after about an hour and half of trying to figure out how this was possible to do, I managed to get a fairly good entry.

The craft after take-off

KSP2012-08-2219-46-21-61.png

Final touchdown

KSP2012-08-2219-48-39-99.png

Managed 18.5km and probably around 650m/s top speed.

As a side note, the wing design I finished with is so stable that the rocket doesn't start lifting up until around 6km away, or 400m/s. I decided to apply it to a jet fighter and it was so stable and manageable that I could turn in a 50 meter radius and hit 10Gs during it, all while flying around 5 meters above the ground. I could get within centimeters to the ground without any problems because the craft was so stable. Going to try to get it to supersonic speeds and fly above the ground that way. :P

Edit: Wow, in the short time I was doing this challenge, Treb and Supra have become dominant. :P

Edit again: Managed to get the jet to glide into a valley and then fly out before continuing on. Also managed to get 11.9Gs in a turn. All this work is going to allow me to refine my javelin rocket further I hope. If you guys want, I can post the craft file for the jet and let you look at its stability and stuff.

Edited by NetBlitzer
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SamNxGn

SamNxGn

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Supra did you take a screenshot of your End Flight log? I need it so that I can put down a distance on the leaderboard. Also Trebuchet can you use edits instead of multiple posts? :wink:

Glad to see real kerbal aerodynamic engineering coming out of this challenge NetBlitzer xD

Edited by SamNxGn
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